A well-defined kitchen can even impress the most reluctant home chef
A kitchen is associated with memories of our earliest attempts at cooking up healthy yet comfort food, traditional home made delicacies and the irresistible aroma of Mom’s culinary expertise. Today of course this space is no longer relegated to only being the domain of a woman and has moved on to serve the needs of many a bachelor or married men who share equal responsibilities when it comes to dishing out a meal. However, even working women, who love to effortlessly balance their profession with familial tasks, can make reluctant home chefs. Typically, this is because cooking in India is associated with standing next to a flaming stove in the heat, dealing with the eye sore that is oil stains and smells of fried batter or pungent spices. The hassles that come with cooking can often intimidate the most efficient and meticulous homemaker, working mother or odd bachelor in the kitchen!
There is now, however, an interesting twist to this story that has plagued most Indian homes since time immemorial. The kitchen is undergoing a makeover and so is its identity. It’s finally being able to unshackle itself from its time-honoured identity as a room of confinement and duty. Gradually, it has metamorphosed into one of the most chic areas of a home which exudes style and sends out gourmet fragrances.
A self-made successful man or woman no longer views his/her presence in the kitchen as a cinch in their armour. A well-defined and beautifully-appointed kitchen does not deride their identity or threaten their independence but complements it. A designer kitchen has become synonymous with the persona of a strong and tasteful homemaker. Perfectly designed kitchens with adequate space occupy a central position in the home where friends and family can dabble in cooking together and also relax over a meal.
A well-crafted Kitchen work triangle is one of the most basic steps in creating a space that makes cooking easier and more pleasurable. The work triangle refers to the triangular positions of the sink, cooker and preparation/serving area. Other service points like the electricity switches, waste pipes or garbage bins can be placed in this triangle to enhance convenience. Many urbane kitchens make use of free-standing range-style cookers which give a semi-professional feel to the area and make one want to wield the ladle more often.
Other design adjustments can include wide-pan drawers between the sink and the hob and adequate surface space for the kettle, toaster and other frequently used extras. Glass-fronted doors added to the kitchen give a lighter feel and are best paired with open shelving. Tall pull-out larders are also popular and allow easy access to all the contents. Mid-height and full-height units can be used to house a built-in appliance as well as provide extra storage space.
Faucets that spell charm and chic minimalism attract chefs to use them. The entire cooking experience is elevated thanks to these aesthetic pieces. Kitchen faucets must be a perfect balance of design and functionality so that they are easy to use and are a delight for the senses. Levers that are smooth to handle are very important in order to ensure a precise adjustment of water flow or temperature. Home chefs will appreciate the pull-out rinsing sprays in high-end faucets which make light work of rinsing out pots.
Stainless steel and chrome faucets complement all styles of kitchens and enhance the appeal of the area. Sparkling chrome adds a highlight to the kitchen area and augments the look of composite work surfaces and sinks. Stainless steel, a material known for its anti-bacterial qualities, gives a professional look and thereby induces the most reluctant chef to don the apron.
Even when it comes to the typical Indian kitchen, designs nowadays complement the needs of households where the height of the work platform and placement of the units are made keeping in mind the average height of an Indian woman, Indian cooking habits and cooking procedures. Cabinets are also now specifically designed to provide storage for specific Indian kitchenware, variety of ingredients, spices and containers that a usual Indian kitchen will have. Besides this, since Indian cooking involves a lot of high heat food preparation, deep frying, pressure cooking etc, premium kitchen accessories manufacturers are also making it a point to introduce technology that reduces effects of spillage and facilitates removal of oil and water stains.
With the introduction of technology and superlative design into the kitchen, it has become one of the most cherished spaces in the home. If done right and with attention to detail, the kitchen can actually be a place where one wants to spend time of one’s own volition. A well-defined kitchen can actually propel non-chefs to take to dishing out some interesting fare. It can make the cooking experience become more of an art form you enjoy indulging in rather than a chore you have to come back to everyday!
Renu Misra, managing director, Grohe India Pvt. Ltd.
The views expressed in this article are the author´s own.
