If you’re a homeowner, a time comes when you’ll need to change your kitchen appliances. When the time comes, you’ll be faced with a lot of options to choose from, and it can get confusing. However, with the right guidance tips, you can choose the right appliances. Here are some things to consider:
Available Kitchen space
You’ll need to consider the size of your kitchen and how much space you have for the appliances you need to get. If you have a lot of space, you can go all out and get a large refrigerator and probably a dishwasher too.
If your kitchen space is small, you should rather go with more compact sizes so that you leave enough room for moving around when cooking.
However, the fact that you have enough space doesn’t mean you must buy large kitchen appliances. You need to consider the best appliances with regards to flexibility and efficiency of usage.
Plan your kitchen space properly bearing in mind that many people could be in the kitchen at the same time, especially if you have a large family.
Remember that the appliances you purchase will most likely contribute to your water and electricity costs, so also have that in mind when considering your options.
Energy Cost and Efficiency
Energy efficiency is an important consideration when purchasing your kitchen appliances. You need to ensure that all the appliances you purchase are energy efficient. That way, you can reduce energy costs when you use them.
When you purchase energy-efficient appliances, you get to save additional costs as time goes on, but if you don’t consider energy efficiency, then you’ll most likely spend so much on electricity bills.
Most times, the larger the size of an appliance, the more energy it consumes, although not always. Always look for products that carry the energy-efficiency label from Energy Star and those that are green.
Kitchen Aesthetics
Ask yourself what you want to achieve with your kitchen aesthetics and consider that when buying kitchen appliances.
You need to create a style and ambiance that you’ll like and be comfortable with when you spend time in the kitchen. You can decide whether you want to stick to all stainless steel materials when choosing your kitchen appliances or you want to explore several different materials.
Whatever the case, ensure that the appliances you purchase have a similar style that suits the other kitchen appliances in your home.
Conventional or not?
Would you like to stick to conventional appliances? Or are you open to exploring convection?
For instance, convection ovens cook your meals 25% faster than conventional ovens because they have a fan and exhaust system that circulates air throughout the food. That way, your food is cooked faster and more evenly than a conventional oven would.
If you’ll like to use your ovens for a lot of things, including making pastries, cooking meat, and roasting vegetables, then a convection oven is a better choice. Alternatively, you can get a 2-in-1 oven that has a convection setting.
Kitchen usage and Lifestyle
How often do you use your kitchen? And what activities do you carry out when you’re in there?
If you always cook in your kitchen, then you’ll need appliances that suit all your cooking needs. However, if you mostly eat out and probably only warm your meals and do the dishes, then you should consider buying only the relevant appliances.
There’ll be no reason to buy the most expensive oven or the largest fridge if you’re not really going to use them.
If you host a lot of guests and do a lot of cooking, then you should consider buying appliances in the larger range to suit your needs.
Whatever the case might be, always purchase kitchen appliances based on their needs and practicalities.
Price
Price is always a factor that can make or mar other considerations when you’re choosing new kitchen appliances.
You need to consider how much you can afford to spend when shopping. Compare the prices of different brands of the same product as well as their features and reviews.
Although you might need to follow a budget, you also don’t want to buy poor-quality appliances in a bid to save money because they will go bad quickly and cost you some more money.
It is best to go for the trusted brands and those that have a large number of positive customer reviews.
Product Warranties
Kitchen appliances are a major investment, so you should always look for warranties when purchasing new items. You need to be sure that the financial investment you make will be worth your while.
Product warranties range differently from one brand to the next, and you’ll find that some warranty providers charge more than others, so consider that before you conclude.
As much as warranty service fees and deductibles are important considerations, you also need to consider warranty length when buying an item.
Many manufacturers have extended warranties, so you might not have to worry about getting stuck with a bad item.
You’ll also find that there are some warranties for specific parts of a kitchen appliance and not the entire appliance. You can consider that based on the item you’re purchasing.
It is also a good idea to consider third-party warranties because of their independence from manufacturer or retailer restrictions. Some of such warranties are also cheaper than those you get from the product manufacturer, and they might offer more coverage and service areas.
If you have plans to sell your kitchen appliances in the future, warranties will help you see them easily and get a good price for the sales.
Conclusion
Every home needs modular kitchen appliances. A modular kitchen is one that makes it possible for you to integrate a variety of appliances into your kitchen and improve its style and aesthetics.
At Litliving you can find a wide range of items that come in handy when organizing your kitchen, as well as kitchen appliances for your daily use.