The essential appliances in your kitchen

Keeping the kitchen area free of impurities and bad odours is the mission of extractor hoods. The new proposals incorporate intelligent functions and are more efficient and silent.

Before deciding on a specific model, we will check if our kitchen has an exit hole to the outside. If so, evacuation models are perfect. They work by sucking in smoke from the room, filtering it, and directing it out of the house.

If we do not have this outlet channel or we want to install the appliance far from the possible hole, we must opt for a recirculation model: it takes in the air from the interior, removes grease and odours and returns it clean to the room. In the recirculation models we will find a wide range in terms of installation and design. Some models equipped with light have the look of a ceiling lamp: super practical novelties to make life at home easier.

• Built-in: They are embedded in a structure or suspended furniture in the kitchen. Some models are fixed and others are telescopic, which are only removed when they are going to be used.
• On the island: They are the most striking. They are fixed to the ceiling and serve the cooking centres that are located in a separate piece of furniture.
• Wall decoration: They rest on the wall and adopt the most diverse designs.
• More efficient: The classic form of absorption is replaced by advanced systems such as the perimeter system, which consists of moving the extraction towards the contour of the appliance, enhancing the capacity to capture vapours, including those that tend to escape with the traditional system.
• Special power: In the Booster position, the appliance is placed at maximum power to sanitize the environment at specific times, and prevent odours and grease from spreading throughout the rest of the house.
• The quietest: The reduction of noise, thanks to advanced developments in insulation and motors that reduce vibrations, is another new achievement that allows the hoods to work almost silently, even working at high power.
• Electronic intelligence: The hood detects the presence of smoke and odours and starts up automatically, adapting the speed to the needs of each situation. Another feature extends operation for a few minutes after switching off to remove the last residues and leave the air completely clean.

FALMEC is a company with extensive experience in the design and production of extractor hoods based in Italy. All Falmec creations are made at the company's headquarters, located near Venice. We have before us an avant-garde brand in which aesthetics, materials and technologies prevail as a single unit to achieve the perfect synergy. Their latest models are stylish and exciting, and most importantly, practical and affordable.

The minimum recommended installation distance between the hob and the hood is 6.5 cm if it is a gas hob. The ceramic hob and the models with electric cast-iron burners allow it to be placed at 55 cm.

The recommended minimum width of a decorative hood to ensure proper absorption is 70 cm for 60 cm plates. In the case of larger formats, the hood must always be above the cooking surface.

Cooktops have multiplied their aesthetic possibilities, formats and functions, and today they offer personalized cooking centres tailored to each user.

Radiation and induction glass-ceramic hobs are the varieties that currently have the most followers and loyalists, although the possibility of placing independent modules that allow conventional steam cooking and roasting or stewing like a professional is an option that convinces kitchen lovers.

The heat is produced under the cooking zone using resistors, halogen lamps or both elements at the same time and is transmitted to the food by direct contact. The saucepans or saucepans should have a thick amount of a heat-conducting material with a slightly convex profile so that when it deforms with heating it is completely straight and does not acquire convexity.

If we decide on plates with another type of cooking, induction heats twice as fast as resistance glass-ceramic and consumes much less energy, since it is activated only by the area that is used and the heat is produced inside the container… instead of heating the plate and transmitting the heat by contact with the pan. These types of plates are more precise and have a very fast reaction capacity: in just a few seconds they represent a change in power level.

In terms of cleanliness and safety, improvements have also increased. The cooking zones are kept at a low temperature throughout the process, which prevents accidental burns and does not char food spills during cooking.

The new models with flexible cooking zones allow you to convert two cooking zones into one, through a link function that doubles the useful surface for cooking with larger containers.

Before deciding on the model and brand of hob, we must assess aspects such as format, power, size and number of burners, type of controls, security systems and functions that can simplify day-to-day. Oil temperature control or the integration of a recipe assistant that can guide the user are some of the latest developments in these products.

The SIEMENS iQ300 model is a 70 cm wide induction hob, its metallic colour is ideal for modern rooms where aesthetics prevail. It has a frying Sensor system, which controls the temperature of the oil, preventing the food that we are cooking from burning due to any mistake that we may suffer. The touch slider control allows us to slide our finger gently to select the power and we have up to 17 power levels.

