Building one’s dream kitchen takes a lot of research and attention to details. But it can also be taxing. Whether you’re a mom looking to update your home, a yuppie who’s just acquired your first home, or a professional taking your food business to the next level, having a well-built kitchen is something you shouldn’t overlook. La Germania shares the top questions you need to ask yourself to help you pick out the appliances for the kitchen that’s right for you.
What’s your space like?
Taking note of the dimensions of your kitchen is a given but considering where you’re building your kitchen is just as important.
Condo-dwellers for example, are likely to have less room for bulky appliances and fixtures, while house-owners are likely to have more space to work with. Aside from opting for a personal refrigerator or a one-door model, going for a built-in hob like those from La Germania’s Euro series or a cooking range (an oven with a built-in stove on top) is another practical move.
Another thing to consider is your exhaust system. La Germania brand ambassador Chef Rolando Laudico notes, “It’s usually the most overlooked piece of equipment, but it’s very important to have a good exhaust in your kitchen. Especially when you live in a condominium where space is most of the time small and the windows always stay closed, you need to have a range hood or else your whole place will smell like food for days.”
How often are you going to cook? For how many persons? What type of dishes will you cook?
When building your perfect kitchen, you would want it to stand the test of time. “Cooking appliances are the heart of any kitchen so you should invest in reliable and durable products that can keep up with your cooking needs,” says Chef Lau.
“La Germania offers a wide range of products that are built to last for generations and whether you’re getting a stove, a cooking range, or a separate stove and oven set-up, there’s a La Germania for you,” adds Chef Lau.
For newly independent young professionals living in a condominium or apartment, the typical kitchen routine involves basic food prep for one or two persons. Therefore, a single or double-burner stove should suffice.
On the other hand, homemakers cook for at least three people, cook more regularly, and prepare relatively more complex dishes, so having both a cooktop and an oven to accommodate those needs is advantageous. A cooking range would be the smart choice, but alternatively, homemakers can go with a built-in hob plus a combi-microwave oven set-up.
A combi-microwave oven combines the fuss-free reheat and defrost features of a microwave, and the grilling, baking, and roasting functions of a conventional oven in one compact appliance, so it’s a space-saver too.
What type of cooking appliance are you most comfortable with?
According to Chef Laudico, choosing the technology of your stove boils down to what you’re comfortable with.
With gas stoves, the flames are a basic but reliable temperature indicator, and they have control knobs that make for easier adjustments. However, one must take care that food sediment and grease buildup do not clog the burners. Having to regularly replace the LPG tank when it runs out is also an added task on your to-do list.
For most homes, an induction cooktop is a good choice. It works by using electromagnetism to heat the pan and not the hob surface. This makes it more effective at heating up food faster without fear of burning yourself from accidentally touching the cooktop’s surface. Thanks to this technology, induction hobs are energy efficient and won’t run up your electricity bill.
Induction cooktops are also the easiest to clean because food spills don’t get baked into the surface and there are no crevices for food sediments to get stuck in. Most induction hobs have electronic displays with touch-button temperature settings. (La Germania actually has induction cooktops that offer up to 11 heat level settings at the touch of a button, complete with child lock to prevent any untoward incidents.) Others are already fitted with knob controls, too.
“As a chef, I need as much control and flexibility as I can get when it comes to adjusting cooking temperature. Growing up, I was used to a gas stove, so I will always have that fondness for that,” shares Chef Lau. “But the great thing with the La Germania induction hob I’m using right now is that it actually gives me the best of both worlds. It has knobs that give me that same feel and level of control as cooking with an old-school gas stove. It gives me a lot of freedom and precision with the heat settings combined with the ease of induction cooking.”
When you’re comfortable with your equipment, you become more confident in the kitchen and get to enjoy your cooking experience, too. And that leads to more delicious kitchen creations.
“I really love my La Germania because it mixes a lot of new technology with the old comforts of cooking,” says Chef Lau. “It’s very durable too. You’d think that with all its advanced features, it would require more delicate handling, but it’s actually built like a tank. You can be sure your La Germania will last in your kitchen for years.”