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Vashi2Panvel.com: Navi Mumbai: October 6: Innovative Sleek Kitchen World - Nerul, Ruchira Kitchen World - Vashi, all are busy offering various festive discounts and schemes in Navi Mumbai. In this festive season redesign your kitchens and give it a sparkling look.

There are several companies – both Indian and international – which offer custom made modular kitchens to the discerning Indian customer.

Faber, a leading brand in the electronic chimney segment, offers a wide collection of modular kitchens. Their designs for the Indian homes include the Baltimora collection, available in colour choices of cherry, white ash, walnut and ecru firewood and the Alis Susanflo collection, available
in colours like light yellow, white, tropic blue and walnut. Faber offers about 36 models in varied colours and textures.

Veneta Cucine, another Italian brand brought to India by C C Impex Company, manufactures its modular kitchens through an integrated production plant in Italy. Depending on the floor plan of the kitchen, a person at Veneta Cucine generates a design on dedicated software.

The computer-simulated design offers one a preview of one's kitchen, as it will look when installed in the kitchen. You just have to push a few keys to make sure the design matches your dream kitchen. Elegant storage units made of non-toxic material, electro-domestic appliances such as hobs, ovens, and chimneys, 40 models to choose from with finishes and colours in over 300 combinations is what Veneta offers to the customers. Optimum use of space, proper organisation of material to maximum storage, and convenience are the key factors.

Then there is KAFF, another major Italian kitchen appliances and furniture company. What you get is an entire range of furniture and accessories for a new age, modern kitchen. Completely in tune with the changing lifestyles and tastes, the furniture is characterised by their flawless design,
elegant shape and impeccable finish.

Available are cherry and teak wood pull out units, tall storage units, corner storage units, state-of-the-art ovens which also functions as a electronic tandoor, for all your tandoori cooking, cooking units with inbuilt deep fry and a toaster as well as kitchen accessories like steel
handles to hang your kitchen cloths, crockery, dishes and items for every day use.


Dream Kitchens from Grace Products, comes equipped with space saving cabinets and stunning basket and rack systems. The colours offered range from walnut, cherry to beige, browns and creams. Cabinets offer space to keep your jars, crockery and cutlery. These kitchen units offer adequate storage space due to their ergonomical design, which helps making full use
of every nook and cranny of the unit.

Venezia Mobili's kitchens, on the other hand, vary from the modern to the classic in design. While the modern one is available in colours like light green and walnut and is made of pre-laminated particleboard, the classic type is available in brown, mahogany and cream colours and comprises of
real wood. The wood used is fire and heat resistant and user-friendly.

Wood Art, another popular brand of modular kitchens, too has a melange of pre-fabricated kitchens. One can choose from wooden structures like solid wood, PVC membrane and post-forming wood as well as fittings like imported stainless steel, imported mild steel and Indian steel.

Cost: Prices for modular kitchens begin at Rs 20,000 for a very basic one and goes up to Rs 2 lakh, on the higher side.

Kitchen Sinks:

Selecting the right kind of kitchen sink is like selecting the perfect jewellery to match your outfit. Balancing function and beauty may sound like a challenge, but with the choices available in the kitchen sink segment, it’s not difficult to find a sink that will add a touch of beauty
to the room.

Kitchen sinks are almost always available in stainless steel. Of course you could have the granite one in your home, but it will never look as stunning or be as easy to clean as the stainless steel one.

Neelkanth, a leading manufacturer of kitchen accessories offers three types of sinks. There are sinks with just one bowl, there are those with two attached bowls, and the third kind has even a steel outlet attached at the bottom. Cost: Rs 10,000.

Nirali, another brand of kitchen sink manufacturers, has three collections or range on offer. The Designo range comes equipped with an anti-scratch surface and is available in four sizes – large, big, small and mini. The Satine range comes equipped with a chopping board, crockery baskets and a pop up waste basket. The Quartz range has composite sinks made out of granite. They are sturdy, strong and stain resistant, and available in eight different beautiful colours and models. They are priced at Rs 5,000 upwards.

Trishla, another brand in the market, offers four types of steel kitchen sinks. They are equipped with large tops, sound deadeners, which absorb the noise of water or utensils falling on the sink as well as plastic coating, and are available in bright and satin finish. Cost: Rs 3,000 upwards.

