In a well-designed kitchen, cooking flows as smoothly as a Cole Porter tune. Too often, however, a cook's needs and her setup are out of sync. The following lays out kitchens that work for different cooking styles. Pick yours.
THE DAILY COOK
For you, an efficient setup is all about access and speed - quick in, quick out.
Strategies:
* Keep necessities within easy reach.
Make a place in the hot zone (around the stove and the sink) for the essentials: oil, vinegar, knives, cutting board. Move special-occasion cookware, like a fondue pot, out of cabinets in the zone. And ask not where ingredients and tools fit; ask where you will be using them. Keep the basket of potatoes near the cutting board, sugar and flour near the stand mixer, and your best-loved pan on the front burner.
* Use under-cabinet space.
Under-cabinet lighting strips (attached with screws or double-stick Velcro) keep the focus on the onions at hand. A battery-operated version won't dangle a cord or steal an outlet from the microwave. An under-shelf cookbook holder pulls down when you need it and folds back up when you don't.
* Put the walls to work.
Put up racks or pegs to keep favorite utensils, the dinner recipe, pot holders and dish towels in plain sight.
Products to consider:
* Under-cabinet cookbook holder that flips up out of the way when not in use.
* Pull-out recycler with two bins on a sliding rack.
* Wood cookware rack storage stand to keep pot lids tidy in cupboards.
* Under-the-cabinet light fixture.
THE SUNDAY COOK
When you're too busy on most nights to cook, one weekend session - making dinners in bulk and freezing portions for weekdays - reduces daily stress.
Strategies:
* Keep essentials front and center.
In this case, essentials means stackable storage containers, large plastic mixing bowls and other tools of the bulk cook's trade.
* Invest in equipment.
Where others might station the toaster, the Sunday cook has a food sealer - just the thing for turning blanched green beans, fish fillets and muffins into future instant meals. A scale is useful for weighing ingredients, which some cooks consider a faster and more reliable way to measure for bulk recipes. A calculator speeds the doubling and tripling of recipes.
* Organize the freezer.
Make designated sections (prepared meals, vegetables, desserts). Use dividers, baskets or multilayer ice caddies to keep containers neat and accessible. Same-size holders take up less space overall. And be sure to label everything.
Products to consider:
* An apron with a pocket for the timer, the calculator or your cell phone.
* Erasable labels that won't come off in the freezer, microwave or dishwasher.
* Freezer storage baskets - one deep, one shallow.
* Food sealer.
THE ENTERTAINER
If you're a cook who enjoys performing before an audience, all the kitchen's a stage. Create an illusion of effortlessness that belies a tightly organized support system behind the scenes.
Strategies:
* Set a mood.
Using clear vases for a theatrical display of fresh herbs or beautiful bowls for picture-perfect produce will whet guests' appetites while signaling that this is an occasion. Install a dimmer to bring the lighting down to party mode, and if you entertain regularly, consider built-in speakers to keep the music flowing through the kitchen.
* Use glass cupboard doors for display.
Glass-front cabinets can showcase what you love most, whether it's your best china or a ceramic-cow collection.
* Keep party gear handy.
Create a place for platters and trays - with dividers to maintain order - so you don't have to hunt for them while the bruschetta turns soggy. Give candles, place mats, and other table toppers a dedicated drawer. Use an index-card box to store recipes, past menus, friends' food preferences or wine labels.
Products to consider:
* 18-inch tray dividers in chrome with clips and screws to fix them in place.
* Spring-loaded dividers for drawers.
* Nesting boxes
* 60-minute kitchen timer, which can be useful for pacing the evening. For example, when it rings, it's time to warm the rolls.
