PRODUCTS | Kitchens for keen cooks
Cook!
Ready, Steady,
This month we explore how retailers can create the perfect kitchen for keen home chefs, with advice from retailers and manufacturers and a look at some of the latest products on the market. Francesca Seden reports…
and gardens for summer dinner parties and barbecues, and for some homeowners this will mean getting creative in the kitchen. Cooking delicious meals has never been easier, thanks to clever appliance technology that many of us now take for granted. In terms of drivers for growth in this area of the market, a large increase in interest for baking and cooking at home came about through the pandemic when people had little else to do, and it has persisted partly because of cookery shows, but increasingly because of social media. As James Bishton, director of retail
W
sales at Omega points out: “Today there is a rise of cookery channels on YouTube and TikTok. They are more versatile and relatable to the novice cook rather than trying to follow a Michelin-starred chef.” These cookery influencers will no doubt be helping to drive sales of certain appliances too – for example pizza
ovens 54 and hot chocolate
ith spring in full swing we are looking forward to opening our homes
“velvetisers” created by Hotel Chocolat, and now copied by others – which saw a significant uptick in the last couple of years.
What you recommend in terms of appliances and products and where they go – layout and workflow – are of equal importance and should be carefully considered, and this will very much depend on the client and the sort of cooking your clients do.
Designers will often
Take the time to find out how your client likes to cook and how much room is required so you know exactly where to position the wet area and
appliances, as we all have different preferences and
‘cooking’ styles Matt Phillips, head of UK operations, Rotpunkt
suggest having an island with a hob and built-in extractor in a central location in the kitchen as this can make great practical sense where space allows. And it looks
great,
particularly if you add in a breakfast bar at a practical seating height in a contrasting material. A central cooking station, for those that like to show off their cooking prowess, also doubles perfectly as a sort of stage where the chef can create their culinary drama. How you lay out the seating will also be determined by the kind of cook your customer is. If they want audience, then you might want the main dining area adjacent to the cooking zone, whereas if the chef prefers to be left to create the magic on their own, the dining area might be better placed further away, or in a separate room.
Other layouts to consider include, U-shape or wraparound, as well as L-shape, G-shape, and galley, which is very common in smaller properties. All of these layouts are likely to employ the working triangle in some version or another. This tried and tested way of organising the kitchen has changed
little over the past 50 years and some suggest that with all the extra gadgets and gizmos we now have that we should employ a more zonal approach, with different areas for different jobs. While some suggest that those three key elements round which the triangle operates – cooker and hob, fridge, and sink – are obviously still as relevant today, some believe the concept
is outdated. Wickes has
found that the changing use of the kitchen means that the latest design shape requirements can be anything from a triangle to a hexagon and rising to a heptagon for some householders. There are
plenty of other
considerations where layout is concerned. For example, as Symphony Kitchens brand ambassador Peter Sidwell notes: “The right level for your oven is just as important as the location, especially if users live in a multigenerational household. Having a sink and hot-tap combination in an island is a great option too, as it means it’s close to where all the cooking happens.” Rotpunkt’s head of UK operations Matt Phillips adds: “Choosing
· May 2022
Pronteau 4in1 steaming hot water tap from Abode
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