The kitchen is the one room that needs to function really well. After all, good food is one of the most basic needs of the family. The kitchen is the place where you rustle up those delicious meals and keep your family and friends entertained. Thus, the kitchen has to be clean, clutter free and convenient.
If you are the kind of person who cooks gourmet food, (or just likes the occasional ham sandwich), you know that you need the proper ambience in a gourmet kitchen. You need more utensils, more space, more tools and basically more control. A proper gourmet meal takes time to prepare. So, if you have to spend awhile in the kitchen, you need to make the place look good too. It should not only look good, but also be a convenient and comfortable place to work in.
Given below is a list of must haves for the ultra gourmet kitchen:
o The Food Prep Zone: Gourmet kitchens need to have knife drawers with special tools to keep the knives straight and sharp, cutting boards that come out and disappear into the cabinets when required and counters with lower height. Marble countertops help to retard the growth of bacteria.
o Cooking Zone: Many homeowners now prefer separate ovens instead of freestanding ranges, a selection of tall cabinets, base cabinets and ones with special pull out systems.
o Baking Zone: Cooks who are serious about baking like counters with less height, making them easier to knead bread on. Nowadays, you can also get pull out box cabinets, special tiered cabinets, cake decorating kits and various other items.
o Specific Storage Zone: Instead of having a pantry that stores everything in one spot, gourmet kitchens have work-specific storage areas. For example, there can be a ‘breakfast center’ where you can store cereals, syrups, bagels, mixes, and so on. Similarly, you can have lunch and dinner centers where you can store equipment appropriately.
o Dining Zone: Gourmet kitchens often have built-in cabinets that double as buffets, used to separate the kitchen from the dining space. With proper lighting and aesthetics, you can make this area look very luxurious.
o Wet Bar Service Zone: This area can be used as a transition area between the food preparation and serving zones. Wine racks can be built in and combined with under-the-counter wine coolers and beverage centers.
o Meal Planning Zone: You can have built in bookshelves or cabinets that can be a perfect corner for planning your meals, searching for new recipes, mulling over cookbooks and similar activities. You should have all the modern appliances required for cooking – starting from microwaves to ovens to dishwashers and similar. Having all of your appliances in Stainless Steel, or built into the cabinets gives your kitchen a clean, streamlined look.
In order to have a well-planned gourmet kitchen, you may want to use the services of an interior designer that specializes in kitchens. You can also visit special gourmet kitchen showrooms – they also have in-house consultants that will go to your home to assist you with the design and make recommendations based on your tastes.
