Redesigning a kitchen- any tips?

Muahahaha

L1011 wrote: »

If you cook using a wok frequently, or don't want to have to potentially replace some other cookware; avoid induction.

A wok is in the air a lot of the time not in contact, it won't (can't) be getting any heat at all from induction during that time.

Yeah wok cooking is a problem on induction but I think I'll still go for induction and just do more stirring than flipping. I only use a wok about once a fortnight so its not a major compromise

Ectoplasm wrote: »

If you want to make sure your extractor fan works, you need to measure the volume in your kitchen. All hoods should come with information about their extraction rates. For example this:

Speed 1 2 3 INT
Air m3/h 415 480 540 600
Noise dB(A) 62 64 68 70

Thanks for the tip on extractors. I think I might be overthinking it having come from lots of rentals where the fans were ancient and usually clogged with grease. The fan in my kitchen now is about 10 yrs old and even at full tilt and a new fliter I put in it is still next to useless and leaves odours behind. But from research modern extractors are a lot more powerful so hoping this problem gets resolved, especially as Im knocking a wall to go open plan so really want to prevent the entire room stinking of food odours.

seannash

newbie85 wrote: »

A big sink, large enough to fit your biggest roasting pan fully under the water. Larder presses too.

This! I hate washing a frying pan and having to tilt it to clean it. Always causes a mess.
Currently designing a kitchen. My first thing was no upper cabinets. They just make the space more closed in than is necessary.
Someone mentioned pop up sockets, very gimmicky. I've opted to put the sockets into the riser. The riser is the same wood as the countertop so it should look better than plugs mounted on the wall.
Drawers instead of cupboards for the most part however have a large cupboard for pots which you can hang on hooks. Much easier than trying to stack them.

Zaph

seannash wrote: »

Someone mentioned pop up sockets, very gimmicky. I've opted to put the sockets into the riser. The riser is the same wood as the countertop so it should look better than plugs mounted on the wall.

If you're doing this just remember that a lot of appliances have quite inflexible molding where the cable meets the plug, so you don't want to get caught out with sockets that won't take the plugs of some of the appliances you planned to use there. In this case you may have no option but to go with at least some wall sockets.

And just to reiterate what was mentioned above about the sink, go as big as you need for your biggest baking tray/roasting dish, and include a half sink too if you can. My wife wasn't convinced when we were choosing a sink that either a big one or a half sink was absolutely necessary, but she was quickly converted when she started using them.

seannash

Zaph wrote: »

If you're doing this just remember that a lot of appliances have quite inflexible molding where the cable meets the plug, so you don't want to get caught out with sockets that won't take the plugs of some of the appliances you planned to use there. In this case you may have no option but to go with at least some wall sockets.

And just to reiterate what was mentioned above about the sink, go as big as you need for your biggest baking tray/roasting dish, and include a half sink too if you can. My wife wasn't convinced when we were choosing a sink that either a big one or a half sink was absolutely necessary, but she was quickly converted when she started using them.

Yeah we're leaving room for that alright.

lawred2

blindside88 wrote: »

We’ve just had a new kitchen fitted last week. I’ll echo what has been said a couple of times.

1. Deep pot drawers under counter level. We have one beside the dishwasher and it’s a peg drawer for taking crockery. Best decision we made, dishwasher unloaded in seconds into it.
2. Large larder press with pull out drawers takes a massive amount of usable storage
3. Ovens at eye level save all the bending down when cooking
4. Carousel or similar unit in corner press to avoid items being pushed to the back and never seen again

Best of luck with your new kitchen

What's a peg drawer?

seannash

lawred2 wrote: »

What's a peg drawer?

I'm wondering what the advantage is. If the plates fit with the pegs there won't they fit without the pegs. I'm assuming all the plates stack as normal also.

meeeeh

seannash wrote: »

I'm wondering what the advantage is. If the plates fit with the pegs there won't they fit without the pegs. I'm assuming all the plates stack as normal also.

Pegs are supposed to keep them in place. We have them but I'm not sure pegs were ever needed to prevent plates crashing into each other.

Anyway insinkerator is what I wouldn't be without. It just makes food prep and cleaning so much easier. In general I think you have to adapt kitchen to your needs. If you like cooking easy access beats streamlined look. If you like everything clean looking then you need plenty of presses for appliances. I like pull out baskets for pantry press because I 'm known to just stuff things in and I need good access to see what I have.

