Do you know that some people cook and prepare meals for the family to relax? Even after a stressful day at work, some people go home excited to cook their kids’ favorite food. For many of us, food is a love language. Cooking for families is one of the ways we express this love and adoration. But if you are an aspiring home cook or wannabe chef, you must have the right tools and equipment in your kitchen.
Take a look at some cooking shows, online videos, and cookbooks. Practically everyone considers themselves to be a great cook. If you want to start learning and maybe even making a blog out of this, you should at least have a great kitchen setup. And no, you don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars on it.
A Proper Layout
The first thing you have to fix is the layout of your kitchen. You don’t have to take down anything, especially if you have the kitchen island in the middle already. With a bit of reorganizing things, you can have everything you need in one place. The layout of your kitchen can make or break a successful and aspiring chef.
There’s one thing you should know about the kitchen: divide it into zones. You should have a wet zone (usually the place nearest the sink), a dry preparation (it can be the kitchen island), a baking area, and a cooking area (the part where the stove is). You can move faster and easier when the kitchen is divided into these four zones. It is also more hygienic to separate the wet and dry areas.
The Right Countertop
Most homeowners don’t even consider the material used for the countertop when they build their homes or renovate some areas like the kitchen. But if you want to whip up some awesome recipes in your kitchen, you should have the right countertop. The best materials for kitchen countertop are quartz, granite, and marble. If you’re looking for the most affordable of these three, you should go with a granite countertop.
Though more expensive than other countertop materials, granite has many advantages for aspiring chefs. It is impervious to heat, which means it won’t break or react when you directly place a hot pot over it. Granite is also the perfect material if you have to temper chocolate for those amazing dessert concoctions. There are nearly 3,000 different colors and patterns to choose from, so whatever your kitchen design is, granite will fit right in it.
A Good Storage Space
Another huge factor when redesigning your kitchen is the amount of storage space available. You don’t need a walk-in pantry, but it will certainly help if you have a cabinet, drawers, and organizational containers where you can store your ingredients. Any aspiring home cook will have as many herbs, and spices as the kitchen can accommodate. Not to mention, the jars of flour, chocolate chips, and different kinds of nuts every pastry chef has.
A Large Deep Sink
If you have to spend on one thing, spend on the kitchen sink. You must have a large deep sink to accommodate all the pots, pans, utensils, and plates you will throw in it. A deep sink with separate sections is better because you can perform multiple tasks at once. You may want to splurge a bit on this because it will make your life in the kitchen easier.
The Stove and Oven
You can’t experiment with dishes when you don’t have a stove and oven, right? Make sure you have the right one, too. While you don’t need a five-range stove, it will help if you can afford it. That will make it easier for you to whip up several dishes at once. The same goes for your oven. Choose an oven that has a thermometer, timer, and even a self-cleaning function.
A Set of Chef’s Knives
Even if you are not an aspiring chef, it’s great to have a set of chef’s knives in the kitchen. These knives have good grips. It’s an investment every kitchen should have. A chef’s knife is a prerequisite for culinary students or those working in professional kitchens. Work your way up from an eight-inch to a 10-inch knife.
If you are passionate about cooking, go ahead, and invest your money and time in it. Transform your kitchen into one that is worthy of all the delicious meals you concoct there. As the kitchen is the heart and soul of every home, investing in it is always in order.
