Must-Have Appliances in the Modern Kitchen
These days, we’re spending a lot more time in the kitchen. With many of us working from home, and the evolving role of the kitchen in the house - from a food-prep room to a central hub - our everyday needs are changing too.
Over the past 15 years, we’ve witnessed innovations in kitchen technology develop how the modern kitchen operates. Appliances have made leaps and bounds in the convenience, safety and overall experience of life in the kitchen - both for the end users, and designers alike.
There are two products in particular which we regularly integrate into our designs, because of their ability to solve problems for our customers: the Bora induction hob and Quooker boiling water tap.
We spoke with our friends at both Quooker and Bora, to understand how two small, specialist companies have created inventive products which are changing the face of the modern kitchen.
Quooker Boiling Water Taps
The Quooker boiling water tap is fast becoming a kitchen staple. With instant hot water at the twist of a handle, it’s not difficult to see why! With a quarter of all new kitchens now installed with a hot water tap, could this be the end of the kettle?
Georgina at Quooker said, “the boiling water tap is the new dishwasher. 20-30 years ago it was a luxury item… people were used to washing dishes in their sink. Now you’d rarely see a new kitchen without a dishwasher. This is where we see the market for the boiling water tap going.”
Quooker was the first boiling water tap on the market, and originated to solve a problem of convenience.
Georgina explains “It’s a really lovely story… the inventor of Quooker originally worked for Unilever on the instant soup team. He realised that it was impossible to have instant soup without instant hot water, and so he invented the boiling water tap”
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
With over 80 patents, Quooker remains the only tap on the market which releases boiling water (a guaranteed 100 degrees, whereas competitors can only reach around 98 degrees).
Boiling Water Taps Serve the Modern Kitchen
According to Georgina, demand has soared for Quooker taps since the pandemic, as the kitchen has taken on a new role as an office for many people.
“Now more time is being spent at home, people have been looking for ways to upgrade their kitchens. The kettle is one of the most used appliances... You might use your oven once a day, but hot water you might use five or six times - for hot drinks, to cook, to sterilise baby bottles…”
Removing the need for a kettle frees up space on the worktops, and gets rid of wires - a huge benefit to London kitchens which often have little room to spare. And these days, work surfaces have a myriad of uses, from a desk to a socialising spot - so having a versatile space is key.
Quooker also has a filtered water system, and limescale solutions which are useful for London kitchens with hard water supplies.
The Efficient Choice
ell as saving time, boiling water taps also save water. Usually, we overfill the kettle with every use, and may empty out the leftover water from the previous boil to replace with fresh water.
With the Quooker boiling water tap, you only use the exact amount you need.
The Quooker tap saves energy too, and has the energy label ‘A’. Georgina explains, “the kettle is the most energy greedy appliance there is! When you boil a kettle, energy surges and it can cost up to 15p per boil. By comparison - on standby, Quooker taps will cost you around 2p a day.”
On top of that, Quooker is a sustainable choice. Some models disperse sparkling and chilled water as well as hot water, which reduces the need to buy plastic bottle alternatives.
Georgina said “The feedback we always hear is that once people have got a Quooker tap, they say they can’t live without it”.
Perhaps it’s about time we upgraded the kettle with a more efficient and convenient replacement!
Bora Induction Hobs
Bora Induction hobs have a vision: ‘the end of the extractor hood’.
Their products are revolutionising the way kitchen extraction operates, by pulling air downwards before it has a chance to rise and permeate the room.
We spoke with Luke from Bora, who explains how the product was invented to solve a fundamental issue in kitchen design.
“The owner of Bora was a kitchen designer for 30 years… but he felt extraction wasn’t working. The overhead extractor created difficulties with design, and made socialising in the kitchen a nuisance. He started ripping apart extractors and found they were hard to clean, very loud and not very practical…Eventually he came up with the idea of downward extraction.”
Luke explained how the downward extraction works, “say you’re cooking some bacon. The vapour it creates rises upwards at around a metre second. (Bora’s founder) thought, if he can counteract that by pulling the air down faster (at around 4 meters a second) he can replace the need to suck air from above. It’s very effective for cooking - you’re getting that smell and vapour eliminated. End users are a bit skeptical, but they change their minds when they see it in action.”
Serving open-plan living and revolutionising kitchen design
The biggest contribution Bora hobs are providing to the modern kitchen is freeing up the option for open plan designs.
Luke said “We’ve lost the clunky overhead extractor which was limiting kitchen design. That used to be the only product for kitchen extraction. I think end users were just accepting that this was how you do extraction. Bora has made the design process much more creative.”
Without extractors blocking the view, kitchens have the option to be designed with socialising in mind - a key requirement for the modern kitchen acting as the central hub of the home.
This innovation has been dramatic for kitchen designers.
Sebastian, founder of The London Kitchen Company said “it’s solved a massive problem. Usually you’d have an extractor above the hob... They’re quite ugly, they clutter the design and get right in the way. But Bora hobs have opened up the design. Now you can have an extractor on the island… which frees up a lot more wall space by opening up the possibility of more tall cabinets”.
For London kitchens with limited space, the ability to open up a room and install additional storage can completely transform a kitchen. For example, we installed a Bora hob on the island of a Bermondsey kitchen. Our client, Cindy, was eager to create a social space where she could cook and interact with her family and friends. Without the need for an extractor fan, the open-plan kitchen and dining area blend together seamlessly, to create the illusion of a much larger room.
On top of that, the Bora system keeps air fresh by stopping odours and grease from rising.
“Without good extraction you’ll discover the whole house smells like your dinner.” said Luke.
This is key to the way we live in our kitchens now: as versatile spaces where we spend lots of time every day, beyond mealtimes. Keeping the air clean - with a quiet and non-intrusive solution - helps to make kitchens a pleasant place to work and socialise.
Both Quooker and Bora are two grass-roots companies who are reimagining the kitchen by solving problems - which is a strong reason we recommend the appliances to our customers. At The London Kitchen Company, problem solving has always been the philosophy in how we approach our kitchen design. We see issues not as obstacles, but exciting challenges to consistently move the mark of how to best bring our customer’s dream kitchens to life.
Luke from Bora said, “the keyword for companies like ourselves and Quooker - smaller, forward-thinking brands - is disruption. We are completely rethinking kitchen design, to ultimately make it a better experience for the end-users. We’re not following the crowd of ‘this is how kitchen extractors should be’ and plodding along. Since we emerged, other companies have followed - which is great, because it’s social proof that what we’re doing is the future of kitchen design”.
For a future-proof kitchen which suits your lifestyle - book a free 30 minute consultation.