COMPACT KITCHEN APPLIANCES
Over the past 5 years, we've seen a trend toward smaller living spaces. This is partly due to the rising cost of housing but equally important to note is the desire to downsize our impact on the earth with the added bonus of less space to clean on a regular basis. Kitchens have also downsized from the professional chef 60" ranges and sprawling countertops to compact appliances and strategic positioning of food preparation areas. Here are our favorite picks for small but powerful kitchen appliances.
RANGES AND OVENS
The 24" Bertazzoni Professional Series is a powerful and beautiful range in a small package. The highest powered burner puts out 19,000 BTU and can boil a pot of water in 6 minutes. The oven has a convection fan for good airflow and a gas broiler for searing at high temperatures.
The 24" Blomberg Gas range is an economical package with a similarly sized oven. The highest output burner puts out 10,900 BTU so not as powerful as the Bertazzoni but still adequate for most apartment kitchens.
The GE 24" range comes with a ceramic cooktop and a steam setting on the oven that helps with keeping it sparkling clean. While the steam cleaning option might not eliminate a little elbow grease and oven cleaner from time to time, every little bit helps.
Where counter space saving is required and a wall oven is preferred, Miele's 12" cooktop is a great option. Two completely sealed gas burners offer a maximum output of 10,230 BTU's in a sleek and compact package. This is great for a backyard cottage that might not need a full 4-burner option.
Fisher + Paykel's gas cooktop comes in three different sizes to suit your needs and space constraints. The max heat output is 11,000 BTU on the 24" unit and the design and knobs feature a sleek two-tone stainless steel finish.
Breville makes the Smart Oven, a countertop oven that we've been using in the Studio for years in lieu of a full size wall unit. There are multiple settings for different cook times and methods from 120 degrees to 450 degrees. We've even cooked a turkey for thanksgiving in the oven although we did break it into light and dark meats, which you're supposed to do anyway when cooking a turkey.
REFRIGERATORS
This 24" integrated column fridge from Fisher & Paykel was a collaboration with several architects. The interior has a variable temperature zone setting that ensures food is stored at the optimal temperature while the exterior integrates into the design of the kitchen cabinets.
For a freestanding column fridge, we like the Beko 24" with bottom freezer. It's economically priced for apartments or backyard cottages, and has plenty of storage space for 2 people.
Bosch's 24" refrigerator features a glass front and a bottom freezer. LED lighting on the interior let you know what your grocery list needs to be and their Hydrofresh technology keeps fruits and vegetables fresh longer.
DISHWASHERS
Miele's 18" Slimline dishwasher comes in a variety of finishes including a panel-ready option to match the kitchen cabinets and operates extremely quietly at 46 dBA.
Bosch's 18" 300 Series dishwasher caught on to the quiet operation bandwagon and features an adjustable middle rack for tall dishes.
Beko makes a panel-ready 18" dishwasher with a stainless steel interior and quiet operation at 48 dBA. We've used these dishwashers in several apartment projects and we like the economical price with the panel feature.