Planning a kitchen renovation can feel overwhelming—there’s so much to think about, from cabinetry to benchtops, lighting to layout. But here’s something worth remembering: the right kitchen appliances you choose will shape how you actually live in that space for years to come. Get them right, and your kitchen becomes the heart of your home. Get them wrong? Well, you’ll be cursing under your breath every time you try to cook a simple Tuesday night dinner.
When we talk about must have appliances, we’re not just ticking boxes on a shopping list. We’re thinking about how you cook, how you entertain, if you have a big or small kitchen and honestly, how you want to feel when you walk into your new space on a Saturday morning. The best kitchen appliances transform a basic cooking space into a well-equipped area that makes everyday tasks genuinely enjoyable.
Let’s start with the basics—the items that turn your kitchen from an empty shell into a functional cooking space. A quality refrigerator isn’t negotiable; it’s the anchor of your modern journey. French door models have become incredibly popular in Melbourne homes, giving you eye-level access to fresh food while keeping the freezer down low where it belongs.
Your oven is equally critical. Multifunction ovens have become standard in essential kitchen appliances lists, and once you’ve had one, there’s no going back. Fan-forced, grill, conventional—having those options means you can bake sourdough in the morning and roast a chicken in the evening without compromising on even cooking results. Steam ovens from brands like ASKO offer combination cooking that retains nutrients and flavours in ways conventional ovens can’t match.
The dishwasher deserves mention here too. Life’s too short to spend it scrubbing pans, and a quality dishwasher that’s easy to clean and maintain becomes one of those key items you wonder how you ever lived without. Integrated models hide behind cabinetry for that seamless look everyone’s after.
Here’s where things get interesting. The air fryer has gone from trendy gadget to genuine must-have kitchen appliance in just a few years. Why? Because it delivers on its promises. This small bit of kit uses rapid air circulation to create that crispy, golden exterior we all crave—without drowning everything in oil.
The Instant Pot Vortex Plus has become a top pick for many Melbourne foodies, offering the versatility to air fry, roast, and even bake. You’ll find yourself reaching for your fryer multiple times a week: crispy chips on Tuesday, perfectly cooked chicken thighs on Thursday, even reheating pizza that actually stays crispy. The cooking time is typically faster than conventional ovens, and cleanup is straightforward with removable baskets.
But let’s be real about your space. If you’re already tight on room, an air fryer might overlap with what your oven already does. However, in summer when you don’t want to heat up the whole house, or when you need a quick meal without firing up the main oven, this countertop wiz earns its keep.
The KitchenAid stand mixer has achieved almost cult status, and there’s good reason for that. This isn’t just about mixing cake batter—though it does that brilliantly. The stand mixer with its various attachment options becomes multiple tools in one housing.
Pasta sheets, meat grinding, spiralising vegetables—the versatility is remarkable. For anyone serious about cooking and baking, this investment makes meal prep significantly easier. The planetary mixing action (the beater rotates one way while spinning around the bowl the other way) ensures consistent results every time, reaching ingredients that hand mixing or cheaper mixers miss entirely.
Yes, it’s a commitment in terms of both budget and bench real estate. But if you regularly bake bread, make pizza dough, or whip cream, the time and effort it saves adds up quickly. Plus, these things last decades. We’re talking about an appliance your kids might inherit.
Beyond the major players, certain kitchen gadgets genuinely streamline cooking tasks rather than cluttering drawers. A quality blender is non-negotiable for smoothies, soups, and sauces. Brands like Breville offer powerful motors that can handle everything from frozen fruit to hot soup without breaking a sweat.
An immersion blender deserves mention here—it’s one of those tools that seems simple until you’re making soup and realize you can blend it right in the pot instead of transferring hot liquid to a seperate blender. Small win, massive convenience.
Food processor capabilities overlap somewhat with blenders, but they excel at different tasks. Slicing vegetables for stir-fries, making pastry dough, chopping nuts—a food processor handles food prep jobs that would take ages by hand. The key is choosing one that’s genuinely easy to clean, because if it’s a pain to wash, you won’t use it.
The slow cooker revolutionized weeknight dinners years ago, and it’s still relevant. Chuck ingredients in before work, come home to a fully cooked meal—it’s brilliantly simple. The cooking process is gentle and forgiving, perfect for tough cuts of meat that need long, low heat to become tender.
But the Instant Pot and similar multi-cookers have challenged the slow cooker’s throne. These devices combine pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice cooking, and more in one tool. The pressure cooking function is genuinely transformative—you can cook dried beans in 30 minutes or make fall-apart ribs in under an hour.
