1. Poor Layout
Firstly, your kitchen’s layout should be one that enables you to undergo the process of whipping up a meal – from preparing ingredients to cooking to serving – easily and without causing a mess. Therefore, your kitchen should have designated areas to facilitate the entire process.
For example, the storage zone is where your refrigerator and pantry are located. This is the area of the kitchen where your ingredients and utensils are stored; hence, it should be situated near the kitchen entrance. The first step of cooking a meal is to collect the ingredients that you want to use, hence you should be able to do it the moment you step into the kitchen.
Next comes the preparation zone, where your ingredients are prepped for cooking. Your sink and main countertop should be installed here as this is where you’ll be doing all the cleaning, chopping, cutting, marinating, etc. The preparation zone is then followed up by the cooking zone, where the appliances like the stove, hob, hood, and oven should be placed. It should be as close to the preparation zone as possible for you to start cooking your prepared ingredients without wasting too much time.
Once the meals are cooked, your preparation zone turns into your serving zone, where you start plating the dishes to be served, as well as the cleaning zone for you to wash up the utensils and appliances that you have used.
2. Insufficient Countertop and Storage Space
As mentioned above, the countertop is the area where most of your ingredients are prepared before cooking. Therefore, one key point to remember when renovating your kitchen is that more countertop space equals more room to prepare food and place appliances and other kitchenware. A cluttered and cramped countertop means lower efficiency when prepping meals; this is where storage space comes in. One of the best ways to increase countertop space is by installing kitchen cabinets to increase storage capacity. This allows you to store the appliances that you do not use that often and only taking them out when required – reducing clutter and making the space more organised.
