Kitchens always tend to be the center of your home and the gathering place of many. It is where you cook, eat, converse, make your morning coffee/tea, and everything in between. While you may be thinking that your kitchen appliances work fine and that replacements may be out of the question, you may come to find that after reading this you will be carving out time next week for delivery. From a new design and sleek look to energy efficiency, all the way to finding new ways around the kitchen, there are 100+ reasons why you may want to give your current kitchen appliances a reboot. Throughout this blog post, we are going to go over some cool tips and trends that will make you want to recycle your old appliances making you want to upgrade. Who knows? It may even open your eyes to something new.
Something I love even better with you than cool tips and tricks is hearing from you directly. Do any of these ideas excite you or do you have something to add? Connect with us on social using #SharpHome on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Energy Efficiency
If you have a kitchen that is a bit older and it is still in good condition, you may want to consider at least revamping your appliances for the reason of energy efficiency. Now I know you may be thinking that your dishwasher from 1994 may still be working, but there are still many factors and benefits to upgrading. Think about the economic and environmental factors. Talking more about dishwashers, according to the United States Department of Energy in order to be ENERGY STAR Certified (like the Sharp 24 in. Slide-In Stainless Steel Dishwasher) units must use 4.25 gallons/water per cycle or less. Back in 1994, dishwashers used more than 10 gallons per cycle. If you use an older dishwasher once a day, think about every time you run it you are essentially pouring 5+ gallons of water down the drain.
So what do you say, how about we save some money and reduce our ecological footprint? One cycle at a time!
Increased Functionality
If you have been reading my pieces on Simply Better Living for quite some time (I thank you), you probably know that every time I write or gather up a recipe roundup I always include a recipe or a spotlight on some sort of pasta recipe. Jumping to conclusions, I love macaroni. So what would you say if I told you that you could almost cut boiling water in half due to new technologies in new appliances? I would simply rush to the store and try it myself. The Sharp Induction Cooktops include a Power Boost mode that increases cooktop power by 50% for faster heating – ideal for boiling water. The newer the appliance, the likelihood it has new technologies that could help make your time in the kitchen more simple.
Take it from Choice.com in-house economist, Fiona Mair, who had an opinion on when it comes to the functionality of old appliances, specifically an oven. “When some of the functions stop working, the oven takes more than 15 minutes to preheat and cooking times are noticeably longer than before – these are all signs your oven may be coming to the end of its lifespan”. While Mair just looks at one appliance, think about the trend throughout the industry and the diverse amount of products. As you may have seen throughout this article, some appliances even work with Alexa and react to voice commands. Isn’t that cool?
Design Appeal
Admit it, while you think you may not “need” new appliances, a fresh upgrade and refresh to your current space may be a top reason alone to upgrade them – in addition to all of the other fantastic ones outline in this post. When the kids come home from school or when you get home from work (or if you are still working from home, where you go for a break), everyone always reverts to the kitchen. Show it a little love by creating a nice design trend throughout the space. Do you happen to have appliances mixed throughout the years? Perhaps a white dishwasher and a black refrigerator?
If you really want to jump on the design appeal bandwagon and make your kitchen pop (I mean, who wouldn’t), you may want to check out all of the budget-friendly tips outlined in a Simply Better Living original, Tips for Designing Your Pinterest Perfect Kitchen. Here you will find ways to compliment all of your new kitchen appliances and create a space you are proud of (and will definitely want to post about using @SharpHome)!
Microwave Drawer
This one is ideal for someone that is possibly adding in a butler’s pantry, kitchen island, or even an all-around new kitchen. One of the biggest problems that I have in my kitchen is it doesn’t seem I have enough counter space when preparing a meal, yet at the same time, I hate clutter and prefer to have my counters clear. This gives it that sleek and modern look, pulling together and simplistic and minimalistic vision. If you are thinking along the same path as I am, you may want to consider purchasing and putting in one of the many Sharp’s Microwave Drawer™ Oven. Think of this as a microwave in a cabinet, but at a whole new level.
Here are some of the top reasons why a drawer may be perfect for you:
- As we already stated, the unit would be installed in a cabinet or a kitchen island, therefore, you will be able to have room above your stove for a hood and even more room across your cabinets. If you are one to quickly get annoyed by small spaces, you may want to add one to your cart as soon as you can.
- Instead of the door swinging out to the left or right, with one press of a button (or even a wave), you will be able to place things down and close it without slamming it. Calling all of my left-handed readers is a huge advantage.
- Did we mention that some of the drawers even have smart capabilities? That’s right, the Sharp Stainless Steel Smart Easy Wave Open Microwave Drawer Oven Works with Alexa, and the Sharp Kitchen App is available on the App Store® and Google Play. Enjoy hands-free cooking with over 35 Alexa voice commands with the Amazon Alexa App or your Echo Device, and the “Easy Wave Open” feature for quick, touchless opening of the Convection Microwave Drawer™ Oven. Sounds like a win to me!
