Cooking Style Dictates Kitchen Design
Renovators Place Columnist
Oct 08, 2009
If your idea of a gourmet meal is four courses of fine French food, then your kitchen design should reflect those refined tastes. Here?s how to incorporate your cooking style into a kitchen remodeling project.
About the Author
Allison E. Beatty is a syndicated real-estate writer. She has been a writer of home-improvement columns for 15 years.
Let Cooking Style Dictate Kitchen Design
As you plan your kitchen remodeling project, start by defining your cooking style. Do you:- Spend hours cooking a meal on stainless steel appliances?
- Toss leftovers in a microwave oven?
- Cook as a team with your spouse or roommate?
- Care more about the kitchen design than the appliances?
Focus on Kitchen Cabinet Layout
The layout of your kitchen cabinets should reflect the way you cook. If you bake casseroles and cookies, look for granite countertops in the workspace and large ovens for cooking. If you use plenty of spices and large pots and pans, then add:- High-quality stainless steel appliances.
- Built-in spice racks near the oven.
- Roll-out drawers near the oven or cooktop.
How Much To Spend on Kitchen Appliances?
Kitchen appliances are a big investment and can provide a big payback in the way the kitchen functions. For the novice cook, a $500 range might work fine. If you are a serious cook, look for:- Stainless steel appliances with high BTUs and convection cooking.
- Warming drawers that fit in kitchen cabinets.
- Large capacity refrigerators that are built into kitchen cabinets.
Kitchen Designs for Quick Cooks
If your cooking style revolves around the microwave, look for appliances that help speed the cooking process. Many microwaves have computerized settings that let you store recipes, for example. Then make sure your kitchen design features:- A layout that groups the appliances together.
- Kitchen cabinets with storage systems.
- Lots of kitchen cabinet space for storing prepackaged foods.
Kitchen Designs for Two Cooks
If two people in your household plan to cook together, then you'll need two workstations. The main granite countertop can provide the main workspace, while the island is used for food prep and baking.About the Author
Allison E. Beatty is a syndicated real-estate writer. She has been a writer of home-improvement columns for 15 years.
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