5 Easy Chefs’ Kitchen Hacks

You are at the brink of renovating, revamping or constructing the heart and soul of your home, the kitchen. The kitchen must be designed perfectly, keeping in mind the key factors – aesthetics, functionality and convenience. You look out for inspiration while browsing home interior magazines, visit local design stores, restaurants or search the internet to see how professional chefs have designed their kitchens – “The Perfect Chef’s kitchen”. What makes a kitchen a Chef worthy kitchen? How can you revamp your kitchen to be your comfort zone in cooking as well as entertaining family and guests? Here are 5 easy hacks used by chefs which perhaps you can incorporate into your new kitchen design layouts.

• Functionality and Efficiency in movement

Often Chefs talk about the magical kitchen triangle or the Kitchen work zone design. The kitchen triangle is an old concept that connects the distance between three main work areas within the kitchen – the sink the stove and the fridge. The kitchen work zone design is an evolution, grouping fixers and appliances according to the usage, an open plan functional kitchen. If however, you do have the luxury of space, a perfect way of keeping a clutter free working space is a small pantry or storage area. This can be done easily with a simple partition and wall mounted shelves and hacks to store utilities. Plan your kitchen layout based on the way you move in your kitchen. Maintaining the right space within your kitchen would most definitely simplify your cooking process.

• Do not compromise on your appliances

Appliances are key to a functional kitchen. It is best not to compromise the quality of equipment but go for high end top of the line steel appliances as they are much safer and throws off less heat. Select cooktops which have a better feel and a finish and an extractor which will help keep your kitchen fresher and cleaner removing fumes, flavors of spices and steam from the air. When designing a kitchen you might want to invest in appliances that will be durable and low maintenance. Stainless steel not only creates a modern futuristic look but is also durable, hygienic and stain resistant.

• Islands and benchtop configuration

In modern kitchen designs, islands and benchtops play an important role in how practical a kitchen is. Islands add extra space as an extended worktop and as under bench storage when equipped with clever pullout baskets, spice, and detergent pull-puts. Benchtops come in various types and materials, so be sure to select a material and color that blends in with the kitchen and theme of the house.

• Save space – organise – no mess

Whether you are a professional or home chef it is important to keep your cook space clean and your storage tidy. Organization and optimization of your kitchen space is vital to any good functional kitchen. Cabinets and items within your pantry need to be kept in order. Utilizing good organization systems which includes Drawer Baskets, Racks, Fruit baskets and Waste Bins within your pantry comes in very handy to keep your storage in order. Use vertical kitchen storage by using walls, pantry and cabinet doors. Walls can be utilized to install wall mounted shelves or place standing shelves in the corner of the kitchen to include spices, herbs jars or snacks. Cabinet or pantry cupboards doors could contain shelves to store sponge, dish liquid/soap, gloves or trash bags. Speak to a concept store for space saving storage ideas, that are convenient and affordable

• The right balance of light

A chef-worthy kitchen requires the right balance of light to complete your daily task. In modern times the kitchen is the most utilized and socialized room in the house, whether its preparation of food, mealtime with family, or even entertaining guests. You need to have the proper lighting mix – under-cabinet LEDs, Island highlighting pendants, recessed downlighting – within your kitchen as each type of light has a vital role to play. When selecting lighting, it’s also important to select the appropriate tone, brightness and lux levels to match the surroundings. Planning your new kitchen not only exciting but may also seem overwhelming as there is so much to consider in designing, however, rest assured, it’s all in a day’s work for a clever home chef.