A Complete Buying Guide for Kitchen Appliances – How To Get The Best Bang For Your Buck!

Guest post by:  Kevin Rankins

When buying a new home, furnishing the bedroom and living room might be a tad tricky. However, the hardest part will be buying the right appliances for your kitchen. There are tons of factors to take into consideration, such as the space, cost, energy saving, etc. Luckily for you, here is a small list of tips and advice that will make your shopping experience much easier.

In this article you will find a complete buying guide for kitchen appliances to shape your kitchen into a fully-equipped dreamland.

Refrigerators and Ice Makers

The first thing that every homeowner should consider before buying any other appliances for the kitchen is the refrigerator. What many people do not realize is that all kitchen activities gravitate around it. Everything, from the quality of your food, cooking efficiency to your overall quality of your diet is directly proportional to the size, capacity, and energy efficiency of your refrigerator.

To determine which type of refrigerator you need, you have to pinpoint the realities of your family life. For large families, a refrigerator with large capacity, as well as the ability to preserve food longer periods of time is indicated. The bigger the family, the more food preferences you will have to juggle with on a regular basis. However, if you prefer quality over quantity, you could go for higher end models with dual refrigeration and on-door controls, as they are more energy efficient.

Another aspect to consider is that, as a family, you will probably have lots of guests to entertain. Whether its special occasions such as family reunions, or birthday parties, it is a good idea to have a reliable and high-quality ice maker at your disposal.  This will save you from the drag of handling ice trays and bags. If you are looking for the perfect ice maker for your kitchen, make sure to check out Top Ice Maker Reviews, one of the best sources on this topic.

Evaluate Your Space

We all want a picture-perfect kitchen that covers every possible need, but unfortunately, not everybody has this luxury. If you are facing spatial restraints, you will have to be a little pragmatic – for example, it is better to wash your dishes in the sink than buying a dedicated dishwasher and rendering your kitchen untraversable.

Circling back to the first entry, the same thing applies to refrigerators. Some of them have massive doors with deep cabinets, which makes them quite tricky to fit in. Therefore, as a general rule of thumb, a good way of working around the issue of having a small kitchen is by starting with the big appliances and decorating the room around them rather than the other way around.

Never Make an Impulse Buy

The greatest trap of adulthood is holding the assumption that we can buy anything that makes our lives even remotely comfier without any serious consequences. This mindset can easily happen when buying kitchen appliances.

While it might be tempting to drop a couple of extra hundred dollars on a microwave just because it matches the kitchen’s color scheme, but you will likely regret this decision on the long run. What if you could have just as easily bought a cheaper one with better energy efficiency instead? Therefore, before buying something, take a step back and consider whether or not it is worth the money or if it will make your life significantly easier.

Proper Ventilation

One of the aspects that many homeowners overlook is equipping the kitchen with a proper ventilation system. You do not have to spend all your savings on a complex ventilation infrastructure – it can be as simple as installing a range hood or a downdraft system. This becomes especially important if you use grills and burners on a regular basis. If you are unfamiliar with how kitchen ventilation systems work, make sure to consult a HVAC technician.

Ovens and Stoves

Before going for a certain oven and stove model, take a step back and consider how much time you spend cooking on average and if you are a rookie or experienced cook. Similar to the refrigerator, the stove will have a huge influence on how you perform in the kitchen. For example, convection ovens tend to spend more energy but are preferred by experienced cooks for their excellent heat distribution and control.

Furthermore, you will have to decide between gas, electric and induction stoves, but this will depend on the particulars of your house.

While furnishing your kitchen with appliances should be a fulfilling and rewarding experience in and of itself, you should also take a step back and approach the situation pragmatically. If you are having problems deciding how you should tackle this issue, use this helpful buying guide before shopping and the process will become much easier.

Have any other practical tips to share with us on wisdom on purchasing kitchen appliances?  Tell us in the comments below!