Christmas Kitchen Remodel Tips and Hacks

If ever there were a time when your kitchen is put through its paces, it’s Christmas. More demanding than the average family gathering and with more pressure on to conjure up a multi-course festive feast, it’s no wonder that we equip ourselves with meal plans, timers and as much preparing the day before as possible. However, your kitchen itself, and the appliances in it, can be the key to making Christmas entertaining as smooth as possible, year after year. Whether you’re designing from scratch or planning a kitchen remodel, here are a few elements that can work wonders.

Kitchen remodel ideas

Factor in smart appliances

While plenty of us buy an oven that’s going to be big enough to accommodate a turkey, it pays to think beyond the conventional models and consider newer methods of cooking. Combination steam ovens make catering for a crowd simple – using steam to cook anything from poultry to meat and fish, giving you thoroughly cooked, moist results, before adding hot air to brown and crisp your food. They’re also great for steaming vegetables, soft-boiled eggs and even the Christmas pudding.

Pair your combi steam oven with a warming drawer and you can keep food warm between courses, heat plates and prove bread while some models will function as a slow cooker for food that needs a gentle temperature. Here a pair of warming drawers tuck underneath a combi steam oven and a coffee machine.

Rethink your layout

An effective design doesn’t always mean you need lots of space – plan a compact kitchen with the right flow and well thought-out zones and it can be even better to cook in than a vast room that leaves you walking miles between appliances.

First, make sure that your working area won’t be interrupted by friends or family. Place wine coolers and fridges towards the entrance to the kitchen, or, in an open-plan room, as dividing elements between the kitchen and the rest of the room. Installing them as part of an island or peninsula is ideal.

Every food prep area needs a sink nearby – but it doesn’t need to be the main sink of the kitchen. A smaller prep bowl is a good idea, especially if you’re trying to create a working triangle between the hot, cold and wet parts of your kitchen. Finally, always give yourself an immediate area nearby to put down hot dishes from the oven – something that can be easily missed if you’re building your ovens into a bank of cabinetry.

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Maximise your storage

It’s tricky to cook in a kitchen when the worktops are overflowing with clutter, so when you’re planning your scheme, factor in easily accessible cupboards, deep roomy drawers and internal storage solutions, such as racks and pull-out shelving. If you can, conceal sockets at the back of worktop-mounted units, so you can plug small appliances straight in without having to move them. Cupboards with pocket doors and tambour doors are especially good for concealing immediate mess, so there’s less stress trying to clean as you cook – making for a much merrier Christmas.

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