<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3" color="#990000">Design a Chef’s Kitchen at Home</font></h2><p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">If you really love to cook, an average kitchen might not provide you with all the functionality and features that you desire. As such, remodeling your kitchen to add professional kitchen features can easily transform a "ho-hum" kitchen into a chef’s delight. When designing a chef’s kitchen, it’s important to take overall design, functionality and truly usable features into consideration. Here are some remodeling tips you can use to turn your home kitchen into the professional chef’s kitchen that you’ve always wanted.</span></p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Versatile Cooking Options</strong></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">A true chef’s kitchen traditionally includes more versatile cooking options as compared to the standard home kitchen. In most cases, this means a separate range or cooktop area, in addition to one or ideally two ovens. Wall ovens which are located in a separate area from the cooktop can add a lot of convenience. This is especially true for families or couples who enjoy cooking together in the kitchen. Most serious cooks prefer a gas range or cooktop, while electric is often the preferred choice for ovens.<span> </span>Cooktops should include a minimum of four burners, although six burners are generally preferable. In addition to the cooktop and ovens, you should also make sure you design the kitchen to accommodate a convection oven, microwave and other cooking features if you use them. </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Kitchen Layout</strong></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">When designing a chef’s kitchen, a convenient and efficient floor plan and overall layout is extremely important. Countertop area is crucial in the kitchen. If multiple family members enjoy cooking at the same time, make sure that you’ve got at least two feet of countertop per person. Designing the kitchen to include separately designated work zones is also a great way to maximize the room’s efficiency and usability. For example, if you designate the area close to the ovens as the baking zone, you won’t interfere with another family member who is working in the food preparation zone close to the sink. Think in terms of traffic patterns and kitchen equipment usage when you lay out your overall floor plan. By minimizing the number of steps you need to take, you’ll find it more efficient and enjoyable to work in the kitchen.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/2b.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/2b.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Good Lighting</strong></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Since it can be difficult and annoying to cook in a poorly lit area, you’ll want to pay careful attention to the lighting features added to the kitchen. Although good overhead lighting is important, cabinets can create shadows on the countertops, making it difficult to work. Under-cabinet lighting can be the perfect solution to this problem. If you have a kitchen island area, consider installing pendant lights for added convenience and proper illumination. In the kitchen, good lighting is not only a convenience factor, but is also crucial to one’s safety.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Storage Considerations</strong></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Adequate storage is extremely important in a well-designed chef’s kitchen. Pots, pans, kitchen equipment and utensils should be stored in an accessible and safe manner. Ceiling or wall-mounted pot racks can be a handy addition. However, if you prefer the neat and tidy look in the kitchen, custom cabinets designed to store even large pots and pans can help keep the kitchen clean and well-organized.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">Artist, Jessica Ackerman, is a consultant with WallDecorandHomeAccents.com and describes how to decorate with <a href="http://www.walldecorandhomeaccents.com/door-toppers.html" target="_blank">iron door toppers</a> and <a href="http://www.walldecorandhomeaccents.com/southwestern-art-decor.html" target="_blank">southwestern wall art</a>.</span></p></span>
Recent Posts
Archives
- November 2015
- October 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
Recent Comments