To ask what one thing you’ve done to a new kitchen that you can’t live without

[LaPampa]

Finally planning our first kitchen and looking for ideas from people who’ve done it before - What’s the best thing you put in or chose in your kitchen? (Or indeed, the worst)

This thread is making me want to rip out my undercounter freezer and replace with another fridge. Then the freezer can be in the garage. Somebody suggested this downthread. I'm also now wondering about fridge drawers as mentioned on this thread.

We have a dishwasher - but it has been broken for about 2-3 years (!!!!) so obviously don't use it - and survive just fine.

Induction hob
Large central island with corian worktop and breakfast bar.
Double glass sliding patio doors so can watch kids play whilst cooking
Utility room for washing machine cleaning stuff etc.

@JessieMcJessie Use the electricity supply for an insinkerator instead tenorlady.

I don't think insinkerators are as environmentally responsible as their manufacturers would like us to think. link

@Ffsnosexallowed

That would drive me insane to have this big useless and consequently unused object in my kitchen!

Our insinkerator resulted in blocked drains that cost mote than £300 to get cleared The guy who did it said almost every blockage he cleared was in a house that had one. Needless to say, we had it removed and won't be having another.

I've had an insinkerator for 30 years (yes really! Our first house we bought had one in and we were sold on it) and never had a problem. And it's quite unobtrusive under the sink. You don't see it.

This is my kitchen, fitted last year.

www.facebook.com/taitfurniture.co.uk/videos/1779183332110301/

It is smallish and awkward shape. Had it put in by an independent cabinet maker, cost the same as Howdens but loads of bespoke touches. Kept all our appliances, fitter built around them so they look semi-integrated; he can adjust easily if we replace them. Bins are hidden in a pull-out cupboard - they are Lakeland bins but fitter put them into cupboard, cost half as much as a proper off the shelf bin cupboard. Recycling/land fill both in there. Painted top cupboards make room look bigger. Quartz worktops keep space very light. Love my range cooker, tiles and easy access corner cupboards. All plates and crockery are in a massive deep drawer.

Argh, wrong link! It is here:

www.facebook.com/taitfurniture.co.uk/videos/1448818265146811/

Pyrolitic cleaning setting for your oven. Oven heats up to 300 degrees and all dirt disappears

*Tenorlady despite the protestations of “Tree Hugger” I am at peace with our insinkerator- we use it so we can peel directly into the sink (neatly avoiding all the issues mentioned above about bin placement) or chuck away the odd bit of mouldy gunk from the fridge. Big lots of food waste (eg half a mouldy loaf of bread) go to the Council food waste collection bin outside.

Reading that archived lessons learned thread reminded me of another thing that we have and love- magnetic strip on the wall for knives. It’s a game-changer.

My my new kitchen is still a way off but I read obsess about these threads all the time. I need to ask about deep drawers. I have pan drawers now and get them for pans casserole dishes, etc and even for plates and cereal/soup bowls, but are traditional cupboards not better for cups and glasses?
My essentials so far
Boiling water tap
Under floor heating
Glass splashback
Floor tiles with minimal grout
One wall of floor to ceiling cupboards and no other wall units
Island with space to eat and bookshelves underneath
Appliance garages
Larder
Spice drawers
it gets longer every time I read another kitchen thread ☺

Thanks JessieMcJessie I haven’t seen hinged bins before but can see how they’d be quicker and easier to use.

Drawers are better for cups and glasses, everything gets used rather than only the things plonked at the front.

I plan not to have a fitted kitchen in my next house. Just free standing cupboards and dressers which I already have, a large kitchen table and chairs (and an oven, butler's sink and plate drainer). If I can carve out space for a pantry on the north side of the house (next to the kitchen) I will.

However what I've liked in mine has been the sliding cupboardy thing which holds what you want. What I've liked in others have been deep drawers for pans and plates.

Massive corner larder, induction hob, quartz surfaces and a bin cupboard.

After putting off reading the instructions for the last few months, I have finally used the self clean function. I LOVE it!

I would definitely recommend.

Island - used to eat at and as our main work surface
Drawers - I have 12
Induction hob
USB combined plug sockets including one in island

We have a pull out bin and I hate it. I am trying to find a square bin to fit into the cupboard so I can open door, lift lid and throw item into it. Ours has two bins that pull out; they always seem to be full and the mechanism rubs against the door. I like having no bin on show but I will never love this.

Great thread. So many tips. Thankyou!

We have just had our kitchen done and we love it.
Best bits are
Big fridge freezer with filter water and ice - we all use it loads.
Double range cooker
Big island with loads of worktop space
Two larder cupboards with tons of storage and room for recycling bins at the bottom.
Under floor heating, not a must but it is lovely

Oh, and dishwasher! I love my dishwasher!!

.

tldr: best single thing we chose: giant stainless steel sink .

A giant sink. I think someone else said this up thread. But, then, someone else said 'small sink'.

Having lived with many kitchens over many years, some designed by us, some not, we learned from our experience and decided, yes, we need two sinks, but also, one of them must be big enough to fit oven trays (and to fit a standard-size frying pan horizontally (including handle)). (The second sink is relatively small, does its job OK.)

That was a few years/decades ago; we decided we were right. Other things we could do without (OK, perhaps not the dishwasher ...). Some of them are handy and useful (pull-out tap, pull-out larder, granite surfaces etc. ...) But the giant sink, now, we would always have such a thing if we could.

Having had experience of various kinds as well as sizes of sink, we decided on stainless steel -- easier cleaning, even if it looks less beautiful than some other materials. Now we think we were right about that too.

Biggest Island we could fit in. (DH is a nerd a made a plan of the kitchen on graph paper to check the Island wasn't too big)
Miele integrated coffee machine which grinds the beans and we bought on eBay. Except everyone comes to ours for coffee because it's better than the shops, which isn't always great

DH is talking about an "eye-level" oven. Except he's nearly a foot taller than me and I have a feeling it would be his (ie standard-size person's) eye level. So I will probably need a stool to stand on to get stuff out of it. Already suffer from "standard-size" cupboards which mean the work surface is that little bit too high for comfort. If I could design a kitchen just for me things like that would be a little bit lower down