The perfect kitchen for home cooks and bakers
No matter what time of year, you can always rest assured that there will be a cookery show on television! The popularity of home cooking and baking is as strong as ever - The Great British Bake Off and Masterchef are just two examples that never fail to deliver impressive viewing figures.
The BBC Good Food Nation survey recently reported a 10% increase in the number of people who cook and prepare meals from scratch in the home at least once a week, and there’s now a majority (just over half) who would describe themselves as “good” cooks.
So, with all this encouraging continued interest in home baking, what are the best ways to create a professional cook-inspired kitchen at home?
The working triangle
The “working” or “magic” triangle is known to be the most ergonomic kitchen arrangement creating a clear pathway between the hob/oven, fridge and sink so that each is easily accessible. Moving freely and quickly between each creates a more relaxed working space.
Plenty of preparation space
A specific preparation area makes everything easier – from cooking and serving to entertaining. Appliances can compromise surface space but if there’s enough room an island should help solve the problem. For smaller kitchens, mobile work benches or butcher’s blocks are ideal.
All to hand
To ensure efficiency in the kitchen, keeping everything to hand is key. Whether that’s having cooking equipment on pull-out storage, special spice drawers, built in foil and cling-film dispensers or whether it’s as simple as making sure there’s a bin close to the preparation area so that you don’t have to carry food waste across the kitchen.
Efficient storage
Once you’ve sorted out what will be close to hand then you can plan the rest of the storage. Base pull-out drawers provide more volume, are more versatile and accessible than base shelving cabinets. Open shelving is also a good choice. Firstly, it’s very much on-trend, but it’s also very practical. Tall cabinets and corner carousels also make the most of available space.
Work surfaces
Choosing a material with a very smooth finish is important for cooking or baking. Engineered stone is particularly good because it has low porosity and a cool, smooth surface for preparation. Granite is another popular choice – but make sure it’s been sealed. Marble, whilst smooth, can stain easily and wooden work tops are less hygienic, though perfect for a breakfast bar.
Oven & appliance planning
Make sure that the most-used appliances are at the right height so that you don’t have to keep bending down when cooking. Having two ovens side by side or a range cooker, can be useful, otherwise, if short on space, consider a multi-functional oven. Once all the main appliances are sorted, then consider extras such as a preparation sink and warming drawers and finally, don’t forget to plan in well-arranged plug
sockets for your smaller appliances and devices.
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