Built-in appliances to add to your kitchen wishlist

Posted on 9th September 2024

While they may not be kitchen essentials, once you have one of these appliances, they’re completely indispensable. KBB journo Sally Smith breaks down these wishlist-worthy solutions…

A vacuum drawer is an essential kitchen appliance for the sous vide method of cooking. Simply vacuum seal food like fish or vegetables in a bag, and cook in a water bath to preserve the quality and taste of freshness. You can also use it to reseal open food packages and quickly vacuum pack meals to be frozen. So, it’s also handy if you like to bulk cook.

Kitchen island with a vacuum sealer, am extra sink and tap, in a neutral scheme. — The compact Bora QVac built-in vacuum sealer can be flush-mounted on worktops or surface-mounted. It can seal in vacuum boxes and bags for marinating. Plus, it can reseal open bottles such as oil or wine to keep them fresher for longer. Priced from £395.

A warming drawer will heat plates and keep food warm, but it can also be used as a slow cooker. This kitchen appliance is ideal when you are juggling various side dishes and mains to serve at once.

A blast chiller will rapidly cool food from 70°C to 3°C or below within 90 minutes. So, it can be an important appliance if making desserts is your speciality.

Wood kitchen design with built-in oven and blast chiller. — Smeg‘s SBC4304X 45cm blast chiller offers two different blast functions and a digital touch screen. Priced from £2999 to £3799 depending on the model.

The latest built-in dishwasher and fridge-freezer drawers are a super-cool addition to a home bar or island unit. A built-in coffee machine will definitely elevate your coffee-making experience, and an integrated wine cabinet will keep your favourite wine at the ideal temperature. So… we say yes to these kitchen appliances!

Closeup of a coffee machine in black and stainless steel. — Love coffee? Try the Miele CVA 7440 built-in bean-to-cup coffee machine. Depending on the model, you can choose from three separate bean containers, with timer function and clear text display with sensor controls and cup positioning. Priced around £3429.

Functionality

Vacuum drawers offer three vacuum levels – thin, medium and large – to accommodate different types of food. For example, meat requires a higher level of vacuum pressure to be prepared perfectly for cooking, while fruit needs to be prepared at a lower level so as not to be damaged by the high negative air pressure.

Closeup of a vacuum sealer with an open drawer. — Neff’s N 70 built-in 60 x 14cm vacuum drawer has a ‘Push & Pull’ function – open and close the drawer with one touch. It is available in four finishes Anthracite Grey, Brushed Bronze, Metallic Silver and Deep Black, and comes with vacuum bags. Priced at £2574.

Remote sensors in some boiling-hot taps can deny access to the instant boiling hot water stream via a remote fob converting it to a standard three-way mixer tap in an instant, making them a safe option for multigenerational households.

Dark design with a marble splashback, a grey sink and a matching tap. — Abode’s Pronteau Scandi-E 4-in-1 instant hot water tap with patented HotKey sensor technology provides aerated hot and cold water; filtered cold and 75-98°C steaming hot water. Priced at £1249.

What will these appliances cost?

Set aside a proportion of your budget for kitchen appliances early on. A warming drawer is a viable option, with prices starting from £500-plus depending on the brand, along with a vacuum drawer, with some costing £689, but can go up to over £2000. A bean to cup coffee machine will be an investment, costing from £2000 to £3000, while a 4-in-1 boiling hot tap will cost around £1200 without installation.

Expect to pay anything from £1500 to over £5000 for dishwasher and fridge or freezer drawers.

Closeup of an integrated dishwasher. — Fisher & Paykel integrated single DishDrawer dishwasher, DD60STX6HI1, with auto programmes including a rapid, 60-minute one. The glassware section fits plates up to 31 cm, with flexible racking to accommodate other large cookware. Priced at £1680.

Modern kitchen design with marble surfaces, a copper sink and a matching copper tap. — The Quooker Fusion Round 3-in-1 boiling tap delivers hot, cold and boiling water at 100°C with either a PRO3, three-litre tank capacity or PRO7, providing seven litres of instant boiling water, in round or square spouts. Priced from £1250.

Closeup of a vacuum drawer with food inside next to an oven. — The Asko ODV8128GG vacuum drawer prepares food for sous vide cooking and storing, packing, or portioning food. It features a user-friendly touch control display and coordinates with Asko’s Pearl Grey oven range. Priced at £2299.

Buying tips

When you have decided on your ‘non-essentials’, it’s a good idea to stick to the same brand as your larger appliances to keep the aesthetic consistent, especially in an open-plan space. Smart tech is offered with some of these appliances, but not all, so do your research to be sure you have future-proofed them.

Remote technology via apps will mean any maintenance issues can be quickly rectified through ‘Smart Diagnosis’, for example, to ensure that wine is stored at the correct temperature if you have invested in a wine cabinet.

Blue kitchen cabinetry with a built-in wine fridge, marble surfaces and open shelving. — The Rangemaster undercounter wine cabinet RDZ6046SS 60cm includes a 4-12°C upper zone for whites and rosés and a 12-22°C lower zone for Merlots or Châteauneufs, with an anti-vibration system. Available in black and stainless steel, priced at £899.

Closeup of a warming drawer in a black finish, with plates inside. — Haier’s Series 6 warming drawer is ideal for low-temperature cooking, raising dough, defrosting, pre-heating, and keeping food and plates warm. The range offers a vacuum drawer, too. Priced around £499.

Blue kitchen design with a built-in fridge and wine cabinet, an island with two bar stools. — The Monolith fully integrated tall wine cabinet EWT9275 by Liebherr includes Infinity Light LED wall lighting that emits minimum heat to help preserve the quality of the wine, and gentle and quiet door closure technology to reduce vibration and disturbance to the wine. Store prices start at £11,000.

Good to know

To create a streamlined, professional look you will need to perfectly align all your appliances. Discuss the options with your kitchen designer to achieve a cohesive kitchen set-up. A classic configuration is a bank of two single ovens with a warming and vacuum drawer neatly installed underneath each appliance, alongside a stylish built-in coffee machine. There is a wide range of built-in wine chiller cabinets on the market, from tall units, compact undercounter and slim 30cm-wide wine coolers to suit all layouts.