Your kitchen musts and don't bothers

[MrsCremuel]

There was very useful thread on this in 2012 but I fear the world of kitchens may have moved so I am hoping to start a 2020 version.

Planning a new kitchen and need to know your must haves and absolutely don't bothers please!

For info, it's a kitchen diner, the wall knocked through 1930s semi kind. The kitchen section is rather small and gloomy so anything that makes it feel spacious is very welcome!

Drawer liners. £16 for 5 metres which should do loads of drawers
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07JLKFWKQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

@themousedogbird

Can I ask about the utility? What's so great about it? We're having an extension done and the only possible utility would be small, so would barely fit one clothes horse for drying clothes, so I wrote it off; was I wrong? We usually have two or three clothes horses drying laundry up at any one time!

Get a ceiling airer. I have one in my lootility room. I would never buy a house without a utility room. Mine has washer, dryer, laundry baskets, dog food, dog bowls & towels, cleaning stuff. The actual area for utility stuff is 1500mm x 1500mm. The rest is shower & loo & handbasin.

Under cupboard sensor lights. Just wave your hand under the cupboards.

Can I ask a bin question? Various friends have a bin cupboard. With compartments for recycling, compost etc. Really small compartments. How often do the bins need emptying?

We have a built in bin with 2 equal sections for recycling and non recycling. They are 40L each this one
We empty each section about twice a week I’d say.

Can I ask about the utility? What's so great about it? We're having an extension done and the only possible utility would be small, so would barely fit one clothes horse for drying clothes, so I wrote it off; was I wrong? We usually have two or three clothes horses drying laundry up at any one time!

We have a teeny utility room and have a ceiling airer but that won’t fit a full load (I have an 11kg machine) only the non tumble dry stuff and things I don’t want to have to iron. I use the dryer a lot tbh.

Even if you can’t fit all the drying in though, it’s still worth having a utility, we use it for extra storage, keeping laundry noise out of kitchen, and a dumping ground for things that need to be accessible but I don’t want lying on the kitchen surfaces (half done art projects, stuff to go to school, parcels to be returned etc).

Utility rooms are the BEST! I am a neat freak but I do allow it to be a bit messy which don’t mind. We have
Wall cupboards on one side with a worktop under with a big sink. The we have a washing machine and tumble dryer. We also have a shower in there. We have a lean out air dryer above the radiator.

And then we have a wall of hooks where we store swimming bags, recycling bits and so on.
We have on really tall corner cupboard with the iron and sewing machine and then lots of cleaning products.
Also in there is a steam mop, Hoover, floor brush and mop/bucket.

A small 'don't bother' from me based on personal experience -- dish drawers. (As in a pull-out dishwasher, usually Fisher & Paykel.)

They're very expensive and not worth the money or the bother. I have one in the flat it's dreadful. Titchy capacity and I have to set it to the max 70 degree setting to get things clean, and this takes over three hours. It also gunges up very easily. Since DH and I have both been at home and I make all meals from scratch ours has been on pretty much constantly since March at least three times a day, if not four.

When it inevitably breaks I'll be replacing it with a normal-size dishwasher. I don't even mind losing the storage drawer underneath. I just want rid of the thing.

@Asterion

I'd rather have a larder than a utility room!

And with the larder, no overhead cupboards, just shelves.

I have larder/walk in pantry where I also house the washing machine and small kitchen appliances. No overhead cupboards, just shelves.

It's not for everyone and I've had a few people turn their nose up at it, but it works for me in my tiny one bed flat! Obviously if space wasn't an issue, i'd have had a separate utility and larder.

@NastyBlouse

A small 'don't bother' from me based on personal experience -- dish drawers. (As in a pull-out dishwasher, usually Fisher & Paykel.)

They're very expensive and not worth the money or the bother. I have one in the flat it's dreadful. Titchy capacity and I have to set it to the max 70 degree setting to get things clean, and this takes over three hours. It also gunges up very easily. Since DH and I have both been at home and I make all meals from scratch ours has been on pretty much constantly since March at least three times a day, if not four.

When it inevitably breaks I'll be replacing it with a normal-size dishwasher. I don't even mind losing the storage drawer underneath. I just want rid of the thing.

@NastyBlouse thank you, this is so useful to know- I've been lusting after one of these for YEARS!

Full height corner pantry unit. 6 shelves, goes back at least a meter. Holds everything and more.
Another utility room fan here, especially if you have a kitchen diner means you don't have the washer rumbling in the background. Mine is pretty small, and actually under the stairs, but it hold washer, drier, cleaning products, mops, brooms, buckets, spare loo rolls... and has a little sink in there too.
Plugs x1000
Enough worktop space to actual prep and serve up food.
Biggest sink you can fit

@NastyBlouse

A small 'don't bother' from me based on personal experience -- dish drawers. (As in a pull-out dishwasher, usually Fisher & Paykel.)

They're very expensive and not worth the money or the bother. I have one in the flat it's dreadful. Titchy capacity and I have to set it to the max 70 degree setting to get things clean, and this takes over three hours. It also gunges up very easily. Since DH and I have both been at home and I make all meals from scratch ours has been on pretty much constantly since March at least three times a day, if not four.

When it inevitably breaks I'll be replacing it with a normal-size dishwasher. I don't even mind losing the storage drawer underneath. I just want rid of the thing.

I agree with this totally for a family or people who cook a lot and fill a full size dishwasher with pots and pans .