Muahahaha

Zaph wrote: »

And just to reiterate what was mentioned above about the sink, go as big as you need for your biggest baking tray/roasting dish, and include a half sink too if you can. My wife wasn't convinced when we were choosing a sink that either a big one or a half sink was absolutely necessary, but she was quickly converted when she started using them.

Zaph what do you use the half sink for, mainly handwashing and the other for dishes?

seannash wrote: »

Currently designing a kitchen. My first thing was no upper cabinets. They just make the space more closed in than is necessary.board for pots which you can hang on hooks. Much easier than trying to stack them.

Yeah Im going with 2 x 2.5m long open wooden floating shelves above the countertop to hold things like plates, cups, glasses and the odd appliance that doesnt get used every day like a stand mixer. Will also be a good spot for growing herbs as one end of the shelving is close to a window. Like yourself I think open shelves give a better feeling of space and much better access than opening/ closing high presses to get stuff . The hobs will be on the opposite side of the kitchen from the open shelves so (hopefully) there will be no issues of grease getting on plates, cups, etc. The wall the shelves are on will be a kind of feature wall in that I'm tiling it with brick slip tiles and then putting a led lightstrip under the shelves to shine upon the brick tiles at night time.

On sinks- can anyone think of a bad reason for not going with a draining board? Im short on space and feel a draining board takes up a fair bit of space for little overall benefit when 90% of stuff goes through the dishwasher. It would mean drying stuff like chopping boards/pots/pans after washing rather than drip dry but I think thats a small inconvenience in exchange for gaining more counter space. Thoughts?

blindside88

lawred2 wrote: »

What's a peg drawer?

See pic attached, the pegs can be placed where ever you want to stop plates and bowls sliding around. The pegs themselves may not be necessary to stop this but I find them handy

meeeeh

Muahahaha wrote: »

Zaph what do you use the half sink for, mainly handwashing and the other for dishes?

If you have soapy water in main sink you can pour remains of the tea or coffee into other sink. Single sink very impractical for me. We actually have sink with half sink on wall side used for washing and single sink on the island besides dishwasher with before mentioned insinkerator attachment. That one is used for food prep and scraping food remains off dishes before they go into dishwasher. but we were not stuck for kitchen space.

Also invest in a good kitchen tap (pull out or similar and spray nozzle). They save you a lot of hassle.

What kind of a work top are you going for. If it's stone or reconstituted stone they can grind a few groves into the area beside sink and you can avoid draining board. Also Joseph and Joseph do cool enough draining rack that can be put away when not needed.

greenttc

actually, i second the waste disposal unit, dont know why i didn't think of it originally, i could never ever live without one now, soooooo handy for food prep, just throw everything in. except for things like banana skins and celery and also stones like avocado and mango stones. everything else is gone within seconds. I was slightly hesitant about drain blockages but have not had any problems in five years so i know believe that it really does pulverize stuff to a small enough consistency. have to say though we dont put any significant amount of animal waste or fats or grease in it, mainly fruit and veg peelings etc.

Muahahaha

Thanks meeeh, that explains it well.

On the Insinkerator- would you say that having one of these eliminates completely the need for a brown food waste bin in the kitchen? My main waste is stuff like coffee grinds, fruit and veg peels. The idea of putting chicken bones down the sink plug hole sounds bizarre to me but is it up to the task like they claim? If so I think thats a bit of a game changer as it negates the need for a stinky brown food waste bin in the kitchen that has to be emptied out regularly even if there is not much in it.

meeeeh

Muahahaha wrote: »

Thanks meeeh, that explains it well.

On the Insinkerator- would you say that having one of these eliminates completely the need for a brown food waste bin in the kitchen? My main waste is stuff like coffee grinds, fruit and veg peels. The idea of putting chicken bones down the sink plug hole sounds bizarre to me but is it up to the task like they claim? If so I think thats a bit of a game changer as it negates the need for a stinky brown food waste bin in the kitchen that has to be emptied out regularly even if there is not much in it.

