How do you turn a rough ‘n’ weather-beaten galley into a well-organized kitchen like the ones we’ve seen get brought to life after the owner of the restaurant in question has been thoroughly berated by Gordon Ramsey?
Mind you, many chefs and entrepreneurs nowadays turn their kitchen into galley look-alikes – intentionally. (It is one heck of a retro look, though, it’s got to be admitted.)
There’s a learning curve to refurbishing an area as big as a kitchen, but one thing is certain – you can’t start learnin’ if you, well, don’t start at all.
In this article, we’re going to talk about the importance of giving your beloved kitchen a serious and thorough makeover by installing high-quality cooking-related contraptions, changing the décor of the place, as well as reshaping some of the parts of the room itself.
Right then folks, without further ado, here’s the deal.
Pro Outfitting Tips from Restaurant Kitchens
1) Stainless Steel Tools and Appliances
Before you decide whether or not you feel ready to change up the arrangement of your stove, fridge, and other tools and contraptions around your kitchen, here’s a word of advice – make sure all of it (or at least a fair chunk) is made out of stainless steel.
This means getting rid of some of the old knives and pots that are beginning to show signs of rust, as well as discarding and sinks and other working surfaces prone to oxidation and rusting over time. The thing is, having rust on your tools and other items you regularly use in cooking can not only be unsightly but also represents a considerable health risk.
So, in order to ensure all your cutlery and pots ‘n’ pans look pretty, and that an inspection from the depths of hell won’t close your place for sanitary reasons – equip yourself with high-quality stainless steel working tools. These may be pricey, but well worth the investment in the long run.
2) A Swing Service Door
This is a pro’s touch, indeed.
Installing a swing door as an entrance to your kitchen will not only make the entire thing look more stylish, but more importantly – more accessible than just a standard door.
The idea behind this simple but useful door design choice would be that the folks zipping in and out of a kitchen usually have their hands full. So, it’s not surprising that opening the door easily with your foot or by simply nudging it with your elbow will seem like quite an interesting prospect to a waiter or a cook carrying a steaming hot pot of shrimp stew.
Of course, there’s also the fact that to the onlookers from outside, this door arrangement possesses a certain je ne sais quoi air of professionalism.
3) Multi-Leveled Shelves
One of the secondary pieces of furniture you can never have enough of in a kitchen would be the shelves.
Whether it’s storing your spices, a couple of frozen chicken breasts you are just about to use in a dish or arranging your ladles from the smallest to the largest, you can never run out of shelf space.
Indeed, there’s always a bowl of finely cut garlic or a plate with only a spoon’s worth of soupe à l’oignon that you just poured to see if it’s spicy enough, or a can of beans you need to open in a minute – just waiting for you to move it somewhere because it’s always in the way.
So, you might as well place these items on a nearby shelf and then hopefully not forget where you put it. (As long as you assign a purpose to every shelf, you will always know where your stuff is around the kitchen. So, a little bit of organization early on goes a long way.)
4) Wall Oven
If you want to be a proper pro at preparing palate-pleasing dishes, installing an oven in your kitchen is a must. What makes the difference between experienced chefs and mere rookies, however, is where you place it. (Well, not really, but wall ovens do look quite cool. Plus, they’re more accessible because you don’t have to crouch to take out heavy pieces of meat out, for example.)
You see, most restaurant kitchens place their ovens in the middle of a wall, rather than just having it sit on the floor, so you can do that yourself and make your kitchen look more professional. It will be more professional, too.
Just make sure to have a wall of your choice prepared for this purpose and ensure you’ve taken all matters regarding fire safety and protection in consideration.
The bottom line, turning your regular run of the mill kitchen into a professional cooking room that no restaurant would be ashamed of takes some resources, planning, and a bit of patience. The important thing is to start making changes, no matter how small, and then work your way to more elaborate redesign feats as you progress.
