Kitchen Appliances Best Suited for You

Selecting the right kitchen appliances that match both your style and your budget is important. There are a variety of kitchen appliances available in a variety of styles. How do you determine what’s right for your kitchen design? Experts suggest taking the following steps:

  1. First take a look at your kitchen layout
  2. Draw up a budget
  3. Decide what appliances to get
  4. Select appliances that meet your budget and style

Decisions, Decisions

Kitchens are often revered for their style, whether it be modern or cozy. However, appliances are the heartbeat of your kitchen. You want to have kitchen appliances that offer the functions you desire, maintain the aesthetics of your space, and also fit your budget. So how do you juggle all these considerations? Bottom line: You need to prepare and cook meals. After that it’s just a matter of your preferences, style, and budget. So, let’s break it down!

Do I Need High-End Kitchen Appliances?

Do you cook all the time? Perhaps you follow along with the master chefs on cooking shows, you make up your own recipes, and you love to entertain. Professional-grade kitchen appliances are going to cost you more, but it could be worth it to you if cooking is your passion. On the other hand, if you mostly microwave TV dinners and eat out a lot, perhaps having top quality and extras you wouldn’t use very often isn’t as much of a concern and you can go with something more basic. And, of course, there’s a wide spectrum in the middle

First Things First

It’s important to first consider your kitchen’s layout. If the kitchen appliances aren’t going to fit, are cramped, or just don’t work within your aesthetic, you’re not going to be happy. The layout and the appliances need to work seamlessly together as one space.  Kitchen appliances include:

  • Ovens
  • Cooktops
  • Range hoods
  • Refrigerators and freezers
  • Microwaves
  • Dishwashers
  • The extras 

Choosing Kitchen Appliances 

Ovens

Convection ovens – These ovens circulate heat, allowing food to cook faster and more evenly than a traditional oven. Traditional ovens – Traditional ovens offer baking, roasting, and broiling. Perfect for the baker in your family! Combination ovens – Combining both traditional and convection ovens means you can have it all!

Cooktops

There are three main types of cooktops:

  • Gas
  • Electric
  • Induction

For gas cooktops, an excellent range is 9,200 BTU (British thermal units) or higher. Variable control, how long something can simmer without the flame going out, is another factor to consider. Burner grates made of cast iron or a metal provide better heat transfer from the burner to the pan than electric, making them ideal. Electric cooktops are safe, energy efficient, and easy to clean. In terms of efficiency, with gas you lose about 38 percent of heat from burner to pan. With induction heat you only lose about 10 to 20 percent of its energy. Because of its efficiency, the induction method saves time and energy. Additionally, some cooktop dual-fuel models offer both gas and electric.

Range hoods

You want a ventilation system that takes exhaust out of the kitchen without being too loud. Exterior motors are an option if you want it really quiet. A four-burner electric cooking surface should have ventilation of at least 400 cfm (cubic feet per meter). Hoods come in a variety of aesthetic designs and are often the focal point of the room. 

Induction

With induction cooktops electricity flows through a coil, producing a magnetic field. When a pan is placed on this ceramic surface, the pan heats up. 

Refrigerators and Freezers

Line up (or not)! Freestanding models generally stick out 6 or 7 inches from the counter, but you can purchase counter-depth refrigerator/freezers as well.

Quality

Refrigerator quality is all about the compressor. Single-compressor units have to work twice as hard as a dual-compressor unit, which costs more but food lasts longer. Refrigerator/freezers come a variety of configurations: The traditional model places the freezer on top of the refrigerator. Bottom-mounted refrigerators place the refrigerator is on top, which has the advantage of putting the food you access most at eye level. French-door models place two doors on top with a freezer drawer on the bottom. There are also other variations. Then there’s the best, but most expensive option: A separate refrigerator and freezer.

H2O please

In terms of automatic water/ice in the door, consider the water quality where you live. Some models purify the water while others pass water through the copper pipe without purification. Refrigerator extra features:

  • Frost-free feature
  • Water dispenser
  • Icemaker
  • Built-in television

Microwaves

Microwaves can take up a lot of space. If you’re planning on purchasing a double oven, consider buying a convection microwave and a regular oven instead. It gets the job done and takes up less space. Another alternative is microwave drawers, which line up with base cabinets. It all comes down to your space and cooking needs. At LJ’s, we can help you figure out what will give you the utility you need while looking sleek in your space.