Franke, an Italian brand in the Indian market, offers high end kitchen sinks in high gloss finish. They are trendy and are equipped with two bowls – one for the bigger utensils and the other for cutlery, as well as a chopping board. The cost begins at Rs 6,000 upwards. Mayur, a leading
brand, offers a range of single bowl, double bowl, single bowl with single drain, double bowl with double drain, as well as single bowl with a pop up dustbin, stainless steel kitchen sinks. Price starts at Rs 4,000 upwards.

Choosing a kitchen sink:

Figure out what your needs are. If you are a small family of two or three, a single bowl kitchen sink is enough. But if your family is large, and the amount of utensils you may have to wash everyday is huge, go in for a double bowl unit, with an attached crockery basket and a chopping board.
It takes care of three of your requirements – a sink, a chopping board and a storage space for your crockery – in one compact unit.

Kitchen Tiles:

There is a minor revolution happening in the kitchen tiles segment. There is a wide range of kitchen tiles to choose from – glazed, ceramic, handmade ceramic, vitrified tiles, even tiles in beautiful colours and with some stunning motifs, in colours that range from sunshine yellow,
royal blue, bright orange and royal red.

Nitco, makers of ceramic tiles, offers a range of ceramic and terrazzo tiles for the kitchen. Ceramic Mosaic tiles have intricate patterns created out of pieces of ceramic tiles. With these tiles you could create a flooring centre piece, complete with borders and corners. Then there are
the cement terrazzo tiles, manufactured in grey or white cement with a mixture of a variety of coloured chips.

Vermora Floor and Wall tiles offers tiles in regular colours like pink, ivory white, gray and light blue, in exclusive plain colours like burgundy and cobalt blue and also printed tiles in check and geometrical patterns.You could also use Italia Glass mosaic in your kitchen. They are available
in three styles – with repeated borders, in gradation print and with single borders, in muted shades like blue, green and light purple.

Kajaria Ceramics, a leading tile brand, offers both floor and wall tiles for the kitchen. The floor tiles have subtle shades and designs, like brickstone or casa beige. They also offer concept tiles for floor, in several geometric patterns. Kajaria’s wall tiles are available in shades like autumn yellow, beige, crystal silver, and light green. Shree Ambica’s designer tiles are also quite popular for kitchen floors and walls. They have a variety of designer tiles in a combination of beautiful motifs,
colours and styles like art deco and post-modern.

Somany’s series of clay floor tiles for the kitchen are available in plain colours, printed and with a rustic stone look. They also have a series of wall tiles – plain, printed and designer tiles. Vitco’s range of wall tiles includes mosaic, concrete and some interesting chequered tiles.

Cost: Most of these tiles are priced between Rs 15 per sq feet at the low end and Rs 150 per sq feet at the high end.

Kitchen fittings would normally include faucets, taps and utensil racks. The Indian market has a variety of sleek kitchen fittings in stainless steel.

Marc India, a leading manufacturer of faucets, offers the solitaire range of kitchen sink faucets, in colours like black, silver and grey. Its cost: Rs 1600. The Angel range of kitchen fittings includes water taps, in colours like black and silver. Their products are available under the brand name Harmony, Jewel and Heaven. Its cost: Rs 1400 upwards. Jupiter Aqualines, another major brand in the market, has the solitaire range of taps and faucets, with fittings in brass. Innovative designs are embellished with gold, silver and chrome finish.

Kitchen Appliances:

Cooking was never so cool. An array of hi-tech gadgets and accessories has transformed kitchens from a utilitarian area into a multi-tasking zone, where you not just cook everyday meals, but even conjure up elaborate and exotic recipes and dine with your family and friends.

Glitzy kitchen appliances and trendy décor has gone a long way in converting a kitchen into a dream space. We give you a low down on the appliances, the fittings and the décor that will help you make an informed choice the next time you decide to refurbish your kitchen.

Kitchen Appliances:

From toasters with remote controlled temperatures to microwaves that can dish out the most interesting dishes, kitchen appliances are a segment that is undergoing a major revolution. Here is a look at different appliances and what are the factors that should govern your choice.

Microwave:

Used in Indian homes for not only cooking microwave delicacies but even for utility objectives like warming up, thawing and defrosting food, the microwave is increasingly becoming an indispensable appliance. Microwave cooking is more economical and quicker than conventional cooking, because
of the speed at which food cooks.

There are three basic types of microwave ovens available in the market:

Standard: These are heat-only microwaves, and are normally used for all sorts of everyday tasks such as defrosting, reheating and general cooking.

