Kitchen Island Philosophy

[Ferdinand]

I have an insulated kettle.

 

On chopping boards, I am far happier with a folio of chicken - meat - veg - fish boards for about a fiver in different colours, rather than combine them on a fixed area. if I went for something like a glass item, it would eventually blunt my nice expensive knives.

 

My experience is that the harder a chopping board, the more likely you are to chop off a finger when it slips.

 

Water hardness is variable, so check what it is in your area. Google for the place to look.

 

My Franke sink came with a chopping board on little runners made of glass.

 

F

 

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Ferdinand

[puntloos]

17 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

I have an insulated kettle.

 

Just a separate one? Or you mean something integrated in your sink or something?

17 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

On chopping boards, I am far happier with a folio of chicken - meat - veg - fish boards for about a fiver in different colours, rather than combine them on a fixed area. if I went for something like a glass item, it would eventually blunt my nice expensive knives.

Good idea, I think maybe having a recessed area where you can drop in the chopping board you currently need might be helpful, although I've also found having a certain height is helpful, purely when you want to whip the prepped stuff into a pan. 

 

Quote

 

My experience is that the harder a chopping board, the more likely you are to chop off a finger when it slips.

 

100% agreed, wood seems to be the ideal material. Would be open to some type of "plastic" but perhaps this is supersticion but particles do come off under heavy knife use, and Id be happier eating wood 'scrapings' than plastic (even though when you think about it the wood is probably laquered and impregnated etc etc as well..

 

Quote

Water hardness is variable, so check what it is in your area. Google for the place to look.

Fair. But mine is indeed 'hard' (125mg/l calcium, 312 total)

 

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by puntloos

[puntloos]

So far I haven't seen a "fancy tap" that really has it all, incl filtered, chilled, boiling etc.. Surprising it isn't a thing..

[ultramods]

5 minutes ago, puntloos said:

So far I haven't seen a "fancy tap" that really has it all, incl filtered, chilled, boiling etc.. Surprising it isn't a thing..

 

you do get them, such as this one https://www.pureh2o.co.uk/product/quatreau-touch/, however they are ridiculously expensive.

 

I have gone for the Quooker Fusion after a fair amount of research. If you are buying a boiling water tap compare the frequency at which the filters need to be changed and the cost of the filters. This is one of the reasons I went with Quooker as with a lot of the other taps I would have been paying a lot more for filters over the lifetime of the tap.

 

 

[ultramods]

21 hours ago, puntloos said:

What about food prep?  My current plan is to do it on the island (since the hob will be right there to dump prepped stuff into pans)

 

I'm thinking, I will need:

- Cutting board area (any clever things to look for? Maybe a recess to sink the plank in?)

 

As @Ferdinand mentioned we are going to have the cheap plastic chopping boards that come in different colours for different food, main reason is that they easily fit into the dishwasher.

[puntloos]

2 minutes ago, ultramods said:

 

you do get them, such as this one https://www.pureh2o.co.uk/product/quatreau-touch/, however they are ridiculously expensive.

 

Great tip, and yeah, 2500 quid.... (for the 'non touch') that's a ... decent chunk of change..

 

But, it didn't have ALL my wishes (controllable flow speed)

(then again, I might just install a tiny bog standard second tap into the same sink perhaps..

 

2 minutes ago, ultramods said:

I have gone for the Quooker Fusion after a fair amount of research. If you are buying a boiling water tap compare the frequency at which the filters need to be changed and the cost of the filters. This is one of the reasons I went with Quooker as with a lot of the other taps I would have been paying a lot more for filters over the lifetime of the tap.

 

 

 

Filters> are these 'active' filters (that do 'bacteria' etc) or is this something more 'laid back'..?

Still, quooker does seem to be good value..

[ultramods]

2 minutes ago, puntloos said:

 

Great tip, and yeah, 2500 quid.... (for the 'non touch') that's a ... decent chunk of change..

 

But, it didn't have ALL my wishes (controllable flow speed)

(then again, I might just install a tiny bog standard second tap into the same sink perhaps..