Here’s the trade-off: slow cookers are dead simple, essentially idiot-proof. Instant Pots have a learning curve. But once you master them, they become one of those must-have items that handles countless kitchen tasks. For kitchen renovation planning, consider which matches your cooking style—set-and-forget simplicity or versatile speed?
It might seem odd dedicating space to discussing a toaster and kettle, but these everyday appliances get more use than almost anything else. A quality toaster that delivers consistent toast without burning or undercooking is surprisingly hard to find—and once you have one, you’ll never take it for granted again.
Four-slice toasters make sense for families or anyone who regularly entertains for breakfast. Brands like Breville and Sunbeam offer models with independent controls for each pair of slots, meaning someone can have lightly golden toast while another gets it properly crispy.
Kettles are equally personal. Aussies drink a lot of tea and coffee, so your kettle works hard. Variable temperature kettles let you brew green tea at 80°C and black tea at 100°C—small detail, big difference in taste. Some modern designs integrate hot water taps, but a quality kettle on the bench remains practical and surprisingly affordable compared to built-in systems.
A rice cooker might seem like a single-purpose gadget, but for households that eat rice regularly, it’s absolutely worth it. Perfect, fluffy rice every time without watching a pot or worrying about burning. Many modern rice cookers also handle quinoa, steel-cut oats, and even steam vegetables—more versatility than you’d expect.
Sous vide cooking has moved from restaurant use to home environments. These devices maintain precise water temperatures for hours, ensuring perfectly cooked proteins every time. A sous vide setup delivers restaurant-quality results that are nearly impossible to achieve with traditional cooking methods. The consistent results make it particularly valuable for entertaining when you want everything perfect.
Deep fryers are less common for average consumers—partly because air fryers have taken over that niche, and partly because Australians are moving toward healthier cooking. But if you regularly make doughnuts, tempura, or proper fish and chips, a dedicated deep fryer with proper temperature control beats using a pot of oil on the stove.
This is where renovation planning gets tricky. Your space is precious, and every countertop tool you commit to means less room for actual food prep. The question becomes: which appliances for your kitchen deserve permanent bench space versus living in cupboards?
A coffee maker might be essential for serious caffeine enthusiasts. Melbourne’s coffee culture means many people would rather skip breakfast than skip their morning coffee. Pod machines are convenient but expensive long-term; manual espresso setups require skill but produce superior results; automatic machines offer the best of both worlds at a premium price.
The microwave oven often gets dismissed by design purists, but it’s genuinely practical for reheating leftovers, defrosting ingredients, and quick vegetable steaming. Built-in microwave ovens keep benchtops clear while remaining accessible—usually the better solution for renovations where you can plan cabinetry around appliances rather than retrofitting later.
Smart machines aren’t just gimmicks anymore. Wi-Fi-enabled ovens you can preheat from your phone, fridges that help track expiry dates, coffee machines that integrate with voice assistants—these features are becoming standard rather than luxury additions. The cooking surface of modern induction cooktops can communicate with compatible cookware, adjusting heat automatically.
Energy efficiency has become crucial. Newer devices are designed to use less power while performing better than older models. Over a decade, the savings on electricity bills can be substantial. Look for high energy star ratings when comparing models—it matters more than people realize.
The shift toward all-electric homes is real in Melbourne. Gas connections aren’t guaranteed in new builds, and retrofitting them gets expensive. This reality is pushing more households toward induction cooktops and electric ovens. If you’re renovating, consider future-proofing with electric even if gas is currently available.
Here’s the honest truth: no space is complete without thoughtful planning about what you’ll actually use. The best cooking space devices for someone who meal preps every Sunday look completely different from what works for someone ordering UberEats three times a week.
Start with essentials: fridge, oven, cooktop, dishwasher, utensils. These are non-negotiable for modern living. From there, add appliances based on your genuine cooking habits. Love baking? The mixer becomes essential. Eat rice daily? Rice cooker is worthwhile. Cook for a crowd regularly? Double ovens or an Instant Pot might be justified.
Work with your renovation builder to plan electrical rough-ins properly—adding power points later is expensive and awkward. Think about workflow: place your grill near the outdoor dining area, keep the toaster near the breakfast zone, position the food processor close to your main prep area. The right tools in the right locations make the cooking process genuinely enjoyable rather than frustrating.
When planning appliances for your renovation, keep these essential points in mind:
The transformation your kitchen undergoes during renovation depends heavily on selecting the right combination of gear. Take time to research, compare models, and think through your daily routines. The effort you put into planning now will pay off in a kitchen that genuinely works for you, making meal prep easier and cooking more enjoyable for years to come.
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