What Appliances You Should Look at for Kitchen Renovation
When planning a kitchen renovation, the most important thing is ensuring that your kitchen is high-quality and lasts for years to come. How long your kitchen stays in great shape doesn’t just depend on the surfaces and the materials used for the kitchen cabinets but also on the appliances you purchase.
So, let’s see what appliances you should look at for your kitchen renovation to add to its functionality and style.
Kitchen Appliances and Their Life Expectancy
Before choosing which appliances to replace, you need to be aware of their life expectancy. Below, we cover the average life expectancy for major kitchen appliances:
- Gas stoves - 15 years
- Gas ovens - between 10 and 18 years
- Range hoods - 14 years
- Electric stovetops - 13 years
- Standard refrigerators - 13 years
- Dishwashers - between 12 and 16 years
- Separate freezers - 11 years
- Compact refrigerators - 9 years
- Microwave ovens - 9 years
- Washing machines - 12 years
How to Choose Kitchen Appliances?
Now that you know how much you can expect each kitchen appliance to last, you can start choosing the new kitchen appliances for your renovation or stick with some of your old appliances that are still in their prime.
If purchasing new appliances, you should consider:
- How much electricity the appliance spends
- What is the warranty period and what does the warranty cover
- What is the life expectancy of the appliance
- Whether the company fixes the appliances for a price once the warranty isn’t valid
After considering all these parameters, you’ll be able to choose between appliances easily.
But what if your appliance broke down, and you’re unsure whether to fix it or buy a new one? In such a case, you should go with the 50/50 rule.
The 50/50 Rule
Sometimes, fixing an appliance costs a lot more than what we’re ready to pay. In such cases, people go by the 50/50 rule - if the particular appliance has reached 50 percent or more of its expected life, and fixing it costs more than half of the price of purchasing a new one, it’s not worth fixing it.
Small Kitchen Appliances for Your Renovated Kitchen
Other than the large kitchen appliances that are essential for every kitchen, you’ll also need some or most of the following kitchen appliances.
Stand Mixer
The appliance that no kitchen is complete without is the stand mixer, aka the KitchenAid. It’s the perfect kitchen appliance used for creaming sugar and butter, incorporating wet and dry ingredients, kneading dough, beating eggs, and much more. It comes in different colors with a variety of attachments.
Toaster Oven
A versatile kitchen appliance that can be used to toast bread, bake cookies, roast chicken, bake pizzas, and much more. Even though there are other appliances that can cook these foods, the efficient cooking technology and the small size is what people love about this appliance.
Air Fryer
One of the most popular kitchen appliances in the last decade is the air fryer. The facts that it doesn’t require preheating, uses no oil or just a small amount, can be easily cleaned, and cooks food fast but doesn’t compromise on flavor, are the main reasons why it’s often found in most kitchens nowadays.
Pressure Cookers
Another kitchen essential that has been on the market for years is the pressure cooker. This dishwasher-safe appliance that cooks tender and delicious foods with the help of a large number of programs is a staple all over the world.
Blender
If you’re a fan of smoothies, sauces, dips, and soups, the blender is definitely a kitchen staple for you. It has a powerful motor that can blend even the toughest veggies into a smooth paste.
Food Processor
Food processors are another appliance that the modern kitchen can’t do without. They’re great for slicing, shredding, chopping, and combining a lot of different ingredients and textures. It can quickly make your favorite hummus, shred your salad, and make your favorite raw energy balls.
Coffee Machine
For the true coffee lover, a coffee machine is an indispensable kitchen appliance. Depending on the type of coffee that you like, you can get an espresso machine, a drip coffee maker, a french press, a pour-over coffee maker, a cold brew coffee maker, etc.
Electric Kettle
Electric kettles make the cooking process much faster. Whether you’re boiling water to make your pasta or you want to make your coffee and tea more efficiently, this appliance is a must-have.
Juicer
For those who enjoy getting their daily servings of fruits and veggies in juice form, the juicer is one of those kitchen appliances that’s a must.
Immersion Blender
If you don’t have a lot of kitchen counter space but still need a blender, the immersion blender is the perfect option for you. This versatile kitchen appliance can be used for making smoothies, soups, purees, and many other foods.
Wine Cooler
Last but not least, we have the kitchen appliance that’s essential for all wine lovers - the wine cooler. They’re perfect if you have a small wine collection that you need to keep chilled at all times.
Final Thoughts
Appliances are an integral part of the kitchen, so knowing when to replace them saves you both time and money during a renovation. If you’d like to know more about kitchen renovation, check out our articles on choosing surfaces, kitchen countertops, the different components that go into a kitchen renovation project, designing the cook’s kitchen, kitchen cabinets, and many others that you can find on our site.