Any kitchen tips?

detoxkid

We are buying a house off the plans and are due to meet with the kitchen guy soon. From speaking to him on the phone he said things like deciding whether we want a single or double oven are important, as is whether we want a stand alone American style fridge. I haven't a monkeys and want to get this right! Any advice on double or single ovens, fridges or layout? Many thanks

harr

detoxkid wrote: »

We are buying a house off the plans and are due to meet with the kitchen guy soon. From speaking to him on the phone he said things like deciding whether we want a single or double oven are important, as is whether we want a stand alone American style fridge. I haven't a monkeys and want to get this right! Any advice on double or single ovens, fridges or layout? Many thanks

My preference is a built in electric double oven and a gas hob with extraction fan..
A nice size island but not to big to take over the kitchen.. not gone on the American fridges so ours is built in as is dishwasher.
We got a built in washing machine dryer combo and that’s saves spaces.
Plenty of storage if you can and if you can get your power points with USB ports..

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Cakerbaker

If you want a lot of fridge and freezer space I’d suggest looking at separate full length fridges and freezers rather than an American fridge freezer. The water dispenser / ice maker takes up a huge amount of space in the freezer part of many of the American ones so the amount of space in the freezer part ends up quite small.

With ovens consider what kind of cooking you do. A friend of mine has 2 single ovens side by side rather than a double oven and it works very well for the them. It does depend on space / room layout though.

Claw Hammer

I find a combination open/microwave on worktop and separate fridge and freezer, under counter to work well. I do not agree with combined washer/dryers as there are too many compromises involved in combining two different machines. They were developed for apartments where space is at a premium. One of the drawbacks of integrated appliances, is that when the appliance has to be replaced, the front panel of the old appliance may not match up properly with the new appliance.

CPTM

I wish I'd put my hob in the corner of the kitchen because there's a bit of wasted space in there and there would have been more counter top space for cutting veg etc. But I'm not sure if space is a problem for you.

detoxkid

Great tips, thanks to all who have responded so far. It is a small kitchen and space will be tight...

harr

Just to add , we took a visit to ikea to get ideas on space saving tips. We didn’t purchase an Ikea kitchen but we definitely got lots of ideas for a smallish kitchen.
One other tip if you can is to have a long press where you can store ironing board, sweeping brush and the likes of mops. We also use this space for hanging coats and outdoor gear..

LirW

When we moved into ours we also had to get a new kitchen and the room would have allowed to either go quite big or relatively small. We opted for the smaller because I like my kitchens compact and I made the experience that too much space tends to generate clutter over the years you'll never use.

We went through several options and got a few planned, I found Ikeas planning the "worst" (was still good but a lot of dead space). We opted for the oven under the hob and instead of presses on one wall we got a very big spice rack for spices and oils.
Make sure you don't have dead corners under the counter. Ours has presses that reach back, it would be too small for the spinning ones but we got a good solution planned.
If you have gas connection, go for gas, otherwise go for induction.

As another poster said, think about what your lifestyle is and what's really necessary to have, especially if space isn't the biggest.
Also make sure you have the work surface that you need. Some kitchens are planned so badly that you simply don't have a work surface.
Smart storage solutions all the way, quality over quantity.

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mvl

Well - I inherited a small kitchen (16m2) that was re-done by previous owner, so its not needing full replacement now. But I still need to fix few things with it.

So they had an american fridge - and thumbs up for that. (and we're a family of 3, we realize now we like this fridge).
There are too many cabinets that drive me mental.

But whoever thought its a good idea to put the oven beside a fridge I would get them fired, they are not good at their job !
So now I have to move the oven away from the american fridge ... and not only that, instead of installing double ovens - I think I am more of a range cooker type - so few cabinets need to be removed to make room for a range cooker in this kitchen of mine !!!

-OP, would you consider a range cooker ? - that is, if you are a cooking type !

Another tip - I think Ikea islands are very good for smaller kitchens ...

miezekatze

You said your kitchen isn't big so I would go for a normal fridge/freezer combo and just one oven. I think double ovens and American fridges are a nice luxury if you have a big kitchen, but for an average size kitchen I think storage space is more important. You'll be surprised how much stuff you'll have to store somewhere in your kitchen. Make sure your corners are utilised properly as well, and all presses can be accessed easily. Get some nice big drawers, they are much handier for pots/pans or plates/bowls than normal presses.

detoxkid

Some great tips, thanks a million. We have two kids and are considering another so want to future proof the kitchen as much as possible!!

Cakerbaker

It may also be worth going to a few different kitchen suppliers to see what they suggest, even if you won’t be getting the kitchen from them. We went to a few places before deciding on what we wanted and ended up getting handy ideas for layout from everywhere we went.

