When it comes to designing a kitchen, most clients come to me feeling pretty overwhelmed. They may have found an image or two of something that inspires them, but when it comes down to the technical process of laying out the floor plan, they generally feel baffled about where to start.

The reality is, the look of the kitchen is one of the last things we address. Great kitchen design always starts with function first. A few key questions can provide a lot of clarity when designing your dream kitchen:

HOW DO I LIKE TO COOK?
Do I like roast a variety of dishes in the oven that require various temperatures?
Is important to me to maintain the vitamins and minerals in my food?
Do I grill a lot?
Do I constantly have multiple pots simmering on the range top?
Do I use my microwave very often, and if so, what for?

HOW DO I GROCERY SHOP?
Do I do one weekly shop and buy a lot of produce?
Do I need a lot of freezer space?
How many bottles of wine do I like to have on hand?

Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to consider the sea of options available. Today I’m going to explore them with you by highlighting one of my favourite culinary brands, Thermador.

RANGES + COOKTOPS

 

THERMADOR-RANGE-COOKTOP-OPTIONS
Your range is typically the focal point of the kitchen. The first thing to determine is what size of range your kitchen can accommodate, and then you need to decide how you’d like to configure your burners. Thirdly, you need to decide what cooking methods you’d like to employ.
1. SIZE 
Thermador offers ranges from 30″ all the way up to 60″ wide:
SMALL: For small kitchens, the 30″ Pro Harmony Range is an excellent choice as it gives you five burners over the standard four. There’s also a 36″ option.
MEDIUM: If you’ve got a bit more room and are looking for more cooking options, I love the 48″ Pro Grand Range With Steam as it gives you the best of both worlds – a combi steam + convection oven big enough for your 14 lb turkey next to a traditional convection oven.
LARGE: If you have the room, I definitely recommend stepping up to the 60″ Pro Grand Range with Steam. This one defies the laws of mathematics, as you get a 30″ steam convection oven and a 36″ standard convection oven with only 60″ of width. If you’re not into cooking with steam (although why wouldn’t you be?) you can opt for the Ultimate Entertainer’s Range which has two 30″ convection ovens side by side.

 

2. BURNER CONFIGURATION

In the 48″ and 60″ ranges, you have options on how to configure your burners. They all come with a standard 6 burners, but then you can opt for either a grill or griddle depending on what kinds of meals you cook the most. If you’d prefer to forgo a range in favour of wall ovens, you can work with Thermador’s Trimless Freedom Induction Cooktop. The technology in this blows my mind, as it has sensors that read the size of your pot and will follow it with whatever heat setting you asign to it, even if you move it around on the cooktop.

3. COOKING METHODS

STEAM CONVECTION: Without a doubt, the number one item on my designer wish list for my next kitchen is the 60″ Pro Grand Range with Steam. Why? Chefs like Daniel Boulud swear by them for a reason. Unlike a standard oven, a combi steam/convection oven allows you to customize your humidity levels for a remarkable range of capabilities. From beautifully browning your turkey to steaming your rice and veggies to proofing your dough for homemade bread, the steam convection oven can do it all while maintaining the nutrients in your food and locking in incredible flavour. Steam convection also knocks some time off the cooking clock, allowing you to roast a perfect 14 pound turkey in just 90 minutes.

STANDARD CONVECTION: Whereas your conventional oven surrounds your food with hot air, a convection oven circulates that air with a fan for more even cooking and faster results.

SPEED OVEN: As you’ll see in the wall oven options below, the Speed Oven (a microwave/convection combo oven) offers the convenience of a microwave with the browning capabilities of a convection oven. Tastier and faster food every time for busy families on the run!

