One of the most exciting things about renovating your Long Island kitchen is the opportunity to furnish the space with shiny new appliances. Major kitchen appliances require a substantial investment, however, so it’s critical to make selections that will pay off with years of functional service. From the room’s layout and dimensions to your personal cooking style, there’s an array of practical considerations to take into account before you can start dreaming about matching finishes and fancy features. Use this guide to help select the appliances best for you.
Size Matters
You want your new appliances to fit seamlessly into the overall design of your Long Island kitchen, and that means you’ll need to make decisions about sizes and dimensions during the early planning stages. Start with an honest appraisal of your household’s present and future needs. If you rarely cook from scratch, a generously sized microwave may be a higher priority than a double oven and eight-burner cooktop. Whatever your needs, measure everything twice to make sure that the appliance will fit snugly into its parking space without extending into the room.
Don’t forget to consider interior measurements too. If large family dinners are the norm at your home, you may want a refrigerator big enough to store a whole watermelon or an oven that can accommodate a 20-pound turkey. Ensuring that your appliance purchases aren’t too big for your budget is important too, so set price limits early on and don’t let flashy features tempt you into buying an oversized fixture.
Function First
Today’s broad selection of stylishly designed appliances ensures that you’ll find fixtures in every color and finish imaginable. For your long-term satisfaction, however, you’ll want to make sure that the appliance works as well as it looks. Look for features that make the fixture easier to use, such as stovetops with easy-grip knobs, quick-adjust refrigerator shelves and touchpad controls. Options like fingerprint-proof finishes, glass refrigerator shelves and sealed cooktop burners make it easier to keep appliances clean as well.
Keep It Chill
Customization is the keyword for the latest generation of high-tech refrigerators. Whether you love to shop in bulk or you want to store items in the fridge at different temperatures, you’ll find models that let you personalize the appliance to fit your personal needs. In addition to traditional top-freezer and bottom-freezer models, there are French door styles and the new four-door designs to consider too.
Refrigerators with in-door water and ice dispensers are great for thirsty families, but keep in mind that refrigerators with this feature typically require more repairs. Inside, look for components like deep door bins, temperature-controlled drawers and elevator shelves that you can crank up or down without removing items.
Get Cooking
If you’re an avid cook, you may prefer the gas stoves that professional chefs favor. The demand for commercial-grade ranges has inspired manufacturers to produce restaurant-quality stoves adapted for home use. Scaled to fit household kitchens, they’re insulated to protect adjacent cabinets and don’t require the installation of a new gas line. Features like sealed burners and porcelain-coated grates make these top-quality stoves a breeze to clean.
Baking enthusiasts may opt for electric wall ovens and a cooktop over a traditional range. Whether stacked or side by side, a double oven installation that includes a conventional oven and a convection model lets you cook dinner and dessert at the same time. Features include automatic self-cleaning, attachable meat thermometers and memory functions that retain a recipe’s cooking time and temperature.
Lasting Style
When it comes to today’s major kitchen appliances, the great news is that you don’t have to worry about sacrificing fashion to enjoy all the new functional features. Whether your Long Island Kitchen is traditional or ultra-modern, you’ll find appliances that match the architectural style to perfection.