Microwaves with Grill: Microwaves with grilling options allow you to brown and crisp food after you've cooked it. The grill also can be used as a tandoor to make kababs and other tandoori dishes. Besides which, you can use your grill microwave for toasting and grilling a wide variety of food.

Combination: This has a microwave, grill and a convection function, all rolled into one. In the convection mode, hot air is circulated through the oven cavity with the help of a fan. You can use the convection function to bake, brown and crisp food. A combination microwave combines the best of both worlds – the economy of microwave cooking with the qualities of conventional cooking.

Brands:

There are several brands of microwaves available in the market. Some of them:

Bajaj has about six types of microwaves on sale. Popular among them is the Bajaj 1700 MT, which has a capacity of 17 litres, with six power settings and an auto defrost. It costs Rs 6,990, and has a 700 watts power output.The Bajaj 2300 MTB has an attached grill option. It has a microwave power
output of 800 watts, eight power settings, a grill rack and costs Rs 9,990.

The Bajaj 2300 ET also has an attached grill and digital controls, instead of the normal analog ones that other microwaves have. It has ten power settings and costs Rs 9,900. The Bajaj 2300 DX has an attached grill and oven, a power output of 900 watts, six power settings and costs Rs 14,490.
The Bajaj 2500 ETC has an attached oven, five power settings, a power output of 900 watts, and costs Rs 17,990.

BPL, the other major brand in the market, offers four types of microwaves.The 800 T has a capacity of 25 litres, a power output of 800 watts, and allows for multi-stage cooking. It costs Rs 12,750. BPL 900 T has a capacity of 37 litres, a power output of 800 watts, digital controls and
allows for multi-stage cooking. It costs Rs 25,550. The BPL 600 T has a capacity of 19 litres, a power output of 750 watts, feather touch controls and costs Rs 8,500. At the end of the spectrum is BPL 800 G, with an attached grill, a capacity of 25 litres and digital controls. Its cost: Rs
15,050.

LG offers seven high end microwave options, with costs beginning at Rs 12,000 and going up to Rs 20,000. LG MC-804 AAR has an attached grill and oven, with a capacity of 30 litres, five power settings, feather touch controls and a power output of 850 watts. It costs Rs 20,490. The LG
MS-283 MC, has a quick start button, a capacity of 28 litres, auto defrost and costs Rs 12,990. The LS MS-285 SD has infrared sensors to help cooking, feather touch controls and a capacity of 30 litres. It costs Rs 14,990. The LG MC-805 AA has an attached grill and oven, a crispy tray for
additional bottom heating and a tactile control panel. Its cost: Rs 17,990. The LG MG-1261 MD has a boomerang turntable, 600 watts cooking power, an automatic defrost feature and a dual mode kitchen timer. It costs Rs 18,000.

Samsung offers five types of bio-ceramic microwaves. The Samsung Bio Ceramics CE118KF has an attached grill and oven and offers features like an inclinable grill, a microwave power consumption of 1700 watts, a crusty plate and facilities for combination cooking. It is top-of-the-line and
costs Rs 21,590. The Samsung Bio Ceramics M1774 has six power settings, a power consumption of 1250 watts and six power settings. It costs Rs 10,690. The Samsung Bio Ceramics CK 98F has encoder dial controls, a capacity of 28 litres, a ceramic enamel cavity, a power consumption of 900
watts, and costs Rs 17,900.


Kenstar again offers you six options. The prominent among them is Kenstar MWO 9807 with a capacity of 18 litres, a power output of 800 watts, analog controls and costs Rs 6,990. The Kenstar OM-9916E has ten power settings, a dual emission system and a power consumption of 1350 litres. Its cost: Rs 12,990. Panasonic NN C888W with an attached grill and oven has a capacity of 30 litres, one touch controls and five power settings. Its cost: Rs 8,000. Panasonic NN S557WF has a capacity 23 litres, six power settings, one touch controls and costs Rs 9,500.

Then there is Daewoo, with four different types of microwaves on offer. The Daewoo KOC 985T costs Rs 21,000, has a power output of 1000 watts, ten power settings and an attached oven. The Daewoo KOR 862G has a concave reflex system, a power output of 900 watts and ten power settings. Its cost: Rs 10,940. The Daewoo KOG 370A has an attached grill and oven, ten
power settings and a power output of 800 watts. It costs Rs 12,490.