 

 

Filters> are these 'active' filters (that do 'bacteria' etc) or is this something more 'laid back'..?

Still, quooker does seem to be good value..

 

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/article/quookers-and-boiling-water-taps-are-they-worth-it#brands

[Ferdinand]

11 hours ago, puntloos said:

Just a separate one? Or you mean something integrated in your sink or something?

 

Insulated kettle. What it says on the tin. Different Temperature settings. Bosch. Keep warm button. £58 ish.

 

Rather intrusive bleep that can be dealt with by snipping the speaker wires.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-TWK8633-Styline-Collection-Cordless/dp/B003ZHVAJA/

 

Had one for 3-4 years. Recommended, as is the related toaster.

 

To be fair, I would go for a Boiling Tap if I were putting a new kitchen in.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Ferdinand

[puntloos]

1 hour ago, ultramods said:

 

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/article/quookers-and-boiling-water-taps-are-they-worth-it#brands

 

Hmm quooker does seem much better value for money than most, especially the filter replacement: "one every 3-5 years, costs GBP 30" as opposed to some of them (gbp 49 every six months)

 

Sadly quooker doesn't do sparkling...

[puntloos]

Did find this one:

 

https://www.watercoolersdirect.com/cosmetal-pro-stream-boiling-chilled-sparkling

 

1918GBP but it does 'all the things' it seems..

[newhome]

3 minutes ago, puntloos said:

1918GBP but it does 'all the things' it seems..

 

Zip (the type I have at work) do them too but they are £££

 

https://www.zipwater.co.uk/shop/hydrotap/zip-hydrotap-celsius-all-in-one-arc-bcshamt2790uk

 

 

[lizzie]

Sodastream do a machine to turn tap water into sparkling water....got one from Amazon quite cheap.....a lot cheaper than the expensive tap LOL Prefer flat water myself but not tap. I like Evian.

 

I hate fridges with water and ice makers too.

 

Amazing how different we all are for drinks.

[puntloos]

2 minutes ago, lizzie said:

Sodastream do a machine to turn tap water into sparkling water....got one from Amazon quite cheap.....a lot cheaper than the expensive tap LOL Prefer flat water myself but not tap. I like Evian.

 

Yep, chilled is my drink of choice too.. but I'm totally fine with chilled tap water, no need for even filters, let alone bottles.

 

2 minutes ago, lizzie said:

 

I hate fridges with water and ice makers too.

My wife actually did point out perhaps the fridge can double as the water chiller.  We had a fridge like this once, but you had to manually fill the reservoir which was a bit of a chore. 

 

Why do you not like the water/ice fridges? 

2 minutes ago, lizzie said:

 

Amazing how different we all are for drinks.

 

In the end, I guess an amazeballs all-in-one tap is the easiest and swankiest but at some point it's not worth the $$$..

[lizzie]

@puntloos I dont like the expensive filters plus they dont get everything. Its not flushed through in the same way as mains tap volumes.  I just dont like the way it lies in the pipes. I have seen some horrors lurking in ones in rental properties. You cant get in and clean it all thoroughly.  I’m a bit paranoid about bugs sorry.

[puntloos]

2 minutes ago, lizzie said:

@puntloos I dont like the expensive filters plus they dont get everything. Its not flushed through in the same way as mains tap volumes.  I just dont like the way it lies in the pipes. I have seen some horrors lurking in ones in rental properties. You cant get in and clean it all thoroughly.  I’m a bit paranoid about bugs sorry.

 

Me too =) 

 

But indeed, especially in places where I'll be using something daily for yearsandyears I'm willing to pay for quality/comfort.. 

Actually planning to visit Grand Designs Live this week, probably will be checking out the tap manufacturers there.. but indeed my main worry is longevity

[Ferdinand]

2 hours ago, puntloos said:

wife actually did point out perhaps the fridge can double as the water chiller.  We had a fridge like this once, but you had to manually fill the reservoir which was a bit of a chore. 

 

Why do you not like the water/ice fridges? 

 

To me it is unnecessary and the money should go on ‘fabric first’ rather than an unnecessary gadget.