Dishwashers

Today there are traditional and drawer dishwashers to choose from. Traditional dishwashers are the most popular. The door pulls down from the top, just like oven doors. Dishwashers can be metal or paneled to blend in with the surrounding cabinetry. Drawer dishwashers, which come in one- or two-drawer configurations, are easier to load and can be installed at various heights. They handle smaller loads, so they are more energy efficient; a great option for smaller kitchens. Other people add them on to their kitchens to give themselves the option to do smaller loads. Additional options:

  • Delay timer
  • Economy cycle
  • Half-load capacity

Kitchen extras

  • Built-in coffeemakers
  • Microwaves
  • Trash compactors
  • Under-cabinet refrigeration for wine
  • Warming drawers (to keep food hot in order to serve a lot of people at the same time)

Appliance Aesthetics

Kitchen appliances can be freestanding, built-in, or concealed by cabinetry panels.

Finishes

Stainless steel

Stainless steel ranges from 8- to 30-gauge steel. The lower the gauge, the shinier the surface, the better the quality, the easiest to clean, and the most durable. Higher-grade kitchen appliances look shinier because they have a greater ratio of nickel to chromium.

Oiled-bronze

New to the market, this style goes well with traditional kitchens.

Black

Always sleek and costs less than stainless steel.

Energy efficiency

Energy Star-rated kitchen appliances save energy, which saves you money in utility bills. Energy saving varies among appliances, but the savings information is all laid out on a yellow sticker on each appliance. Brands that LJ’s features: LJ’s features top-quality brands.

Sub-Zero and Wolf

Advantages of Sub-Zero and Wolf:

  • Quality
  • Innovative technologies
  • Preserves food at ultralow temperatures
  • Eight decades of excellence
  • Professional grade
  • Precise
  • Design
  • Workmanship
  • Excellent performance
  • Family-owned companies
  • Made in the U.S.A. of premium-grade materials
  • More than 80 years in the commercial kitchen business
  • Family-run business

Sub-Zero and Wolf provide:

  • Dual fuel ranges
  • Induction ranges
  • Gas ranges
  • Built-in ovens
  • Rangetops and cooktops
  • Module cooktops
  • Coffee system and cup warming drawer
  • Microwave ovens
  • Warming drawers
  • Ventilation systems
  • Built-in refrigeration
  • Pro 48 refrigeration
  • Integrated refrigeration
  • Undercounter refrigeration
  • Wine storage

Sub-Zero refrigerators:

  • Preserve food longer than regular refrigerators
  • Offer a host of sizes and ways to customize
  • Use dual refrigeration (separate cooling systems for refrigerator and freezer)
  • Create frigid, dry air to prevent freezer burn
  • Keep fruits and vegetables fresh 20 percent longer than regular refrigerators by maintaining cool, moist air
  • Use air-purification technology to filter the mold, viruses, bacteria, and ethylene gas out of the air
  • Feature advanced filtration to remove contaminants from water
  • Last more than 20 years
  • Boast meticulous engineering and premium-grade materials

Bertazzoni

Bertazzoni is known all over the world for its style, precision, and over-all excellence in stoves. The family company has been making ovens since the 19th century. Bertazzoni makes both modern and traditional styles of stoves.

Compare and contrast

There are a lot of details when it comes to selecting the right kitchen appliances. Compare specification sheets before making a final decision.

Contact Us

One of LJ’s areas of expertise is in kitchen design. LJ’s also provides quality kitchen appliances. Contact Us for help selecting the right kitchen appliances for your space!       Links: http://ljskitchens.com/ http://www.hgtv.com/remodel/kitchen-remodel/choosing-kitchen-appliances http://www.hgtv.com/remodel/kitchen-remodel/kitchen-appliance-buying-guide http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/rooms-and-spaces/kitchen/the-abcs-of-kitchen-appliances http://ljskitchens.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Extraordinary.pdf https://www.consumerreports.org/electric-induction-ranges/pros-and-cons-of-induction-cooktops-and-ranges/ http://ovens.reviewed.com/features/induction-101-better-cooking-through-science http://www.subzero-wolf.com/wolf/cooktops-and-rangetops/electric-cooktops