If getting an island make sure there’s enough space for people to pass comfortably / for someone to be working at the countertop and for someone to pass behind them easily. You don’t want people to have to squeeze past each other.

April 73

I’ve recently redone my kitchen. Just finished this week - thankfully. We got an integrated full height fridge & separate freezer. There’s a lot more feeezer space that way than with an American fridge/freezer. Depends on whether you think you’ll need a lot of freezer space.

I put as many deep drawers in as I could. Access is so much easier than traditional cupboards. You actually don’t need peg boards either - stuff doesn’t move around. I also put a tall larder cupboard in too - again access is so easy rather than rooting around in cupboards. If you don’t have a utility room a tall cupboard is really useful for storage of brush, mop, ironing board.

I’ve had gas & an abduction hob. Gas is great to cook with but the hob is a pain to clean. Induction is a bit faffy and uses a massive amount of power - we can’t run our electric shower if the hob is on. But it looks sleek & it a dream to wipe down.

If you have the option - consider lighting - it’s a really nice touch to have under cupboard-lights or lights in the plinths. Not an essential but on those long winter evenings it’s nice.

Best of luck with the planning.

ted1

Avoid American fridges there over sized and tacky. Built in ones look much better.

Go with an induction hob and oven. Avoid gas.

Go for drawers over cupboards. Get food discrete under counting lighting. Decide wheater or not you want built in bins. If not then think about what type bins.

Think about the size of the kitchen and if a peninsula is better than an island.

Think about the flooring and if it’ll stand up to spills and leaks

Double sinks don’t get used. Go for more counter space.

private

Sorry ted1but I love my American fridge freezer and can highly recommend this one KENWOOD Ksbsx17. Its only €499 in curry's has no space wasting ice, water dispenser and gets a fantastic 80% best buy rating on which.co.uk. I bought it before it was reviewed. My mother has since bought one and loves it too.

I wish I had not got an induction hob. I miss my old gas one so much:(

I had a base cabinet removed at the end of the design as I realised I had left no space for a bin.

I love my island but its a large kitchen, you probably shouldn't squish one in.

This website was invaluable.
https://www.houseplanshelper.com/kitchen-design-layout.html

I've attached 2 files to reflect the design stage and am delighted I spent so many hours on it. There were maybe 15 revisions where I went from the original off the plans design to peninsula to island. I was able to fit in a round table and a medium size sofa too. Measure everything! Good luck!

A frind of mine was between electric and gas so he got both. A 4 ring induction and 4 ring gas side by side. Mostly uses induction but gas is a handy back up. Side by side electric ovens then underneath.

American fridge freezers are the job but personally I’d still want space for a chest freezer in a utility as it’s great for loading up with stuff especially bulky stuff and the transfer to the freezer part of the American fridge freezer for day to day.

The_Honeybadger

I’d second the recommendation for an induction hob. The level of heat control you have vs gas or convection is just far superior. Well worth spending on really good stainless steel cookware too if you can stretch to it, they’ll last forever. I’d go for two standard ovens side by side or stacked if you need the extra oven space rather than a double oven personally, the top part isn’t great in a lot of them.

We inherited the previous owners kitchen so couldn’t get an integrated fridge, we went for a large modern freestanding fridge freezer, and it does us fine with 5 in the house. That said my MIL has one of the big American style ones with filtered water / ice dispenser and I like that too. Surprisingly little space in it though for the size of it. It really depends on what space you have and your lifestyle as others have stated.

Word of warning on integrating appliances, they can be a pain to change out if they break or just need replacing. We had to get a new dishwasher when we moved in and I spent two hours with a carpenter friend trying to get the previous one out after it had been wedged in by whoever installed it. Maybe I was just unlucky but it was really annoying at the time.

jlm29

I love our American fridge freezer- also got the kenwood one with no space wasted.
I’d advise drawers as much as possible down low, it’s so much easier to find stuff than if it’s in at the back of a low down cupboard.
I have a tall ladder press with pull out baskets, it’s a great job, fits most of our food in it!

I have drawers under the sink rather than a cupboard. I’d highly recommend. The top drawer has a cut out to go around the pipes, I store cleaning supplies there, and then a big drawer underneath for pots and pans.

Think about what you do in the kitchen (other than eating), and what you need to store. I recently got an extra cupboard with shelves for cook books, and space for the kids paints, paper, jigsaws etc, because we mainly use these in the kitchen, and they were always dumped in a corner before!

private

Induction vs gas

Induction, very fast to heat up
Gas pretty quick

Induction easy to clean
Gas definitely not easy to keep clean but hard to damage.

