Today, more and more people prefer going to restaurants to preparing their own food. Some of them don’t have enough time, others don’t like cooking, and the third prefer spending their time differently. However, not everyone feels this way, and you can still be a master in the kitchen even if you lack time or skills. One of the best ways to feel motivated to take your cooking abilities to a new level is by spicing up your kitchen and designing the best cooking space you can. Borrowing inspiration from a professional kitchen works for everyone, so it’s an idea you should take into consideration as well. If you’re not sure how to do that, though, here are a few outfitting tips you could borrow from restaurant kitchens.
Professional countertops
This is the most important thing in any kitchen, and it’s something that will ultimately make or break yours too. Having professional countertops will give you the space for preparing your meals and organising your ingredients, and it’s a feature that has to be high on your list of priorities. In other words, without these countertops, your kitchen will never come close to a professional one.
The only problem with countertops is that not all of them are good enough, and you need to look for the best ones regardless of your cooking skills. When it comes to the materials, there are numerous options you can explore – all of them have their pros and cons, so explore every option carefully and decide which one is going to work for you the most.
Accessible shelves
In professional kitchens, things happen quickly, and speed is just as important as the food. And if chefs can’t react quickly, they don’t react all! That’s why they always keep the essentials close by and try not to waste too much time going through the cabinets and shelves looking for pots, pans, dishes, knives and other valuable pieces of equipment.
Photo by Design Shop Interiors
In order to prevent these problems, lots of people opt for those open shelves that are much more accessible than your regular cabinets. These don’t have to be too complicated or overly expensive, and the point is keeping things as simple as possible. You can even design and install these shelves on your own, but just make sure they’re big enough for all your kitchen necessities.
Stainless appliances
No matter how good a cook you are, your kitchen needs a proper stove, a decent-sized fridge, one of those powerful fire ducts that will extract air from your kitchen, and a few more appliances you’ll use every day of the week. There are lots of models to browse through, but if you want to make your kitchen look like it belongs in a restaurant, there’s only one option – going stainless.
Stainless appliances are visually attractive, hygienic and easy to clean, so maintaining them regularly shouldn’t be a big problem at all. Therefore, when choosing new appliances for your new kitchen, make sure to go stainless all the way, and you’re surely going to create one of the most comfortable and welcoming kitchens in the entire neighbourhood.
Service door
This is something you can see in professional kitchens only – besides on TV, of course – which is why very few people even know about this idea and consider incorporating it in their homes. But, once you realise how amazing service doors are and how much they can benefit your cooking, you’re going to wish you’ve discovered them earlier.
These doors are amazing for two reasons – they come with a porthole window that allows you to stay in the kitchen and look at your guests who are enjoying their meal in the dining room and vice versa, and you can open and close them with literally zero effort, which makes getting in and out of the kitchen much easier. This is particularly important when carrying a ton of food in your hands, so such a door is definitely an idea worth considering.
Magnetic knife racks
A magnetic knife rack is another common sight in restaurant kitchens, and it’s probably one of the most practical and useful ideas out there. It’s not just an effective way to organise your knives and always keep them close, but also a cool image – especially if you have one of those massive butcher knives!
There are lots of places where you can hang your knives, from the space above your sink and behind the stove to your backsplash and your window frame. The point is keeping knives close by, so just find the area where you spend the most time and place your magnetic rack there.
Borrowing ideas from professional restaurants and introducing them into your kitchen might not always be easy, but it’s definitely possible, so go to a restaurant, visit the kitchen and you’ll get inspired straight away! If you are a bit hesitant about having all of this pro equipment installed (especially the knives), you can try doing a safety course and learning all the pro standards as well, just to make sure you take the most important part of your kitchen to pro level as well – yourself.