Monday 15 November 2010

Built-in Appliances Can Upgrade Old Kitchen

It's easier than you think to have a real dream kitchen using materials and equipment currently available. Research Indicates that about 23 million American homemakers are wasting time, energy and a lot of good humor working in outdated, inadequate kitchens, most of them more than 20 years old.

If you're planning to remodel your kitchen this year, you'll want your new kitchen to include these general working areas: a food preparation and storage center cooking center, clean-up center laundry, sewing center, family dining area, and homemaker's planning center. And each will have its own storage. The overall appearance of your kitchen should be warm and inviting. New colored appliances can set the keynote for your favorite type of decor - either sophisticated modern or quaint Early American.

Here are some great ideas:

New pastel colored appliances can be used with a variety of color plans. However, if you still.prefer white appliances, you can add color to your kitchen in other ways!

The heart of your cooking center is your range. Choose the finest you can afford, and it will repay you with time saving and efficiency.

A modern exhaust hood above the range plays a functional role helping to keep the rest of your kitchen clean.

The wall behind your range should be of some wall material that-is easy to wipe clean.

Small utensils and condiments can be stored beside the range in handy shallow cabinets.

Base cabinets in the cooking center should be planned for condiment storage—a drawer file for saucepan lids; a heavy wooden pull-out shelf that doubles as a chopping block; a place to set hot casseroles and roasts; a knife drawer, and pull-out racks for trays; cookie sheets, broiler pans and other utensils.

Mixer and blender should be in the center for food preparation and storage. Roll-out shelves could store toaster and coffee maker, and other special roll-out drawers, bins and racks can hold dry foods canned goods and bottles.

The sink cabinet is the place for a convenient wastebasket and a pull-out rack for drying towels Your automatic dishwasher can be built-in under- the counter, and your sink should be equipped with a food waste disposer.

There should be ample food capacity for even a large family in your food freezer and refrigerator

Automatic washer, dryer, and clothes hamper make a compact center of your laundry area. Roll-out shelves in a base cabinet provide handy storage for the iron and laundry supplies.

The dining area could double as a planning and sewing center. Your planning desk could contain a radio, telephone, address book, stationery drawer, and a shelf for cook books.

A special file drawer could keep sewing patterns, and a swing-out lamp can be used with both the desk and sewing machine.