In the part of the planning phase of a kitchen remodeling project that involves the layout of the appliances, some of the best resources to follow are the designers that organize commercial kitchens. Typically, these plans focus on maximizing functionality and efficiency, whether the restaurant puts out hundreds of dinners each night or serves a small, select group of patrons. If your meals are prepared by multiple cooks, here are three keys to set up your kitchen with an arrangement that can achieve the same kind of efficiencies as those of professional kitchens.
1) Arrange appliances with plenty of space between them – Separating appliances allows for cooks to work, open doors, load, and unload the dishwasher, range, and refrigerator without worrying about congestion and/or overlapping duties.
2) Create appliance-specific work stations – Putting work stations purposed for work that applies to the appliance next to them can make preparation easier and faster. For example, having a work station designated for preparation of salads next to the refrigerator will facilitate the easy unloading of salad ingredients to the prep area as well as a short path back to put the finished salad back in to keep cool until it is served. A work station next to the oven/cooktop can be purposed for preparing dishes that will immediately start cooking.
3) Reduce the need for the cooks to move around the kitchen traffic – Having appliance-specific work stations stocked with dry ingredients, tools, cookware, utensils, bowls, etc. can make each work station self-sufficient, meaning that preparation tasks can be carried out without the need to walk through the kitchen looking for task-related items.
4) Create an area for people who aren't cooking – This is an issue that most commercial kitchens don't have to deal with, but residential kitchens have evolved into a preferred place to entertain, which necessitates organizing one area for cooking and one in close proximity for socializing. There are several options for creating areas for people who aren't cooking, including a peninsula shaped bar or seating around the outside of a kitchen island. To make these areas even more self contained, they can be equipped with their own compact refrigerators, beverage centers, or wine coolers to enable access to refrigerated items without needing to use the same refrigerator as the people preparing the meal.
The best kitchens make it easy to cook and entertain simultaneously. By following these appliance arrangement tips you can do the same thing in your new kitchen.
1) Arrange appliances with plenty of space between them – Separating appliances allows for cooks to work, open doors, load, and unload the dishwasher, range, and refrigerator without worrying about congestion and/or overlapping duties.
2) Create appliance-specific work stations – Putting work stations purposed for work that applies to the appliance next to them can make preparation easier and faster. For example, having a work station designated for preparation of salads next to the refrigerator will facilitate the easy unloading of salad ingredients to the prep area as well as a short path back to put the finished salad back in to keep cool until it is served. A work station next to the oven/cooktop can be purposed for preparing dishes that will immediately start cooking.
3) Reduce the need for the cooks to move around the kitchen traffic – Having appliance-specific work stations stocked with dry ingredients, tools, cookware, utensils, bowls, etc. can make each work station self-sufficient, meaning that preparation tasks can be carried out without the need to walk through the kitchen looking for task-related items.
4) Create an area for people who aren't cooking – This is an issue that most commercial kitchens don't have to deal with, but residential kitchens have evolved into a preferred place to entertain, which necessitates organizing one area for cooking and one in close proximity for socializing. There are several options for creating areas for people who aren't cooking, including a peninsula shaped bar or seating around the outside of a kitchen island. To make these areas even more self contained, they can be equipped with their own compact refrigerators, beverage centers, or wine coolers to enable access to refrigerated items without needing to use the same refrigerator as the people preparing the meal.
The best kitchens make it easy to cook and entertain simultaneously. By following these appliance arrangement tips you can do the same thing in your new kitchen.
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