What happens on our first site visit
Ninety minutes, a laser measure and a lot of questions: how we start every project, and what to have ready.
Designing a kitchen for Indian cooking
Heat, oil and masala: the details that matter more than the shutter colour.
Indian kitchens work harder than most. There is tadka smoke, a pressure cooker going three times a day, heavy steel vessels and spices used in small amounts, often. A kitchen designed from a catalogue usually fails in the first year.
Start with the chimney. It should be directly above the main burner, at 65 to 75 cm, ducted to outside. Recirculating chimneys do not handle tadka. Leave a clear space on either side of the hob for hot vessels.
Plan the masalas within one arm’s reach of the hob: a shallow drawer or a tall pull-out works better than a shelf above, where steam spoils them. Heavy vessels go in deep drawers below, not in overhead cabinets.
Choose boiling-water-proof plywood for the carcass, especially under the sink, and edges sealed with PVC banding. For counters, quartz and granite both handle heat and turmeric well; avoid marble, which stains. Finally, plan a spot for the things that stay out: the water purifier, the mixer and the steel drying rack. If they have a home, the counters stay clear.
