Though only 1.5 percent of Americans are Jewish, more than 21 percent of Americans are kosher-conscious. There are various reasons for this, including knowing that kosher foods have another layer of certification. Whether you are Jewish and follow kosher laws in your religion or you appreciate the idea of knowing your foods are separated for health and safety reasons, you may be thinking of your home’s kosher kitchen design.
But how does someone do this? What requirements must a kitchen meet? Read on to find the ways to plan a kosher kitchen design.
Work With Experts for a Kosher Kitchen Design
The best place to start is to reach out to a design team that has designed kosher kitchens before. The kitchen layout will be much more difficult to plan than for a regular kitchen and having someone with experience can save you time and stress. Although it is best if someone on the team is Jewish, this is not a requirement.
A team with experience will be able to plan a kitchen in which you can have kosher appliances, surfaces that are sanitary and will not allow foods to mix, as well as storage options for the different sets of dishes.
Add Storage Space
A kosher kitchen will require more storage space. People who follow kosher rules have to have different sets of dishes for the preparation of various foods to avoid cross-contamination and all of those extra dishes need storage.
Consider customizing your cabinet layout and think about open shelving. Many cabinet designs these days have cabinet inserts which can make it easier to keep dishes separate.
To ensure that you know where every dish and utensil goes, you can use visual clues like cabinets in different colors. Choose a color for chalav (dairy) and another for basar (meat).
Choose the Right Appliances
The kosher kitchen remodel needs to have appliances that can allow for kosher cooking and cleaning. Some appliances are made especially for kosher kitchens, while others have settings and features that work in a kosher space.
If possible, having double appliances is the easiest way to ensure there is no contamination. Speak with the kitchen designer to see if that is possible with the space you have. Sometimes, you can give up a bit of cabinetry space to accommodate another sink or another oven.
If you want to avoid using electronics during the Sabbath, then you want appliances with Sabbath Mode features.
Many high-end appliances this mode. Let us look closer at the different needs a kosher kitchen has, appliance-wise.
Ovens
A kosher kitchen design needs double ovens and you can go even further with ovens that have Sabbath Mode. This mode lets you keep prepared food warm without worrying about automatic shutoffs. Some conventional cook-tops have lots of burners and space, letting you maintain food separated.
Refrigerators and Freezers
Refrigerators and freezers that have a Sabbath Mode will keep running to keep your food cold, but the light will not turn on when you open it. The compressors will also not work during Sabbath.
Dishwashers
Dishwasher drawers make maintaining a kosher kitchen easier. You can avoid cross-contamination of utensils and dishes used for the preparation and consumption of dairy and meat by choosing one drawer for each.
If the space is too small for two dishwasher drawers, choose a dishwasher with a stainless steel interior and have a set of interchangeable racks.
Sinks
Having double sinks is usually the best choice for a kosher kitchen layout. If you do not have space for two sinks, you can have a sink with a double bowl. Be sure to opt for stainless steel since it is the easiest to keep clean while observing kosher laws.
It is also a good idea to choose a sink with a pull-out underneath where you can store the various sponges, cutting boards, and more.
Microwaves
There are now microwaves that come with drawers, so you can incorporate separate microwaves. You can also have a countertop for meat and a drawer for dairy.
Material Selection
For your countertops, you need to choose materials that are easy to keep clean and that can help avoid contamination. Countertops have to go through a kashering process when cleaning them in a kosher kitchen. You do not want porous materials or anything with cracks, for example.
Quartz is a good option because it is a hard, non-porous surface and does not need sealing. Stainless steel is another favorite in kosher kitchens because you can clean it and kasher it easily and in different ways.
Kitchen Essentials
It is a good idea to select different patterns and colors of the dishes and utensils you use for dairy as opposed to the ones you use for meat. If you decide to have cabinets in different colors, too, choose complementary colors of the dishes or patterns that relate so you never have a doubt of which dish goes where.
Choose glassware options that can withstand heat from stove-top functions because these are the easiest for kashering. You will also need separate linens, which can mean separate storage.
Plan the Kosher Kitchen of Your Dreams
If you have always wanted a kosher kitchen, why wait any longer to get it? By turning to experts like us at Büdingen Architecture, you can get the guidance you need to transform your kitchen.
Contact us today to ask about kosher kitchen design ideas!