I did put some chicken bones through it once and while it did munch them and there were no blockages it did not sound healthy. Also if you decide to go for one spend a bit of money on it and buy more powerful one. We had a cheaper one and it was noisy and prone to clogging when I was putting through loads of potato peel (when cooking for more than four people). I didn't try chicken bones in current one and while I suspect there wouldn't major issues don't like doing it.

greenttc

only small bones would go into it really, well, at least i only put small bones in mine. as I was saying, when i try put things like the stone of a mango in it doesnt really work to grind them up so I imagine that a larger bone would struggle in the same way. we rarely use our brown bin, its all garden waste and banana skins and large stones from fruit!

oh, actually the only other things that my disposal unit didnt like actually was fine rice noodles if you have good clump of them, that needed unblocking for some reason!

have read egg shells arent a good idea as they turn into sand and sit at the bottom of your drain but I have never heeded the warning and have never had a problem and I use plenty of eggs!

Muahahaha

meeeeh wrote: »

Also invest in a good kitchen tap (pull out or similar and spray nozzle). They save you a lot of hassle.

What kind of a work top are you going for. If it's stone or reconstituted stone they can grind a few groves into the area beside sink and you can avoid draining board. Also Joseph and Joseph do cool enough draining rack that can be put away when not needed.

Re kitchen tap- are you referring to one of these ?



Re counter top- I havent yet decided but at the moment Im leaning towards getting a custom made 304 food grade stainless steel countertop, similar to a professional kitchen. Im still himming and hawing on this decision as I love the look of stainless steel countertops but fear it would scratch easily in heavily used areas and then not look great in 2 or 3 years time. Ive to do more research but theres not a lot of info out there about people using stainless steel countertops in a domestic setting.

Muahahaha

greenttc wrote: »

only small bones would go into it really, well, at least i only put small bones in mine. as I was saying, when i try put things like the stone of a mango in it doesnt really work to grind them up so I imagine that a larger bone would struggle in the same way. we rarely use our brown bin, its all garden waste and banana skins and large stones from fruit!

oh, actually the only other things that my disposal unit didnt like actually was fine rice noodles if you have good clump of them, that needed unblocking for some reason!

have read egg shells arent a good idea as they turn into sand and sit at the bottom of your drain but I have never heeded the warning and have never had a problem and I use plenty of eggs!

Ah right thanks that clarifies things a lot, I think Im sold on one now I dont have kids so theres very little food waste in this house, whats on the plate gets all eaten so its just fruit and veg peels, coffee grinds and the odd time small chicken wng or fish bones.

On banana skins though- does the manufacturer say not to put these down or does it struggle with them or something? Bananas are something I always have in the house. Also apple cores, how does it handle them?

rushfan

Interesting thread this, anyone any thoughts on the Quoccker tap?

meeeeh

Muahahaha wrote: »

Re kitchen tap- are you referring to one of these ?



Re counter top- I havent yet decided but at the moment Im leaning towards getting a custom made 304 food grade stainless steel countertop, similar to a professional kitchen. Im still himming and hawing on this decision as I love the look of stainless steel countertops but fear it would scratch easily in heavily used areas and then not look great in 2 or 3 years time. Ive to do more research but theres not a lot of info out there about people using stainless steel countertops in a domestic setting.

Yeah that's the type of tap I was talking about but even pull out taps would work if that one is too high. I have both and type in your link is much handier.

I think part of the attraction of stainless steel counter top is that it it kind off buffs and becomes less shinny so I wouldn't overly worry about scratches. every type of surfaces will have it's pluses and minuses. Whatever you do, do not go for white marble because it soaks up anything. Anyway you still don't need to have sink with draining board. Just buy something that you can plonk on the counter when needed.

greenttc

yes supposedly banana skins and things like celery that have stringy fibres can get caught up around the blades so I have never tried them out of fear!

unfortunately we have lots of food waste with two very small children so our unit is well used!

Muahahaha

rushfan wrote: »

Interesting thread this, anyone any thoughts on the Quoccker tap?

Im keen to hear real life feedback on them myself but dont think I will go for one. Kettles boil so fast these days and Im usually doing something else when it does anyway. I think they are circa €500 so a lot of money to pay for just boiling water on tap. Plus you've the energy costs associated with keeping water at a constant near boil too.And then you're not going to leave it on all night boiling so needs to be switched on/off every day or several times a day for use in the morning then later in the evening. They seem like a great idea but also a bit of an indulgance. Maybe for large familes who are tea/coffee addicts they are a good purchase but I dont fit that description.

meeeeh wrote: »

I think part of the attraction of stainless steel counter top is that it it kind off buffs and becomes less shinny so I wouldn't overly worry about scratches. every type of surfaces will have it's pluses and minuses.

