OK, now we know what the primary zones are. So, how do we design a kitchen keeping them in mind?
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Prep Zone...works best when it contains a water source (sink) and is next to or across an aisle no more than 48" wide or so from the Cooking Zone.
Trash & recycle bins should also be in the Prep Zone. More trash and recyclables are generated during prepping and cooking and for much longer work time than cleaning up, so place the trash/recycling in the Prep Zone and near the Cooking Zone.
It should have a minimum of 36" of counter space (with at least 42" much, much better) that is next to a sink that is uninterrupted by the Cleanup Zone (dirty dish "storage").
If you have only one sink, then the Prep Zone is on the side of the sink opposite from the DW. (The DW side of the sink is the Cleanup Zone in this scenario.)
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Cooking Zone...works best when next to/across from the Prep Zone (see Prep Zone). It's also nice to have a water source as well as trash & recycling nearby. Note that a pot-filler does not count as a water source since pot-fillers do not have a drain, a sink bowl, or access to both hot and cold water.
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Cleanup Zone...works best when separated from the Prep & Cooking Zones. This can be on the opposite side of a one-sink kitchen from the Prep Zone or it could be in a completely separate location (the latter usually only works well if you have two sinks). Obviously, it also needs a water source and the DW.
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What else do we need to keep in mind regarding planning a kitchen and zones?
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Dish Storage...works best when it's near the DW and near the serving/eating locations (island, DR, Nook, etc.) but out of the Prep and Cooking Zones. You don't want someone setting the table or unloading the DW to get in your way when preparing a meal.
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Food Storage...works best when it's near the "action". It's nice to be able to store staples, etc. at their point-of-use, so food storage can be spread throughout the kitchen. E.g., flour, sugar, etc. in a "Baking Center", spices in the Prep or Cooking Zone, cereal close to where breakfast is eaten, etc.
If you have a dedicated pantry, it's nice to have the pantry near the point where the groceries enter the house as well. Note that pantries should be near the Kitchen but not in the middle of the Kitchen where they interrupt work flow.
Note: Be sure your pantry is in a cool, dry, dark location – that's the best setup for food storage. Heat (from a refrigerator or freezer or even a heat register), moisture, and sunlight (from a window) are enemies of food storage. If your pantry is completely open to the Kitchen – no door – then heat may not be an issue, but sunlight still is.
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Refrigerator...works best on the periphery of the kitchen so it's easily accessed by people working in the kitchen as well as "outsiders" looking for a snack without the "outsiders" getting underfoot of those working in the kitchen. It should also be near the Prep & Cooking Zones and, if possible, near the main meal location(s) for ease of access during mealtime.
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Microwave (MW)...this also works best on the periphery of the kitchen so it's easily accessed by people working in the kitchen as well as "outsiders" looking for a snack without the "outsiders" getting underfoot of those working in the kitchen.
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Zone-crossing - avoid!...When planning zones, etc., try to minimize zone-crossing. For example, if you can avoid it, don't put the refrigerator such that you have to cross through the Cleanup Zone to go between the refrigerator and the Prep or Cooking Zone.
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Protection...of all the zones, the Cooking Zone should be the most protected from through-traffic as well as general-kitchen traffic. The Cooking Zone contains the range/cooktop where you will be dealing with fire (if gas), hot foods, etc. You also do not want to have to cross a busy aisle when taking a pot of boiling water from the range/cooktop to the sink for emptying...or anything else hot, for that matter!
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Detail ideas
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