There’s a lot more to choosing the right kitchen appliances for your needs than price and brand. Of course, those are important considerations, but you should also be thinking about how you use the appliances, and what kind of food you cook and store. If you’re thinking about a remodel or purchasing a luxury pre-owned kitchen, then layout becomes important, as you don’t want French doors on a refrigerator that’s next to a wall.

Other considerations need to be taken into account, and while that may seem daunting, it’s important to bear in mind a few essentials while shopping for the best kitchen appliances for your home. Learning the criteria for the top three must-have kitchen appliances will help you make other informed decisions to create your perfect kitchen!

Cooktops and Stoves are a Must-Have Kitchen Appliance

One of your first thoughts when it comes to cooktops is if you want a range, or a cooktop that’s combined with an oven. We’ll get to ovens in a moment, but for now, let’s talk about what you want for a stove.

There are luxury brands, different functionalities and different types that we’ll discuss to make sure you’re confident in your cooktop decision.

How to Choose a Cooktop That’s Right for You

For practical reasons, the first thing you should consider is whether you want a gas, electric or induction cooktop, and while your decision may be based on preference, it might also be dictated by your home’s power supply. While we’re on the subject of power supply, another very important consideration is the stove’s BTU output. BTUs are a measurement of heat, and a range that’s applicable to most households is between 2,000-10,000 BTUs, as that’s considered “middle.”

If you’re boiling water a lot, for heating up baby bottles or for cooking, then induction cooktops may be right for you, as they achieve a boil faster than gas or electric. For more advanced home cooks, variable control is an important feature you should consider, as it determines how long you can maintain a “simmer” - especially important for sauces.

Which Cooktop or Stove Kitchen Appliance Should You Choose?

Efficiency also plays a part, as burner grates that are made of cast iron or another metal are better conductors of heat from burner to pan. How much heat you lose from the burner pan should be important to homeowners who are conscious of their energy bill.

Samsung, GE and LG make some of the highest rated cooktops on the market. Fortunately, their products are very aesthetically pleasing, as your cooktop is likely your most highly visible kitchen appliance. For this reason, some people prefer the professional gas range look (metal grates), while others may like a completely flat surface that an electric range offers.

Both of these options come in a range of formats, from luxury to affordable. But layout is extremely important for cooktops, for both your cooking needs, and aesthetics. Cooktops can’t be disguised as well as other kitchen appliances, and functionality is usually more important. There are four burner cooktops and five burner cooktops, as well as electric cooktops that allow you to choose the diameter of the pan you’re using to cook.

Ovens are a Must-Have Kitchen Appliance

Ovens are so important to your cooking needs that you’re probably not making a decision on whether you need an oven, but rather, what kind should you get? Differentiation in functionality is less important when choosing an oven (unless you’re a true chef or baker), as there’s little variance with the end product. However efficiency, aesthetics, features and quality all play a part in how you choose an oven.

How to Choose an Oven That’s Right for You

Ovens have become smart, and while luxury brands offer you the ability to operate ovens from your smartphone, even non-luxury models have intelligent features and touchscreen controls. Because of this, folks who opt for professional ranges are often disappointed, as these ranges sacrifice ease of use in favor of a more hands-on approach.

What could provide more ease of use than a high-performance convection oven? Convection ovens use a fan to circulate heat, cooking food faster and more evenly, which is ideal for parents who have many hungry mouths to feed. Then again, bakers will have little use for convection cooking and need to pay attention to more traditional features, such as bake, roast and broil.

Of course, you could have the ideal oven situation, which is a double oven, stacked or side-by-side. Double ovens were once only for professional kitchens and luxury homes, but now there are ranges that are configured with two ovens. Most likely each oven will have different functions, making them ideal for certain tasks, such as roasting a turkey in one while keeping your stuffing and mashed potatoes warm in the other.

Which Oven Kitchen Appliance Should You Choose?

Samsung, GE and Bosch make some of the highest rated ranges and ovens on the market. These brands, and most other brands, don’t skimp on aesthetics, as it’s possible to get that sleek, stainless steel look without breaking the bank. That’s also the case for knobs, which have a propensity to break and provide a hazard for children. If this is important to you, then you should choose a product that has heavy-duty knobs.

Other special features include a warming drawer, which is a great compromise if you were thinking about a double oven but the cost is too great. Anything above 16,000 BTUs is considered good for ovens, but look for something more powerful for convection cookers.

Refrigerators and Freezers are a Must-Have Kitchen AppliancE

Last but not least, the most obvious must-have kitchen appliance is certainly a refrigerator. The size of your refrigerator will likely play a huge part in which one you choose, as they take up more space than any other appliance. Fortunately, refrigerators come in many shapes and sizes, but unfortunately, these considerations affect functionality.

How to Choose a Refrigerator and Freezer That’s Right for You

Configuration is important. The first models of refrigerators had the freezer on top for a reason: cold air descends. But many people prefer the freezer on the bottom, as you don’t go into it as much, and it leaves you able to open the refrigerator without bending over. These models typically come in a French-door configuration, and will be more expensive than a standard slide-in refrigerator.

Speaking of expensive, luxury kitchen appliances are separating the freezer from the refrigerator entirely. That’s not necessarily the case for the availability of water and ice in the door, as refrigerators that offer this feature are more affordable than in the past. Just be sure to check if water is just passing through the refrigerator, or if it’s actually being filtered.

Another important feature you should think about is if the refrigerator has a single or dual compressor. If you spend more money on food, such as buying organic, you’ll want to protect that investment by going for the dual compressor, as it keeps food fresh longer. Single compressors work twice as hard, but this will save you on the unit price, and probably a little on your energy bill too.

Which Refrigerator and Freezer Kitchen Appliance Should You Choose?

GE, Maytag and LG make some of the highest rated refrigerators and freezers on the market. There’s good news for aesthetics on brands of all types, as major kitchen appliance manufacturers know that most people prefer black, white or stainless steel, so they usually supply all options for exterior paneling. Check out black stainless steel and carbon fiber for luxury models.

To find your must-have kitchen appliances and other essentials, such as cabinets and countertops, shop for kitchens at Little Green Kitchens.

Top 3 Must-Have Kitchen Appliances