How To Set Up Your Kitchen
One of my absolute favorite clients (yes, I have favorites) is moving away. I have helped her declutter and sort everything she owns in preparation for this move, including hundreds of sentimental photos, and you tend to become close to people whose childhood haircuts you can put in chronological order.
The entertainer’s dilemma - to prep near the stove for efficiency or toward the living room to stay engaged with guests?
My dear client is feeling overwhelmed by the task of setting up her new kitchen, and with good reason - the kitchen is a high function, high traffic spot. She’s a busy mom who doesn’t have time to search for the right tool or run back and forth to get dinner on the table. She needs streamlined function from the start.
The truth is, we often adjust over time, no matter how “perfect” our setup starts out. Not every kitchen is installed with function in mind. A lot of builders are sticking cabinets where they fit, rather than creating work zones that make sense for a home cook. With that said, I do have advice for setting up a kitchen that works for busy homes.
I am a bit of a culinary nerd. I could probably downsize my home if it weren’t for the kitchen. In fact, I wanted to call my company Mise En Place - Frech for “everything in its place” and used to describe prepped ingredients ready for cooking. I realized only other culinary nerds would know what that meant, so here we are, but I digress.
I know from my extensive research (aka watching chefs on TV) that professional kitchens prioritize efficiency, cost, and consistency.
When time is measured in seconds, a line cook is not wandering the kitchen looking for what she needs - it’s all within arm’s reach. This keeps from wasting time and energy and reduces accidents like dropping things or running into other busy staff (in your case, your kids and spouse who are always underfoot when you’re busy).
For our purposes, we will designate zones for prep, cooking, serving, and storage. Ideally, ingredients come from their homes to the prep station. When taking into account cost and waste, here is your reminder not to shove fresh items to the back of the fridge where they will be neglected and rot. Anything that is near expiring needs to make unavoidable eye contact with you when you open the door.
My client has a tiny sliver of countertop next to the fridge that is impractical for prep, so we are designating a different spot on the counter for chopping, peeling, mixing, measuring, etc. Within reach, she will need all her prep gear, including cutting boards and mixing bowls.
Slide down one spot to your favorite burner on the stove so you can cook - pots and pans below, spatulas and wooden spoons in drawers or in a utensil caddy. Spices and oils in the upper cabinet. Slide down again, and you’re ready to serve, so plates and silverware go here. If you have room for platters, you’re a lucky duck. If you only use them occasionally, they can go elsewhere. Save prime real estate for daily needs.
Time for the food runners to pick up the plates and take them to the table.
Dishes return to the kitchen in the storage area so leftovers can be packaged with easily accessible Tupperware, or covered with food wrap. Last stop is the sink and dishwasher.
Alas, most home kitchens are not a perfect assembly line with a sink at both ends, so we end up with a triangular work zone - Prep, Cook, Reset.
Keeping zones distinct keeps you from running from your cutting board across the room to find the can opener or vegetable peeler, then heading to the pantry for spices while your dinner becomes unintentionally blackened on the stove. If you have to choose between ingredients and serving dishes in the kitchen, I’d pick ingredients, so you don’t have to abandon your station. Go retrieve your turkey platter from the pantry once the cooking has finished, not when everything is sitting over fire.
Every client is different, and so is their kitchen. My client has a U-shaped kitchen that could have her relocating her prep station so she can socialize with her guests rather than keeping tight efficiency next to the stove. Some people are Crock Pot fans and don’t need much prep space, just a spot to put an appliance. Some are champion bakers and need a whole station for cookie decorating. The goal is always efficiency. Take as few steps as possible during each given task.
Take the friction out of every meal with an organized space, so you can find some joy at mealtime!