Yeah I suppose scratches add character. Was just a bit worried about spending a lot of money on something that could look like crap in a few years time. Stainless steel countertops are not really sold for domestic use yet, I can see them getting more popular and mainstream kitchen companies making them but for now theres nothing out there. A salesman in Noyeks Kitchens told me that they dont sell them but are getting asked if they do by a lot of folks lately. He said they are looking into sourcing them but nothing yet. So for now it means getting it made in a metal fabricators who supply them for commercial kitchens, ergo the prices of them are not cheap.

greenttc wrote: »

yes supposedly banana skins and things like celery that have stringy fibres can get caught up around the blades so I have never tried them out of fear!

unfortunately we have lots of food waste with two very small children so our unit is well used!

Regarding the unit itself, is it possible to easily open up and clean any gunk inside from the blades? If I had one Id probably still throw banana skins into it and clean it out periodically if possible. As said the main selling point for me on them is not having any need for a stinky brown bin so it would be great to be able to put all the different kinds of waste I have down into it.

meeeeh

I have no problems with dropping celery down. Bananas mostly go into bin but only because it can be more convenient (bin is two steps away from fruit bowl in our kitchen). Every so I just fill full sink of water, turn it on and it cleans the unit. Blades are easily accessible and I pulled out bits of Lego on numerous occasions.

greenttc

we dont usually end up with any gunk in our disposal unit s everything is washed away. you just make sure that you get some citrus peel going through it to clean them really! you can/do take off the rubber ring that is at the entrance to the plug hole and I take out any trapped items with a metal tongs every now and again (dont ask me how but we have had a penny or two get in there a few times and then the fruit stones as described earlier) but honestly beyond the orange peels and taking out ungrindable items it doesnt get cleaned at all and it looks shiny and new when you look in.

looksee

I ended up taking out the pegs from the peg drawers, I found everything just stayed in piles where you put them, so they were not necessary.

On counter tops, I had a beechwood one, looked lovely but not if you have a messy family, you have to mind it. Family member has a marble one, nice but not sufficiently different to be worth the price, for me anyway. Next kitchen will go back to good quality synthetic.

Marcusm

Muahahaha wrote: »

You've almost read my mind with this post. Have been skeptical with bins in a drawer as I just think a free standing bin is more convenient. Also with the benches, Im tall myself and find the standard 80cm benches give me a pain in the back from leaning over when prepping. So will definitely get higher cabinets than the norm. And the pantry press is essential, Im limited in space but hoping to have a narrow tall one with about 6 or 8 shelves that slides outwards for easy access to ingredients.

Can I ask why you prefer induction over gas? Thinking of going induction myself but do like how gas is easily controllable.

Induction is easily as controllable as gas but with a flat glass cleaning surface. None of those wells as in a gas job. Doesn’t matter how much effort you make to clean them they will not be as clean as I ruction. Plus you’ve spent hours cleaning them.

Marcusm

L1011 wrote: »

If you cook using a wok frequently, or don't want to have to potentially replace some other cookware; avoid induction.

A wok is in the air a lot of the time not in contact, it won't (can't) be getting any heat at all from induction during that time.

Suspect there'll be a push to get people off using gas for emissions reasons soon enough so if that's your concern, induction all the way

There are Michelin starred chefs working entirely off induction now, and I suspect it makes the kitchen a slightly less hot working environment

Your wok which is in the air is hardly using gas efficiently! Induction works by proximity not contact.

Marcusm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Thanks meeeh, that explains it well.

On the Insinkerator- would you say that having one of these eliminates completely the need for a brown food waste bin in the kitchen? My main waste is stuff like coffee grinds, fruit and veg peels. The idea of putting chicken bones down the sink plug hole sounds bizarre to me but is it up to the task like they claim? If so I think thats a bit of a game changer as it negates the need for a stinky brown food waste bin in the kitchen that has to be emptied out regularly even if there is not much in it.

