Kitchen Renovation: Designing for the 2-Cook Kitchen

From the article Trends in Kitchen Design from the Northwest Renovation magazine:

"Depending on how the duties are divided in a two-cook kitchen, it may be necessary to create two work triangles, with adequate preparation space and clear work centers for each person in a layout that carefully avoids traffic jams. The traffic pattern of each cook should be free from interruption, allowing each to work without bumping into the other.

There are several ways to establish work zones in a two-cook kitchen:

Increase walkway clearances, providing each cook with adequate passing space when both cooks are in the kitchen. Walkways expand from 42” in a one-cook kitchen to a minimum of 48” in a two-cook space.

Expand countertop space to accommodate the needs of both cooks, with an eye to the accessibility of the equipment and material to be shared by each person.

Create a special work center adapted to the specialized needs for one of the cooks: a baking center or barbecue area separate from the primary cook’s triangle.

Vary countertop heights to accommodate the variety of heights of the current or future users, providing raised counters for taller users, dropped counters for shorter cooks. A dropped countertop, set at table height, is also a convenient height for a baking area, ergonomically favorable for rolling and kneading dough.

Include a work island to create a separate workspace apart from the primary cook’s activity centers"

Talk with a Kitchen Designer if you plan on having two cooks in your new kitchen. If you don't already have a kitchen renovation company in mind, post your request on ConstructionDeal.com. It's a fast and free way to let kitchen designers know about your project and, if they're interested, contact you directly. It beats picking one or two companies at random in the yellow pages.

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