the one thing I disliked most about my former kitchen (sold that house) was the panty - it was large enough but it was too deep for fixed shelves; if they had been roll-out it would have been great. I hated that pantry. The kitchen was "U" shaped and it functioned very nicely and I really loved everything except the pantry once I got new counter-tops.

I find that I need more room for baking, but that's dictated by baking requiring the mixer, bowls, cookie sheets or space for to roll out pie crust, etc., not to mention space to make a mess with the flour. Those things just physically require more space. Chopping of veggies and stuff only really needs a large cutting board and a knife, which fit nicely in the space between the sink and the stove. In my kitchen that's in the L.

When we remodeled, we didn't change the kitchen layout to speak of. We did remove a stub wall to make way for a pantry which was a huge plus. Large pots, crock pot, etc. went in the super susan in the L inside corner. Smaller pots and pans went in the drawers to the left of the stove. Herbs, salt, pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, etc. went in the upper above those drawers. Measuring cups and bowls, spices, utensils, and dishes went in the drawers under the peninsula. The mixer went in the bottom of the pantry along with the large containers of flour and sugar and such. This sets up (roughly) cooking stuff between the sink and the fridge and baking stuff under the peninsula. It's worked pretty well. The peninsula also functions as a sewing and craft work space. It currently has a Halloween costume production thing going on. You'd think that by 37, offspring would be able to do their own costumes, but still it's been fun. Fortunately, the crock pot has been cooking dinner over by the sink all day, so I don't have to use the peninsula for anything else tonight.

Hi Lavender - like Suzannesl, I use more space baking than cooking because I spread out more - mixer, bowls, cups, pans, cooking sheets and other stuff... For my remodel, I will have 60 inches of counter for baking with drawers underneath and shallow pantry to the right followed by oven. Prep cooking will be at the sink in the island. My vision has this working very well, but reality may be different. Regardless, it can not be any worse that what I have now, which is very inefficient indeed.

I probably do an equal amount of each, and always have. Today I did both--baked 6 mini loaves of bread, because my grandson wants to take teeny sandwiches in his lunch tomorrow. Also baked a pan of extra large cinnamon rolls, with the same no-knead dough.

I made a huge pot of potato soup using elephant garlic, onions, and the reject potatoes from the garden (fork damaged, rodent chewed, strangely shaped), as well as carrots and celery, which all had to be rinsed, peeled and/or chopped, and sauteed. (Lol, at this time I have 3 bushels of red potatoes in re-used paper grocery bags, divided between the mudroom and DR--eventually some will be given to relatives, and the rest stored in a bin in the barn.)

If you count my sink in the prepping run, I have about ap. the same amount of space for each activity. The large, deep sink, situated between to two areas, serves both, and I've tried to organize the kitchen as efficiently as possible.

The baking counter has the KA mixer on one end, and plenty of room to line up bowls, baking pans and sheets. Sugar and flour are in large jars on the counter, and salt, shortening, and other baking ingredients are in the upper cabinet. Cookbooks are stored above the KA. I had to bring the butter, eggs, wh.wheat flour, and yeast from the fridge, across the room.

The carrots, and celery were in the fridge. The reject potatoes were in a wire basket in the mudroom, but normally are kept in an old stove in the DR half of the kitchen, as are the onions. The other ingredients for the soup were all on the stove side of the kitchen--butter, sour cream, and milk in the fridge; salt, pepper, olive oil, and herbs are stored near the stove. The potato masher is in a drawer next to the stove. Knives in another drawer, and cutting boards are stored on the stove wall, too.

I also do some preserving, dividing the tasks between areas. Canning is done on the cooking side, drying is done in the baking area, with dehydrators set up on the baking counter. I've recently been up to my elbows in moonglow pears, drying slices and making fruit leather with the less than perfect pieces. I cooked down the chopped, 'juiced-up' pieces, then dried the paste in the oven.

The baking counter also doubles as a buffet for frequent, large, family dinners--at those times I put away the dehydrators, and stow the glass jars of baking staples in the island. The only time I used the island this evening, was to cool the bread on a large cutting board, but if I'm making pies or biscuits, or kneading bread, I use the end closest to the sink--it's an easy pivot to wash my hands and drop utensils.

The only thing I'd really like to add (if I had the space, which I don't), is another oven, especially for proofing bread dough. With only one oven, I have to keep everything on a schedule--the rolls have to be ready to go in when the turkey comes out, and casseroles need to be done ahead, then reheated while the rolls bake.

Sorry if this is TMI--I was just walking through the steps I took for tonight's meal, and thinking what a pleasure it is to cook in my kitchen. :)

I cook more than bake, but agree baking takes much more prep space, my small kitchen is a mess after baking...

Here's another vote for baking. It requires more equipment out, more space needed for rolling of assorted doughs, etc. We are from scratch cooks and bakers. Definitely baking.

Lavender,

Have you seen this 1949 kitchen design video.. It spells it out in great in detail http://archive.org/details/StepSavi1949

I have one prep space for everything, two short runs and a corner between my deep sink and stove. My peninsula serves as staging, cooling, etc.

I've baked since I was a little kid and it not only seems very easy, but it relaxes me. I often bake not because I want the end results, but because I enjoy it. Clean-up-as-you-go was drilled into me by my mom.

What I find easy about baking is cleanup is a breeze: bowls, spoons, measuring cups, without a lot of grease or refuse. Although my space is limited, I never really wish I had more room.

"Cooking" - as in a single meal prep - doesn't take up much room because most of the prep is just one chopping mat's worth of space.

