Sometimes it’s the little extras in the kitchen that can make the difference with cooking and generally making the most of the space. Here are some ‘nice to haves’ in the kitchen.
Induction hob
An induction cooktop is a great alternative to traditional gas or ceramic cooktops. It works by transferring heat through pans via a magnetic field. Unlike a traditional electric or gas cooktop, the induction cooktop has a surface that never gets hot to the touch. For this reason, induction hobs are popular in households with small children and for those in hotter climates, where there is no surface heat to transfer into the air. A bonus is that they are also more energy efficient than gas and traditional electric cooktops.
Under cabinet lighting
Even if you’re lucky enough to get lots of natural light in your kitchen, there will always be the need for artificial lighting in a kitchen at some point. If you invest in good quality under cabinet lighting, it will help to lighten and brighten a kitchen and crucially the most practical aspect is that it provides the right lighting for meal prep and for cleaning up afterwards. It’s also a great option to have some ambient lighting in the evening, if you don’t want to have the harsh overhead lights on.
Double-bowl sink
It’s often down to personal preference, but for many, the addition of another bowl in the sink, can make a massive difference to how you clean up and prepare your food. By far the most controversial item on my must-have list was a single-bowl sink. There is no doubt about it that an extra bowl is super handy when it comes to rinsing the dishes and when you might have your sink full of dishes in hot soapy water, it means that you have another bowl handy to drain that saucepan of water that you’ve just cooked your pasta in!
Free standing mixer
Often the holy grail of bakers, a good quality free standing mixer will be worth its weight in gold and is worth the investment. It’ll see you through many years, make light work of cake and dough making. Not to mention that many come with an array of attachments that enable you to make foods such as pasta and sausages.
Warming drawer
This is most definitely a nice to have and when it comes to food prep, this is one of those luxuries that makes timing a breeze. They tend to be sized to fit above or below a wall oven. Because of their relatively small size, they heat up quickly and are handy for keeping food warm as you assemble the full meal or as you wait for all of your dinner guests to gather. Not only can you keep all your dishes warm, you can also use it to warm up your plates without having to take up space in your main oven.
Water filter
Save money on bottled water by getting a Filtap installed. Not only is it easier for you to have filtered water ready to use straight from the tap, but it’s also healthier for you than drinking regular tap water, it tastes better and it means you’re also being more environmentally friendly by not buying plastic bottles from the store.
Direct access to the outdoors
This allows us to go outside to enjoy a cup of morning coffee and to relax outside in the evening. Another benefit to a kitchen that opens onto a patio or decking area is that it visually expands the kitchen and it also provides additional space for dining and entertaining, which is especially useful for those who live in temperate climates.