WALL OVENS

 

THERMADOR-WALL-OVENS.001
The number one reason to consider wall ovens in my opinion is to save your back. No more leaning over to lift that heavy turkey in and out. The number two reason is to keep a close eye on more sensitive dishes. How many times have you burned a sheet of toasted pine nuts? If you’re like me, a lot. Keeping dishes like this in your line of sight makes such chef-sensitive moments more manageable. The number three reason is of course to add to your cooking capacity for the serious gastronomes in the crowd.
Oh yes, and what about the microwave, you ask?
Many clients are choosing to include a small and unobtrusive microwave drawer in their kitchen designs, either installed discreetly in the island or even more discreetly in the walk-in pantry. Given that a steam oven is the perfect way to reheat leftovers without losing any of the flavour profile in the food (I seriously can’t eat meat that has been reheated in the microwave!), I see microwaves being relegated to reheating coffee and melting butter for popcorn.
MicroDrawer+Microwave
Thermador Micro Drawer Microwave


DISHWASHER

Next up on the list is a simple choice: One dishwasher or two? For me, my Designer Dream Kitchen will have a pair of dishwashers on either side of the sink to accommodate my busy and perpetually-dish-dirtying crew. Specifically, I’m planning to integrate two panelled-in Star Sapphire dishwashers.

THERMADOR-STAR-SAPPHIRE

Here are just some of the incredible features that make this my Dream Kitchen Wish List dishwasher of choice:

1. SILENCE IS GOLDEN: This dishwasher is so quiet that they created a small blue light laser which shines down onto the floor right by the toe-kick to indicate when it’s running. Without the light beam, you’d never know it was on.

2. CUSTOMIZED CAPACITY: With its three adjustable racks, you can fit everything from your pots and pans to tall stemware and everything in between. You can even run it with the middle rack on an angle if need be to accommodate awkward pieces.

3. CUSTOMIZED CLEANING POWER: With six cycles and five options including a hand wash cycle for your china and crystal, this dishwasher really does help you say goodbye to your dishpan hands. It even includes a commercial-style 20 minute fast cycle for those nights when you are cooking multiple dishes and need those pots and pans back right away. Genius.

 
REFRIGERATION

Last but not least, you’ll need to customize your refrigeration. Thermador elevates the concept of refrigeration to the ultimate in personalized luxury with their Culinary Preservation Centres where the options are truly endless. Single refrigeration columns are available in 24″ and 30″ widths. Freezer columns are available in 18″, 24″ and 30″ widths. Wine columns are available in 18″ and 24″ widths, and they also offer my favourite refrigerator configuration with a French Split Refrigerator and bottom freezer drawer. For me, my Dream Kitchen Culinary Preservation Centre will look something like this:

THERMADOR-CULINARY-PRESERVATION-CENTER.001

One of my favourite features of the Thermador line of refrigeration products is the capacity to seamlessly integrate them into a wall of cabinetry by cladding them with cabinet doors in place of the stainless steel. Thermador’s proprietary hidden hinges mean the refrigeration truly sits flush with the surrounding millwork, and that is probably the direction I’ll head when I finally get to executing my Dream Kitchen designs.

If all of this has you on the right track but still wondering how you really do want to cook in your own kitchen, I highly recommend scheduling a Lunch and Learn experience at Toronto’s Luxe Appliance Studio. (Check the Thermador site for information on the Appliance Studio nearest to you.) There you can gain hands-on experience with the very appliances you are considering for your kitchen, ensuring they’re exactly the right fit for your needs. My friend Cori Halpern and I hosted a cooking class last week with a fun group of fellow designers, and we had a blast.

TCP_5002
TCP_5029

We loved learning a few new recipes from Chef Marco, and we took the opportunity to compare steam convection vs. traditional convection with our roasted chickens. The verdict? They both looked the same, but the steam convection chicken was much juicier and way more flavourful, with the essence of the thyme and lemon that we used to stuff the chicken permeating through all of the meat evenly.

So there you have it! My Appliance Selection 101 for any of you who are considering a kitchen renovation or are looking to design your dream kitchen for a new build. Naturally, I always recommend hiring a design professional, but knowing how you cook and what key appliances you want in your kitchen will go a long way to making the design process more efficient.

Stay tuned for our next instalment of Kitchen Design 101 where I’ll share the next set of important decisions to make when designing your custom Dream Kitchen. Hint: It’s what’s inside that counts.

For now, happy cooking!

xx
s.