6 Vital Components Every Kitchen Should Have

A kitchen is one of the most important rooms of your home and where you likely spend a tremendous amount of time, especially if you are passionate about cooking or if you also eat your meals in your kitchen.

What Is a Kitchen? 

A kitchen's most important feature is being a place to prepare and cook food, possibly eat it too. It is also where food is stored and where the dishes that had been used while cooking and eating are cleaned.

Also note the differences between a kitchen and a kitchenette. The latter is not only smaller, but it also tends to contain much smaller versions of similar items that are usually found in a kitchen, such as a mini-fridge and a hot plate.

6 Vital Components of a Kitchen

Here are six of the vital components that every kitchen should have.

Multiple Cutting Boards

Whether you use plastic or wood cutting boards depends on a number of factors. For example, wood ones tend to be durable while plastic cutting boards are usually more affordable.

Regardless, it is important to get multiple ones, at least two. That is because you should cut fruits and vegetables on a different one than what is used to cut meat. The most important reason why is that you do not want to transfer any pathogens from the meat being cut into the salad that you are also preparing.

Make sure to regularly wash your cutting boards and replace them once they begin to wear.

Oven Mitts and Pot Holders

You must protect yourself when taking hot trays and pots out of the oven or off of burners on your stove if they do not have safe handles to grab. That is where oven mitts and pot holders come in.

It is possible to get specialized ones that, for example, have five fingers or feature a non-slip silicon option. Also consider getting oven mitts that are especially long. Ones that exceed a foot in length can ensure that your forearms are protected from any heat exposure as well as your hands.

Stainless Steel Colander 

A colander is essential, particularly if you regularly cook pasta or any other food that needs to be drained of its water before being served. It also allows you to easily rinse off your fruits and vegetables prior to preparing them.

If you get an expandable one, it could be held in place over your sink to help ease this process.

Note that stainless steel colanders are preferred by many for numerous reasons. For example, plastic ones can melt if they are exposed to too much heat, and oil can be difficult to eradicate from cylinder colanders.

Vent Hood

You want to ensure that the air quality in your kitchen is as high as possible, and this can be best assured with the use of a vent hood. It protects you from the carcinogens and irritants that cooking can cause. A vent hood also helps remove carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde from your kitchen's air flow. Conversely, if you do not have a vent hood, those will linger in the air and expand into other rooms.

A vent hood will also help keep grease and related residues from sticking to your floor, walls and cabinets.

Kitchen Timer 

It is important to have a timer to ensure that the delicious food that you are cooking does not end up being overcooked or, for that matter, undercooked. Many recommend getting one that can offer multiple timers simultaneously. That way you can keep track of numerous things that you are cooking, ensuring that they are all removed from the heat or receive hotter or cooler temperatures at the correct times.

Also make sure to get a timer that is designed for kitchen use in that it is protected from messes.

Electricity and Ample Lighting

In today’s time, 9 out of 10 kitchens will have direct access to electricity, unless powered by some alternative energy source such as hydro, solar, etc. The general electric part is moreso a worry that must be addressed by those building their own homes, in which they need to hire an experienced electric contractor or electrician to help them in setting up and distributing chords, wires and other parts.

Lighting is another no brainer when it comes to your kitchen. Although some areas of your home may be enhanced with darker lighting, that design strategy does not work nearly as well in the kitchen. Here, you want to have access to ample lighting that illuminates every area of the room, ensuring that you can find what you need and that you experience no issues doing cooking-related activities, such as measuring, mixing and cutting.

Of course, you can also offer mood lighting here, which you may want if you also eat in your kitchen. Just ensure that bright light is available for use as well.

Written by Taylor McKnight, Author for Freedom Electric