A quick guide to buying the best kitchen appliances

Are you faced with the faint smell of burning food floating around your kitchen every time you turn on your oven? Does you washing machine sound like it’s about to take off every time you put on a load? Have you been trying to ignore the steady stream of water that’s been slowly leaking from your fridge? 

Let us make a gentle suggestion that maybe it is time to get yourself some new kitchen appliances. We get that choosing new appliances can be a bit overwhelming with so many features, styles, sizes and obviously budgets to bear in mind, it’s no wonder you’ve stuck with your old models for longer than was probably wise. 

So, with the help of Ao.com, we’ve pulled together a quick guide to choosing the best kitchen appliances for any style and every budget... 

1. Choose a self-cleaning oven

Because you know it just makes sense. We think pyrolytic cleaning is worth spending a little extra on – no need to spend a whole day scraping off gross, burnt-on bits of lasagne or stubborn grease marks, Bosch have a range of ovens with a self-cleaning cycle, including our pick, the Bosch Serie 4 HBS573BS0B Built In Electric Single Oven. The oven is heated to approximately 480°C reducing any spillages to dust which can then just be wiped away. Easy peasy. 

2. Pick out a fridge that suits your lifestyle

Think about size first. Obviously an American-style design with fridge and freezer side by side offers the most storage, but a two door model with a 50:50 split takes up less room and still offer plenty of space. The Bosch Serie 4 KGN34XL35G 50/50 Frost Free Fridge Freezer has 319 litre capacity, thats around 17 bags of food shopping, ideal for even the hungriest of families. Plus, the VarioZone feature means you can shuffle about the layout of your fridge to make room for larger items and still keep them at their perfect temperature – no more fridge Jenga every time you come back with the weekly shop. It also has nifty VitaFresh 0°C compartments that create the ideal temperature to keep your food fresher for longer. 

3. And make sure your new freezer is frost free...

We recommend always going for a fridge with a frost-free freezer. With the Bosch Serie 4 KGN34XL35G 50/50 Frost Free Fridge Freezer, you’ll never have to manually defrost the freezer thanks to NoFrost technology, which constantly circulates cold air inside to prevent ice build-ups.

Top tip: Make sure you check the energy rating for your potential fridge too so you can keep running costs as low as possible. The Bosch Serie 4 KGN34XL35G 50/50 is is A++, so you know it’s efficient. 

4. Pick a dishwasher that fits seamlessly in your kitchen 

The first decision you should make when choosing a new dishwasher is whether you want it to be integrated or freestanding. If you are buying a new dishwasher for your current kitchen you are probably going to want to go with the latter. Plus with a freestanding dishwasher you have the option to easily take it with you if you move. 

Next decide between compact or standard. Compact dishwashers like the Bosch Serie 6 SPS66TW00G Slimline Dishwasher  are better suited to smaller households or in kitchens where space is tight. 

Then it’s just a case of making sure the dishwasher has all the functions you are after. Also check how many litres of water the dishwasher uses and look to see if they have half wash or quick wash setting. We love the Bosch Serie 6 SMS67MW00G for it’s super-quick wash option that can get your dishes sparkling in as little as 29 minutes, perfect if you are hosting last minute guests and need to clean all your plates in a hurry. It also has brilliant , innovative PerfectDry technology, which uses special minerals to thoroughly dry your dishes and plastics whilst saving energy. Win win.

5. Buy a washing machine that makes laundry easier

Think about what functions are going to benefit you and your family the most. Do you need a large variety of programmes? A large capacity? Is your kitchen open plan meaning you need a quiet model? 

The Bosch Serie 6 i-Dos WAT286H0GB Wifi Connected 9Kg Washing Machine has a 9kg drum capacity that’s perfect for medium sized households, it’s quiet and (and this is our favourite feature) thanks to the i-DOS technology, it automatically, perfectly measures out the right amount of detergent for your cycle. This technology can, on average, save 38% of detergent and optimises the amount of water used to minimise waste. 

6. Invest in kitchen appliances that match your style (and each other)

Kitchen appliances should of course be practical but obviously you want them to fit seamlessly into your space and not distract from your style. That’s what we love about the Bosch kitchen appliances, they do the job brilliantly but from a design perspective they don’t look too obtrusive and all visually match each other.

7. Get kitchen appliances that have a great warranty and are long lasting

It goes without saying that when you invest in new kitchen appliances you want them to last, and when you buy a Bosch appliance you know you are buying from a line-up you can rely on. And don’t just take our word for it, Bosch won the Domestic and General Total Excellence and Quality award in 2018.

Plus, selected models have a five year warranty, so you can feel confident you will be investing in appliances that are going to last. 

Get more kitchen advice:

• 15 tips for successful kitchen planning
• 10 ways to make a small kitchen feel bigger
• Kitchen extensions: how to plan and design your kitchen extension