Garbage disposer

An effective way to get rid of food waste down the drain. Notice that you are required to have a sewer connection and not a septic system. There different models of garbage disposers, batch-feed, controlled by replacing the drain lid, and continuous-feed controlled by a wall switch. Things to notice:  motor strength of at least ½ horse powers, option for reverse action to free jams, and the best noise reducing system you can allow.

Trash compactor

Mainly suitable for houses that produce large quantities of unrecyclable trash. Not the best idea for the average household ever since recycling became mandatory. If you decide to get one, here are some features that we recommend: a key activated on/off switch for safety, toe-touch door opener, built in air filter or deodorizer, removable rammer for easy cleaning.

Refrigerator

Three kinds of refrigerators are mainly available:

Top mount – freezer compartment is placed on top of the main refrigerator compartment.

Bottom mount – freezer compartment is placed at the bottom, as a drawer.

Side by side – freezer and main compartments lay side by side with a door for each, usually smaller doors and shelves.

Notice that refrigerators with an automatic icemaker and/or cold water dispensers on the outside require a water line.

Ranges

The most common cooking equipment, with a burner on top, and an oven below. There are several types of ranges, freestanding range – rests on the floor, a hi-low range – has a burner, oven and microwave, a slide in range – freestanding range with no side-panels, fits between two cabinets, drop-in range – much like a slide in, must be permanently fastened to the base cabinets.

Cook tops

Traditional gas is still the most common choice for surface cooking, some prefer electronic coil to avoid open flame and gas fumes. There are also ceramic glass cooktops – these are easier to clean due to the smooth shape they have, but the glass stays hot after the burners are turned off.

Ovens

The most common oven in households today is the conventional oven, sometimes installed in pairs for two cooks. A more sophisticated version of that is the convection oven, with a fan installed in its back, it blows the air and gives even heat to every area in the oven, although this air may sometimes dry out some foods.

The microwave is something you will find in almost every kitchen, used to warm up food, melt butter, steam vegetables, make popcorn, and many more.

Hoods and vents

Surface cooking releases heat, steam, grease, and smells that you will not want to stay in your kitchen. This may be the time to choose a ventilation system for your kitchen. You may want an updraft system that will suck the air up and outside through ductwork, or downdraft, that will take the air under the floor and outside. Come ready with the dimensions of your cooktop to choose the right hood, that will also covet the whole cooking area.

Lighting

Lighting is a very important, it may bring to life a room, or burry it in the dark. There are several types of lighting. General/ambient – which is a regular light, to replace sunlight, task lighting – aimed to light up a specific area, or increase the light in that working area, accent lighting – used to highlight the best features of the room.