Home And Kitchen Appliances Make Life Smoother And Easier

The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in a house. It is a room wherein culinary delights are created for gastronomical satisfaction. Yet it is absolutely incomplete without the presence of the appliances which make it possible for a person to create these superb dishes. These appliances form such an integral part of the kitchen that making do without them seems almost impossible.

But in order to have a well furnishes kitchen, it is necessary to choose the kitchen appliances and gadgets with care and consideration. The same is also true for any other home appliance purchased. Two very important things which need to be taken into consideration while purchasing home and kitchen appliances are:

• Its key features which determine its usability and
• Price of the appliance vis-s-vis the budget decided.

Some commonly found home and kitchen appliances and a short review of their features are given below.

Cooking Appliances

Food Processor

The food processor plays a very important role in easing out daily routine work in the kitchen by

• Slicing and chopping vegetables as per requirement,
• Grinding dry ingredients like nuts, seeds, spices etc., and wet ingredients like meat, fruits etc.,
• Shredding vegetables and cheese,
• Pureeing vegetables like tomato, spinach etc.,
• Mixing several ingredients together,
• Kneading dough, cake mixtures etc.

Best Food Processors

Pressure Cooker

Traditionally speaking, a pressure cooker, is an airtight container which allows food to be cooked very fast with the use of steam pressure by raising the:

• Boiling point of the water inside the cooker and
• Pressure thereby forcing water into the vegetables being cooked.

Another advantage of this home and kitchen appliance is that it can be used to easily cook foods like:

• Rice,
• Beans and chickpeas etc.,
• Meats which need to be tenderised,
• Roasts, stews etc.

Best Pressure Cookers

Rice Cooker

Rice steamer/cooker is used only to cook rise by steaming. It is an automated device consisting of a

• Heating source to supply the necessary energy needed for cooking,
• Cooking bowl wherein the washed and strained rice and equivalent water is added and
• Thermostat which helps to:
  • Keep measuring the cooking bowl temperature and
  • Subsequently as a control for the heat supplied.

Best Rice Cookers

Bread Maker Machine

The bread maker/machine is a home and kitchen appliance which is specifically used to make hot, soft and tasty bread at home. It automatically controls the sequence of mixing and kneading the dough and rising and baking the bread. It is made up of a:

• Bread pan with one or more paddles built-in and
• A special purpose oven for mounting the bread pan.

Best Bread Making Machine

Slow Cooker

A croak-pot, as it is traditionally known, is a counter top gadget used to simmer food at temperatures lower than those required for cooking, baking, boiling and frying. This helps to facilitate slow cooking of food thereby:

• Enabling nutrients to be retained within the food made and
• Making sure that hot food is available even if there is no one at home for many hours at a stretch.

Roasts, soups, stews etc., are generally cooked using the slow cooker.

Best Slow Cookers

Cookware Set

With people becoming more health conscious, they are gravitating towards gadgets which support cooking using lesser or no oils. But in order to work with these gadgets, a special type of cookware set needs to be purchased and used.

These utensils are coated with Teflon and do not allow food to stick to it. Such Teflon coated utensils form a part of the non stick cookware set and they enable cooking using very little or no oil.

Best Cookware Sets

Roti Maker

Roti is the staple of every Indian household but making it is quite a hassle. The roti maker not only makes this job easier, it also enables one to have hot and soft rotis straight off the hot plate.

It is a simple kitchen appliance which uses a simple mechanism to make a complex task easier and much more effective.

Tandoor

The tandoor platter is very popular across India not only for its flavours, aroma and taste but also as a healthy alternative to oily food. And the electric tandoor is the perfect kitchen aid which helps to make this mouth-watering delicacy at home by:

• Retaining the authenticity of taste,
• Making it almost oil-free,
• Being not producing smoke,
• Being portable, user friendly and easy to operate,
• Enabling mess-free cooking.

Juicer

Being able to have freshly squeezed fruit juice in the morning is a novelty which people are just waking up to. With technological advances in juicer making processes facilitating easy extraction of juices from anything and everything, this gadget has become a staple in the Indian kitchen. The two types of juicers available today are:

• The ones using cold pressed technology and
• The ones using the process of centrifugal extraction.

The capacity of the juicer, of course, depends on the size of the family it will have to cater to on a daily basis.

Home Appliances

Fans

They are extremely helpful for providing much needed relief from the summer heat. There are many different types of fans available today like the:

• Table fan which needs to be placed on a table and switched on for relief
• Tower fan having a sleek design for greater efficiency
• Pedestal fan which has an adjustable and detachable stand
• Wall fan which needs to be installed on the wall for maximum coverage
• Mini fan which is a convenient space saving utility.

Washing Machine

A boon for working couples, the washing machine is a home appliance few people can do without, especially during the monsoons. With many different varieties of the same available, choosing a washing machine depends on its:

• Capacity,
• Loading type: top or front loader
• Function type: semi-automatic or fully automatic,
• Water efficiency,
• Energy saving,
• Design adaptability etc.

