| The power-kitchen | | Print | |
The power-kitchen idea In kitchen remodeling, it’s sometimes impossible to devise a perfect layout. This has been true of many of the houses I’ve lived in and fixed up. But there is another insight from kitchen research that I’ve found useful. Most of the little journeys in cooking are from the sink to the mix center and back, from the stove to the mix center and back, or between the sink and stove. There are significantly fewer trips to the fridge, table, pantry, or back door. That means that if you can establish a mix center or main work counter that is within about two or three steps of both sink and stove, and maybe even directly between them, the kitchen can be efficient, even if other features of the layout are less than ideal.Put another way, you can live with having the fridge, pantry, or table a short walk away, or having the basic units out of the ideal “food-flow” order. But if the main work counter is a hike from the sink or stove, or if those appliances are too widely spaced, your kitchen will be inconvenient to use no matter what else you do. Power Kitchen An imperfect layout can work as long as there is a nice generous counter space handy to both sink and cooktop. Here there is no counter space at the stove, the left sink counter is cramped, and the refrigerator is too far from the food prep-area. But the main food prep counter--the power-kitchen area--is big enough, is very handy to both sink and stove, and has suppplies, tools, and a trash can near at hand. So it is still quite an efficient kitchen to work in. |