New kitchen kit - which would you buy and NOT buy again?
Discussion
Having just moved in to a newly built house and having a brand new kitchen,
DO's:
- induction hob
- decent extractor
- 'Le Mans' style magic corners; they're massive!
- drawers for pans, crockery
- American fridge freezer - we've a new LG one with the small door to get milk, juice, beer, quickly
- built in microwave
- I'd suggest having 2 ovens; we have one and we should have bought 2
- pull out 'pharmacy' cabinet
- more power points than you think you'll need (aside from those permanently in use for appliances, we have 11 sockets for other stuff)
- drawer containing bins/recycling boxes under sink
- easy knock on/off tap; we have one from Blanco. It's very useful when you've dirty hands.
- quiet dishwasher
- good lighting; we took invaluable advice from E36GUY and we're very pleased.....recessed spots and LED task and coloured lighting
- if you live in a hard water area, a Brita filter on the sink taps, rather than a water softener
DON'Ts:
- quooker: seem expensive and aren't used as much as you think
- pop up sockets: they fill up with crumbs!
- waste disposal, unless you're at risk from grizzly bears attacking your bins!
DO's:
- induction hob
- decent extractor
- 'Le Mans' style magic corners; they're massive!
- drawers for pans, crockery
- American fridge freezer - we've a new LG one with the small door to get milk, juice, beer, quickly
- built in microwave
- I'd suggest having 2 ovens; we have one and we should have bought 2
- pull out 'pharmacy' cabinet
- more power points than you think you'll need (aside from those permanently in use for appliances, we have 11 sockets for other stuff)
- drawer containing bins/recycling boxes under sink
- easy knock on/off tap; we have one from Blanco. It's very useful when you've dirty hands.
- quiet dishwasher
- good lighting; we took invaluable advice from E36GUY and we're very pleased.....recessed spots and LED task and coloured lighting
- if you live in a hard water area, a Brita filter on the sink taps, rather than a water softener
DON'Ts:
- quooker: seem expensive and aren't used as much as you think
- pop up sockets: they fill up with crumbs!
- waste disposal, unless you're at risk from grizzly bears attacking your bins!
It's really interesting hearing everyone's varying opinions on various accessories and options.
I recently "refreshed" our kitchen on a very tight budget, reusing most of the cabinets and doors. A friend had given me a second hand built in double oven and gas hob, which was the nudge for me to do the whole room. When I say the whole room, this was removing the poorly dot n dabbed plasterboard and cemented tiles, right back to block work!
I'm clearly not in the same league as most of you guys here, and had to reuse as much of the original cabinets as possible, which limited my options somewhat. But my main criteria was making the room easier to use for my wife. She has MS, so the built in oven was a huge improvement over the free standing one - which I'd mounted it on a plinth to make the oven/grill easier, but made the hob uncomfortable! But obviously looked pig ugly!
But some of the most successful features have been:
Washing machine opposite tumble drier, so items can be transferred directly. Tumble drier vented directly to outside.
Washing machine and dishwasher mounted either side of sink unit, so all plumbing is where you'd expect it, including stopcock
A drawer under the hob for utensils - Simple pleasures!
Sink and hob opposite in centre of room, makes easy filling and draining.
Hob extractor ducting taken into roof void, then through wall (will allow me to alter location of extractor at a later date without core drilling the wall again!)
Having plenty of sockets, including FCU's for hob, extractor, sockets beneath the work top for the tumble drier, so they can be isolated properly.
Using a chrome bathroom towel radiator, looks great, and keeps tea towels fresher for longer.
I'm considering fabricating splash backs in ply and painting them in blackboard paint as a temporary measure, then using these later as templates for stainless steel, but there always seems to be other more pressing tasks or expenses at the mo!
I recently "refreshed" our kitchen on a very tight budget, reusing most of the cabinets and doors. A friend had given me a second hand built in double oven and gas hob, which was the nudge for me to do the whole room. When I say the whole room, this was removing the poorly dot n dabbed plasterboard and cemented tiles, right back to block work!
I'm clearly not in the same league as most of you guys here, and had to reuse as much of the original cabinets as possible, which limited my options somewhat. But my main criteria was making the room easier to use for my wife. She has MS, so the built in oven was a huge improvement over the free standing one - which I'd mounted it on a plinth to make the oven/grill easier, but made the hob uncomfortable! But obviously looked pig ugly!
But some of the most successful features have been:
Washing machine opposite tumble drier, so items can be transferred directly. Tumble drier vented directly to outside.
Washing machine and dishwasher mounted either side of sink unit, so all plumbing is where you'd expect it, including stopcock
A drawer under the hob for utensils - Simple pleasures!
Sink and hob opposite in centre of room, makes easy filling and draining.
Hob extractor ducting taken into roof void, then through wall (will allow me to alter location of extractor at a later date without core drilling the wall again!)
Having plenty of sockets, including FCU's for hob, extractor, sockets beneath the work top for the tumble drier, so they can be isolated properly.
Using a chrome bathroom towel radiator, looks great, and keeps tea towels fresher for longer.
I'm considering fabricating splash backs in ply and painting them in blackboard paint as a temporary measure, then using these later as templates for stainless steel, but there always seems to be other more pressing tasks or expenses at the mo!
mildmannered said:
I'm considering fabricating splash backs in ply and painting them in blackboard paint as a temporary measure, then using these later as templates for stainless steel, but there always seems to be other more pressing tasks or expenses at the mo!
