Choosing the right appliances for your kitchen is more than a matter of white versus stainless steel, says Lis Dunn. Read on to avoid costly mistakes.

With so many kitchen appliances and products out there, you need to be 100 per cent focused on what you actually need. Someone who lives on a diet of takeaway pizzas and burgers does not need a six-burner cooktop and a twin-door fridge!

Cooking
The two main options for stoves and ovens are gas and electric, with the favourite combination being a gas cooktop and an electric oven. Why? Because gas delivers instant, easily controlled heat, while electric provides an even temperature for baking.

Cooktops
Electric cooktops have a variety of elements. The ceramic varieties heat faster and the newer induction models heat the pot, not the stove. This is safer but requires stainless steel, flat-bottomed pots to work. Solid fuel ranges are still available for the diehards, but they are expensive.

Ceramic: From around $699 to $1499.
Solid element: From around $399 to $599.

Ovens
Ovens can be built-in above or below a benchtop, and both gas and electric come in a variety of sizes and capacities. Electric ovens distribute heat more evenly than gas ovens, which makes for good baking.

Product: Chef, DeLonghi, Fisher and Pakel, Bosch, Blanco, Ilve, Smeg, Miele.
Price: From around $699 to $2000.

Uprights
Uprights are much easier to install or replace than built-ins, and new stainless steel models look stylish. A good option if you are renting or need something short term.

Product: Westinghouse, Chef, Omega, Fisher and Pakel, Ilve, Smeg, Lofra.
Price: From around $699 to $2000.

Rangehoods and extractor fans
Kitchen smells, grease, steam and heat should be removed as quickly as possible with a rangehood or extractor fan. Natural ventilation through a window is a preferred option, but mechanical ventilation is a must for most kitchens.

The hood should cover the cooktop and be suited to the type of cooking you typically do. Plan on a high-capacity mechanical ventilation if your cooktop has a wok burner or barbecue option!

Most rangehood models are available as top-ducted, back-ducted or recirculating. The capacity is based on the amount of air moved within the hour.

Products: Robinhood, Classic, Smeg, Ilve.
Price: From around $299 to $900.

Fridges and freezers
When shopping for fridges and freezers, start by choosing a size to suit your household and shopping habits.

The smallest varieties are bar fridges, which range from 50 to 140 litres. The largest are side-by-side fridges and freezers, which range from 640 to 840 litres. The larger models usually have twin doors and will deliver ice, chilled water and built-in chips adjust temperatures to suit the changing ambient temperature outside.

Products: Westinghouse, Kelvinator, Fisher and Pakel, Whirlpool.
Price: From around $350 to $3000.

Products: GE and Maytag.
Price: From around $1200 to $6000.

Dishwashers
Small service dishwashers are ideal for household of four, while portable types are great for renters. There are also a number of twin-drawer dishwashers to choose from, which allow you to wash one draw at a time - perfect when you need to do just a few pieces.

Dishwashers can be fully or partly integrated into a cupboard style, or not at all.

Products: Dishlex, Fisher and Pakel, Bosch, Blanco, Smeg.
Prices: From around $699 to $2000.

Waterworks
This includes all the wet area gizmos in the kitchen. Let's start with taps.

Tap configurations
Single-lever mixer taps let you set the water temperature with one hand. Three-piece tapware (two taps and a spout) appeals to those who like the look of separate hot and cold controls. And that's not all you have to choose from.

• 'Lever' handles are easier to use and have replaceable cartridges.
• Ceramic-disk valves are more reliable than those that use old-fashioned rubber washers.
• Gooseneck spouts allow greater clearance for filling stockpots and large containers.
• Spouts with pullout sprayers aid in cleaning and food preparation.
• Anti-scald faucets let you set the maximum water temperature to protect children.
• Instant hot- and chilled-water dispensers keep water on tap for instant coffee, soups, and powdered drink mixes.
• Built-in switchable filtration systems deliver purified water on demand.

Prices: From $100 to $1000 for a mixer tap.

Sinks
Stainless steel: Less expensive than others, durable, lightweight, and easy to install. Not that lighter-gauge stainless steel is susceptible to denting, and mirror finishes scratch easily.
Solid-surface materials: These are available in stone look-alikes and solid colours. Mated with a solid-surface counter top, the sink and counter top can be moulded from a single piece, completely free of seams.

Bowl configurations
Think about how you cook and clean when choosing the number and size of bowls for your sink. You may want to consider two sinks - one for food preparation and one for cleaning up.

Your options include:

• Standard sink with two identical bowls.
• Double-bowl sinks, with one extra-deep side for scrubbing pots and one small side for food preparation.
• Three-bowl sinks with two large bowls on the sides and a small food-preparation sink in the centre.
• Farm sinks, with one large rectangular bowl, are popular choices for country kitchens.

Options available with some styles include built-in draining boards, colanders, dish drainers, and even garbage chutes.

Mounting options

• Top-mount sinks have a ridge that fits over the counter top. This type is easy to install but its rim will catch crumbs.
• Flush-mount sinks line up level with the counter top. The look is clean and smooth, but these sinks do little to keep water from splashing onto the counter top.
• Under-mount sinks are recessed below the counter top. They work well with solid-surface counter tops.
• Integral sinks. With solid-surface materials and stainless steel, the sink and counter top can be moulded together as one unit.

Water filters
A big plus for anyone from Adelaide or Sydney. Less important if you're a Melbournite.

Unless you live off dam or bore water, and need to filter every last drop, most people are quite happy with simply filtering their drinking water. These can be as low tech as a Brita jug from a health food store, or go up to a device that sits on the sink or is plumbed into the water system. The more extravagant sink unit models can deliver chilled or hot water through a twin lever unit.

Recycling
These days many councils make you into a responsible recycler by limiting bin size, but it isn't hard to recycle if you set up the kitchen so it's easy.

You'll need a bin for glass and plastic, a larger bin for paper, one for general rubbish and a small bin for vegetable matter that unloads to the compost bin outside.

Bins are not the simple buckets with lids they used to be. Pull out, flip tops and other types of bins are available, as well as recycling systems that duct refuse directly to bins outside.

A hole-in-the-bench chute will set you back around $399, a chute system around $800.

All product information is available from Winnings Appliances, phone (02) 9698 8099.