The German kitchen

1.

When Germans vacate a home they typically remove all kitchen cabinetry, appliances (washer, dryer, refrigerator), lighting fixtures (even ceiling fixtures) as well as all furniture. There is a good reason for this: Kitchens and lighting fixtures are very personalized items here. They are also usually of very good quality and quite an expensive investment. There are many places to shop for kitchens including Küchenwelt Max Kammhuber in Altötting (highly recommended!!), Weko in Pfarkirchen, Fliegel in Neuötting, or Masters in Burghausen. Be prepared to deal with people who do not speak much English. (Try asking for someone who does. Very often someone in the shop does speak English very well).

2.

German kitchens usually have far fewer cabinets than we are used to, as the kitchens are typically smaller. If you get a custom- kitchen (not a prefab one from IKEA, for instance), they will need to come to your home and take measurements.

3.

You will have many decisions to make regarding the style of your cabinets and fixtures. The kitchen styles available here are extremely varied - country-style, ultra modern, wild, conservative and everything in between - but real wood cabinets will typically cost more than wood-like composite cabinets (which often still look quite nice). The color schemes and all other options you will face can be overwhelming. Just be sure to fix a budget and stay within it as the prices can quickly get out of hand.

4.

You will also have a wide variety of functions, quality, style, colors, price etc. in choosing what appliances you want for your kitchen. The quality of appliances in Germany is generally excellent and you do get what you pay for. Note - appliances are much smaller than what you are used to and you may need to become accustomed to a different way of cooking:

• Electric stoves have glass tops or cast iron burners. The glass tops take longer to heat up and longer to cool down. You must be very careful about cleaning spills as some substances can actually get so hot (sugars, for example) that they can etch into the glass. If you're renting with a pre-installed kitchen, this could lead to losing your security deposit!
• The ovens usually have many more options than what you may have been used to in the U.S. It's very common here to use hot air (convection style) ovens; it's a good idea to get one which has hot air as well as conventional baking if you're buying your own. German ovens are significantly smaller than an American oven, however, so you'll need to plan your Thanksgiving Dinner extremely carefully!
• Dishwashers (like washing machines) have heaters built into them so you will only see a hook-up for cold water.
• Your kitchen may or may not have a place to vent the range hood. If it does not, you can buy a range hood that blows the air back into the kitchen. For this type, it is recommended to buy carbon filters to remove cooking odors from the air.
• You will not find garbage disposals for your sink. Many apartment buildings have arrangements to dispose of organic (composting) waste.
• Freezers are usually not frost-free but that option is available for a price.
• Refrigerators are much smaller than we are used to but packaging of food and shopping habits are also different. For example, you buy milk by the liter and not the gallon (milk is not available here by the gallon), and most housewives shop 3-4 times a week if not daily in order to get the freshest foods possible. In fact, most foods have no preservatives. The food here is of very good quality but many of us had to learn the hard way that foods spoil much more quickly without those preservatives!

5.

If buying your own washing machine, choose one with a kurz (short) button on the washer. A wash load cannot be any bigger than 5Kg (11 lb) and the normal washing cycle takes two hours. The kurz cycle will reduce the wash time in half. Also choose one that has a variable spin speed; you can then adjust the spin cycle for heavy-duty or delicate washes. Since the washing machines have a built-in heater, you can set the temperature very precisely according to the clothing manufacturer's instructions. Your whites can be safely washed at 80-90C and will come out very clean without bleach. European front loading washing machines use far less water than their U.S. counterparts. For delicate fabrics or dress shirts there is a shorter delicate cycle. It also uses more water and even that cycle will likely take an hour.

6.

German dryers take about an hour or so to dry a load of laundry. There are two basic types: The normal dryer blows out air but you will need a vent to get that air to the outside (you can hang a hose out your bathroom window if it won't disturb the neighbors). The other type does not have an exhaust. It has a built in condenser to remove and trap the moisture from the heated air. (This type will probably have a filter down below in the front in addition to the moisture reservoir at the top. Besides emptying the water after each use, the filter must be cleaned from time to time as well. Ask for a machine that includes instructions in English, if possible, and read them carefully.) The second type is actually more common but they're not nearly as efficient as the one with the exhaust.

7.

It's important to remember that relatively fewer Germans actually use a clothes dryer; many still prefer line-drying for the environmental friendliness, economical advantages, and line-dry freshness.