The Utility Kitchen
It’s a fact of life today that many people rarely cook in their kitchens. Take-out, fast food, deliveries from restaurants and pre-prepared food from the grocery store have all become a regular part of our diets, especially with everyone working and keeping ever busier schedules. Many people who have no interest or time for elaborate cooking use their kitchens as utilitarian storage and simple prep spaces, using the microwave, coffee maker and refrigerator more than chef’s knives or food processors. It makes a lot of sense for these utility kitchens to be designed to facilitate these simple needs.
The characteristics of a utility kitchen include:
- Simple design
- Labor saving appliances
- A floor plan that makes it easy to sit down and watch the news, listen to music or work while waiting for a meal
- Surfaces that are easy to clean with a quick pass of a sponge.
- Basic cooktops and refrigerators with built in hot and cold water taps and ice
- Built in microwaves and small electric convection ovens, espresso machines and other fast, easy to use appliances rather than large, complex, professional quality appliances.
It’s important when planning a utility kitchen to consider those rare times when the owner might want to entertain, even if it’s a meal brought in and heated up. Also it’s typical for the needs of a non-cook to change as they get older and you may want to consider how you’d make the transition to a more functional kitchen in the future.
