regrets or greats with a new kitchen

peterwalker1984

Currently ordering a kitchen and this thread is so helpful. Great idea for a thread!

Fizzymartini

I'm just putting a new kitchen in from scratch too, right now. I'm an FTB so totally green to the entire experience, and is a big one:

REGRET: forgetting to consider a potential need to alter the standard kitchen unit sizes to my own height!! The gas hob JUST went in today and it was only when I stood at it for the first time that I realised my pans would come up to my chest (I'm 5'1). Goodness knows how I'm going to cook with a wok without oil spitting, quite literally, in my face. I'm at an impasse now, because all the units have been put up and I will go over budget if the builders lower them at this stage Will I just have to use a footstool for my stir-fry? Urgh, this smacks of all kinds of danger!

So yeah, try things out at the showroom, and measure measure measure!

bertha

Our best buy was a Wickes walk in pantry. Provides lots and lots of storage and is the envy of everyone who has seen it.

andrewf75

currently planning ours so very useful, a few questions:
- any thoughts on how much worktop space either side of hob? our design at the moment has only 15cm before a tall unit
- also we're planning to get an oven and a microwave in a tall unit, but should we get a combi microwave oven instead of the microwave?

DRP

andrewf75 wrote: »

currently planning ours so very useful, a few questions:
- any thoughts on how much worktop space either side of hob? our design at the moment has only 15cm before a tall unit
- also we're planning to get an oven and a microwave in a tall unit, but should we get a combi microwave oven instead of the microwave?

There is a similar thread about kitchen design a few weeks/months back which also has a similar issue about counter top space.

My recommendation would be that you need a lot more (from experience in my previous and current kitchens).

Can you cut up an onion and transfer to a pan in 15cm? Think how big your chopping board is, plus a bad of vegis, plus space for waste - i would say 50cm minimum, better to have more than that.

You risk an awkward prep area and lots of bending down picking up bits of food

notanewuser

Going through complete redesign for our kitchen at the moment. Cannot wait to get rid of my 30cm pull out larder unit! Worst thing ever!

jenfa

Andrew75 re microwave question, I think it depends on what you cook, we used to use our microwave combi for cooking joints of meat but haven't really for a while, I think it was because in our old house we only had a main oven now have slide in 2 oven, however one not holding temperature. The free standing ones are usually bigger than just a microwave so may depend on your unit, worth checking. Do you need a microwave? what do you use it for?

I have been analysing for a while how I use my current kitchen, how often do I cook more than one item? Do I need more oven space am I going to cook for more or less people in the future? I am trying to be honest with myself re how much mess I make, which items really need to be kept in the kitchen and what is elsewhere that should be kept here.

We have been considering a steam combi, I love baking and want more than one oven, husband being Chinese would like to steam more food, there is one dish he makes that steams for a while but due to our extractor fan being almost useless (underpowered for the space) the kitchen gets too wet. We were looking at Miele appliances but to get steam combi you have to have top model but other manufacturers you don't, but do we really need it? would we use it? who knows :rotfl:

andrewf75

jenfa wrote: »

Andrew75 re microwave question, I think it depends on what you cook, we used to use our microwave combi for cooking joints of meat but haven't really for a while, I think it was because in our old house we only had a main oven now have slide in 2 oven, however one not holding temperature. The free standing ones are usually bigger than just a microwave so may depend on your unit, worth checking. Do you need a microwave? what do you use it for?

would never cook a meal in the microwave, just use it for heating stuff up. The main reason for choosing a combi would be that it means we have two ovens.

dianasnan

notanewuser wrote: »

Going through complete redesign for our kitchen at the moment. Cannot wait to get rid of my 30cm pull out larder unit! Worst thing ever!

I am thinking of having one of these, could you possibly explain further as to why you hate it please ?

notanewuser

dianasnan wrote: »

I am thinking of having one of these, could you possibly explain further as to why you hate it please ?

Ironically it was the thing that sold the house to us!!!

It's 2+ metres tall, but you can only have 5 (or at a push 6) baskets on it. That's a huge amount of wasted space inside it. If you use it for bottles of oil and tinned foods it becomes very heavy. So every time I want a stock cube or jar of spice I have to pull the weight of the tins, bottles etc.

We'll be getting a 50cm larder with as many pull out drawers at the bottom as I can get and shelves above.