I've always loved to cook
When I first started, I craved for a large and spacious kitchen
so I moved out to the far suburbs to be able to have one
but by the time I finished my rush hour commutes, I was in no mood to cook
Next I craved for a kitchen with fancy appliances & decor
but because of my lack of experience, it looked great but didn't have good utility
Now I have a small kitchen. But it's the one I am most effective in and enjoy the most
I've gathered a lot of experience over
5 kitchen remodels and want to share my experience
starting with an overview in this video
If you like it, please leave a comment on what you want me to get more specific about.
My current kitchen layout & organization method can be
described as 1 principle and 3 zones
and distilled all of my experiences
The principle is "Function over Features or Look"
The fundamental layout principle is
Sink, Stove, and Fridge areas should form
an equi-distance triangle to allow
the most efficient movement while cooking
The layout of an area should also be function 1st
The shorted movement to common actions is key
It's really the "Usability" principle applied to cooking
I drew the layout for my current kitchen myself
using Homebyme, an easy to use interior design software
and the best part is it's free! (this is not sponsored)
It's very quick to create your interiors using
templates if you know the dimensions
You can then add from a large library of furniture/appliances
and easily customize it in a variety of ways
You can then play with a variety of layouts and decor
to get a pretty accurate visual picture of
how your kitchen will turn out
This tools was the main secret how I was able to
self design a kitchen that I enjoy every day
Now let's talk about the three areas
The 1st is the sink area
Close by the sink, you should have commonly used
items in easy to access places.
The three main "use cases" around the sink are
#1: washing & drying raw ingredients
#2: cutting and preparing ingredients
#3: washing and drying dishes
I everything needed for washing & drying vegetabls in an easy to access place
that doesn't require opening/closing doors. Wet hands will damage wood over time
either hanged our placed in open air like most professional kitchens
For trash, I like to have a bag on the counter
and then throw the bag away after I'm done
again avoiding spilling water/bits of ingredients in larger areas
I personally also like to use a steel mesh drain filter
rather than using the sink grinder to keep things cleaner
Next knives, cutting boards should also be
be easy to access and ideally in the open if used daily
I use 3 cutting boards. 1 for raw meat
1 for raw vegetables and 1 for cooked food
Knives I like to use magnetic holders
It's easy to access and open to air so cleaner than wooden holders
Because it's open, it's good to put it somewhere that's hard to accidentally knock off.
Another thing I like is to have the sink below the counter line
It's much easier to clean the counter by scooping
left over ingredients into the sink this way
Next, you should consider what you need to clean / dry dishes
I like to use a more natural cleaning agent to help the environment
I prefer 1 large sink over 2 sinks to be able to fit large pans / pots
Also I love a sink with a drying platform
It makes cleaning the drying area much easier
To keep the dirty water and left overs from messing up dishes to clean
I use this steel grate. It does wonders to make cleaning more efficient!
Of course, everyone should have a faucet that can be flexible
It's easier to clean up everything after with a quick rinse
make sure to have good water pressure
The sponge and towel are easy to get dirty
So it's best to change frequently.
I like to microwave it every couple days to kill any bacteria that maybe there
One my favorite cleaning tools is the "Magic Eraser"
It's can clean off some tough stains easily because of the microfibers
I like to clean everything around the sink daily
for about 5-10 minutes. This will help to avoid
build up and unpleasantness of deep cleans
Now let's talk about the stove area
Of course, the most important items here are pots & pans
I tried to have fewer of them but
I just can't help myself since I love cooking so much
I categorize it into commonly used and somewhat used
Aside from pots, pans, and wok, placement of utensils for cooking are important as well
So these should also be place next to the stove
Chinese cooking is usually more oily
Aside from the kitchen vent, there are few tricks Iuse
One is this oil guard, it's really effective
Also use silicone cover for pans or iron skillets
Adding a Silicon Kleen Seam helps to avoid bits of food
dropping into gaps making a mess
Sauces are the next most important items
I prefer to have commonly used sauces easily accessible below the waist line
so it's easy to pick up. Overhead limits the capacity and harder to get at the back row
Liquid sauces that you use slowly would be best stored in the refridgerator to keep longer
After cooking, you will need to plate so make sure
they are also easy to access
To increase the counter space, try to leverage
vertical space to store things like the microwave,
rice cooker, soy milk machine, etc.
I finally bought the La Cornue stove that I have been wanting for a long time
for this kitchen. It's beautiful and very funcational
The oven is divided into 2 compartments
I usually only use 1 oven and use the other for storage
We are done with 2 areas now with 1 more to go
The 3rd area is the refrigerator & food storage
Storage can be divided into 3 types
(a) cold (b) dry / room temperature (c) daily access
Daily access are things like coffee, cookies, etc.
Cleaniness is key to food storage. I also try not to pack our refridgerator full of food
The longer you store, the less fresh / tasty the ingredients are
If you care about quality of food, this is key but does require more shopping trips
I like to use a small box to avoid melting liquids dirtying the refrigerator
Freezer it's ok to be more packed as they last longer
But you should clean it out once in a while as well
For microwavable ware, it's better to use glass rather than plastic.
Plastic degrades/melts over time and will mingle with the food
I tried using silicone covers instead of saran wrap to hel the environment
but with mixed results.
Now let's look at dry food storage
I like to OXO. They last for a long time
and more importantly, it's easy to use 1 handed
this is important when you are cooking and need something fast
I have a lot of ingredients and dry food types
so I usually keep a board to track what I need
to avoid running out of something at an bad time
Also, daily food like coffee
tea, and snacks I like to put mostly on hanging baskets
I got this inspiration from restaurant kitchens
I'm very happy with the hanging system I have
It is clean, flexible and relatively inexpensive
Storing daily use food here makes it really easy to access
It also look good with a homy feel and you can
detach and move around as needed
Most of these open storage ideas came from
looking at restaurants and professional chef kitchens
It greatly increases storage area and much cheaper than cabinets
So in summary you should think about how you cook
and make sure your 3 key kitchen areas are organized
in a way to make daily operation easier
If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen,
entertainament will be very important
Having a TV on a pivot with chromecast or Apple TV
will make your daily kitchen stay MUCH more enjoyable
LIKE & SUBSCRIBE if you want ot see more!
The best kitchen is just big enough to have
everything you need in an orderly way
but small enough to make your movements easier
with good enterainment options to enjoy
If you are trying to figure out what you want for your next kitchen
Spend some time and think through how you use it daily
and lay it out according to your habits