Induction won't work with most pots have to buy special ones. I got free set with bosch hob.
Gas works with all pots and pans including induction

Induction frying has marked the surface but these fade and disappear after a few months! No idea why.
Gas is the business for frying

Have had both and I find as the main cook there's a good reason chef's don't use induction.

The_Honeybadger

private wrote: »

Induction vs gas

Induction, very fast to heat up
Gas pretty quick

Induction easy to clean
Gas definitely not easy to keep clean but hard to damage.

Induction won't work with most pots have to buy special ones. I got free set with bosch hob.
Gas works with all pots and pans including induction

Induction frying has marked the surface but these fade and disappear after a few months! No idea why.
Gas is the business for frying

Have had both and I find as the main cook there's a good reason chef's don't use induction.

Gas is much better for frying without a doubt.

Where I find induction comes in to its own is if you need to leave something on a low even heat, like sauces, soup or a curry. Gas can burn the bottom of the pot where induction won’t. It’s also safer if there are kiddies around.

The cookware is an issue alright, particularly if you already have good non induction ones. If not it’s just a case of making sure the ones you buy are compatible.

mvl

jlm29 wrote: »

I have a tall ladder press with pull out baskets, it’s a great job, fits most of our food in it!
!

agreed !

jlm29 wrote: »

I have drawers under the sink rather than a cupboard. I’d highly recommend. The top drawer has a cut out to go around the pipes, I store cleaning supplies there, and then a big drawer underneath for pots and pans.

not sure if it would be same for ppl who can fill two drawers of cleaning products ...

jlm29 wrote: »

Think about what you do in the kitchen (other than eating), and what you need to store. I recently got an extra cupboard with shelves for cook books, and space for the kids paints, paper, jigsaws etc, because we mainly use these in the kitchen, and they were always dumped in a corner before!

good point - as I didn't pick up if there is a separate dining area, or if the dining area would be within same space !
but my cookbooks sit on a shelf above the american fridge

jlm29

I probably COULD fill 2 drawers with cleaning products, but I’ve found that a lot of stuff is unnecessary, especially when space is a bit limited! I do have a cupboard under the sink in the utility, where I could keep more if I needed!
Even if someone had a bit more, two drawers is handier than a cupboard that’s like a black hole under the sink!

ted1

private wrote: »

Sorry ted1but I love my American fridge freezer and can highly recommend this one KENWOOD Ksbsx17. Its only €499 in curry's has no space wasting ice, water dispenser and gets a fantastic 80% best buy rating on which.co.uk. I bought it before it was reviewed. My mother has since bought one and loves it too.

I wish I had not got an induction hob. I miss my old gas one so much:(

I had a base cabinet removed at the end of the design as I realised I had left no space for a bin.

I love my island but its a large kitchen, you probably shouldn't squish one in.

This website was invaluable.
https://www.houseplanshelper.com/kitchen-design-layout.html

I've attached 2 files to reflect the design stage and am delighted I spent so many hours on it. There were maybe 15 revisions where I went from the original off the plans design to peninsula to island. I was able to fit in a round table and a medium size sofa too. Measure everything! Good luck!

We’ll have to agree to differ. Round tables in rectangle rooms never do it for me.

ted1

private wrote: »

Induction vs gas

Induction, very fast to heat up
Gas pretty quick

Induction easy to clean
Gas definitely not easy to keep clean but hard to damage.

Induction won't work with most pots have to buy special ones. I got free set with bosch hob.
Gas works with all pots and pans including induction

Induction frying has marked the surface but these fade and disappear after a few months! No idea why.
Gas is the business for frying

Have had both and I find as the main cook there's a good reason chef's don't use induction.

Gas adds a carbon monoxide source to the kitchen.

ted1

OP you should look at seating. We got a built in bench fitted on the back wall and find it great when having people over as we can extend the table. And fit lots of people comfortably.

Aaron15

detoxkid wrote: »

We are buying a house off the plans and are due to meet with the kitchen guy soon. From speaking to him on the phone he said things like deciding whether we want a single or double oven are important, as is whether we want a stand alone American style fridge. I haven't a monkeys and want to get this right! Any advice on double or single ovens, fridges or layout? Many thanks

We recently picked our kitchen out and went with a built on double oven, intergrated 50/50 fridge, intergrated dishwasher, and a ceramic electric hOb, but all depends on yourself, a stand alone American style fridge would take up a lot of room, intergrated stuff looks so much neater I personally think, exciting times though, congratulations

Teyla Emmagan

miezekatze wrote:

You said your kitchen isn't big so I would go for a normal fridge/freezer combo and just one oven. I think double ovens and American fridges are a nice luxury if you have a big kitchen, but for an average size kitchen I think storage space is more important.

