A Serious Cook and Chef Needs a Beautiful and Functional Kitchen Design

If you’re a serious cook, you know how important a well organized kitchen is, and how frustrating a kitchen can be if it isn’t! Your kitchen should be optimized for cooking, cleanup, and easy access to storage, and if it isn’t yet, here’s how.

Modern White Kitchen Design

Stoves: Electric vs. Gas


Perhaps the most important appliance in the kitchen, the stove is what brings on the heat. Electric stoves are useful, but can skyrocket your power bill and don’t heat up as quickly. A high-efficiency gas powered stove is more efficient than an electric, and can cook food more thoroughly and evenly. The placement of the stove is important – it should be within range of all the pots and pans that you might use, as well as the sink or food disposal unit, so that if something catches fire, it can be put out quickly.

Modern European Kitchen Design

Storage


So, that cute little dinosaur pancake mold you have isn’t used every single morning. Put it away, either in the very back of your cabinet, or in the basement or attic until it is needed. The space in your kitchen is in high demand; store only the pots and pans that you actually use on a daily basis in the kitchen. The same applies to spices; while you might use that obscure Russian brand of mayonnaise for that one special dish sometimes, by no means should it take up counter space. Keep the basic spices close at hand, as well as your mixing bowls, spoons, etc.

Kitchen Design using Warm Tones

Kitchen Sinks

The single most used area of your kitchen. Many kitchens could benefit from the installation of a second sink, but if this is out of your budget, consider what you can do to free up work space around your sink. Try installing a goose-neck sprayer for easy cleaning of large pots and pans, as well as reaching all sections of your sink. Make sure that the pots and pans you use can fit inside of your sink for easy cleaning.

Black & White Modern Kitchen Design

Countertops Are One of the Most Important Aspects of Kitchen Design


You should have plenty of free counter space in your kitchen. If at all possible, use a non-wooden counter top, or one with a glazed cover. True wooden counter tops can be nicked easily, and store pathogens and other undesirables inside the cuts. With the same logic that is applied to wooden cutting boards, wooden counter tops should be cleaned very thoroughly after use, especially when handling raw meats.

Your kitchen design needs to suit your personal preferences, but they should also be the most efficient, streamlined rooms in your home. Keeping a kitchen clean reduces stress, and makes people want to cook, which results in a chain reaction of healthy choices down the line. A well designed kitchen can result in a myriad of tasty dishes being made, so everyone wins!

Gracie Gardner is an interior designer, photographer, and writer from Tucson, Arizona. She loves talking about cooking, kitchen remodeling, and kitchen design.