When you get into bulk food prep for freezing, or cooking dinner for a large gathering the prep space becomes significantly larger. If we're cooking and slicing flank stake to freeze it takes a lot of room for the meats, the slicer, the scales, and the freezer baggies ...

Baking has the prep aspect - loading baking sheets takes space - and the in-process aspect - cooling the baked goods - so it tends to take up a lot of space.

We're planning for it in "dream house" by having a long counter between sink and cooktop that can double duty for various prepping for range or ovens. I wouldn't schedule a big baking session at the same time as prepping a side of beef for the freezer ... I'm not that crazy.

I enjoy baking, so one of the things I loved about the kitchen in this house is the fact that there is room for two smaller islands - butcher block for regular prep, and granite, soon to be soapstone, for pastry and bread making etc. It is not a large kitchen by GW standards but the layout works really well for us, though I am still trying to sort out the logistics of possibly adding a separate prep sink (we are on a slab).

I always hated the lack of space to roll out pastry at our previous house so I am thrilled with how things have worked out. Now, if only I could get my husband to finish this on-going project, lol.

Thank you all for responding...

New beginning- Excellent point about the pantry! My current pantry has the same problem. Okay for paper towel, but not great for tomato sauce.

Suzanne- Great picture! Your peninsula looks like a wonderful baking (and costume) area. (LOL)

Blue- Your planned baking area sounds nice! I know what you mean about wondering how it will be IRL, but you seem to have considered just about everything.

Mama Goose- I always enjoy your kitchen and reading about how you use it. Write as much as you want!I wish I could visit :)

Ctycdm- You too? I love to bake, but I do make a mess!

NancyLouise- I like baking from scratch, too. My grandmother loved to bake bread and that's the one thing I don't seem to have space for in our current kitchen...unless it's batter bread.

GWlolo- Thanks for the link!

Linelle- Your kitchen sounds very efficient and I'm envious that you're so good about cleaning as you go. I could do that...but I agree, it's so much easier to clean up baking area.

Lazygardens- LOL! Best not to try to do too much at once. Your long counter sounds like it will be a great prep area.

Akrogirl- Butcher block and soapstone? That is going to be so nice :)

This post was edited by lavender_lass on Mon, Oct 14, 13 at 16:27

Lavender - I find whatever I do spreads out to take advantage of all possible available space - baking or cooking. I think if my kitchen was twice as big, I would come to the same conclusion.

I added a cart which allows me to use for overflow for baking and/or cooking

PS I love seeing you back with your thought provoking posts.

a2, wow, that cart's a beaut!!!

Linelle
Thanks. Believe it or not it was a craigslist special. Brand new and the three most feared words - some assembly required

A2, "some assembly required" sounds so innocuous, like maybe just inserting some batteries. I recently did some assembling (new outdoor gas grill) and it was quite a thing.

Those are my three favorite words!

Wow A2 - that cart is lovely! I have just the place I could put that and my reno hasn't even started yet... I may have to do a search. Did the "some assembly required" also come with clear instructions or was it a guessing game...those are the best!

LL --> when I was designing our kitchen, I did trial prep and baking to see the space I would need. I found that cooking prep on the whole needed less space as the process was sequential and the tools and the ingredients are not out for the entire duration. Having a water source in a prep sink actually reduced the amount of space. The rinsed veggies can drain right over the sink instead of in a colander on the counter. Baking on other hand needed multiple ingredients out for a longer time and more specialist tools were needed. Shifters, bowl for dry ingredients, wet ingredients, parchment paper, brushes, spatulas, measuring cups, bowls of stuff. The work area for kneading and rolling was also more. I could not spare two large prep areas and figured that I am unlikely to cook and bake at the same time. At least not larger more complicated recipes. So 36in for baking area and 40+for the prep.

Lavender-sorry for the hijack but related to prepping and promise last one on the cart. If any others pop, I will start a new thread

MGBlue The directions were clear but almost impossible to get the power screwdriver into position. The newer models may have fixed the issue but no guarantee. Good luck searching. It was a sad story and his SIL bought it and then passed away from cancer. Brother moved and he had the new cart in a box and posted on CL. It is the wine cart.
Anne-LOL.
Linelle-yup

I find that in general, cooking takes less prep space than baking. I don't have a lot of counter space, so when I need to do some serious dough-rolling, cooking dough plopping, or pizza-making, I use the kitchen or dining room table. Same for cooling.

Sometimes cooking projects take up a lot of space, though. Specifically, a large double batch of pasties or summer rolls. For summer rolls, I recruit family helpers, so everyone sits at the table with a cutting board that they're rolling on, with all the ingredients spread out in the middle of the table. For pasties, I roll out dough, stuff and shape, and then line up the finished pasties on baking sheets. Some go into the freezer and some into the oven.

I agree about cleanup: I much prefer baking cleanup to cooking cleanup!

And that cart...wow, it's awesome.

Gemini- Isn't that the truth? No matter how much space you have, you find a way to fill it up. I love the cart! What a great find...and I enjoy seeing a thread evolve...no need to start a new one :)

Ann- Me, too.

Linelle- LOL! I know what you mean...and the directions are in five different languages, so very little info and you end up using the pictures.

Blue- I'm always worried I'll have pieces left over!

Lolo- That's a really good idea. I am trying to not have the island (table instead) but planning to put a small prep sink by the oven/baking area. I'm a messy baker!

Scooter- Sounds like a great idea...to have everyone help out and then fill the freezer. I like to use the table for cookie decorating. We did that as kids and had a lot of fun :)