One of the biggest remodel areas of any home is the kitchen. The kitchen is where families gather for the holidays. Yes, everyone sits down at the dining room table, but doesn’t everyone congregate in the kitchen first? Maybe stop in to get a taste of what’s to come? The kitchen is where daily meals are prepared, lunches are packed, and parties happen. So planning out your kitchen will take some extra thought. One way to break down this remodel is to consider the various areas that will make up your kitchen.
Food Prep Area
This is where the magic happens. When planning a remodel, you can make sure that everything you need is close by. When preparing food you want to have your oils and spices close. This will cut down on the prep time for meals. Oils and spices will be used during the cooking process as well so; having them close to the cooking area would be ideal. Additionally, chopping blocks, knives, and the trash area should be close. This not only increases efficiency but also cuts down on cleaning. There’s no need to pile your cutting scraps until you can walk over to the garbage. If you set the area up correctly, the scraps can go straight into the trash with no wait time. You want to make sure you have a good amount of counter space available in this area. This way you will have plenty of room to roll out dough or work on more than one dish at a time.
Cooking Area
The food prep area should be close to the cooking area. In this area, you can have your pots/pans and utensils within easy reach. Storage for potholders is also ideal in this area. The oils and spices, as mentioned previously, could be closest to the cooking area should your meal need an extra dash of this or pinch of that. Baking dishes can be within arm’s reach and space for finished dishes to cool or rest is also good.
Food Storage
This area will comprise of the pantry, extra shelving, drawers and the refrigerator. You can set up an area specifically to hold cans if you use a lot during your day. There can be various areas for the different types of foods that you have: vegetables, pasta, sauces, boxed meals, etc. Additionally, this is where your Tupperware will be stored for when you have leftovers. When you are starting with a clean slate, you can set up your kitchen area in the way that works best for you.
Other Areas
If you have children you can set up a snack area just for them. This would be something away from the cooking area where they can help themselves to an afterschool snack. This area can be kid height allowing them easier access and the ability to do it themselves. Keeping this area away from the cooking area allows them to freely move without worry about burning themselves. Another area to consider is an entertainment area. When you have guests over for parties you can set up a beverage station allowing for ice, alcohol, and condiments to be easily accessible. Setting up this area away from the cooking area allows for people to gather without being in the way of the meal prep.
A good way to consider this set up is to go through the cooking/meal prep process mentally to see what areas will be best where. You can walk through a meal plan or party situation and design the areas where they will be most efficient.
Have a question about your kitchen remodel? Please call us at (440) 884-4600 or email us at customerservice@littsplumbing.com today, so we can get you started on your brand new kitchen.
