Kitchen Design Styles
The basic equipment required for kitchen activities consists of a stove, a basin for washing utensils and dishes, a dishwasher, and a refrigerator or freezer. Usually, a kitchen has an island for additional activities such as cooking, barbecuing, roasting, etc. A kitchen also usually includes a kitchen table, chairs, a few chairs for children, a microwave oven, a food preparation counter, some storage cabinets, and other accessories. All these equipment and accessories are essential for proper food preparation, but they cannot be replaced by kitchen appliances, like refrigerators, dishwashers, or microwaves. They make the food preparation process easier and quicker, especially in case of large volume food preparation.
The two basic types of kitchen are indoor and outdoor kitchens. Indoor kitchens usually consist of sinks with faucets, a stove top, and cabinets for storage. Outdoor kitchens differ from indoor kitchens in many ways, most importantly in the presence of refrigerators, gas grills, and outdoor heaters. Both types of kitchens need plumbing work, drains, and venting, and building plans are different depending on the type of the establishment. Typically, all kitchens in restaurants have the same layout, but this is not true for all restaurant kitchens, particularly those in hotels within complexes.
There are three basic styles of kitchen cabinets according to where they are placed inside the house: the galley kitchen, the inverted triangle kitchen, and the L-shaped kitchen. The galley kitchen has two working areas separated by a counter. It is one of the most widely used kitchen designs. The triangle kitchen, also called the L-shaped kitchen, has a sink on each side of the working space, and a stove at the end. This kitchen designs allow for enough room to cook food.
Open kitchens are convenient food preparation options for households. This style of kitchen allows cooks to get right to business, preparing their foods without having to go through the hassles of transferring pans and pots from the cooker to the kitchen table or from the kitchen to the cooking appliance. This style of kitchen design saves space because it does away with closed doors or cupboards. This is why many people choose open kitchens. For diners, open kitchens give them more flexibility in choosing their own ingredients and in selecting the right kind of dish to prepare.
Hotels, restaurants, and other establishments utilize these types of kitchen designs to provide convenience food preparation and in the process of imparting a relaxed atmosphere to its patrons. With the advent of gourmet kitchens, a more sophisticated and classy image is portrayed by the kitchen. A gourmet kitchen design contains a sink, stove, refrigerator, and range. A hot plate, small oven, and microwave are also a common presence in a gourmet kitchen.
In order for your kitchen to look good and function well you need to maintain it regularly. You should use cleaners that are made for stainless steel to wipe off the dust and dirt accumulated over the years. You should maintain the work surfaces using a scraper which can reach all corners of the work area. Wipe the walls and floor with a wet cloth to remove all traces of cooking oil, grease and flour. And, for the gas stove, you might like to wipe the outside of the flue with a piece of paper towels to remove any trace of residue which might damage the surface.
