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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] the homestead kitchen-what would you design?
  • Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 13:40:51 -0500


On May 14, 2008, at 7:50 AM, paxamicus AT earthlink.net wrote:

I am designing and redesigning ideas in my head for my new kitchen.

Does this mean the counter offers are resolved and you will be buying the place?

It's basically just a few cabinets attached to one wall and the oven
plugged in right next to the sink, right now. It wouldn't even take a
sledge hammer to take it all apart, it's all so temporary-looking.

If you were going to design a kitchen, what things would you include?

My Dad always said he'd build in two dishwashers and no dish
cupboards...he'd just rotate dishwashers. This is the same man who
made a recyclables chute out of pvc pipe in the middle of his kitchen
to the bin in the mud room in the basement underneath. : )

Thank you. I've been wrestling with the compost and recyclables design challenge and since you have now given me fresh thinking I will give you free kitchen design advice.

The single most important item is the work triangle. For we gardeners, an added dimension is needed: a place somewhere between the garden beds and the kitchen sink where heavy soil gets rinsed off, like an outside sink or one in a mud room, and heavy, outer leaves and such get tossed into the compost.

Food goes from refrigerator to sink to stove. Consider whether you are you right- or left-handed. You want counter space each step of the way as you move the food and you want to move in your preferred direction. The challenge is between counter space and step space to and from the three major spots. Smaller triangle equals fewer steps, easier prep. The fridge door can hinge from either side.

The Heartwood kitchen has utensils hanging above the front edge of the stove. It also has built-in hanging space for three pots and fry pans. Cover storage is a shelf with slots, covers slip down into the slots. Open front shelves on top. Doors below counters. Drawers versus slide- outs. Veggie prep: from chop block onto stove with cleaver or chef's knife or with hands. Stand-alone chop block or built-in on counter-top?

One thing I really want is a big old pantry, which I think I can get
out of this space.

Consider small doors at back of counter space that allow entry into pantry for often-used stuff. I want a walk-in refrigerator in what is now my pantry, with doors like that.

Also, I am short so I am thinking about making the
work surfaces lower.

By all means. Set up some temp supports and a piece of plywood and practice kneading dough and cutting veggies, adjusting height until it feels perfect. Some people like kneading area lower, and of stone. Size of sink and depth is most important; you spend a lot of time in there.

I'm also thinking about no upper cabinet space at
all, just windows all the way around wherever I can get them and a lot
of under surface storage space.

Not a good idea. You want some upper shelves. What's wrong with that set in the photo? Looks like maybe they are glass fronts? Even a short person will one day tire of bending over to get everything out of under-counter area. Ever had a back strain? In my ideal kitchen, dishes go onto slat or dowel shelves and drip into drain area at side of sink. For stuff used every day a small shelf unit can be suspended from the ceiling away from the walls, like over an island or that wrap- around counter that with a new, wider top can also be used as a breakfast bar.

I want a roll away top, too, so I can
leave the small appliances I use all the time out on the surface, but
I can put them "away" without having to heft them all the time. My
Kitchen Aid gets a lot of good use.

Appliance closets with roll-up doors look nice, especially in a corner.

I am also going to ask Roy to wire the place for sound.

Whoo! I would like "warming rack" somewhere, a warm place to let bread
rise, etc.

Waterbed, stove oven or wall oven with pilot light all work. A hot pad is much less expensive and takes up less space than a dedicated warming rack. I also use the top of a toaster over--bake potatoes while bread is rising. Use heavy bowl, put pad between oven top and bowl bottom.

More later.




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