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What would you put in a basement kitchen?

connecticut_resident

13 years ago

I am in the planning stages of a renovation and need some kitchen advice. The house we just bought has a walk-out basement that will serve as our family room and playroom. The patio is right off of one of these rooms, and we would keep our grill on the patio. There is currently a small kitchen (6Â wide by 12Â long) along one wall of a windowless hallway between the two main rooms, which would make a great place to prepare food for grilling, not to mention snacks for watching TV, etc. The kitchenette will come in handy in other ways: we need a second fridge because the refrigerator in the main kitchen is tiny, and in a couple of years, we will lose our main kitchen for a year or more during a renovation upstairs.

Our architect and GC suspect that our town will not permit a full kitchen in the basement, but will approve a "wet bar" with a refrigerator, dishwasher, sink, cabinets Â i.e., everything except the range. There is some possibility of the kitchen being grandfathered, so even though we are replacing everything, if we leave it in the same basic configuration, we might be able to preserve the full kitchen. I have to decide whether it would be worthwhile to do so.

IÂm leaning toward omitting the range and supplementing with a high-quality portable induction cooktop (like a double-hob CookTek), a countertop oven, and maybe an installed microwave with a fan. I like the idea of more countertop space, and that the appliances are portable so I can bring them upstairs, outside or on vacation.

So what would you do? Try for an installed range, or rely on portables for your cooking needs? General advice on basement kitchens and backup kitchens would be much appreciated as well.

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Comments (3)

steff_1
13 years ago
Your ideas are all good, especially the induction. Would you use an oven or warming drawer enough to miss it if you did away with the range? If you are going to use the kitchen full time during reno you might need an oven. A large toaster oven might work in that case. Really depends on how your family cooks.
sara_the_brit_z6_ct
13 years ago
As an aside, we put our old single wall oven in the basement, in a cheap Ikea housing, for the temporary kitchen during the remodel. The electrician put a plug on it so that it will run off the 220v dryer outlet. We've kept it down there as a 'second' oven. The electrician said if an inspection was ever done, it just looks like it's being 'stored' down there . . . after all, the outlet is just for the dryer. (I've only used it twice since the remodel)

Not that I'm advocating anything potentially against code like that of course. Oh no, not me.
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formerlyflorantha
13 years ago
I prescribe headroom! (our old basement is 7 feet high, plus overhead joists, heat ducts, wiring, etc.)

I don't have kids, am only cooking for two adults currently. I'm living in a camper trailer temporarily and I find that I rarely use the camper's gas cooktop because the coffee percolator, a new one-burner Max Burton induction portable unit, and a microwave are sufficient. Am also occasionally using a toaster and a toaster-oven. There is also a tiny refrigerator (the big one is in the garage). Any or all of these portable appliances can go camping with me at another time. I have a roaster oven which I might bring in also, if this remodel lasts into the summer. I'd like to learn to make cakes, etc. in it.

Be sure to get sufficient electrical service to your basement kitchen. We have the camper on one circuit and all the above (except the gas unit) will allow only one heat-generating device to be in operation at once. I blow the circuit regularly because I forget.

If there's a new sink involved, make it one that will serve you as a gardener and patio user--one big basin with a high faucet so you can wash garden produce, dirty feet and muddy shoes, small dogs, whole children, etc. Having a refrigerator near the patio is a great thing for holding food and ice and for stowing away uneaten food right after meal instead of leaving it sit out in the heat. And beer.

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