The iQ700 model, also from SIEMENS, is 90 cm wide, with enough space to deploy all our skills in the kitchen. It gives us more ease when cooking thanks to the 3 innovative Flex zones. The latest advances offer total control of your home thanks to Home Connect, an app with which you can access all the information on the panel from anywhere.

Conventional ovens and microwaves make it easy to prepare a good number of recipes and turn each dish into something different and special. For kitchen lovers, and for those who enjoy cooking, there are millions of options to equip our kitchen.

Most of the ovens that we can find on the market today have an increasingly pure and careful design and offer up to 8 different cooking modes to treat each dish in the most ideal conditions.

• Radiation: upper and lower heat.
• Convection: the heat that is produced in the interior cavity of the oven circulates continuously through the air that is obtained through a fan. In this way, the dishes are cooked evenly and the preparation time is shortened. One of the most modern innovations allows you to prepare recipes with up to 3 trays simultaneously, without mixing odours or flavours, which represents incredible energy and time savings.
• Grill: heat only from above.
• Microwave: ideal for small kitchens as it combines the features of two appliances in one.
• Those with a steam position are ideal for preparing vegetables, meat or fish in their juices or for changing the steam with the conventional type of cooking and obtaining juicier results, without sacrificing a crispy finish.
• Other features that we can find in current ovens are defrosting, heating, toasting, traditional baking, turbo and low-temperature roasts...
• Pyrolysis cleaning (removal of the residue using high temperatures) has gone from being a feature included only on high-end models and brands to be a feature of most multifunction ovens.
• The automatic and manual programmers have the possibility of selecting one of the multiple recipes recorded in the oven or creating and memorizing our favourite dishes.

The Cristal de Balay series proposes an innovative range of ovens and microwaves that combine a wide variety of features with an elegant and sophisticated finish, in three colours to choose from: white, black or anthracite grey. But for complete integration, the oven must not only be coordinated with the kitchen: it must be coordinated with you so that your recipes are perfect and your day-to-day life is easier. That is why the glass used is very resistant and easy to clean, being able to keep it in perfect condition, with little effort.

Microwave ovens are fast and versatile. The new features of these appliances are customized into a fully operational cooking center that can fry, roast and bake. We must choose an oven that incorporates all these functions and know how to get the most out of it. The microwave utensil is also indicated to further increase the ways of preparing the different dishes, such as silicone containers to prepare papillae or steamed foods.

Another advantage is the speed with which it cook almost anything and its cleanliness. If we are going to use it for something other than reheating dishes or defrosting, it is best to choose an appliance with a grill, which can be used at the same time as the microwave function. With this option, we will get that crispy touch in roasts, so common in traditional ovens.

The elimination of the turntable has been achieved thanks to the development of a technology based on a ceramic base, under which the rotating antenna is hidden, which is responsible for distributing the waves evenly.

Capacity, interior layout and design are 3 key factors that we have to evaluate when deciding to buy a new refrigerator. Consumption must also take centre stage, refrigerators can consume up to 45% of the electricity bill, while the A+++ models reduce this figure to 30%. Refrigerators also incorporate new technologies that reduce consumption and preserve food for longer.

These two advantages more than justify the renovation of our refrigerator if necessary. Appliances in general that have A+++ certificates are capable of consuming 30% less than models with an A label. We must bear in mind that the refrigerator is the appliance that we keep on 24 hours a day almost every day of the year, for what this point requires every day greater importance, trying to save as much as possible on the electricity bill and incidentally, we contribute with energy savings, so necessary today.

The decrease in consumption is related to the incorporation of more efficient occupants, better cold distribution, lighting systems based on LEDs, type of refrigerant and electronic temperature control, which improves conservation and avoids waste.

• Mini size: When we have little space, under-counter appliances are the best solution. They are usually about 85 cm high, 50 cm wide and deep and offer capacities of the order of 87L. The fridge and freezer are usually installed independently to achieve the required capacity in any 4-member household.
• One-door: We recommend them for one-person or two-person households since their capacity is limited and the freezer does not offer as good results as combined or 4-door refrigerators.
• Combination refrigerators are larger and offer two compressors to regulate the temperature of the freezer and conservator independently. Conveniently that they have a special drawer, adjustable to 0º to keep meat or fish fresh.
• Four doors or American: Their aesthetics are modern and striking and they are the largest. Some have ice and cold-water dispensers to optimize their functionality.
• Side by side: Independent freezer and refrigerator that offer a large useful capacity, except those that are prepared to fit under the counter, whose height does not reach one meter.