Best Washing Machines

Kitchen Chimney

The Indian kitchen is famous for its lip-smacking but oily and spicy food. Hence the installation of a kitchen chimney is a must in the Indian kitchen since it helps to:

• Keep odors away,
• Collect all the excess oil that gets evaporated,
• Keeps the kitchen air clean.

Selection of the chimney depends on:

• The filter types available,
• Its suction power,
• Its size and design and
• The ducting of the chimney.

Sewing Machine

The sewing machine is a very creative tool for people who have a passion for it. The ability of this machine to stitch beautiful embroidery makes this silai machine something a must have at homes. Some of its interesting features are:

• Stitch quality and reduced noise,
• Automatic start and stop,
• Ease of use,
• An automatic needle threader,
• A good button holer,
• Lightweight with adjustable foot presser,
• Compatible with the embroidery machine add-ons etc.

Stand Mixer

Stand mixers are gaining popularity because of their flexibility and versatility. They can be used with a number of many different mixing attachments like the

• Flat beater for mixing and creaming,
• Whisk attachment for whipping,
• Dough hook for kneading etc., to facilitate the cooking of a variety of different products like the cake, cookies, milk shakes, puffs etc.

Hand Mixer

The hand mixer is extensively used for doing reparative tasks like stirring, whisking and beating very easily. In fact when it can also be used to knead by changing the attachments with a dough hook.

The electric hand mixer uses a mechanism to rotate the attachments thereby enabling food to be prepared. This mechanism used is gear driven for better performance.

Air Conditioner

The air conditioner is a necessity during the hot and humid summer months prevalent over most parts of India. Its ability to cool the room environment to the desired temperature thereby bringing immense relief from the sweltering and sweating heat is a source of relief for most Indian household. Currently there are three types of air conditioners available here. They are:

• Window air conditioners which are single unit devices and need to be fitted into windows of rooms, halls etc.,
• Split which composes of two different units; one of which is placed outdoors and one indoors and
• Inverter types which use a compressor with variable speed to bring down energy costs by about 50%.

Air Cooler

Areas which are dry are generally very hot and air coolers play a very important role in providing relief especially in the hot summer months.

But with a number of varieties available today, people are generally confused as to which to buy. Certain features which make it easier to compare and select are:

• Type, personal cooler or desert cooler,
• Dimensions of the room,
• Capacity of the water tank,
• Air circulation agent, huge fans or blowers etc.

Vacuum Cleaner

This is a device which truly helps to keep the Indian household free from all dust and dirt.

The vacuum cleaner enables a person to clean even those places which are otherwise difficult to reach. Some features which account for its usability are:

• Capacity of the dust bag,
• Dust level indicators,
• Cleaning radius
• Air filtration,
• Wide variety of nozzles and brushes etc.

Kitchen Appliances

Refrigerator

The fridge is no longer a luxury for any household; it has become an object of immense necessity. Hence the choice of the same should be done in a methodical manner so that one is able to actually take advantage of the fact that life has become easier. Certain key features that need to be looked into are:

• Type of refrigerator whether frost-free, direct cooling or cyclic cooling,
• Capacity,
• Double or single door etc.

Best Refrigerators in India

Dishwasher

The use of the dishwasher is slowly gathering momentum with people becoming aware of the advantages it presents. In order to use it effectively, the following features have to be checked out while buying:

• Capacity,
• Cycle time,
• Wash programs,
• Temperature range,
• Auto start and stop,
• Compatibility with hard water,
• Indicators for salt refill, dry tap etc.,

Best Dishwasher in India

Coffee Maker/Machine

For most people their daily dose of energy comes from drinking coffee, first thing in the morning. Hence a coffee maker/machine is a mandatory home and kitchen appliance which needs to be present in every kitchen. Generally irrespective of their variety, each coffee vending machine consists of a:

• Hot plate which helps to transfer energy,
• Carafe as the glass pot is generally known is used to make and store the coffee,
• Filter basket for adding in the coffee beans either in powdered form or a whole coffee beans for the fully automatic coffee maker/machine to grind and brew the coffee and
• The water reservoir.

Mixer Grinder

Authentic Indian cooking requires the spices to be instantly ground to bring out the uniqueness of its taste. One kitchen appliance which contributes heavily to the food making process is the mixer grinder. Certain key features which one must look into while purchasing the same are:

• Speed of the machine,
• The number of grinding jars provided,
• Facility available, whether pulse or incher,
• The locking system,
• The type of switch in-built into it etc.

Home and kitchen appliances make it so easy to enjoy certain comforts at home that doing household chores becomes an enjoyable job in itself. The ability to be able to prepare restaurant-like food right within the four walls of the kitchen also provides a sense of creative satisfaction with lots of appreciation coming in the process.

Kitchen and home appliances are thus quite a necessity today in the Indian household as it makes life a lot easier for the concerned people.

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