Screwfix do MDF-backed stainless steel splash backs that you attach to the wall with grip fill, very reasonably priced (£40 at the moment as it's on special, I paid £50).onomatopoeia said:
Screwfix do MDF-backed stainless steel splash backs that you attach to the wall with grip fill, very reasonably priced (£40 at the moment as it's on special, I paid £50).
Thanks for the tip, but I'm aiming for bespoke splashbacks as I don't want any joints and I've got a good contact who is really reasonable who could fabricate them for me. And I'm really skint!garyhun said:
Simpo Two said:
Seems odd; mine is about as fast as it can be and I have boggo s/s pans from Homebase. Is it working at maximum current I wonder?
I agree. Mine was lightening quick, especially with water from the Quooker.When the hob was installed they did the demo thing of putting a small amount of water in the pan which boiled very quickly, but it's the larger volume / surface area pans that seem to struggle a little compared to our previous gas range.
DanX5 said:
I might get it looked at then. Even spent a fortune on pans (3 ply le creuset jobbies) that I was assured were perfect for induction hobs despite being seemingly very robustly built. The bumf with pans specifically states not to run at high heat setting on induction hobs due to their efficiency but we seem to have to put on at least the 7.5 out of 10 setting to heat things up in a reasonable timescale.
Soooo.... your induction hob is not heating things up fast enough and you have it on 7.5 out of 10...Nope, I'm stumped. Call the engineer
Simpo Two said:
DanX5 said:
I might get it looked at then. Even spent a fortune on pans (3 ply le creuset jobbies) that I was assured were perfect for induction hobs despite being seemingly very robustly built. The bumf with pans specifically states not to run at high heat setting on induction hobs due to their efficiency but we seem to have to put on at least the 7.5 out of 10 setting to heat things up in a reasonable timescale.
Soooo.... your induction hob is not heating things up fast enough and you have it on 7.5 out of 10...Nope, I'm stumped. Call the engineer
To protect and prevent damage to the surface, use only MEDIUM and LOW heats for all cooking. NEVER use high heats.
Damage from overheating is instantly recognisable as the stainless steel surface may change colour producing a golden/brown/blue appearance. This is not reversible and cannot be cleaned off.
To be honest I took the opportunity to sort out the wiring, put in a new all singing consumer unit and a proper transfer switch and feed in point, thus allowing proper connection of a genny as opposed to a "switch off at fuse box and back feed with a bit of T&E and a 13 amp fuse at each end bodgerama." 
"
That added a fair few hundred to the kitchen budget that wasn't really kitchen but accomplished something that had intended and we now have a recent inspection certificate.
On the other hand the only decent power cut we have had since then we were away so couldn't light up the street. Was looking forward to the childish amusement factor of the neighbours being on candles and us having the lights on, especially if the Christmas lights in the front garden tree were up on full power.
"That added a fair few hundred to the kitchen budget that wasn't really kitchen but accomplished something that had intended and we now have a recent inspection certificate.
On the other hand the only decent power cut we have had since then we were away so couldn't light up the street. Was looking forward to the childish amusement factor of the neighbours being on candles and us having the lights on, especially if the Christmas lights in the front garden tree were up on full power.
DanX5 said:
OK, OK, I realise that this makes me look a little daft but in fairness I had been using our old pan set (induction compliant) on highest setting without great success hence the new pans. As I had posted, I didn't want to risk turning to full due to the le creuset bumf giving warnings not to use the pans on a high heat setting, as follows:
To protect and prevent damage to the surface, use only MEDIUM and LOW heats for all cooking. NEVER use high heats. Damage from overheating is instantly recognisable as the stainless steel surface may change colour producing a golden/brown/blue appearance. This is not reversible and cannot be cleaned off.
I suspect those warnings are for gas, where external temps can get much higher than 100C; I think you've been duped into buying posh pans when not required - and so what if they change colour? They are pans not ornaments; they will still work perfectly well. Either you want to heat things fast - in which case crank it up - or take it easy and wait and keep your pans looking new To protect and prevent damage to the surface, use only MEDIUM and LOW heats for all cooking. NEVER use high heats. Damage from overheating is instantly recognisable as the stainless steel surface may change colour producing a golden/brown/blue appearance. This is not reversible and cannot be cleaned off.
I like vimto (northerner).
Could I fit a vimto tap that works a bit like the post mix dispensers in bars and restaurants?
My imagination suggests a reservoir where you empty your favourite cordial in, then it dispenses a preset strength mixture straight into your glass, drawing water straight from the mains.
My dream kitchen would have this.
Could I fit a vimto tap that works a bit like the post mix dispensers in bars and restaurants?
My imagination suggests a reservoir where you empty your favourite cordial in, then it dispenses a preset strength mixture straight into your glass, drawing water straight from the mains.
My dream kitchen would have this.
Tiggsy said:
I retro fitted a waste disposal and it's the best thing in the kitchen.
Large family so we get through a LOT of food waste....going in the bins is messy, stinks and attracts animals...so sink it!
Get a good one...ours will do a roast chicken carcass in seconds.
Tiggsy earlier in his kitchen -Large family so we get through a LOT of food waste....going in the bins is messy, stinks and attracts animals...so sink it!
Get a good one...ours will do a roast chicken carcass in seconds.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff