Kitchen Essential

Major decisions about what units and appliances are right for you are tackled which highlights the features of kitchen equipment which came in for specific praise or criticism in our survey. Factors to consider when you are choosing equipment include — do you need two sinks or one? What is the advantage of a waste disposal unit? Is an extractor fan better than a charcoal hood? Which oven, dishwasher, washing machine is right for me?

In most cases, the opinion of a friend about their machine is more valuable than relying on a salesman who is often more concerned with making the sale than giving impartial advice — if he is qualified to do so. He cannot know the finer points of a machine if he has not used it. He certainly cannot know the quirks of a dishwasher if his only experience is the occasional help he offers his wife at home when washing dishes by hand. The comments of someone who has actually used the item are bound to be the most informed — and you do need to know if a pair of taps will splash or whether you can operate the tap handles when your hands are wet!

To give you practical and informed answers to these real questions, we conducted a user survey. This revealed what people thought of their equipment and how it performed under domestic conditions. We asked about all types of kitchen equipment from free-standing and split-levelcookers to fridges, freezers and tumble dryers.

The results were enlightening — sometimes predictable. There was general disappointment with the overall drop in quality of most domestic appliances. But everyone loved their dishwasher, with only minor criticisms. Waste disposers were either loved — or hated. Extractor units were greatly criticised, as were some built-in ovens. On further investigation, we discovered that people expected far more from their appliance than it was capable of giving. For instance, extractor fans, as they are presently constructed, have to be noisy in operation because of the sound of the motor which draws up the fumes. But, though they cannot extract all odours immediately, they do stop cooking smells lingering.

Advertising for the sort of equipment tackled in the survey (in contrast to advertising for, say, perfume or some other non-functional product) ought to educate and inform. It should be possible for the potential purchaser to find out if the machine actually fits their needs — not merely to read that it is ‘the best’ cooker or washing machine. Advertisements should inform the reader about the degree of sophistication of their products, about the use of controls and ease of cleaning. It should not be necessary to buy an oven and then find out that you need a technology qualification to operate it!

Unfortunately, advertising is often more concerned with showing beautiful photographs of superb but unused — and sometimes unusable — kitchens, and the information you really need is tucked away out of sight. Do not be put off. Make sure you know your own needs before you look at the brochures, so that you can assess the products carefully and choose what is right for you.

Based on people’s actual experience of using products, these findings should help you to ask the right questions about any equipment you are considering for your kitchen.

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