Breaking The Kitchen Rules

FIRST of all, ignore the kitchen work triangle ‘rule’.

This concept of ensuring minimal movement between the cooker, sink and fridge is a 100-year-old idea that is totally out of date now that we have a multitude of appliances, much larger kitchens and, thankfully, women are no longer required to spend 12 hours a day in the kitchen performing necessary and basic tasks.

Think instead about the relationship between areas and the appliances you use for specific tasks. Work out how you move around your own kitchen and what tasks you would like to simplify.

Enjoy making bread regularly? Then set up a dedicated bread-making area close to the sink and the oven with everything you need close to hand.

Want to encourage healthy eating habits? Have a kids’ juicing station near the fruit bowl and the fridge with powdered supplements, seeds and nuts at hand. Well-functioning areas dedicated to particular tasks will encourage those activities.

As a top tip, if you have a larger kitchen then consider a separate tea, coffee-making and drinks station away from the main cooking area to keep the rest of the family from under the chef’s feet. If you have the space, this could include a separate boiling water tap and even a small fridge for milk and cold drinks.

Secondly, it is important to realise that you likely don’t need as much kitchen storage as you think you do. Most people designing new kitchens ask for more storage, but if you look through your drawers and cabinets you will be unlikely to be moving your yellowing plastic containers, chipped crockery and unused gadgets into your brand-new kitchen. Be very clear about what you really need and how you want to store it to make life easier. Keep small appliances plugged in ready to use, perhaps hidden in a worktop unit with bi-fold doors.

Position your crockery and cutlery drawers next to the dishwasher and remember that the larder is back in fashion. Larders are the classic storage unit with shallow shelves which keep everything you need at the front and a door which closes to keep items out of view when you don’t need them.

By Julia Kendell