My double oven is an under counter and it went into the same unit as my previous single oven. They can be very compact. I love mine anyway, wouldn't be without it!

ted1

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

miezekatze wrote:

You said your kitchen isn't big so I would go for a normal fridge/freezer combo and just one oven. I think double ovens and American fridges are a nice luxury if you have a big kitchen, but for an average size kitchen I think storage space is more important.

My double oven is an under counter and it went into the same unit as my previous single oven. They can be very compact. I love mine anyway, wouldn't be without it!

Can’t imagine you’d fit a turkey in either oven.
I don’t see the attraction myself. One fan oven is perfect but if you have a big kitchen sure why not throw in a second fan oven

the_syco

If you have a shed, put a double sized chest freezer into it.

The freezer in the kitchen is good for stuff that you'll use for the day-to-day stuff, but the chest freezer in the shed is for when you bulk buy at an out of town butchers, and not something to waste space for in the house.

For the corner press, consider something to give access to the corner without having to reach in.

Either something like this that allows you to swivel stuff on a turntable so you don't have to be reaching into the dark.

Or like the below. The auntie has this in their house, and it makes so much sense (esp as I've often had to each in to the corner to grab something!);

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJpi5Adzpqg

Teyla Emmagan

ted1 wrote:

Can’t imagine you’d fit a turkey in either oven. I don’t see the attraction myself. One fan oven is perfect but if you have a big kitchen sure why not throw in a second fan oven

The larger one would certainly take a turkey, not that I would ever want to cook one, I can't stand turkey. But being able to cook 2 separate dishes at different temperatures at the same time is just unbelievably handy. I guess it depends on what type of cooking you are doing. If you will only ever be roasting a joint and boiling some veg on the hob at the same time I suppose you only need one oven.

pwurple

Can’t believe people can live without a double oven... so it is about your way of living really. We would often cook parts of a meal that need two temperatures. Or be proofing or finishing bread in one, and doing a slow cook joint in the other.

Keep your dishwasher near your sink, and think about your work triangles.

Triangle 1 is food prep. So have your chopping counter, hob and pans, and compost bins close to each other.

Triangle 2 is cleaning. Sink, dishwasher, and plate storage near each other.

If you have space for a utility /pantry, put one in, with laundry facilities in there. I like being able to close the door on that noise, and store cleaning products or bulky things (Hoover) in there.

jester77

Sockets, you can never have enough!

Just looking in one corner and we have a bread slicer, toaster, water cooker, coffee machine and grinder.

The freezer doesn't need to be in the kitchen, we have a large one and we keep it in the basement, the fridge has a small freezer compartment where we keep things we use regularly like ice, herbs, etc

tvjunki

Buy a sink and a half with a good drainer. This way if you have the sink full of dishes and water you can use the half sink to tip tea etc down it and it saves on water.

Buy a good set of taps or mixer that you can afford. The last thing you want to do is in a years time you have to replace it.


Dont buy an american fridge. SIL had one and had a power cut and the serge distroyed the chip. It is more expensive to run and then how do you dispose of it? A standard fridge can fit in a car but not an american. You will not fill it. It is great in America because everything goes into it due to the heat but we do not have that issue.


Get a good extractor with a low noise level(db rating) as the last thing you want is a big noising machine extracting the fumes. Also get it vented out with the strongest suction you can afford. Less mess.


Having a wall mounted gas oven is better than under the counter as easier to access. Lifting things out can be hard as you get older. I have a double oven gas and it is brilliant. Above it is a microwave built in. Make sure when it is installed there is enough of space for air to circulate.

Plenty of sockets.
Depending on your space you can build an ushaped kitchen and have the hob looking out to the eating area.


Dont forget if you have a power cut it is nice to have gas to cook on as you can still boil a saucepan when there is no electricity. My aunty had a electric cooker in the country and there was a power cut. Christmas day no dinner as no power. Other aunty had bottled gas and ended up feeding everyone. Worth a thought...

Fian

Best thing we did in our kitchen was two integrated fridges (with freezers) side by side. There are 6 of us though, including 4 teenagers, so we need alot of fridge space. nice to be able to open up teh two fridges like a larder.

We got a rangemaster with double (elecrtric) oven (though they are low which might be a problem depending on age) and 5 gas rings, two electric. Never really use the electric ones tbh but they might be handy if i wanted to simmer something on a low heat. I like a gas hob. door latch is gone on one of the ovens and I haven't bothered fixing it yet, one is enough.

My sister in law has a walk in pantry. That really is a great idea, so much easier to see what is on the shelves instead of poking around in a dark press. She converted it from what had been a coat room off the kitchen.