The Kitchen Blog

Kitchen islands are a wonderful solution to many kitchen problems. With kitchen island you can create…

• an extra storage area in your kitchen
• a place for work, where you can prepare your favorite food
• a place where you can clean your dishes and utensils
• a place where you can eat with your family

There are two types of kitchen island…

• portable kitchen islands
• custom kitchen islands

Before choosing your type of kitchen island, consider carefully how you will use it. The kitchen island you will use as a storage area will be different from one you will use for washing, cooking and/or eating on.

1. Will you prepare food on it?
2. Will you eat with your family on it?
3. Will you wash the dishes on it or just store them on it?

The answers to these questions, in combination with the size of your kitchen and the sum you can afford, will enable you to decide upon what type of kitchen island is best for you.

Custom kitchen islands review

You can have this type of kitchen island custom-made by specialists. In addition to storage area, you can build appliances into it, such as…

• a sink
• a dishwasher
• a small refrigerator or refrigerated drawers
• cooking tops, oven, microwave
• warming drawers, to keep food hot if necessary…

You can choose your own shape for this type of kitchen island. For example, rectangular, square, oval, round, L-shape or other broken lines.

You can make your island with a multi-leveled countertop; with, for example, a lower level on which to prepare the food and an upper one to eat on. (The height of the place where you eat depends on the kind of seats you want: standard chairs, stools or bar stools.) In addition, it’s good to match the design of your custom island with the design of your kitchen, in order to harmonize everything.

For the countertop of this kitchen island you can use wood, natural stone, stainless steel, etc. What material is suitable for your countertop depends on what you will use it for. For example, for safety, it is a good idea to use stone or steel around places you will cook because they resist the heat of hot pots and pans. You can also use these materials round the sink. A wooden countertop is suitable for preparing food.

You can use this type of kitchen island not only as a storage area, but also for a cleaning center or a place where you can eat or prepare food. However, not every kitchen is suitable for installing a custom kitchen island. You have to consider such factors as…

1. Space: there has to be at least 42 inches (107 cm) of space from the most exterior edge of the island to the objects around it, on all sides. Only then will you be able to walk around the island without difficulty, and open the doors of cabinets and appliances.

If you work with other people in the kitchen, you can avoid problems by increasing the distance to 48 inches (122 cm).

2. Ventilation: this needs to be considered if you intend to use your island for cooking on. A hood, suspended from the ceiling, is one solution. A downdraft, installed behind the cook top, is another. You should consult a specialist regarding the choice of an appropriate ventilation system.

3. Lighting: good lighting is closely related to the functionality of your kitchen island. One solution is a lamp, suspended from the ceiling and directed at the surfaces of the island. Another solution is to fix a number of lamps to the hood (if you intend to have one).

4. Electricity: consider this if you intend to use electrical appliances on your custom island. Place the outlets for these appliances in a location on the island where they will not come into contact with water and splashes from washing and cooking, thus avoiding electric shocks.

5. Water supply and drainage: this must be considered if you intend to use water on your island. The best solution here is to consult a specialist, because using water will require changes to the floor of your kitchen. Click here to submit your project and receive free estimates from highly rated local, licensed contractors within 48 hours with no obligation.

See also:

• Portable Kitchen Islands

Ganka Vasileva is the owner of http://www.helpful-kitchen-tips.com, a website containing useful information about the kitchen; about the equipment of this greatly-used room in our home that occupies a special place in our lives. Buying guides for kitchen cutlery, small appliances, cookware & bakeware, kitchen furniture, storage & organization, plumbing, etc.

Kitchen islands are a wonderful solution to many kitchen problems. With kitchen island you can create…

• an extra storage area in your kitchen
• a place for work, where you can prepare your favorite food
• a place where you can clean your dishes and utensils
• a place where you can eat with your family

There are two types of kitchen island…

• portable kitchen islands
• custom kitchen islands

Before choosing your type of kitchen island, consider carefully how you will use it. The kitchen island you will use as a storage area will be different from one you will use for washing, cooking and/or eating on.

1. Will you prepare food on it?
2. Will you eat with your family on it?
3. Will you wash the dishes on it or just store them on it?

The answers to these questions, in combination with the size of your kitchen and the sum you can afford, will enable you to decide upon what type of kitchen island is best for you.

Portable kitchen islands review

Portable kitchen islands are available as a ready-to-use variant, looking like a cabinet or a table with rectangular or square shape. They can offer you…

• a countertop for work
• cabinets for pots and pans
• shelves for recipe books
• drawers for utensils
• shelves, towel and cutlery racks, wine racks…

The countertop of portable islands is most often made of one material only, but it can consist of a combination of materials as well, according to your work needs; for example, wood plus stainless steel is a possibility. It can be also come with a drop leaf, to save space when you are not using it.

Some portable kitchen islands have wheels, and can thus be moved easily from place to place (for example, near the range or the sink, according to your specific needs). Others have legs or feet, making them seem more like furniture.

When using this kind of kitchen island, you can’t build in appliances. You can use them mainly for storing utensils or preparing food. In general, portable kitchen islands are a good solution if you have a small kitchen.

Click here to view some high quality portable kitchen islands.

