How to Create a Chef’s Kitchen on a Budget

Do you dream of cooking like Julia Child in your very own kitchen? Here’s a chance to have the kitchen of your dreams on the cheap.

Get an expert in remodeling to help you lay out upgrades that serve your needs and your pocketbook. Start with a kitchen floor plan that makes use of what’s called a ‘triangle’ arrangement between refrigerator, prep spaces and cooking range or oven.

Kitchen Layout

Any good remodel starts with the layout. Your kitchen’s layout dictates how the want your dream kitchen to look like.

Professional chefs tend to create workstations based on tasks (prepping, cooking, washing), while at home, this requires at least two and preferably three chefs’ worth of space to work simultaneously along with storage for three times as many tools, appliances and ingredients.

Your best kitchen design would be following the rule of the “work triangle” which will allow you to cook most efficiently but be difficult in a small space.

G-shaped kitchen could offer a solution thanks to the four sides of cabinets designed to look like a letter G, which benefits a small kitchen because of its enveloping space but without making it seem too small; the fourth part of the G-shaped kitchen is usually left as a peninsula with some cabinet and countertop space while keeping a small kitchen from feeling closed-in. Pull-out shelves or lazy susans in cabinets can create more storage and better accessibility to items.

Countertops

The perfect chef’s kitchen has lots of counter space for prep and equipment storage. The counter material should be something durable such as granite or quartz. If the remnant material is an option, this is also worth considering because remnant pieces are cheaper and equally as good as larger counter.

Install a prep sink, so you can rinse ingredients or clean up dishes without stopping your workflow. And give yourself a pull-out wastebasket so you don’t have to carry trash to a bin across the room.

A pantry is such an important part of any gourmet kitchen, as it saves space from being taken up by kitchen appliances and utensils. Install a pot filler faucet to help with the process of transferring heavy pots from a sink to pantry.

Appliances

A good design for a chef’s kitchen enables him or her to easily locate and gain access to the appropriate tools and ingredients for the job.

A typical standalone oven is unlikely to be big enough for a kitchen with several dishes to be cooked at the same time to feed busy chefs. In addition to the standalone oven, consider a high-end range or several stacked ovens in your upgraded kitchen to ensure optimal speed and efficiency.

As every chef will know, sorting tools and workstations means staying on top of every pot and pan, as well as specialty tools and utensils that will line your counters. Consider including open shelving with pot racks and knife bars among your layout plans.

These include the increasingly common integrated trash chute, prep sink, and refrigerated beverage drawer: such professional-grade appliances reduce the portion of time spent cooking and entertaining by streamlining the transfer of food leftovers between counter and garbage can or separate fridge. Often easier (and less expensive than) to install than a custom island, they are a quick fix for an instant upgrade.

Lighting

Chef‘s kitchens (centred on large tables and equipped with things such as conveniently placed boiling pots and abundant storage space for dry and cold goods) would include all want for large-group meal preparation; a g contrast, is a much less formal ‘kitchen for the gourmet’, one that features all the tools for the type of home cook – be a canning enthusiast, baker, or vegetarian – that comes to be identified as typically addicted.

Everything happens so much more efficiently when your kitchen is properly lit. Strategically placing task lights within your workspace will.help illuminate what you’re doing while reducing shadows or dark spots within your room. These could include under cabinet lights, downlights in a pantry, or ceiling-mounted lamps above an island.

But did you know that a well-organised kitchen would also allow you to work well? Between your prep area and your hob, everything you will need – utensils and whatnot – should be easy to reach. A whiteboard next to the fridge would be great, so that you can write down grocery lists or whatever as you’re making dinner. Oh, or date your foods that are in the chiller, to ensure that they don’t spoil before they get to you!