Creative Tips for Designing a Gourmet Kitchen

Homeowners can design kitchens to suit to align with their preferred lifestyle. Those who love cooking and entertaining may feel the need to upgrade their kitchen with gourmet appliances, a more productive layout, and specialized accessories, as their needs go beyond the average cook. If you are someone who lives to cook delicious food, here are a few creative tips to create the gourmet kitchen of your dreams.

1. Good planning is key. The kitchen can be a bustling place, especially if you have multiple people prepping the meal or guests milling about. Having a layout that provides flow, ease of access, and efficiency will make cooking seamless for you. Create separate zones for socializing and cooking to draw guests away from the main food preparation and cleaning areas. When storing your items, keep them near the areas where you most often need them—for example, keep your organized spices close to the stovetop so that the cook can easily reach them while at the range. Your knife set and other processing equipment should be stored near where you do most of your food prep—often an island or other long section of counter space.
2. Upgrade your sink – or add another sink! Sinks may not seem glamorous enough to include in a list of creative tips. But the right sink is a game changer! Invest in a sink large enough to fit your most oversized pots and pans. If you frequently cook for large groups of people, it is helpful to have a large sink dedicated for placing dirty dishes and a smaller sink that can be used for food preparation or hand washing. To go even fancier, you can convert a mudroom or put on a small addition to create a butler’s pantry, which is a small room dedicated to hiding the messier parts of cooking like dirty dishes, cleaning supplies, and bulk pantry items, and more.
3. Stay organized. Cooking involves a lot of multitasking, especially if you are also carrying on conversations with others. A neatly organized kitchen will make the process of preparing and cooking food a lot easier. Use organizer trays in all of your drawers to keep utensils neatly in place and prevent any frantic digging through the drawer for the right tool. Keep spices properly labeled, and use some sort of rack to make them all easily visible and accessible. Installing pull-out shelves in your counter cabinets makes finding the right pot or pan a breeze.
4. Switch to steel. Stainless steel counters are fast and easy to clean and do not grow mold or bacteria the way textured surfaces do. When you opt for this material, you’re able to minimize the time you spend cleaning and maintaining them to instead spend it cooking or enjoying the meal with your family.
5. Get the appliances and gadgets. Gourmet kitchens feature high-end appliances that make cooking much more manageable. A convection oven (and even multiple ovens if you frequently cook for large crowds), warming drawer, wine fridge, and gas range with a high-quality ventilation hood are all staples of a gourmet kitchen. Gadgets like a cup washer attachment for your sink, milk frother, food scale, stand mixer, rice cooker, and more will make cooking even faster and easier for you.

   What creative tips would you add to this list? At West Coast Design Build Florida, we specialize in designing and installing beautiful Sarasota kitchens. Call today for more information on how we can help you to add a gorgeous kitchen to your home.