Any kitchen should be designed with hygiene, efficiency, and accessibility in mind, but that’s especially true of church and community kitchens. Your kitchen is used heavily, by mixed ages and abilities, so it needs to be safe, clean and easy to use for everyone.
Here are three ways to make sure your kitchen is all of those things.
1. DESIGN WITH A KITCHEN TRIANGLE
The kitchen triangle is basic best practice for kitchen design. You should be able to draw a triangle between your stove, refrigerator, and sink or work surface.
The layout prevents contamination by keeping the washing and disposal areas apart from the food preparation and storage area, and the cooking and servery areas.
When there are multiple users, the kitchen triangle also encourages a logical flow of people through the kitchen so that they don’t get in each other’s way, and have room to work at their own stations.
Kitchen design experts like Steelplan can advise on the best way to include a kitchen triangle in your community centre.
2. INCLUDE ACCESSIBLE FEATURES
When you’re redesigning a kitchen or planning a new installation, you have the opportunity to design with your community in mind. That means including features that cater to their specific needs. That could mean putting some surfaces at a height for wheelchair users or young people, including safety measures to keep vulnerable users safe. You should bear in mind a DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) that all building management should consider when designing and procuring a kitchen as you would not want to fall foul and be accused of discriminating against users who could claim their needs have not been considered.
It might even be something as simple as choosing appealing colours to make the kitchen a pleasant place to be. Steelplan Kitchens offers a range of 18 colours to choose from, so that you can create a welcoming environment that reflects your community or church group.
3. CHOOSE A SEMI-COMMERCIAL KITCHEN
A church or a community kitchen gets far heavier use than a domestic kitchen, so a domestic-style kitchen isn’t suitable. Domestic kitchen materials like chipboard and MDF with a vinyl wrap don’t last long in a community environment. They soon deteriorate, and apart from making the kitchen a less appealing space, it also makes them less hygienic.
You don’t need a commercial-style kitchen (they’re potentially excessive, certainly intimidating, and not overly good-looking at best), but you do need something more durable than a home kitchen. That’s why a semi-commercial Steelplan kitchen is perfect.
A Steelplan semi-commercial kitchen is hygienic by design. The 304 Grade 240S grit silicone-impregnated stainless steel worktop is easy to clean, and it avoids the joints and gaps where bacteria can gather. The folded rear upstand means there is no grouting that can wear, and the welded sink design prevents spaces between the sink and surface that are hard to clean.
The Zintec polyester powder-coated mild steel carcass is also very easy to wipe clean, and the doors and drawers come in your choice of 18 colours for a friendly and welcoming environment.
To explore the possibilities for your dream kitchen, and get expert advice on your design, get in touch today. Our designers are on hand to consult on the best solution for your space. [email protected]
