Kitchens that Really Cook

Gourmet chefs are no longer the only ones enjoying the conveniences of a professional kitchen. Whether you’re a cooking connoisseur, a 20-minute wonder cook or an occasional entertainer, today’s amenitypacked kitchen designs can make cooking at home simpler and more efficient.

According to Jeff Pratt, vice president of sales for Danze, Inc., a leading manufacturer of decorative faucets, bath accessories and showerheads, it’s now easier than ever to create a beautiful, professional-grade kitchen in your own home.

“We all want a kitchen that is stylish but takes the pressure out of cooking. Today’s kitchen designs have evolved to meet that need,” Pratt says. “Manufacturers are creating new kitchen products with a busy lifestyle in mind, and are offering home cooks conveniences that were previously only available to professional restaurateurs.”

Pratt points to the Danze Parma Dual HandsFree faucet as just one example of a professionalgrade convenience for the home. The contemporary-style faucet is turned on automatically by placing your hands in front of a sensor at the spout base - perfect for those times when your hands are full or when you’re working with raw meat. Homeowners predetermine and preset the water temperature and the time of the water flow. The faucet also has a single handle manual control for those times when you want to adjust the flow or temperature.

“Everyone could use an extra hand in the kitchen,” Pratt says. “Now, technology is allowing our kitchens to do more of the work for us.” Whether you’re building a new kitchen or simply remodeling, try these simple tips to help make your kitchen hum with professional-grade efficiency.

* Identify your needs. The best kitchens are personalized to suit your cooking habits. Before installing anything, make a practical list of must-have items for your lifestyle. For instance, if your family’s schedule makes it tough to sit down to dinner together, a warming oven may be just the thing to give everyone a hot meal. Determine those must-haves, then design the rest of the room.

* Location, location, location. Meal preparation requires multitasking to ensure everything has a place and is ready at the same time. To simplify the process, consider adding access to water near your key cooking surfaces. Wallmounted or deckmounted pot-filler faucets bring water right to your stovetop without heavy lifting, and they come in a range of styles and finishes to suit your personal taste.

* Find a lasting finish. Stainless steel is a professional finish favorite for sinks, countertops, appliances and faucets because the surface is easy to maintain and stands up to abuse over time. Be sure to select a finish that not only captures your style but can take whatever you dish out.

* Choose faucets wisely. Make sure your kitchen faucets match your cooking needs. Articulated spouts move out of the way as you put larger pots into the sink. If you’re the type who frequently washes fresh fruits and vegetables, try a pulldown or pull-out faucet that sprays exactly where you direct the water flow.

* Design with clean up in mind. A good kitchen design not only helps with meal preparation but makes clean up easy too. Baked-on food won’t stand up to a blast from professional-grade faucets like Danze’s Pre-Rinse kitchen faucet. This springmounted faucet has a high arc to accommodate big pots and pans. For those jobs you don’t want to waste time prerinsing, look for a professional-grade dishwasher that offers extralarge, expandable racks that are big enough to fit the dishes and pots and pans piled up from a night of entertaining.

Even if you don’t cook like a professional, you can still enjoy the conveniences. Whether your style is contemporary or traditional, today’s variety of professionalgrade kitchen amenities ensure your design possibilities and culinary creations are endless.

For more information on the beauty and variety of kitchen faucets available from Danze, or for help finding a Danze retailer nearest you, call (877) 530-3344 or visit www.danze.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content