Kitchen Essential

Work surfaces

A good cook will insist on an efficient kitchen that saves unnecessary work. Careful planning must go into the kitchen layout. The most satisfactory plan often links, in a triangular path, the three basic elements — cooker, sink, and food storage — to the preparation centres. They should be located in a compact sequence and not too far apart in order to save unnecessary movements. But personal preferences and styles and methods of working are also important, and you may want to have cookware and utensils within easy reach, as well as such ingredients as oils and condiments. If you spend much time cooking and baking, you may decide to have mini work centres conveniently located around the kitchen for such activities as chopping vegetables, mixing ingredients, baking, and other space-demanding tasks, such as bottling and making preserves, beer, and wines. Continue Reading »

When you change from processed to fresh and whole foods you will need less room for packaged, canned, and frozen produce, but at the same time more space for fresh leaf and root vegetables, fruit, dry staples, such as pulses, rice, pasta, dried fruit, and home preserves. Modern kitchens are rarely designed for storing bulky items and hardly ever have access to the old, efficient larder or pantry, or to a cellar or basement. A healthier diet, with raw or lightly cooked vegetables and less meat, will cut down on cooking but requires more varied preparation space. You will also need extra bins for sorting waste for recycling and composting.

A simpler lifestyle requires fewer gadgets and less equipment, necessitating fewer built-in cupboards. Ideally, you will have a larder, but if this is not possible, you will need a food cupboard sited against a cool external wall with several vents to the outside. Continue Reading »

Serving

As long as there is sufficient work surface beside the hob, the oven or the free-standing cooker on which to put plates and serving dishes, there should be few problems.

Within the serving area there should be convenient storage for oven gloves, serving spoons, plates and serving dishes.

Dishwashing

This is often a part of the preparation area. However, if the kitchen is large enough, it may be worth considering a separate dishwashing zone, close to the eating area. This zone will accommodate the waste disposal unit or a rubbish bin and, ideally, a dishwasher. Twin sinks should be large enough to hold a grill pan.

The hob should be linked by a worktop to the sink. It should also have ample work surfaces on both sides of it. Kettle, tea, coffee, cups and saucers are best kept close to the sink. Toasters should be on a work surface or shelf near to the bread. Deep drawers for bread storage are preferable to bins on the work surface. Continue Reading »

The working kitchen divides into six sections:

1. Storage of food

2. Preparation

3. Cooking

4. Serving

5. Dishwashing

6. Storage of crockery.

For efficiency and comfort of operation, it is not only necessary to ensure the layout is right; utensils, gadgets, saucepans must be in the right places.

Storage of food

Just because the larder has always traditionally held all the food, condiments and spices, there is no reason why things should not be changed around to give greater convenience.

What is the point of crossing to the other side of the kitchen to find the stock cubes or sugar when they are required at the cooker or the table? The larder can then be used for longer-term storage of cans, packets and bottles. Continue Reading »

When this family of four moved into their new house in a fashionable part of London, they had no idea of how difficult it would be to fit the kitchen.

The room had a window, a deep recess and five doors which left no walls for fixing base and wall units. One of the doors led to a pantry, broom store, box room and WC. It was decided that the only way they could have an efficient kitchen and informal dining area was to demolish this cluster of small rooms, revealing a long narrow area — ideal for an efficient workflow. The family consisted of parents, two children, an au pair and a dog. The cellar housed their laundry equipment and boiler.

Space is put to far better use when the run of units is unbroken by doors and windows. Efficiency and a good workflow are easier to achieve: this new kitchen is a perfect example of a U-shaped arrangement . Continue Reading »