Don't Get Lost in Your Kitchen Triangle

(FeatureSource) You just got home from work, company is due to arrive in two hours, and you haven’t even begun to cook dinner. You’re looking forward to creating a wonderful meal, but you have to take some time out to work around your poorly designed kitchen. Chances are your kitchen triangle has tied up your hands!

But wait! What is the kitchen triangle? You won’t find the term in the dictionary, but chances are you can find it in your kitchen. This concept was developed in the 1950s by the University of Illinois after they conducted a study to find the most sensible kitchen design for a four-person home. Researchers then developed the kitchen triangle which positions the three major appliances—refrigerator, sink, and stove—as the critical three points in the kitchen around which everything else was built.

“A good kitchen is one that is instantly adaptable to different needs, and can work as efficiently cooking for one as for the maximum number of people you want to entertain,” says Don Silvers, known as Dr. Kitchen on the Internet and also a certified chef and Certified Kitchen Designer. “By investing your time and money into redesigning your kitchen, you can change your feelings toward cooking, which ultimately can have a positive impact on your life,” Silvers says.

In his book, “Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind” ($24.95; NMI Publishers), Silvers explains how fundamental changes in your kitchen can make cooking fun and easy. One of the biggest design challenges Silvers deals with in every project is the kitchen triangle.

“Sure, this design looked great on paper—a nice geometric, clean look. But when put to practical use, there is a major flaw in the design,” says Silvers.

“It is static, meaning that the space cannot compress or expand, depending on the number of people using the kitchen or how much food is being produced,” he explains. Silvers believes this fundamental error ties the cook’s hands—meaning the cook must adapt to the environment rather than the environment adapting to the cook.

Picture the kitchen triangle in your kitchen. Now imagine if your appliances could “spread out” and you could create the flow in your kitchen. So no matter what you’re cooking or how many you were cooking for, you wouldn’t have to walk more than a couple steps in any direction. Most kitchens are designed for a minimum number of people, not the maximum, and that’s the mistake at hand.

“Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind” provides the information and tools you need to determine if you are ready to redesign your kitchen, and what you’ll need. For more information on “Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind,” you can get it direct from the author at (323) 934-4761, or at his website at www.donsilvers.com. The book is also available through Amazon.com.