The Efficient Kitchen

Staying put this Memorial Weekend or attempting to spring-clean your house before Summer is upon us? Cooking Light magazine offers some great tips on how to transform a cluttered kitchen into a streamlined, efficient space for cooking and entertaining. Here’s how:

Install rollouts. When kitchen designer Susan Templer, of Templer Interiors in San Francisco, “works with clients on total kitchen remodels, she recommends rollout shelves and trays, which she considers some of the most efficient tools for cooks. Look for aftermarket versions that will transform a low, deep, hard-to-access cabinet into a well-organized drawer space for stacking heavy pots and pans.

Store utensils smartly. When counter space is at a premium, sometimes a ceramic pitcher of spoons and spatulas, however charming, doesn’t make the cut. In these cases, Templer recommends installing a rail system with simple hooks for attaching ladles, tongs, and spoons. “I like rail systems on the wall on either side of the range, but avoid installing it behind the range since the utensils will get dirty,” she says (from $12; 888-266-8246, www.thecontainerstore.com).

Put away the underused. Store seasonal cooking accessories, such as grilling spices and holiday cookie cutters, in separate plastic bins to keep them organized. Then “store the containers someplace high up, like over the fridge, in the back of a cabinet, or in a pantry,” kitchen designer Michelle Russell, of Atria Studio in Chicago says. This will free up space for your everyday items, and when you need to, say, decorate a cake, you’ll be able to find everything you need for that task in one place.

Use cabinet dividers. Maximize storage space in deep under-counter cabinets by installing dividers. Such metal or plastic partitions divide the space from top to bottom so that you can line up all of your vertical storage-trays, lids, and cutting boards-in one section and small electrics like coffee grinders and juicers in another (from $8; 800-667-8721, www.kitchensource.com).”

Want more great tips, from taming the coupon clutter to grouping the spices and oils you used the most, check out “The Efficient Kitchen” on CookingLight.com.

Fresh from KBIS

We’ve blogged about the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) before, and as many of you know, the world’s largest kitchen-and-bath trade show took place last week in Chicago. But today, we wanted to share with you the winners of the 2010 “Best of KBIS” competition and take a look at some of the products–each introduced in the last 12 months–that were awarded for their functionality, quality/durability, flexibility, aesthetics/style and innovation:

Best of Show: Integrated Wine Storage from Liebherr

Best of Bath: TOTO’s eco-powered Aimes Shower Lighting System

Universal Design was a new category introduced at the competition. Here, the Best of Universal Design:  HealthCraft Products‘ Invisia Collection

To see more of the winners from this year’s show, visit Kitchen & Bath Business magazine online for “Best of KBIS Winners.”

2010 Kitchen Design Guide

There’s a reason the kitchen-and-bath industry remains strong despite a sluggish economy. As an article in Custom Home concludes, kitchens “remain tantalizing objects of desire for most Americans. And they still attract discretionary spending when homeowners feel the need to upgrade. When building anew, they are a prime focus of design energy and product decision making.”

From incorporating sustainable products and a return to simplicity to allowing the placement of cabinets to drive the kitchen’s gathering space toward the center with a furniture-like island, check out Custom Home’s 2010 Kitchen + Bath Design Guide that proves the heart of the home is alive and well!

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