Tidy Kitchens

[BakerAunt]

I just finished reorganizing the peninsula in my kitchen in order to gain more workspace. I'm sure all the artistic kitchen organizers out there would consider it "cluttered," but I like my tools easily within reach since I do a lot of cooking and baking. So, this cartoon this morning hit the spot:

https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2024/09/28

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[Mike Nolan]

Our kitchen needs a serious 'spring cleaning'. That's probably going to happen in the next two weeks, as we've already scheduled having someone come in to steam clean the tile floors on the 7th of October, which means removing everything that's on the floor in the kitchen, butler's pantry, mud room and back hall closet; my guess is some stuff won't make it back to those rooms. These tiles have a textured surface that holds dirt (I think that was one of our few serious interior design mistakes in the house.)

Also, it's the time of year when mice try to get inside. I've already caught two down in the basement. I haven't seen any signs of mice in the kitchen yet, but our new cat is a serious mouser, and if there are mice in the kitchen, he'll chase them, jumping on counters and wreaking havoc. So we need to get the counter surfaces uncluttered, too. Also, I've bought many new ingredients for keto-friendly cooking and baking that I need to figure out how to organize better.

[aaronatthedoublef]

After working with manufacturers to make appliances in all sorts of colors we are now being told to hide them away. My favorite is the lift that raises and lowers a stand mixer under the counter.

Kate want to redo our kitchen. My question to any potential designer will be "how many meals a week do you cook for three or more people."

[Mike Nolan]

My favorite is the lift that raises and lowers a stand mixer under the counter.

That's such a huge waste of space, and space is really the most expensive part of a kitchen, as well as the most used. (Appliance space, implement storage space, dishes storage space, floor space, counter space, food storage space, etc.)

The work triangle concept strikes me as great for minimizing walking space but terrible for isolating hot from cold, wet from dry, dirty from clean, for ensuring good ventilation, keeping the room temperature from getting too hot or cold, etc. An exhaust fan that vents outside is an absolute must to me.

Another key issue for me is if person X is using one part of the kitchen, can person Y get to other parts of the kitchen? The kitchen is the most actively used room in the house, and if there's more than one person in the house, there's a good chance there will be more than one person in the kitchen--a lot. (And that doesn't take into account guests, who often drift towards the kitchen.)

We did most of the layout of our house, including the kitchen and then had the architect figure out how to build the walls where we needed them and where to put things the stuff like water, drain and ventilation pipes. We spent a lot of time on the kitchen and surrounding spaces (butler's pantry, mud room, informal dining area), using a home design program that could render 3D views from any angle, and move the views to simulate moving through those rooms.

That was almost 30 years ago and the program we used (Broderbund 3D Home Architect) has been supplanted by newer programs that I haven't figured out how to use yet. 3DHA was great about moving walls a few inches.

The one thing we didn't do as well as we could was ask the question: How do we clean this area easily and properly? I'd have found a place for a rimmed stainless steel work counter for messy tasks like cutting proteins, and I would DEFINITELY have gone with a different floor tile surface! (Although now that it has been steam cleaned, it looks pretty good again.)

[aaronatthedoublef]

The stand mixer lift is something that looks cool but probably becomes annoying when you really have it. At this point I could toss our stand mixer and just use a hand one for amount I use it. I think I can probably find one powerful enough for cakes and all my bread is done by hand anyway.

The triangle was developed for professional kitchens and then designers tried to transfer it to homes. In a big professional kitchen with lots going on, it may make sense to give multiple people their own workspaces without overlapping, to keep people from crossing paths unnecessarily, etc. But that is not what is in most residential kitchens.

[Mike Nolan]

I think even commercial kitchens have different design criteria now.

I remember reading about a chef who, when designing a new kitchen, first figured out where the dirty dishes would go (both from the back of the house and the front), then planned around that. Kitchen sanitation inspectors have told me that the biggest failures they see in kitchens deal with separating dirty from clean and wet from dry. Not keeping things at the right temperature is next on the list.

[BakerAunt]

I find it imperative that my husband and I each have a separate spot for getting out breakfast in the morning. He is at the microwave making his oatmeal, and I am at the stove making my coffee, or sometimes making oatmeal.

One thing that bugs me about our kitchen is that because it is a galley shape in an open concept "shotgun" style home, people have to walk through it. The food storage, flour, etc. is at the back, and my workspace is at the front, so I get my steps in going back and forth, although I have the spices near the front, along with baking powder and baking soda.

What I really, really wanted was a walk-in pantry.

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