IFP, another major brand offers IFB Proton with an attached grill and oven, a power output of 1250 watts, a microwave frequency of 50 hertz, a capacity of 28 litres, digital controls, which costs Rs 20,995. The IFB Neutron has a one touch control, a 750 watts power output, an anti-bacteria cavity and five power settings. It costs Rs 13,390. The IFBElectron has an attached grill, removable glass cooking trays, five power settings and costs Rs 9,850.

Guidelines:

The things you need to look at before you invest in a microwave:
Your family size: For a family of two to three people, you could buy a microwave with a capacity of less than 20 litres. For a family of four or more, microwave with a capacity of 20 to 25 litres is sufficient. If you family includes more than six members, you could opt for a microwave with
a capacity of above 25 litres.

Your needs: Figure out what you need a microwave for. If it is only for defrosting or re-heating, an inexpensive, basic microwave is enough. For serious cooking like roasting meats, making tandoor items, baking bread and heating several dishes at the same time, you will need a full size
unit. Consider features such as controls for cooking certain kinds of foods, sensors, temperature probes, removable racks and auto defrost before buying a microwave.

Coffeemaker:

Real coffee is made by pushing hot water through ground coffee beans. The beans can vary, as can the coffeemaker chosen to squeeze out the flavour and aroma. Depending on the coffee machine, there will also be variations in how coarsely or finely the beans are ground and the temperature of the hot water that goes through them.

There are several ways of brewing coffee. The types of machines available in the Indian market include:

Drip Machines: These are coffee-makers that involve dripping hot water into the ground coffee from above. As in all other proper coffee machines, the coffee is caged in some sort of filter that prevents the grounds from escaping into the brew.

Electric Drips: In these, you put the coffee into a semi-conical filter, made from a fine wire-mesh. You put the filter under a lid which has a hole for the water to drip through. You pour the water into a column at the back of the machine and, as the electric mechanism heats it up, it bubbles and drips through the coffee into a specially hardened pot below. The pot also has a lid with a hole in it through which the coffee drops. These machines are great for those long work sessions where a constant supply of coffee is required.

The Stove Espresso: They work on the same principle as boiling a kettle. The water heats up in the compartment below, turning into steam. It then goes up through a nozzle, and passes through the compartment which holds the grounds. The coffee-steam goes up again, up through another funnel to where it condenses back to liquid form and becomes espresso coffee.

Brands:

The Citizen coffee maker has a power output of 400 watts, a capacity of one litre and can make up to 5 cups of coffee. It costs Rs 1,1,20. The Hilton coffee maker has a power output of 800 watts, a capacity of 400 ml, can make up to 40 cups of coffee and costs Rs 2,995. The Philips coffee
maker, another leading brand, has a brewing time of seven minutes, a pilot lamp for safety, makes about 15 cups of coffee, and has a power output of 1100 MW. It costs Rs 2,495

Toasters and Snack Maker:

Can you imagine a modern kitchen without a toaster and a snack maker? For most of us urbane animals, who are always in a hurry, the toaster and the snack maker is a lifeline, one we fall back on every time we want to fix up a quick meal.

Toasters have been a regular fixture in our kitchens – from the pop up toasters to the very contemporary sandwich toasters, which come equipped with cool touch handles and power on indicators.

Brands:

Inalsa, one of the major brands in the toaster market, offers a toaster-cum-sandwich maker. It is a sleek machine that comes equipped with a scratch resistant powder coated body, a power consumption of 600 watts and costs Rs 890. Then there is the Kenstar Toast Pop-up, with a
browning control, removable crumb tray, a warming rack and a dust cover. It costs Rs 1,170.

Phillips has five different types of toasters in the market. The Phillips Toaster 4-HD has a drip tray in which you can toast four slices at the same time, removable crumb tray, a pop-up feature, an automatic thermostat and a power consumption of 1450 watts. It costs Rs 1,795. The Phillips
Toast-Coolwall HD 4820 has a power consumption of 800 watts, an automatic thermostat, a removable crumb tray and pop-up feature, all for a cost of Rs 1,295. The Philips Toast-Popup-HD 4815 has a two bread toaster, an electric timer, an electronic temperature sensor and a power consumption of 800 watts. It costs Rs 1095.

