You have your pretty mixing bowls, you have that stunning Kitchenaid you’ve always wanted. What you need right now is a well-designed kitchen to help you live out your passion as a bona fide baker. Here are some pointers to keep in mind when you are getting your kitchen ready and prepped for your baking days.
Interior Designer: Ark Interior
KITCHEN DESIGN
GO WIDE AND BIG
The most important criteria for your kitchen? To have plenty of storage space and a wide working area. So make sure your kitchen has big and wide spaces for your tools and ares for you to mix, roll, pound, mound, decorate and more.
KEEP IT COOL
Consider installing an air conditioner in your kitchen – the ideal baking kitchen should be kept cool at all times so that your ingredients don’t melt easily under the heat of your oven. Or opt for an open concept layout to direct cool air from the living or dining room if installing an air conditioner is not an option.
Interior designer: Project File
HAVE A GOOD COUNTERTOP
A smooth, even and cool countertop is necessary. Skip uneven surfaces like wood grains – you don’t want to end up with wood texture on your cookie dough! Go for solid countertops in quartz – these can withstand high temperatures and knocks, as well as doesn’t stain easily from food colourings.
OPT FOR A GOOD KITCHEN SYSTEM
BLUM kitchen systems come in super handy when your hands are dusted with flour or stained with food colouring. Just push and your drawer pops up for you to get to what you need.
Interior designer: Habit
PLAN YOUR SHELVES
Keep frequently used items like flour, baking wares, moulds and tins on open shelves that are easy to reach. Store perishable items like nuts in a closed-door pantry. Make sure you group your items together for better organisation – spices in one drawer, decorative items in another.
Interior designer: Zara @ Isoteam
DON’T SKIMP ON THE POWERPOINTS
Plan enough powerpoints in your kitchen – you’ll need them for the multiple food appliances you may be using.
GO FOR WHITE LIGHTING
These are better for baking, especially if you have to handle food colouring often.
Interior designer: Vegas Interior Design
APPLIANCES
GET A BIG FRIDGE
You’ll need all that extra storage for your ingredients. Also, make sure it is wide enough to fit your biggest baking tray if you need to chill before baking. Otherwise, get a separate fridge for all your baking goods as cakes and bread absorb smells of other food easily when put together. You wouldn’t want your strawberry cake to smell of other (fishy) food.
GET A GOOD OVEN
The most important tool for bakers! Shop around for a good built-in oven with proper fan circulation so you end up with stunning cakes all the time.
Interior Designer: Fatema Design Studio
INVEST IN A DISHWASHER
Baking ware can get really oily – and a chore to wash down if you have tons of them piling up. A dishwasher is a lifesaver – just pop in your used tools and wares, and the job gets done for you. Plus, dishwasher uses hot water, which is a proper way to clean oily wares.
Tip: If that is not an option, use hot water to rinse your wares before washing them with soap and water.
PLAN FOR A BIG SINK
Baking wares are bulky. You’ll need a big and deep sink to fit all of your tools and baking trays. Also, get a faucet that moves around so that you can easily jet water to the dirty areas.
Interior designer: M3 Studio
HAVE THE ESSENTIAL TOOLS
OWN A GOOD WEIGHING MACHINE
Unlike cooking where you can guess-timate, baking is a science where the measurements have to be 100 per cent accurate. To do this, you’ll need a good weighing machine for exact measurements. Think of getting a digital machine that will let you measure down to the decimal points.
GET A THERMOMETER
Sometimes, your oven can act up and distribute too much or uneven heat when baking. If you’re serious about your baking, get yourself a thermometer to double check the temperature each time.
Interior designer: The Interior Lab
Now, you are all gear up to make your first artisanal bakes. What would it be? ☺
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