When I meet with families about planning their new home or renovating their home, the question immediately arises: What's going on in your kitchen?
I always ask questions like: How many meals do you cook? Do you cook every day or only on weekends?
Do you usually eat dinner together, or does everyone 'grab something' and eat separately or in the living room?
And the most important question is do you like to cook at all, and what foods do you prepare on a regular basis or especially?
Why are these questions important? Because many families tell me that they want a big kitchen, with a lot of work areas, and lots of storage spaces for all the dishes, the water bar coffee machine, the boxes, the dry food you buy in the supermarket and other similar answers.
During my years of work, I have noticed that Israeli cuisine is on average larger than European and Asian cuisine. American cuisine, on the other hand, is designed quite differently. In the American kitchen there is a work kitchen, not very large, and there is a 'display' kitchen where the family members actually late their guests and hold the various meals.
So what makes Israeli cuisine unique?
As I wrote earlier, Israeli cuisine is a big kitchen. It has a lot of marble space designated for work, but in practice most of the days most of it is used as storage space for dishes that stand up to dry, of appliances that do not fit in the cupboards, all bottles of spices, sauces and olive oil.
In addition, over the past 20 years, many families have brought an 'island' into the kitchen as an additional work surface and also as a dining area. In most homes, the 'island' is a place where various objects such as mailings, mobile phones are placed, it is used as a meeting place for children to do homework or to have conversations over a cup of coffee. Eating is done around it, and the traditional dining area around a family table takes place on Friday nights and at major events in life such as family birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.
So why do many families, especially in renovation projects, complain that their kitchen is small?
The source of the reason is not in the physical size of the kitchen, that is, how many meters of its area, but in our lifestyle and consumer culture. In Europe, families buy their groceries daily or weekly. They buy little, and mostly fresh food, which requires them to cook it as soon as possible, and not to keep in storage. This is also the custom of families in Asia. In Israel, consumer culture is completely different. We tend to purchase large quantities of food, especially dry, and store it over time. You are probably familiar with the deals of 3 pastas for 10 NIS, or 4 cans of canned goods for 15 NIS. Our kitchen has become the second warehouse for food chains, so we need more storage and shelving space.
How to reorganize the kitchen?
A question to think about : If our kitchen is big, then why do we feel that we don't have enough space?
The answer, of course, is that most kitchens have gone from working, cooking and baking areas to an area where everything is.
The solution to this is simple, but not easy. We need to reorganize, sort and even throw away everything we don't need or use.
What to do ?
First, open all the cabinets, and check how many unused plastic utensils you have. Tools like boxes of ice cream, or similar plastic grips. Leave only 2-3 of these boxes for recycling.
Secondly, open your drawers, and notice how many dish towels there are in them, how many rolls of plastic wrap and aluminum foils, how many hand towels and wipes there are. Even now you will leave only 2-3 and the rest will be reset elsewhere.
Third, you will be separated by the sea of tools that you use regularly on a daily basis, and those that are issued only on special occasions. Let's say grandma's servis, glass cups you received for the wedding, extra large pots that are not used, a toaster that has not been turned on for over a year, vases and jars that you forgot who you got from, etc. You'll sort all of these into two stacks
1. Leave – put in top cabinets, in the warehouse, in the boidham.
2. Giving the donation – There are many bodies and associations that will be happy to receive this equipment from you. If you would like a list, I will be happy to give you.
And one last thing, as someone whose kitchen is always a mess, try to put the dishes back in place. the spices to their dispenser, the magimix into the cupboard. They should not stay on the countertop.
And look it's a wonder, suddenly you see the countertop.
And one more piece of advice on the way, try to buy less. When you buy less, you have more control over your spending, and you also know exactly how many packets of butter are left in the fridge.
Do you have any questions?
You are welcome to contact me by phone: 050-9847484 or 077-7020014
Or write to me directly from here.
Other articles on kitchen design and interior design
5 tips for choosing chairs for the dining area and kitchen
Thought 1 on "Israeli cuisine – size does not matter, but order and organization"