The Philips Toast and Sandwich Maker HD 4470 has non stick cooking plates, a heat resistant body, aluminium cast baking plates, a 640 watts power consumption, and costs Rs 1095. The Philips Toaster Popup HD 2560 comes equipped with an electronic timer, four slice capability, a cancel button and a defrost setting. It is a high end product and costs Rs 3,295.

Guidelines:

While buying a toaster check out the kind of facilities it offers. While a basic toaster will get hot quickly, the new age toasters have cool walls that never heat up. Besides, a lot of them offer baking plates to toast small breads.

Mixer Grinder:

For a busy homemaker or even a working woman, the mixer grinder is as essential a kitchen appliance as gas. Most mixer grinders have multi-tasking facilities which can perform the function of grinding ingredients, chopping vegetables and making milkshakes and juices. There
are three types of mixers available in the Indian market – those with grinders, those with a juicer and a grinder, and the hand mixers.

Brands:

In the hand mixer category, there is the Philips HL-1453. It offers a three dual speed, turbo button for extra power and a cord clip for the easy storage of cord set. It’s priced at Rs 1,745.

The other two categories have more brands to choose from. Philips offers about six types of mixer grinders. The Philips HL 1631 has a combination of mixer, grinder and juicer. It offers reverse spiral sieve, an attractive transparent blender jar, a stainless steel grinder jar and a
detachable pulp collection chamber. It costs Rs 2,695. The Philips HL 1641 has five blades, three steel jars, an optional juicer attachment and a whipper button. Its cost: Rs 3,295.

Kenstar has three ranges of mixer grinders in the Indian market. The Kenstar 9603 A has three polycarbonate jars, five blades, a full load RPM (Rotation Per Minute) of 10,500 and a unique Ancon cap. It’s priced at Rs 2,460. The Kenstar MG 9605 has three steel jars, and full load RPM of
10,500 and comes with a twelve year warranty. Its cost: Rs 2,770. The Kenstar 9605 has five blades, three steel jar attachments and a very sleek European design, all for a cost of Rs 3,090.

The other major brand is Sumeet. Its most popular product is the Sumeet Mixer Grinder – Traditional, with two blades, two steel jars, an optional juicer attachment, all for a cost of Rs 1,880. The Sumeet JMG 2000 is a high end product with six button options, an attached whipper and chopper, a juicer, grater, mincer and a combi-grinder. It comes equipped with a
juicer and a whipper button and costs Rs 3,490. The Sumeet Asia Kitchen Machine is again a high-end product, equipped with a vegetable chopper, a juicer, a grinder, four blades and three steel or polycarbonate jars, all for a cost of Rs 4,290.

Gas:
Your choice of a gas would depend on the size of your family and the function you want it to serve. There are two burner gas, perfect for a small family and a four burner ones ideal for large families. For those who like to eat grilled food, there is a range of gas fitted with a grill.

LG offers Electra gas with cool and hot plates and three burners, for a cost of Rs 3,000. The Jindal group offers some exclusive and sleek models in LPG and Bio Gas Stoves in nickel and chrome finish. They come equipped with a sturdy pan supports to keep utensils of any shape and size, rubber grommets to act as an inbuilt stand, detachable stainless steel dip trays to receive spillages and overflows, a choice of cast iron and brass burners, and a tough, multi-layer, sleek packaging to avoid damage in transit. All of this for Rs 5,000.

Hitachi also has a range of gas stoves on sale. The Hitachi MP-40 A, has two burners and an attached grill for Rs 4,200. It comes equipped with stainless steel rod trivets, which are rust free. The Hitachi MP-30 A has three clog free burners, which are easy to clean. Its cost: Rs 3,970. The
Hitachi MP-20 A has two clog free burners and a rust free stainless steel stand, at a cost of Rs 3,250.

The Super LPG Appliance Ltd has three burner gas stoves in the market. They have a stainless steel body, brass burners, powder coated pan supports and stainless steel dip trays, bakelite knobs. Its cost: Rs 4,000. Their four burner gas stove has a strong and elegant body, brass
burners, powder coated pan supports and powder coated MS Cover. Its cost: Rs 4,600.

Where to buy:

1) Good Earth. 2386 8327
2) Saga: 26552347
3) Contemporary Arts and Crafts: 2492 3805
4) C Bhogilal Westend (for tiles and flooring): 2671 4400
5) Bunalow 8 (for accessories): 2491 8103
6) Omega Kitchens: 2644 1598
7) Tranceforme: 56919351


Deepali Nandwani