Essential ingredients for creating the perfect professional-style kitchen at home
If you are a budding chef, a top priority is most definitely the kitchen. You have made the big decision to invest – now the hard work really begins as you start to think through all the possibilities of how you might like your kitchen to look. Whether planning a kitchen from scratch, refurbishing, or renovating an existing one, deciding on the style, look and feel of your kitchen is key.
With cooking shows still as popular as ever and open-plan kitchens on many wish-lists, kitchen design schemes that recreate professional environments are very much in demand.
Top professional kitchens are designed to serve the very best food at the right temperature. To achieve this, kitchens are often separated into dedicated preparation, cooking and washing up areas so that different tasks can be done at the same time. It is possible to recreate these principles at home – it just takes some careful thinking through when it comes to layout, materials, appliances, and storage. If open plan, a professional-style kitchen needs to look good too for entertaining and socialising too!
Top tips for creating your perfect professional-style kitchen:
Effective and efficient ergonomics
Layout is key. The working triangle, where key appliances are in easy reach of each other, is considered the most ergonomic solution. Place your bin where food waste can easily be scrapped into it. Ensure there is preparation space and a sink near the hob or cooker, so you don’t have to move far with boiling water. Zoning needs to be thought through too. If you have friends around, it’s good to chat with them whilst preparing or cooking, but you don’t want them in the way, so an island is a good idea with one side for cooking, the other for informal social space.
Plenty of preparation space
The more the better! It may seem obvious, but more preparation space means less stress. It is also useful keeping kitchen hygiene in mind. From setting up to serving, having enough worktop space such as an island, a butcher’s block or moveable workstation, will make preparation a lot easier.
Long-lasting materials
For a truly professional-style kitchen, a stainless-steel worktop is a must. Totally hygienic, hot pans and saucepans can be put directly onto the surface. Modern porcelain is an alternative option offering the same benefits. Composites such as Corian work well as they are extremely durable and hard-wearing stone such as granite or quartz are often selected by top chefs and bakers as they keep produce cool.
Top Appliances
With so many amazing appliances on the market offering new technology, work out what is most important to you and the type of dishes you regularly prepare and then spend as much as your budget will allow. If you can, invest in professional quality appliance rather than domestic ones. Consider two or three ovens side by side or a large range so that you can have multiple dishes on the go at any one time. Extraction should be as powerful as possible if cooking regularly and should suit the space and kitchen design.
Clever storage
Smart storage solutions will help make your professional-style kitchen more efficient. Consider pan drawers, out shelves, breakfast cupboards and pantries. Think carefully about how you cook, what you use and need most frequently and make sure these are close to hand. During the planning phase try to visualise what appliances you have and how and when you use them. Anything that comes out at Christmas only, should be pushed to the back of cupboards or drawers. Open shelves are popular in professional kitchens. If kept neat and tidy these allow you to grab what you need quickly without searching through cupboards and can make a kitchen feel more spacious.
Versatile lighting
Ensure you install different lighting for different tasks. Good overhead lighting is key for preparation and plating up. Pendants over an island or breakfast bar work well just make sure that, whatever you decide upon, tolerates heat and steam. Also ensure you have more atmospheric options to create the right mood for the social side of the dining experience.
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