Kitchen Design Ideas For The Avid Home Chef

If you’re an avid home chef looking to remodel your kitchen, chances are, your old kitchen left a lot to be desired. For a home cook that practically lives in the kitchen, having all the right tools in all the right places can make your life much, much easier.

If there’s anywhere in the kitchen that will see tons of use and abuse, it’s the sink. From food prep to washing dirty dishes, your kitchen sink is bound to come into contact with all kinds of items, from sharp utensils to hot pots to bacteria-laden cutting boards and more. You’ll need a kitchen sink with the right configuration, size, and material to match your chef lifestyle. When purchasing your new kitchen sink, take inspiration from professional kitchens and go for stainless steel. Compared to other sink materials, stainless steel is one of the most affordable options you can find. Because it’s difficult for germs to grow and thrive on stainless steel, it’s also one of the most hygienic options for a kitchen sink. Be sure to also consider the sink’s depth and the number of bowls. A deep sink means more space, which most home cooks are bound to need more of. Having that extra space separated into two or more bowls would also come in handy for food prep or for easier dishwashing.

Convenience is key for the home cook who is constantly making meals for their families. One of the most convenient tools a home cook can purchase is a hands-free faucet with motion sensor technology, such as Moen’s Motionsense series. This faucet comes equipped with motion sensors at the top and base of the faucet which, with the wave of a hand, turns the faucet on and off without you ever having to touch it. Any cook who has ever needed to turn on a faucet while their hands are covered in raw meat can see the benefit to owning such a faucet. It’s not only a time saving convenience, but it’s also the most hygienic option you can choose. There are a variety of faucets on the market that are equipped with this technology, so you can easily find one in a style that matches your kitchen decor perfectly.

If money is no option, adding a second water source can greatly enhance the efficiency of your cooking. Installing a pot filler above the stove can save you precious time and energy by preventing you from having to travel back and forth between your stove and your sink. As long as your water line extends behind your stove, getting a pot filler installed should be a breeze.

Just like your sink, your work surface needs to be durable and resilient, and as always, stainless steel is up for the job. Unlike fancy stone countertops, stainless steel is a non-porous surface, meaning that stains will not penetrate the surface. It’s a mainstay in professional kitchens because it can withstand the everyday wear, tear and mess that comes with cooking. With a stainless steel countertop, you can put all your energy into elaborate cooking rather than elaborate cleaning. It also withstands heat very well, so there’s no need to worry about placing hot pans directly on the surface, rather than frantically searching for a more suitable area.

If you’re an avid chef, you more than likely have more pots, pans, utensils, and small appliances than most. Storing your equipment in readily accessible and organized spaces will make your life a whole lot easier. If you have pots and pans of a variety of sizes, then opt for one or two base cabinets with deep, large drawers with full extension glides for easy access. These are also a great option for storing small appliances if you’d rather not utilize an appliance garage.

In many homes, it isn’t uncommon to find utensil drawers that are cluttered with a variety of small cooking tools. For an avid chef, however, there’s no time to waste on rummaging through drawers to find the utensils that you need. In this case, investing in drawer dividers is a cheap and easy way to keep everything organized and easily accessible. The same concept applies to spice storage. When you have a large variety of dried herbs and spices in your cabinet or pantry, it can often be a headache trying to find the one you need, and having to frantically search for your smoked paprika while there’s a pot on the stove is simply not the most ideal situation. This is where spice racks come in. They’re perfect for organizing your spices and they’re available in a number of styles so it’s easy to find one that will suit your needs.

If you’re lucky enough to have space for a kitchen island, then you have much more room to customize your kitchen for your lifestyle. So much can be done with this added space to make your cooking experience as convenient and efficient as possible. If your plumbing permits, installing a second sink is a great way to go. Having separate sinks for dishes and prep can definitely come in handy when cooking large, involved meals. It’s also great if more than one cook often utilizes the kitchen space at the same time.

The island is also a great place for additional storage. There are a variety of specialty under-counter refrigerators on the market, and this can be a great place for keeping produce or your most frequently used ingredients close nearby. If your cooktop is located on your island, then having deep drawers underneath for storage of pots and pans is also a great idea. If you’re even more serious about building a quick and efficient kitchen, hanging your pots and pans above your island cooktop for easy access is also an option.

When designing your kitchen to fit your chef lifestyle, efficiency and convenience is key. Anything that will make your cooking process less complicated is bound to make your life a whole lot easier. Do you have any other design ideas? Let us know in the comments!