Your kitchen is one of the most functional rooms in your home. It is often the place where your family comes together after a long day. The kitchen is also where you prepare your meals and serve your favourite recipes.
Because of this, you should try to create a warm and friendly environment. A chef's kitchen at home is the perfect way to warm up your kitchen while giving you the space to chop, dice, and sauté.
Having an area that is easy to cook in is not just about space. You should also arrange your supplies and other essentials in a way that makes preparing food efficient and simple. If you want to recreate a chef’s kitchen that is both beautiful and functional, try out the following six steps:
1. Clear cooking surfaces
Your first step to transforming your space into a chef's kitchen should be clearing off your countertops. After all, what use is a professional quality kitchen if you don't actually have the space to cook. Make sure you have enough empty counter space for cooking, chopping, and mixing.
Nothing will slow down your cooking like a lack of space. A decorative vase or bowl of fruit may be a nice touch, it shouldn't be on your counter if it affects your ability to work. Plus, when your countertop is clear, you're more likely to dive into an intensive recipe.
To help create empty space on your countertops, keep any appliances that you don’t regularly use stored in your cabinets. While your professional appliances may come in handy often, items like blenders and food processors can take up a lot of space that could otherwise be used for cooking. Store these items in your lower cabinets or in a cabinet garage, and take them out when you need them.
Additionally, keep your sink clear. The sink is usually the most used kitchen workstation. Since chefs tend to pile up cookware and kitchen utensils throughout the cooking of a meal, it’s important to start with a completely empty sink, clear of dirty dishes.
2. Keep ingredients handy
Organization is important for creating functional and coordinated kitchens. However, if your ingredients are stored in inconvenient places, gathering everything you need to cook may take longer than the actual cook time. Keep your jars of dried herbs and spices on an easily accessible spice rack. Then, store your dry ingredients in a cabinet with enough space that you can easily see what is inside.
Austin Johnson, executive chef of The Krebs in Skaneateles, N.Y., told HouseLogic that he recommends what he calls a "kitchen work triangle." Everything you need for cooking should stay within this space.
"You want everything near to hand so you're not hopping around all over the place," Johnson said.
3. Hang pots and pans
No matter what you are cooking, you will probably need at least one pot or pan – maybe even several – to complete the dish. Consequently, you do not want to be digging through cabinets every time you need one of these essential tools. Hanging your pots and pans from a ceiling rack will help keep them within reach when you are cooking.
4. Go for quality over quantity
Do you have a block full of knives? Or maybe multiple types of food processors? You may be tempted to stock your kitchen to the brim with every gadget and tool out there. But to make the room more efficient, you should focus on the quality of your tools, rather than the quantity. Professional appliances and gadgets are a great investment in your cooking.
Start by going through your cupboards and sorting your appliances and kitchen gadgets. You should only keep the ones that you use on a regular basis, or for large holiday meals. Plus, clearing the clutter from your counters will give you more space for cooking! If you're lacking any essential cooking utensils after this process, head out to your local kitchen supply store.
Some of the best high-end professional appliances you may find in a chef’s kitchen includes sub-zero refrigerators, wine chillers, and gas ovens and cooktops such as the Thermador, which offers professional-style ranges and insulated gas ovens.
5. Organize your kitchen layout
Whether you have a huge spacious place to cook or a cozy small kitchen, it’s important to have an organized kitchen layout if you want to recreate a chef’s kitchen at home. Every chef will have their own style of working in their kitchen, but most chefs tend to agree that having separate work zones for each cooking task is ideal.
Regularly, a commercial kitchen will utilize a “kitchen triangle,” layout. This kitchen layout is made up of a strategically placed fridge, prep area, and cooking zone, which allow you to bring food directly from the fridge, to the prep area, and right into the stove.
Delta kitchen faucet, available at Kitchen & Bath Classics showrooms
6. Choose the right faucet
The faucet at your sink is a small element that can have a significant impact on the ease of your culinary experience. After all, you use the water that flows through it not only in your cooking, but your cleanup as well. A pullout faucet, such as an option from Grohe, may be helpful when you need to clean your dishes after your meal is complete.
To find a faucet that is perfect for your kitchen – both in terms of functionality and aesthetic – visit your local Kitchen & Bath Classics showroom today.
