When planning your kitchen remodel, it is important to consider how you and your family use your kitchen on a daily basis. Things like how many cooks are in the kitchen, and the type of food you like to eat is important in creating an overall design. For example, if several people like to cook, you need more than one prep area and more room in between the island and back countertop. This way more than one person can participate without bumping into each other.
What many people fail to consider is what happens at the holidays or when it’s time to throw a birthday party. If the holidays are still at mom's house, this may not be important but if you are hosting family gatherings, your remodel can make it easier to do so. Certain features can be incorporated that can help to make things run smoothly when having a lot of people over.
Here are ideas for your kitchen remodel that make it possible to plan the perfect holiday feast:
- Double ovens. Perhaps, the most difficult thing to do is plan how you will bake all of the side dishes while the turkey is in the oven. Turkey roasters tend to take up the entire space leaving no room for stuffing or your famous green bean casserole. Whether cooking the Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham, most people need more than one oven. By installing a double oven, you will have the space you need during the holidays and all year-round, no juggling required.
- Use a warmer. Even with a double oven it can be nice to prepare some food in advance. A warming oven allows you to do so while keeping it at the perfect temperature to serve at your convenience. This simple solution is no larger than an oversized drawer and can fit comfortably into small and large kitchens.
- Add more burners. A standard four burner stove can feel claustrophobic when making dinner on Wednesday night let alone with you making a holiday feast. The best way to avoid pan clutter is to make room for a six to eight burner stove. The added space will make it possible to cook multiple things at once without using the microwave. For added elbow room have your stovetop placed in the island instead of the back counter.
- Create a prep area. We can install a prep sink in the island so that you have one sink for food and one for dishes. This makes it easy to separate the mess from food that you want to keep clean. Your kitchen will become more organized and have a better flow every day, not just on the holidays.
- Ventilation. When cooking so many dishes at once, having proper ventilation becomes even more important. We can help by installing a commercial grade hood to suck out the smells that are competing for your attention.
We can help you to design a kitchen remodel that makes it easy to cook dinner on Monday and throw a party on Saturday. For more design solutions, give us a call and schedule a consultation.
