From smartphones to smart doorbells, technology is always evolving, and it’s no different when it comes to the kitchen. The latest kitchen appliances offer to make cooking and cleaning up afterwards easier, more convenient, and more stylish than ever before. And if it’s been a while since you last updated your kitchen, you might be interested to discover just how these new appliances could work for you.
Here at Mike Hughes Fitted Interiors, we’re dedicated to bringing the most innovative, high-quality products to our clients. Recently, we visited the KBB show in Birmingham (Europe’s biggest kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom event) to see some of the latest kitchen appliances in action. As Siemens IQ+ retailers, we always keep up to date with their most cutting-edge products. We have exclusive access to a range of Siemens appliances, including their aCool fridges and sleek StudioLine ovens, which we proudly display at our Barrow-in-Furness showroom alongside an exciting collection from Neff. To give you the lowdown on the latest technology and help you explore the exciting potential awaiting your home, we’ve provided an insight into some of the fantastic appliances currently on the market.
The Smart Kitchen
Many kitchen appliances, including those from Neff and Siemens, now come with the option to include smart technology. But what exactly is smart technology? The latest smart kitchen appliances are connected to your home wi-fi, this allows you to control them via an app on your phone or using voice-activated technology. The best thing is, you don’t have to be at home to control your appliances, which opens up new opportunities to make your life much easier. For example, you can pre-heat your oven on your way home from work or check the contents of your fridge while you’re at the shops; the possibilities are endless. Here are a few more ways the latest smart kitchen appliances can help improve your cooking and make everyday living easier….
- Choose recipes that have been tried and tested with your oven and let your smart appliance select the settings for you.
- Get a notification that dinner’s ready sent straight to your phone, so you don’t have to listen out for the timer or worry about burning your meal!
- Use voice-activated technology in combination with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to control your oven when you’ve got your hands full.
- Control your coffee machine from your phone and enjoy being greeted by freshly brewed coffee every morning.
- Set the perfect temperature for your fridge and use the guide on your app to quickly find the optimum storage conditions for your food.
- Take a look inside your fridge from anywhere, so you always know exactly what you need.
- Never shrink your favourite clothes again. Use the guide on your app to find the ideal setting and send it straight to your washing machine.
- Turn your washing machine on when you’re on your way home so you don’t have to worry about your clothes staying damp.
- Fed up with running out of dishwasher tabs? Your smart dishwasher will remind you when you’re running low and can even order them for you when connected to Alexa’s Smart Reorder system.
- If you ever have any issues with your smart appliances, your manufacturer’s service engineers will be able to run diagnostics remotely to find a solution immediately.
The latest smart kitchen appliances can save you time and make everyday tasks much less stressful. They really are a window into the future. However, if you’re not ready to take the plunge just yet, there are plenty of other amazing appliances on the market with features that can make your life easier.
Amazing Multifunctional Ovens
The latest ovens offer even novice cooks the opportunity to up their game in the kitchen. Simple, intuitive cooking pre-sets are there to help ensure all your meals are perfectly cooked, whether you’re baking a cake or roasting a joint of meat. However, if you’re already a whizz in the kitchen, there are still plenty of other benefits for you. While professional chefs have been using steam ovens for years, they have only recently entered the home market. Steam ovens enable you to enjoy restaurant-quality results at home and can even make your meals more nutritious. Steam cooking helps lock moisture and flavour into your food without sacrificing its delicious crisp crust.
If there’s one feature we can all appreciate, it’s the self-cleaning function. In a process called pyrolysis, the oven is heated to such a high temperature that grease and food residues turn to ash which can simply be wiped away. What could be better than cooking a fabulous Sunday roast in the knowledge that you won’t have to spend hours scrubbing your oven afterwards! Combining self-cleaning, steam cooking, grilling and microwaving, the latest really do it all.
