6 Essential Kitchen Appliances

6 Essential Kitchen Appliances

It can be overwhelming to realise that there are so many appliances to consider for your kitchen. If you are a seasoned cook with a repertoire of go-to dishes, it's a little easier to determine which kitchen appliances are appropriate for your cooking style. However, if you're a beginner and just starting to learn how to cook, it's good to have a few basic appliances to aid you in the kitchen.

Even if you take classes, the art of cooking evolves mostly from personal experience. Choosing whether to get a gas stove or an induction hob Singapore residents trust is mostly dependent on your preference and situation. Your needs may also change as you learn more about advanced techniques and different cuisines, but these appliances will always be essentials in your kitchen.

Refrigerator and Freezer

Even people who don't do much cooking will find a lot of utility in this appliance. It keeps drinks cold and slows down food spoilage. While you could theoretically purchase raw ingredients just before cooking, visiting the grocery every day is not a practical option for most people. Instead, having a fridge makes it possible to buy everything you need in advance and store it safely until needed. Additionally, some dishes require frozen components so you can't make xiao long bao or ice kacang at home without a freezer.

Stove                                            

When it comes to your cooktop, you actually have a number of options available to you. Most homeowners these days have either a gas or electric hob that is compatible with most cookware. Both of these energy sources are easy to use and relatively safe, but each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. Gas-powered hobs provide immediate heat and controlling their output is relatively easy. On the other hand, electric hobs take some time to heat up, provide very high sustained heat, and take a while to cool off once you finish using them. It should be noted that electrical hobs will also likely cause your power bill to rise, as they do consume quite a bit of electricity.

Also, a word about induction cookery: this cooking method combines the best features of electric hobs and gas ranges, heating up relatively quickly and limiting the amount of ambient heat in the kitchen. However, not all cookware is compatible with an induction burner, so if you do choose an induction hob, you may need to buy specialised cookware as well.

Cooker Hood

Food that is being freshly prepared smells good and whets your appetite. However, you do not want this scent to remain in your kitchen because it will begin to turn bad after a few hours. To prevent cooking smells from remaining in your kitchen, make sure to have a cooker hood installed above your stove. The cooker hood contains a fan that pulls those cooking smells and ventilates your kitchen. It is also important to have a cooker hood because cooking may sometimes produce a lot of smoke that could trigger your fire alarm. Using the cooker hood prevents the smoke from accumulating, so you can also cook more comfortably.

Oven

If you enjoy making desserts or prefer a healthier method for cooking your food, you will need an oven. This appliance allows you to bake, grill, and roast, which are cooking techniques you cannot accomplish with the stove. Some ovens are built-in with a stove on top, but if your stove doesn't have one, investing in a small tabletop oven works as well. You can skip getting a toaster if you have an oven. Try to get a size that can fit a whole chicken so you can easily create an impressive centrepiece for your meals.

Water Heater

While this appliance is most commonly seen in bathrooms, it is also very useful to have in the kitchen. Attached to the kitchen sink, the water heater makes washing greasy dishes a lot easier so you save time and effort. Additionally, the hot water helps to sanitize kitchen tools. Chopping boards are often difficult to get completely clean but submerging them in hot water overnight makes that a quick and easy job.

Rice Cooker

Rice is a staple food for many Asian meals, and some families like to have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Instead of cooking three times a day, it is more efficient to make one big batch to eat for the whole day. However, cooking rice on the stove means that any leftovers should be stored in the fridge. Once the rice begins to cool, the moist environment makes it vulnerable to food-borne bacteria. The rice cooker solves this problem by having a Stay Warm function, so the rice is too hot for bacteria to grow. Additionally, this saves you from having to warm up the rice again because no one wants to eat cold rice.

Ultimately, the appliances you select for your kitchen are largely a matter of preference and personal taste. Starting with these, however, will put you on the path to assembling your complete arsenal of cooking gear.

27 Aug 2021
SG Expats