See also:

• Custom Kitchen Islands

Ganka Vasileva is the owner of http://www.helpful-kitchen-tips.com, a website containing useful information about the kitchen; about the equipment of this greatly-used room in our home that occupies a special place in our lives. Buying guides for kitchen cutlery, small appliances, cookware & bakeware, kitchen furniture, storage & organization, plumbing, etc.

Kitchen trash cans are among the items we most often use in our kitchens, so they must be strong, durable, easy to use and occupy a minimal amount of space.

Trash cans in the kitchen can be divided into two basic types…

• free-standing
• mounted

Free-standing kitchen trash cans

It’s best to place this kind of trash can in open places in your kitchen to reach them easily. If you don’t have enough space, there are trash cans whose design allows you to stick them to the wall, thus saving space.

Some of trash can lids open inwards, which is good if you want to put your trash can in a covered place, such as under the sink, where it is not feasible to put a trash can with a lid that opens upwards.

Other free-standing trash cans have a foot pedal for quick and easy hand-free opening.

A third type of free-standing trash can even has a built-in sensor chip, by means of which the lid will open automatically when your arm approaches and will close when you take your arm away.

Some trash cans don’t have a lid. With these, it is easy to deposit garbage, but you run a great risk of attracting unwanted insects. However, if you often put your garbage out without leaving it to stand for a long time and don’t worry that it will be visible, a trash can without a lid is no problem.

Free-standing trash cans are available in various colors, shapes and finishes, and you may use the availability of different styles to add value to the kitchen decor. For example, a glossy stainless steel trash can is very convenient if you have furnished your kitchen in a contemporary style. For the casual look, there are other styles of trash can, including baskets made of woven straw.

Factors to consider when selecting free-standing kitchen trash cans

1. A good trash will open wide at the top, so that you can throw in a large amount of garbage, such as a full dustpan, at one time. This is not a feature of trash cans whose lids open inwards.

2. If the lid is an integral part of the trash can, you will want to be able to leave it open until you decide to close it, so that you can use it over a period of time without having to keep opening the lid. The lid must move smoothly, open and close quietly, and close firmly to prevent odors. (The last refers to all trash cans with lids.)

3. If the trash can has a pedal to open the lid, it has to have a rough surface to stop it from slipping when you step on it and it has to be fairly wide so that you can step on it easily from different angles.

4. It is a good idea for the trash can to have a handle, so that you can move it easily. The inner liner (if there are any available), must also have a kind of a handle so that you can take it out and empty it easily.

5. It is a good idea for the trash can to have a rubber bottom or something similar, both for stability and to prevent it from damaging the floor.

6. If you have pets in the house, it’s a good idea to look for a trash can with a lid that can be locked to prevent spillage in case the pets overturn it.

Click here to view some high quality free-standing kitchen trash cans.

Mounted kitchen trash cans (or pull-out trash containers)

These trash cans are most often containers, mounted either in the cabinet under the sink, or in other cabinets in the kitchen. When you open the door of the corresponding cabinet, the container slides out on guides and some containers have a lid that opens automatically.

With this kind of trash cans you will save space and given the fact that they remain out of sight, you won’t need to bother about what they look like.

You may have a container with several compartments in which you can put different kinds of garbage. For example, you might put the main garbage in one compartment, paper in a second and plastic in a third.

Another type of mounted kitchen trash can just consists of a wire frame with a lid, which may be used with grocery or continuous roll bags. This variant is simple, economical and practical.

Click here to view some high quality mounted kitchen trash cans.

Conclusion

1. The trash can you choose will depend mostly on the available space in your kitchen and the amount of garbage you have. Nevertheless, for, say, a family of four, an 11-gallon (50 l) trash can would be more convenient than a seven-gallon trash can (32 l), which would be good for a family of two.

2. No matter whether the trash can has an inner liner or not, it’s a great idea to use the trash can with garbage (or grocery) bags, because it’s practical and you will need to clean it less frequently. For this purpose…

• the trash can must be tapered, with its upper part being wider, to prevent a vacuum from forming when taking out a full garbage bag. Some kitchen trash cans have holes in their inner liner to prevent such a vacuum.
• the trash can must have a smooth inner surface, so that there are no edges or mechanical parts to prevent the garbage bag from catching and tearing when it is removed.
• the bottom of the trash can must be tightly sealed to prevent dirt from spilling out of the trash can, in case the garbage bag spills.
• the garbage bag must be fixed securely to the upper part of the trash can to prevent it from slipping off and spilling the litter when it is full.

3. Kitchen trash cans may be…

• plastic
• stainless or enameled steel
• aluminum…

Metal trash cans are strong, durable, stable and won’t retain odors, as may happen with a plastic trash can. In addition, they are very easy to clean, especially if they are made of stainless steel.

4. If you want to put the trash can under the sink, make sure the place is usually dry because if it is wet, there will be a mess if garbage spills from the trash can.

5. The trash can must be fire-resistant.

6. The inner liner (if any are available) must be treated with an antibacterial substance.

Ganka Vasileva is the owner of http://www.helpful-kitchen-tips.com, a website containing useful information about the kitchen; about the equipment of this greatly-used room in our home that occupies a special place in our lives. Buying guides for kitchen cutlery, small appliances, cookware & bakeware, kitchen furniture, storage & organization, plumbing, etc.