Warming Drawers & Sous Vides
You might want to consider accompanying your new oven with a sous vide or warming drawer. Warming drawers may not seem essential, but are extremely handy, especially when the oven is in use or when you’re entertaining. You can warm plates, keep cooked dishes warm, prewarm your coffee cups, and you can even use it to speed up proving bread! Once you’ve got one, you’ll wonder how you ever coped without it! Another option is the sous vide. It might sound cheffy, but it is actually quite simple to use and offers a brilliant solution to achieving perfectly cooked meat, which is ideal if you’re worried about cooking for a crowd. A sous vide makes a lovely touch of luxury for the foodie in you!
Intuitive Induction Hobs
These days it all seems to be about induction. Induction hobs use electromagnetic technology to heat the pan rather than the surface of the hob, making cooking quicker, safer and more energy-efficient. What’s not to love? The latest induction hobs feature intuitive controls and clever sensors that allow you to position and move your pans across the surface without having to reset the temperature. Siemens and Neff both have Flex Induction hobs which allow for much more flexibility across cooking zones. We certainly recommend them.
Induction hobs allow control of the heat in a much more precise way than gas and are 25% quicker too. Many of the latest induction hobs come with a clever function that allows you to pause your cooking in order to quickly wipe up spills, and, thanks to the induction technology, the cooking surface won’t feel hot. If you’d like to learn more about cooking with an induction hob, please book an appointment to visit our showroom.
Downdraft Extractors
Downdraft extractors have seen a huge increase in popularity in recent years. Unlike overhead cooker hoods and ceiling extractors, downdraft extractors pull steam and cooking vapours straight off the pan before filtering and recirculating the fresh air or feeding the vapours through a traditional external ventilation system under your floor.
One of the main advantages of a downdraft system is that it allows you to position your hob on an island or peninsula, where you can enjoy a view of your kitchen and interact with friends and family. Because the extractor is closer to the source of the vapours, less power is needed to achieve effective extraction, making them quieter than a normal cooker hood. As well as looking sleek and stylish, downdraft ventilation systems are ideal if you love entertaining or need to keep an eye on the kids. You can choose from either a brilliant venting hob or create a sense of drama with an elegant disappearing downdraft hood. We love Siemen’s beautiful new glassdraftAir system, a luxury item, which requires a little more space. Ask for more details.
Boiling, Chilled & Sparkling Water On Tap
From cooking pasta to making hot drinks, having boiling water ready whenever you need it is a great way to speed up everyday tasks. Unlike other taps, the Quooker heats water to 110 degrees Celsius before keeping it at this temperature using a vacuum, so, by the time the water passes through your tap, it’s the perfect 100-degree temperature needed for brewing delicious tea and cooking quickly.
The Quooker tap has many other benefits. The double push and twist mechanism means it can’t be turned on by mistake. The tap is also insulated, and the water flow is made up of fine droplets to prevent the risk of burns. These features make it much safer than a normal kettle. It is also efficient in terms of energy usage and water consumption and could even save you money on your bills. Our clients also love its stylish looks. It allows you to get rid of worktop clutter by eliminating the need for a traditional kettle.
You can now combine the Quooker tap with the Quooker Cube and experience fresh, chilled and sparkling water on demand. The sleek new Cube coming out this year allows you to choose how fizzy your water is and delivers an even better flow. We expect to see the new and improved Cube on the market towards the end of summer, so watch this space!
The kitchen appliance world is an exciting one. And, here at Mike Hughes Fitted Interiors, we love discovering the latest ways to make our client’s kitchens better and their lives easier! If you’d like to learn more about our cutting-edge appliances, you will find a wonderful collection on display at our Barrow-in-Furness showroom. They will complement your fitted kitchen perfectly! Your new kitchen involves more than just refreshing your interior, you are creating a new lifestyle, which is exciting! Our knowledgeable team will be on hand to demonstrate our products and answer your questions. Please click here to plan your visit now or give us a call on 01229 871122.
