Selecting Major Appliances


When updating a kitchen or laundry room, you'll need to make important decisions about household appliances. In a typical kitchen, the appliances represent a total investment of $3000 to $5000. Today, consumers face a wide selection of appliance sizes, technologies, configurations and styles. Below are some factors that you should use to evaluate and compare different household appliances.

Appliance Energy Efficiency

It makes a great deal of sense to evaluate carefully your appliance choices according to energy efficiency.

For some appliances, you have a choice between natural gas or electricity as a power source. In general, gas is a less expensive source for any activity involving heating such as dryers, hot water heaters and furnaces. Even if your home is not currently hooked up to a gas line, check with the gas company before ruling out gas appliances. The utility company may be able to connect your home.

Energy efficiencies are also based upon the materials the appliance is made from. Different materials heat and cool at different rates. The amount and type of insulation used in the appliance is another important factor. The appliance labels should detail this information.

Kitchen Appliance Information Posted By : Blueshoots.com

Find kitchen Appliances

Everyone needs a good set of pots and pans. These include saucepans, Dutch ovens, stockpots, and skillets. Saucepans can be used for everything from warming soup to steaming rice. Dutch ovens are mainly used in the preparation of meats, stews and soups. Stockpots are simmering stocks for soups and are great for cooking pasta. If you are from the south, iron skillets are widely used for frying.

Cooks of all experience require a set of tools. Measuring cups are a must as are measuring spoons. Mixing bowls are necessary if you are going to be preparing a dish with multiple ingredients. Toaster,mixer (either hand held or a stand), and graters are other necessary tools. You will probably want a can opener. You may prefer the electric kind but you may want to get a manual one in case the electricity goes out. I have lost my electricity and wanted to open a can but only had an electric can opener. First thing I did was purchase a manual can opener so I could eat! Don't forget the slotted spoons, spatulas, and strainer. You will definitely want some storage containers for your scrumptious leftovers. Plastic containers work great, but make sure they are microwavable. Cutlery is something that all cooks need. A high quality set of knives will simplify your preparations.

There are quite a variety of knives available. Paring knives are invaluable when peeling and cutting vegetables. Chef knives are used for many purposes. They can be used for chopping onion, mincing garlic and many other slicing duties.

Kitchen Appliance Information Posted By : Blueshoots.com