Ridiculously Expensive Stuff for Your Kitchen
They say the heart of the home is the kitchen. Between HGTV's constant stream of remodeling shows and the endless amount of home design blogs, there is no shortage of sources on the best supplies and appliances you can purchase for your cookery.
We've spoken to experts and compiled some of the most ridiculously expensive items you can consider adding to your kitchen space.
Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
If you love pizza above all else, then a wood-fired pizza oven from Italy is one way to spend a ridiculous amount of money while outfitting your kitchen.
"If you want to go for the creme-de-la-creme, ovens by Stefano Ferrara will do the trick," says Gigi Mitts, who runs the food website My Fermented Foods. "The family that produces the ovens has been in business for over 100 years, and they also built the oven at Pizzeria Brandi in Naples. These aren't just ovens, but a handcrafted work of art customized to your specifications."
These beautiful, custom pizza ovens can cost you $9,000 to $30,000.
"The Neapolitan style of pizza-making delivers a flavor that is one of a kind, and owning an Italian wood-fired oven would be a foodie's dream," Mitts says.
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Keep the Vino Cold
Wine fridges aren't exactly new when it comes to fancy things to buy for your kitchen. But why get any ol' fridge when you make sure your favorite wines are chilled and served in style. The Dacor Discovery 4-Bottle Built-In Wine Cooler costs about $6,000 and is very cool.
"You can adjust the temperature of each bottle separately, and you can do it all without even opening the door," says interior and furniture designer John Linden. "Plus, this cooler comes with a lock, so you don't have to worry about any of your sneaky friends or family members stealing your wine!"
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The Best Cup of Joe
After all that decadent pizza and wine, you'll need a great cup of coffee to wake up to in your ridiculously expensive kitchen. The folks at the coffee blog Bean Poet alerted us to this one: the Olympia Express Cremina Lever Espresso Machine.
It comes in grey, white and red and will cost you nearly $4,000. Coffee lovers have the Swiss to thank for the great machine that guarantees "a perfect espresso, a composition of crema, smell and taste — a harmonious pleasure for the senses."
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Dutch Ovens
Kitchen enthusiasts from chefs to bakers to hosts are fans of the Le Creuset line. The company crafts its premium cookware in France.
Anna Rider, a food writer and recipe developer at Garlic Delight, keeps a wish list of kitchen items and on it is a full set of dutch ovens from the famous brand. The 11-piece cast iron set runs you $1,810, but the company often has sales, which usually cut hundreds of dollars off the total price of the collections.
There are tons of sets to choose from, though, since Le Creuset also makes fondue sets, tagines and ramekins.
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Mixers
Another ever-popular item you'll find in kitchens all over the world is the KitchenAid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer. The popular item usually runs about $430, but expect to spend a little extra to get all of the additional attachments.
With the right attachments, the stand can do it all as a mixer, blender, pasta maker and much more.
You'll feel inspired to make all kinds of new dishes when you grab a KitchenAid.
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Jewels for the Kitchen
Sparkly things aren't just for your jewelry box. You can add some bling to your kitchen via expensive accessories like cabinet knobs and pulls.
"Many are fairly simple and functional, but you'd be shocked at how expensive and elaborate they can become. We sell knobs that are gold plated with Swarovski crystals," says Dava Mason, the owner and CEO of The Knobs Company. "A single knob can cost over $100, and larger items, like appliance pulls, can be over $500."
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Fancy Cooler
If you need to turn around a lot of items and fast, you'll consider adding a blast chiller to your kitchen arsenal.
"They are extremely helpful, especially for baking and pastry," says Sylvie Gruber, a pastry chef and food writer at A Baking Journey. "They not only help you save a lot of time in the kitchen, but they also make the manipulation of food safer as the development of bacteria reduces much quicker in a blast chiller than in a regular freezer."
Depending on the brand and size, expect to spend between $3,000 and $19,000.
"I got completely addicted to using them when I was training at Pastry School," she adds. "They are, unfortunately, a luxury not many can afford!"
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Let There Be Light
Maybe you're looking to add more light to the kitchen but don't want to start a massive construction process that requires rewiring or dealing with ugly cords. Enter the luxury cordless lamps from Alexander Joseph.
These stylish lamps start at $1,700 and can cost up to $26,000. But you'll need to factor in shipping costs if you're in the United States since the company is British.
"With a full charge lasting 3-4 weeks of evening use and a recharge in three hours, they are a great fix to the ugly cable conundrum," the company says.
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An Amazing Stove
One of the most beautiful stoves to ever grace our kitchens comes from La Cornue, a French company.
"The Château Series is the crown jewel of La Cornue," the company says. "The Château exhibits timeless style and summons an expression of truly refined taste."
You can find one at Williams Sonoma in the $11,000 range. Or order a custom one, made to order in the Saint-Ouen l'Aumône workshop outside Paris in the $30,000 to $50,000 range.
The stoves come in 8,000 configurations, colors, finishes and measurements and seven range sizes.
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Fresh Juice
If fresh juice is your favorite beverage to whip up in the kitchen, then consider adding a ridiculously expensive juicer to your wish list.
The Robot Coupe Commercial Juicer and Pulp Extractor will cost you about $6,400.
With it, you can juice up to 275 pounds of fruits and vegetables every hour.
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Coffee for All
Maybe you love espresso, but your partner craves frothed milk. If that's the case, then you'll want to skip the specialty makers that only produce one kind of coffee beverage.