However, my parents have dish drawers and they work well for them - with just two of them it takes a few days to fill a full size dishwasher which means stuff goes manky/is unavailable for a while. Also using the top drawer avoids bending over to load/unload. Unlike a slimline dishwasher they have extra capacity when needed eg family occasions. So for that demographic I would recommend them.

@MotherForkinShirtBalls thank you! No, it’s from DIY kitchens, can’t recommend them enough, very affordable as well.

Many sockets with USB port - well basically change everywhere if you can. It makes life a lot easier !

Someone said a wall fan is much more simple and effective than an extractor but I haven’t tried yet. I find most extractors are utterly useless and annoyingly noisy.

I’d like to add a ’mock’ dishwasher with simple drying function (provided that such a thing exists). When I feel like hand washing a few plates I can already put them away immediately there then dry. It’s hard to justify to install a second dishwasher just for that.

I’m 50/50 for ceiling height cabinets. It’s good not to allow space for dust trapping but I am unsure if it’s money well spent to make storage which I don’t find practical and also make the kitchen look rather top heavy.

Dishwasher, dishwasher, dishwasher. That above all else.

I absolutely hate clutter on surfaces and I hate dish drainers stacked with stuff air drying. To avoid this I don't have a draining board - just a sink. Everything goes in the dishwasher.

Open shelves look great but they are a dust and grease magnet. Every couple of months you have to take everything off them, wash it, then wipe the shelves down I've got them at the moment and wouldn't have them again.

Yes to USB charging ports in your sockets. The leads for each device live in a kitchen drawer.

Yes to a utility room. Mine is half of my integrated garage and it's brilliant. I have shelves for laundry detergent, dryer sheets, a basket of various stain removers and delicates bags etc. Makes it really easy to grab what you need. My dryer is stacked on top of the washer so transferring washing from one to the other is easy-peasy. I use the remaining shelf space for stocks as I bulk buy toiletries and consumables - loo roll, tissues, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant etc. If something runs out in the bathroom it can be quickly replenished from the shelf stocks.

What I don't have but want - pan drawers. I've had them before and they are brilliant. I'd have drawers for everything as it's so much easier to see what you have, rather than having to go hunting in the back of a cupboard.

@Smallgoon, I have larder/walk in pantry where I also house the washing machine and small kitchen appliances. No overhead cupboards, just shelves.

Do you find it an issue to have your dried goods in the same area as washing machine? I am planning an extension, and currently of two minds whether to put the washer/dryer in the pantry/scullery, or keep them separate. My main concern is the humidity and heat generated by the W/D.

Thank you

I've been reading this thread with interest and am now going to price a utility/porch to rear of house I'm purchasing instead of remodelling kitchen and a toilet instead.

Probably stupid question: where do you people keep fruits and vegetables?
At the moment we keep them in one of the base cupboards but anything next to bananas gets rotten very quickly.

@Lily7050

Everything apart from limes/lemons goes in the fridge

@MrsCremuel

Have you decided on worktop yet?

For our new build they provided laminate worktops for the kitchens that already came with the house. Show room had a lovely quartz worktop; the draining board was quartz too. Quartz was an add-on of £5k though . They also gave us a low value options voucher, so we just couldn't afford it, but in the future if we upgrade the kitchen I'd consider Quartz or Granite worktops.

Do people think double ovens are worth it? The top part is more like a grill because there's no fan in there. Depends on the double oven, so maybe double check the specs.

Oh and plinth drawers look amazing! Great for storage items like wine etc.

@Officebox I'd like the quartz that looks like marble but am expecting it to be out of our budget! Currently waiting with bated breath on a quote from Howdens which will be laminate.

We have a double oven at the moment which I find very useful!

I know there are lots of opinions on Howdens, I'd be interested who you all would recommend?

Based on how you have described the kitchen area, I would consider flipping the kitchen and dining room around. Obviously this will mean relocating plumbing, etc, but it could mean a cosy dining area off a bigger kitchen. You could have banquette storage seating built in around the corner facing the kitchen and a round table which extends to oval. That way you maximise the space without needing to consider room to pull out chairs all the way round the table. You can they have an L shaped kitchen in the what was the original dining room and possibly a small island.

If you like this idea and the fact the wall hasn't been completely taken out makes it difficult to make it work then removing the rest of the wall and putting a rsj in will be a lot cheaper than building an extension.

@MrsCremuel

Apparently mistermarble.co.uk/ offer a good price and installation for quartz and granite worktops. Maybe shop around?

I’m thinking I’ll upgrade the laminate worktops in our our kitchen in a few years to Quartz/Granite. Save up for it.

There’s also nothing wrong with laminate. My parents won’t have anything other than laminate just because it’s what they’re familiar with. You can get some nice looking laminate worktops too. Laminate worktops are quite commonly used for a reason (cheaper but also durable and long lasting too).

@Lily7050 "Bananas make other fruit ripen because they release a gas called ethene (formerly ethylene)," added Dr Bebber. "This gas causes ripening, or softening of fruit by the breakdown of cell walls, conversion of starches to sugars and the disappearance of acids
This is why some fruit bowls have a hook above them for the bananas.

I store salad veg in fridge and fruit in a bowl and root veg in a dark drawer.

A proper walk in larder would be wonderful. My mum had one. I simply have to keep my bulk buy larder items in the garage, bonkers.

Essentials include two large spaces to keep recycling waste - I only have one cupboard and it isnt enough. Again, I have to keep making trips to the garage where I keep the more unusual recyclable materials.

Beyond that, a kitchen needs a window or door, a separate utility space and sink, and somewhere to sit, good lighting and large drawers rather than cupboards.