A good change in home atmosphere that can considerably have an impact in aesthetic appeal, overall functionality and value of your home is kitchen remodeling. But with a typical project of this kind costing around several thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, undertaking such with a limited budget can ultimately be challenging. With the economic turmoil and New York housing crunch, it is high time to be meticulous about spending and try to save more. This makes low-cost kitchen improvements a viable solution whether you are in Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, or Long Island.

Here are simple ways and remodeling ideas that though costs less can dramatically improve the look and feel of the heart of your home:

1.Tile Backsplashes

Contrary to the older fashion of decades back where backsplashes should readily match the countertop, newer trends dictate a more personalized approach to tile backsplash. This trend has brought a wide range of stylish choices when it comes to tile backsplashes for your kitchen.

2.Kitchen Cabinet Reface or Refinish

Being the building blocks of the kitchen, changes made to the kitchen cabinets would surely be noticeable. Refacing or refinishing your kitchen cabinets can do a marvelous job in creating a whole new look, even if it was only the doors and outer parts of the cabinets changed.

3.Painting, Stenciling or Wallpapering

The walls are among the elements that greatly affects the ambiance intended in any room. This makes a change in your wall color whether solid or patterned adds a spark of interest to your kitchen. Painting is especially popular for its cost-efficiency. Stenciling and wallpapering which can cost more than a home painting project is ideal for people who prefer more visually artistic designs injected into the walls.

4.Lighting Fixture Replacement

To set the mood and improve productivity in task-designated areas, changing the lighting fixtures in your kitchen would bring about a whole new look for your kitchen.

5.Kitchen Island

For added workspace and storage, kitchen islands are popular additions to remodeling projects. But as this can cost a good deal, especially if customized, you can opt for low-cost models with wheels that can be pulled out in place or set aside if not needed.

6.Hardware

As they say, its all in the details. Simply replacing kitchen hardware including existing handles and pulls can remarkably update the areas appeal. But if you are really short on budget, you can accentuate the details of your old hardware by coating them with glaze or paint.

7.Countertops

If yours is a butcher block type countertop, simply refinishing and resealing would do the trick to bring it back to its full glory. If not, opting for a laminate countertop is a cost-saving option that can stand as beautiful as other expensive options. Unless, youll be creating a restaurant out of your home, high quality laminate can do great when it come to durability.

8.Accessorize and Update

When adding accessories, choose ones that not only make the kitchen look prettier but function better as well. Some practical choices include: spice and wine racks, garbage cans, pull-outs, and drawer dividers. Also check out your list of appliances and determine whether additional small appliances like a toaster, blender, coffee maker, and/or microwave oven can be covered by your budget. These can considerably make meal preparation less time consuming and so much easier.

One of the most important pieces of equipment in your commercial kitchen is going to be your can opener, but its an easy thing to overlook due to its small size. Many people often overlook the importance of a good quality commercial can opener, but you have to ask yourself, how would you open cans without one?

If youre thinking you can get by with the cheap manual can opener often found in home kitchens, think again. After a few uses, that will likely fall apart and while it may only cost a few dollars, you will be spending more time replacing it than actually using it.

You have many options when it comes to commercial can openers and you should not make your decision lightly. While many companies make can openers for professional kitchens, you should consider those made by one of two brands to get the most out of your money. The first is made by Edlund.

Edlund has been making commercial can openers for 75 years, and there is a reason that they make the number one selling can opener in the food service industry.

A manual can opener from Edlund is built to last, and it will never let you down. They are made of high quality materials and are easy to mount onto your prep tables for constant use. Its top down mount rather the typical side mount makes it easy to install and replacement parts are easy to find and replace. Also, if you replace parts on your Edlund commercial can opener, your warranty will still be valid, so there is no reason to not fix something if it is broken, although the liklihood is slim.

Of course just because Edlund makes the top selling can opener in the industry does not mean that they are the only ones who make high quality products. Another company, Nemco, also makes a high quality can opener suited to professional kitchens and it has features all its own that may make you think twice about an Edlund.

Nemcos new CanPRO model is designed to change the way cans are opened in restaurant kitchens. From a sanitation standpoint, this is an excellent choice because the piece that cuts the can never makes contact with the inside of the can. This means you wont have metals shavings in your can and your can opener wont have food crusted on it should you forget to wash it. The lid also comes of perfectly clean with no jagged edges, meaning that when you are opening a can in a busy kitchen you dont run the risk of accidentally cutting yourself on your can lid. Also, its easy to tell when your cutter needs replaced; it simply wont cut anymore. A gearless handle means you wont have to suffer through gear breakage or wear and tear and your can opener is practically maintenance free.

Both of these options are excellent choices for a busy restaurant kitchen.

Food dehydrators are staple in the healthy kitchen. Health-minded people are now bringing home top model food dehydrators from dieters trying to conserve calories to food purists who would like to enjoy delicious foods that are not riddled with preservatives and added unnatural chemicals.

You know fresh produce is great for your body since they are packed with natural vitamins, minerals, as well as enzymes. Sorry to say, a lot of fresh produce goes to waste because people simply do not eat it up before it goes bad.

Food dehydrators are the solution to this dilemma, you will never again waste money by throwing out rotten fruit! You can use your dehydrator to eliminate the moisture from these foods so they are preserved naturally.

Dehydrated foods will last much longer than those that are left fresh and they can be used in a variety of healthy snacks. Contemplate adding dehydrated fruit pieces to yogurt or mixed in with nuts for a homemade trail mix.

Even children will eat foods that have been prepared through food dehydrators. They will eat their fruits gladly without even realizing they are so good for them. You may even be able to dehydrate very small pieces of vegetables and slip them into a dehydrated fruit mix for those veggie-hating family members.

You need to make certain there is just enough heat to dry the food, but not so much that it bakes it when you are getting your food dehydrated. There is a fine line between drying something and cooking it, so you will want to make sure that it works; you also want to make certain that half your food does not get dried out while the other half just turns into mush.

Food dehydration involves taking anything that is thin slices of the food to be used, and placing it in a dry environment that is warm enough to keep bacteria from growing, but not so warm as to cook the food. It is also crucial that the moisture coming off the food surface has somewhere to go.

Even with the door of an oven slightly partly open - you generally cannot simply use your oven for food dehydration,, it is difficult for the food to dry correctly. Not to point out the fact that dehydrating food is sometimes a lengthy process, and you most likely do not want to tie up your oven for so long. In fact, occasionally dehydrating a batch of fruit can take 20 hours or more.

Benefits to you as well as your family are obvious. Rather than always snacking on processed and possibly unhealthy foods, you can eat the jerky or try fruits and vegetables that you prepared yourself. Using dehydrated veggies by adding them to your soups and stews can be a great way to improve the number of vitamin-rich foods in your diet.