My Forever Home: E54 - Appliances Part 2 - Kitchen Design Essentials

E54 - Appliances Part 2 - Kitchen Design Essentials

Oct 1, 2020

Following on from last week’s episode on Appliances Part 1, Rob Sinclair, of E&S Trading and Frances continue their discussion on key kitchen appliances. This episode focuses on Stove Tops and Rangehoods, plus other appliances to consider. As ever, Rob shares his incredible knowledge and practical advice about buying criteria for these appliances.

SHOWNOTES:

Stove tops

Buying Criteria

Control- Any hot plate that gives you more temperature control
Whether it is gas or electric, do I have a real visible range or step of temperature
Space- Creation of space and being able to fit
How much space do I have at home? What are the pots I like to use, and do they fit next to each other when you are doing what you want to do?
Lifestyle- What type of cooking do you use your stove top for?

Induction Vs Gas

Cleaning requirement- Induction stovetops are typically easier to clean than gas.
Design Perspective- Induction are seamless compared to gas tops.
Deliver Control- There are not as many brands available for gas that deliver a large amount of temperature control. Those available are high end products. On the other hand, induction has up to 18 different temperature settings. When it comes to high heat, induction is about twice as fast as gas will be at bringing water to boil.
Flexibility- Induction has more flexibility for any cooking style.
Budget- Induction starts at $1,000
Safety perspective with kids- The only thing that gets hot on an induction hot plate is the pot or the pan itself. There is no naked flame with induction, unlike gas. Additionally, pots won’t tip on an induction top because of its flat surface, unlike gas that has uneven surface.
Performance and efficiency- There is a big range of both gas and induction hot plates available.

Brands that offer a high quality gas stovetop are ASCO, Franke Professional and the Wolf Gas Hotplate.

Highly recommended brands for Inductions are Mieli, Siemens, Neff, Smeg and AEG

Range Hoods

Buying Criteria

Air Movement- A high quality range hood is moving air around 700-900 cubic metres per hour. Specialty brands of range hoods will do 1800 cubic metres per hour. And if you are buying a rangehood with three motors, these move air at 2,700 cubic meters per hour.
Style of cooking- If you only do casserole then a 400-500 cubic metres per hour could work.
Noise
Type of range hoods- undermount, slideout, canopy

Undermount Vs Slideout Vs Canopy

Undermount- Integrated into the joinery across the top of your stovetop.

Slideout- It is very popular in the 90’s but not necessary to increase rangehood capacity of air movement.

Canopy- Gives more an industrial look. It gives the appearance of a commercial style kitchen.

Cylinder- A cylinder style overhead rangehood is quite popular at the moment.

Brands

Specialty brands develop rangehood products that suit nearly every application.

Sirius- A company from Italy that makes high quality rangehoods
Falmec- Another Italian Brands that specialise in rangehoods
Qasair- Australian made company that has a solution like no other rangehood manufacturer. They allow custom build models to suit certain widths and applications.

Cheaper alternative brands are Bosch, Miele and Smeg

Ceiling cassettes and Downdraft Ventilators

Creates ultimate design, particularly good for smaller spaces or when design is of utmost importance. You can have unrestricted ventilation and still have the headspace above your hot plate particularly in front of windows where there are views. Brand to consider- Bora

Options for Air Sealed Homes

Plasma rangehood technology- It has an activated filter that captures the fat and oils. It reduces and changes the molecular structure of fats and carbons that comes through.

No odors
No fats
No smoke

The cartridge needs to be changed about once every five years. It lasts a lot longer before they are clogged with fats and oils which makes it the more a suitable application than a mesh fiber or charcoal filtration. It also doesn’t require external ducting making it a perfect solution for air-sealed homes. However, it comes with a higher price which is about $3,000.

Brand: Qasair (part of the Condari group)

Other appliances for the kitchen

Coffee machines- Miele have beautiful built-in and integrated coffee machines that are worth considering. Their new high end model has three different beans installed in the machine. Built-in coffee machines ranges from $4,000- $10,000.
Pitt Cooktops- Glass hotplates integrated into the benchtop whether it’s reconstituted stone, natural stone or Dekton. Creates a stunning design aesthetic and continual benchtop flow.
Subzero Fridges- They are an ultimate in food preservation. It filters ethylene gas which prevents vegetables and fruits to ripen easily. Subzero Fridges cost up to $17,000 or more.

Available Resources

e&s TRADING

Visit the E&S Website at https://www.eands.com.au/

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Related Resources:

Episode 50: Kitchen Design Essentials- Kitchen Taps and Sinks

Episode 49: Kitchen Design Essentials – Butler’s Pantries and Pantries

Episode 47: Kitchen Design Essentials – Key Kitchen Measurements

Episode 45: Kitchen Design Essentials - Internal Elevations & Joinery Design

Read our latest blog on Internal Elevations and Joinery Design here.

Episode 43: Kitchen Design Essentials – Flatpack Vs Custom Designed Kitchens

Episode 41: Kitchen Design Essentials – Cabinetry Materials

Episode 39: Kitchen Design Essentials – Splashbacks

Episode 38: Kitchen Design Essentials-Benchtop Criteria and Materials – Part 2

Episode 36: Kitchen Design Essentials – Benchtops part 1