 

I bought a better quality, more robust, fridge and a nice giraffe that goes in the door. Even better is one that came with wine in it .. bonus if nice wine. Also my kettle filling device of choice.

 

Ferdinand

 

(Sorry ... carafe)

Edited May 7, 2019 by Ferdinand
typoe

[Ferdinand]

I have tracked down one of the accessories that came with my sink ... a glass chopping board which sits along the sink inside the recessed area. Cost ..er .. £90.

 

 

I use it for standing the TV box on to keep it dry just in case. I can't really see the logic unless it is a sink with a wdu.

 

https://www.franke.com/gb/en/ks/products/accessories/accessory--sinks/112-0046-415_detail.html

 

Ferdinand

 

 

[ProDave]

On 30/04/2019 at 13:38, newhome said:

 

Isn’t this defined in building regs? 

In Scotland yes. You have to provide a "Circulation space" of at least 1.4 by 1.8 metres elipse (or 1.5 metre diameter circle) So this effectively means facing units must be 1.4M apart.

 

I think this is too much and I think our island may go for a walk after completion to reduce that to 1.2 metres.

[newhome]

9 hours ago, lizzie said:

Amazing how different we all are for drinks.

 

Sure is. I love plain cold water from the tap. My OH hated drinking water unless it was flavoured and sparkling. Ugh! 

 

[lizzie]

8 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

Sure is. I love plain cold water from the tap. My OH hated drinking water unless it was flavoured and sparkling. Ugh! 

 

I love tap water when I go home (Wales) what comes out of the tap here is cleaned up river water and its vile.  Im not a fan of flavoured or sparkling OH likes plain sparkling.

[newhome]

6 minutes ago, lizzie said:

I love tap water when I go home (Wales) what comes out of the tap here is cleaned up river water and its vile. 

 

I guess it does depend on the area. Down south where I lived the water was incredibly hard. Up here the water is soft and nicer to drink IMO. 

[ProDave]

40 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

I guess it does depend on the area. Down south where I lived the water was incredibly hard. Up here the water is soft and nicer to drink IMO. 

The mains water here is lovely, comes from Loch Glass about 6 miles away and does not need a great deal of treatment. What comes out of the tap has no taste of any of the treatment, unlike down south where you sometimes thought you were drinking water from the local swimming baths.

 

But houses up here with private supplies are not so good. Any borehole here is going to be very hard as there is a seam of limestone under this part of the Highlands, and many houses have stream water that comes out of the tap brown (peat) and all sanitary ware in the house is permanently brown.

[joth]

14 hours ago, puntloos said:

So far I haven't seen a "fancy tap" that really has it all, incl filtered, chilled, boiling etc.. Surprising it isn't a thing..

 

Vivreau have a drinks tap with all that, but you'll need a separate kitchen sink mixer tap. And likely a large budget; they don't publish prices, and I dread to think what the running costs are (we have them at work, and the cupboard its plant is in is permanently at a stupidly high temperature, of course making the built in fridge next to it work harder too)

 

 

[newhome]

3 hours ago, joth said:

 

Vivreau have a drinks tap with all that, but you'll need a separate kitchen sink mixer tap. And likely a large budget; they don't publish prices, and I dread to think what the running costs are (we have them at work, and the cupboard its plant is in is permanently at a stupidly high temperature, of course making the built in fridge next to it work harder too)

 

 

 

The ZIp Hydrotap I posted the link to does all 5 things (hot and cold tap water plus cold, sparkling and boiling drinking water). Comes in at 3.5k in a domestic setting. The filters etc seem very spends. Thankfully the ones at work only do drinking water as seeing how some people use the washing up sinks and taps wouldn’t encourage me to use them for drinking! ??. The unit pretty much takes up the whole cupboard underneath it and is always on full blast (pretty noisy too). 

 

Here is the price for one of the Vivreau taps. A bit less than the Zip ones. 

 

https://www.cs-catering-equipment.co.uk/brita-vivreau-vitap-water-dispensing-tap

 

[Ferdinand]

Hmmm.

 

Sparklng water tap. Or 350 bottles of champagne & £3.50 change. Tricky.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Ferdinand