One of the essential major kitchen appliances is a cooker. These come in many types, firstly there is built in where the cooker is integrated into the cabinets. If you want to replace one of this type I would recommend buying a cooker from the original manufacturer as it may be difficult to match the original door fixings. Built in cookers give you the option of separate ovens or hobs. There is a choice of fuels either gas, electricity or even dual fuel. Gas hobs deliver the heat almost instantly whilst electric hobs warm up and cool down at a lower rate. Free-standing cookers can be range type and are up to 1.5 metres long with 2 or more ovens and as many as 8 burners or hobs, and a price to match (6900 GBP). A cheaper option is a narrower cooker (50 – 60 cm) with an oven, grill and usually 4 hobs. These can be bought for 300 to 400 GBP.

One of the useful major kitchen appliances is the cooker hood. This will help to reduce cooking smells. There are 2 basic types; the simplest is the recirculating hood, which uses an activated charcoal filter to remove the smells. The other type acts as an extractor but needs to be vented through an outside wall. Most hoods come with lights to illuminate the cooker.

One or two of the major kitchen appliances, which have become indispensable to the modern life-style, are the fridge, freezer or a combination fridge/freezer. As with all major kitchen appliances there is a vast range to choose from. A good starting point is the space you have available, as this will determine the size. If you have the room an American style fridge/freezer would be a good choice; these are generally quite tall and wide. The European style is usually tall but not as wide There is also a choice of fridges and freezers which fit under the work tops, a further consideration is the availability of auto defrost and frost free options. Another useful major kitchen appliance is the dishwasher, which removes the drudgery of washing pots, pans, crockery and cutlery. Dishwashers can be built in or free standing. If space is a bit tight consider a slim line model which could sit on the worktop.

Two other major kitchen appliances, which have become essential in the modern home are the washing machine and tumble drier. Most washers are front loading, however, top loading models are available. There are combined washer drier machines on the market, But I would not recommend this option as design compromises have to be made which can reduce overall efficiency.

An important consideration is the energy efficiency of the major kitchen appliances (A is best). The more efficient the lower your bills will be.