What would you like in an ultimate kitchen?

Big deep sinks with foot pedal and pick a range(Viking is my choice) and build around it. Good exhaust over the range. And plenty of storage.

Here's my new kitchen.

Nice kitchen Jay

I like the birdhouses.

We just had the Chef's kitchen redone here at work, and he has this neat range that is cool to the touch when it is on, but when you put a reactive pan over the "burner" it heats up in about a second.

He also has a tri-vection oven. That thing is the cats butt

Great topic!

We have just decided that we are going to redo our kitchen next year.

I have told my wife to write down everything that she might want in the kitchen. So far the only thing on her list is me! Actually, she has said that it doesn't matter what's on her list because as usual I will do what I want, but that this time she really isn't entitled to complain because I'm the one that does the cooking.

I'm looking at the following:

skylight
double sink with built in drain board
storage, storage, stoage
opening the wall up into the dining room w/countertop and bi-fold doored window to close off when wanting/needing to
under countertop to dining room, cabinets that open into the dining room
decent hood with exhaust fan (hate those recirculating filtered ones)
TV
Wish we had a gas main on the block, and don't want to put in a propane tank so I'm stuck with electric for stove and oven.
eliminate basebaord heating and put "kicker" unit in under the cabinets

boberosabbq said:

I'm sure its all gonna start around the range either a wolf or viking 6 burner. Then build around it. I'd like to put a wood fired oven in the kitchen but it will most likely be in the outdoor kitchen.

Jay you ever design a smoker that can sit inside a brick outer covering? I figure what ever size of yours I decide on I'll build a brick or stone area in the outdoor kitchen and slide the spicewine into it.

Click to expand...

My plans, also, boberosabbq.

Tim, I swear I would move, pay for a gas line, or install propane before I would build a new kitchen without a gas range.:twisted:

What a Challenge!

HUGE set of issues .... most very personal choices! There are many conflicting factors, one of which is properly venting any of the several quasi-commercial ranges/cooktops available. I currently have Garland six-burner (natural gas) range with each burner jet adjusted for specific applications (melting chocolate ... to my wife's very hot wok burner). Venting that cooktop properly is very tough since I am 6'2" tall and raising the vent surface too far from the cooktop reduces its ability to exhaust the smoke and hot gases. This is even more critical with island cooktope (like mine) where all kinds of cross drafts affect the airflow.

I would insist on two full-function sink areas (with disposers). One (at least should be deep and the other might be a large single area. Stainless steel for sure (for me). I have had large porcelain and replaced with HD SS. Try to avoid designs with flat surface areas which collect water splashes, etc.

I would also opt for multiple refrigerators/freezers. One MUST be a chest type freezer, one a double door, and one 'over-under' (freezer could be up or down).

Enough for now!

I have a really nice Dacor... a brand to look at, too, based in CA, I think. I'm very happy with it.

What I would change is partly what Jay did... though I prefer a cooktop on the side of the kitchen instead of the island, just because of the mess... But a cooktop instead of a range, with double wall ovens would be great. A wood fired stove in the corner would be on my list, and a SubZero fridge/freezer or a big French door fridge.

Cooktop would be pro grade, not designer, though the advantage in designer is you don't have to have a hood... you can do a downdraft vent instead. I'd also do a copper hood instead of stainless.

Some form of natural stone, not composite, counter top, at least on the island.

A good section for knife magnets that are reachable for me but not for kids.

A cook's sink near the stove... These are inset in the counter and include a heating element and collander so you can boil right in the sink, then just open the drain to get rid of the water. Secondary to that would be an articulated faucet above the stove.

Lighting is critical in the kitchen, I think... Smaller, natural looking lighting as opposed to long florescents (sp?).

Counters would be 6" higher in at least part of the kitchen. If there's room, a 3 drop sink, as 2 never seems to give enough options.

Dishwasher with the ability to run only half if needed, either drawers or a unit that can run just the top.

2 warming drawers.

Wine preservation cooler with nitrogen to allow open bottles to keep longer. A larger cooler for more bottles, or, better, a small cellar.

A section in the island with marble that can be cooled for pastries, or for slab ice cream concoctions.

A section that serves as a bar nearby, since most company stays near the kitchen.

Rosey, the robot maid, to clean up after I cook.

My dream kitchen would have counter tops that wouldn't let my wifes crap pile up on them. Last night I had about 1.5 sq ft of countertop to prepare my supper.
Oh, and a gas range. Really starting to hate electric.

Jay, that's a beautiful kitchen, can I live with you?

First I would start with a Blue Star six-burner NG range W/griddle. Blue Star was originally branded as the Garland home line, but when Garland dropped their home products it was continued as Blue Star. Next I would get the Blue Star salamander. If you can't flip your steak or chop onto a mesquite-fired grill, a salamander is the next best thing. The one issue that I have seen with the Blue Star products is that their burner set-up is not the easiest to clean. That’s the first thing my wife noticed when we looked at one. In addition to the oven with the range, I'd get the Kitchenaide double wall mount, with the top oven being their high-speed model, and the bottom oven being their standard convection. I find that 90% of what we cook on a daily basis is done in the high-speed oven, which is a combination microwave, convection oven and broiler, all of which can work simutainously or indavidually. I'm amazed at just how versatile it is, and how good the food tastes/looks. I’d do the 72” total, 36”/36”, commercial refrigerator/freezer combination. For sinks I’d do one double with the largest disposal Kitchenaide makes, and a second prep sink w/disposal far enough away from the first that a person could work at each sink without bumping into each other. Two dish washers are a must as is a portion of the counter made of marble at a height conducive for dough work. Don’t forget to have plenty of task lighting and the under-counter wine cooler to suplement the cave down stairs.

Water faucet over the range for filling pasta pots etc.
One big sink no need for double bowls for me.
Warming drawer and fridge/ freezer drawer.
And maybe one of there its the new hot thing.
http://gizmosforgeeks.com/index.php/articles/1134

You can never have too much storage and counter space, or too much lighting.

I'd love one of those real butcher blocks at the end of an island.. with knife slots ans endgrain wood 2' thick.

I built my whole kitchen around the Viking Range top and the G E Monogram double ovens. I really like the range with the exception of the fact that you have to constantly clean it. The double ovens are great and even have a proof setting for rising dough. The Sub Zero just happened to be on sale and the appliance company gave me a Contractors discount for buying all of my appliances from them.

here are a couple of island ideas








Equipment list is :
Infrared grill, refegerator, propane storage, wine cooler, wood storage, off-set smoker