Massively inefficient and environmentally unfriendly! I ditched the ibsinkerator when designing my new kitchen.

Marcusm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Re kitchen tap- are you referring to one of these ?



Re counter top- I havent yet decided but at the moment Im leaning towards getting a custom made 304 food grade stainless steel countertop, similar to a professional kitchen. Im still himming and hawing on this decision as I love the look of stainless steel countertops but fear it would scratch easily in heavily used areas and then not look great in 2 or 3 years time. Ive to do more research but theres not a lot of info out there about people using stainless steel countertops in a domestic setting.

I had a stainless steel countertop in my first flat back in 2002. Never again. From the second month it just looked dull and messy. I never cut anything on it, bought pot racks so nothing hot was ever placed on it but it just looked messy, scratchy etc.

I’ve had solid wood block in my next place and now true Carrera marble. Although the porous marble dulls, shows scratches, cloudy spots from where my sister in law placed a cut lemon on it, i’d Still have it before the steel. Wood was the best worktop i’ve Had but I would not have it with my current set up (design wise).

Marcusm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Im keen to hear real life feedback on them myself but dont think I will go for one. Kettles boil so fast these days and Im usually doing something else when it does anyway. I think they are circa €500 so a lot of money to pay for just boiling water on tap. Plus you've the energy costs associated with keeping water at a constant near boil too.And then you're not going to leave it on all night boiling so needs to be switched on/off every day or several times a day for use in the morning then later in the evening. They seem like a great idea but also a bit of an indulgance. Maybe for large familes who are tea/coffee addicts they are a good purchase but I dont fit that description.



Yeah I suppose scratches add character. Was just a bit worried about spending a lot of money on something that could look like crap in a few years time. Stainless steel countertops are not really sold for domestic use yet, I can see them getting more popular and mainstream kitchen companies making them but for now theres nothing out there. A salesman in Noyeks Kitchens told me that they dont sell them but are getting asked if they do by a lot of folks lately. He said they are looking into sourcing them but nothing yet. So for now it means getting it made in a metal fabricators who supply them for commercial kitchens, ergo the prices of them are not cheap.



Regarding the unit itself, is it possible to easily open up and clean any gunk inside from the blades? If I had one Id probably still throw banana skins into it and clean it out periodically if possible. As said the main selling point for me on them is not having any need for a stinky brown bin so it would be great to be able to put all the different kinds of waste I have down into it.

A mate had a quookker installed. Other than for pot washing and getting v hot water to boil quicker, he gave up on it quite quickly. No matter how much you spend he found the water was not quite hit enough for black tea or for coffee.

As regards the brown bin, I ditched the indoor bin quite quickly and I use the endless supply of paper bags I seem to get from local shops. The paper bag can simply be dropped in the bin when heading out each morning. Obviously you can’t put completely liquid things into it.

Zaph

Muahahaha wrote: »

Zaph what do you use the half sink for, mainly handwashing and the other for dishes?

meeeeh wrote: »

If you have soapy water in main sink you can pour remains of the tea or coffee into other sink.

That's pretty much it. Invariably you find you have something that needs to be drained when you have a sink full with washing up or whatever, and the second sink is handy for pouring liquids down. It's not big enough to do washing up in itself, despite them generally being called a "sink and a half", it's really less than a quarter the size of the main sink.

As regards a draining board, we got a quartz worktop and had grooves cut into it. That way your washing up still drains, but when there are no dishes there you effectively have more counter space. Quartz has an advantage over marble in that it isn't porous, so it won't absorb any liquids on it. Unfortunately marble does, so you could end up with stains.

For the brown bin, we got one of these. It has a replaceable filter in the lid, and the bags for it are bio-degradable. Not necessarily cheap, but it very rarely smells (maybe if we're away for the weekend and forget to empty it beforehand), and is neat and compact on the corner of our worktop.

meeeeh

Zaph wrote: »

As regards a draining board, we got a quartz worktop and had grooves cut into it. That way your washing up still drains, but when there are no dishes there you effectively have more counter space. Quartz has an advantage over marble in that it isn't porous, so it won't absorb any liquids on it. Unfortunately marble does, so you could end up

I agree. Two of my friends work (partly own) a marble producer which supplies marble for luxury yachts and big hotels. Both have plenty of marble in their houses, some very expensive cuts and none is white.