Instead, consider the JURA GIGA 6 automatic coffee machine, which can make 28 specialty drinks, including a caffè latte, flat white and cortado. Plus, it can make two barista-standard specialty drinks simultaneously. It even comes with its app so you can start your coffee from the comfort of your bed via your phone or tablet.
The machine will cost you about $6,000.
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Secret Freezer Space
Maybe you don't need a specialty baking freezer but do need some more space for your frozen items.
You can add freezer drawers to your kitchen that are beautiful and blend in.
Prices start at $4,250.
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Custom Rotisserie
To go along with your fancy French stove, spend $10,000 to $13,000 on a rotisserie from La Cornue.
The wall-mounted unit is made with a concave rear wall of solid cast iron and is heated by a gas burner under three spits.
The rotisserie utilizes "radiant heat to gently cook foods as they rotate slowly on a spit over the flame," the company says.
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Wine Gadgets
Wine lovers have tons of options in the ridiculously expensive items for your kitchen.
The custom corkscrew from Sveid will cost you $70,000 and comes with 50 pieces.
Aviation titanium makes up the structure of this fancy gadget with either a yellow gold or an eighteen-carat platinum finish.
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Pots and Pans
Movies love showing kitchens filled with copper pots and pans. And for a good reason: They're stunning.
If you want a full set of all clad copper pots and pans, you'll need between $4,000 and $6,000.
But if you want the pure copper color to show off, you can save some money and get a decent set for a few thousand dollars.
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Gold Utensils
Brass and faux gold silverware have only been increasing in popularity in recent years. If you're looking for a fascinating piece, though, consider the Christofle Mood Gold set for $12,800.
The 24-piece set of gold-plated flatware (dinner forks, dinner knives, teaspoons and soup spoons) comes in 24-karat gold plated egg-shaped container with a walnut insert.
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Knives
Every chef has a favorite knife. If you want to be a bit extra, consider the Nesmuk Jahrhundertmesser for $96,000.
The company is based in Germany and has created the world's most expensive knife. Craftsmen pair premium-grade carbon with 5,000-year-old strong bog oak in the handle.
Oh, and there are about 25 diamonds set in a platinum collar.
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Ice Cream for All
Maybe ice cream is your vice. If so, consider a soft-serve ice cream machine that you'd find in a restaurant.
The Spaceman Two Hopper Soft Serve Ice Cream Machine with Air Pump and Heat Treat will run you nearly $22,000.
If you're not looking to spend that much, the Crathco GT Single 1.3 Gallon Soft Serve Machine will cost you about $2,200.
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Dehydrate Those Snacks
If you love dehydrated food, consider snagging the Premium Commercial Food Dehydrator with 116 square feet tray area.
The stainless-steel model has 24 trays, and a high-efficiency forced air convection system. It comes with a 15-hour timer and is highly efficient. It uses 50 percent less energy than other commercial models.
It costs between $5,295 and $8,000.
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Process the Food
Food processors are a pretty popular item in kitchens. But this one from Thermomix does all kinds of things.
You can use it as a slow cooker for pork, a sous vide for meat and vegetables, a rice cooker and a kettle. It also blends, thickens and ferments foods.
And at $1,400, it is pricey but not that expensive.
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Bring the Entertainment In
If you're a fan of keeping your guests entertained while you cook, consider grabbing a fancy projector for the kitchen.
Sporting events, Oscars night and movie nights are just a few events where you can incorporate entertainment into your cooking plans.
This one will cost you about $33,000.
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Linguine, Macaroni, Spaghetti
Pair all that fine wine with some pasta in your outfitted kitchen.
If you have all the space and money, consider a commercial Omcan 13440 Floor Model Pasta Machine with Dual Tank Capacity for nearly $18,000.
If you don't have an area big enough for something so substantial, you can get a smaller version, also from Omcan, that will only cost you $2,300.
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Your Outdoor Kitchen
Your outdoor kitchen is another place worthy of ridiculously expensive items.
The Kalamazoo Freestanding Hybrid Grill with side burner starts at $30,000.
It includes custom dragon burners and enhanced heat circulation.
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All-in-One Refrigerator
If you don't have all the space, but still want to keep your kitchen fancy, consider this all-in-one fridge that can do a seemingly endless amount of things.
The Meneghini La Cambusa unit comes from United Kingdom-based Robey's and costs $41,500.
You can choose its design to match your home, but even better, pick the specific gadgets you'd like the fridge to feature, including a coffee maker, ice maker, steam oven, temp-controlled pantry and flat-screen TVs.
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Beautiful Surfaces
There will always be new gadgets to buy for the kitchen, but beautiful surfaces will likely last longer. Remodeling your kitchen can cost all kinds of ridiculous amounts, so we focused on just one aspect: the countertops.
"Cambria is the Cadillac of quartz stone countertops. It's the best and offers the hardest surface and most beautiful colors. It is also bacteria resistant and durable," says Linda Fennessy of Kitchen Magic. "Made from 93 percent quartz and 7 percent acrylic and fillers, it's one of the hardest materials in nature. That's why they can command their premium prices."
Prices vary depending on the size of your kitchen. Some average numbers are $50 to $100 per square foot, including install when it comes to Cambria. A standard amount of counter space would be 30 square feet. So budget for at least $3,000, not including taxes and delivery fees.
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