Baking center in two places?

13 years ago

For those of you with a large island, in particular - do you find that you have two baking centers? Or how do you organize your kitchen related to baking needs? I'm going to have a lot of workspace on my island, and I envision rolling pies, plopping cookies on cookie sheets, frosting cakes, and kneading dough on that wonderful surface. BUT - my KA mixer will live across the aisle next to the wall ovens - I'm not having a mixer living on my island, of course, and really don't want to devote an island cabinet to a mixer (with or without the heavy-duty lifter option). So it's clear I'll have something of a "baking center" where the KA and the wall ovens are located...but there's some logic to keeping the rolling pins, pastry cutters, etc, at the island. Do some of you have two baking centers with this sort of situation in your kitchens? I know a lot of you have islands - do tell how you have organized your bakeware and utensils, please?

Thanks!

AP

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Comments (7)

plllog
13 years ago
I sort of have that. To some extent it's about where you have room to store stuff. I have my mixer in the corner of my perimeter, right above the drawers with my staples (in canisters). My spices are on the far side of the baking area. There's an short counter between which is great for pouring a cake into a pan or whatever, on top of the drawers with my baking pans, rolling pin and pastry cloth, scoops, measuring spoons and dippers, scrapers and other utensils, etc. Above the mixer are mixer bowls and attachments, and glass measuring cups. So it's a nice, compact baking center. My island is just behind it, though, so if I'm rolling, shaping bread, or doing some other spread-out-y task, I have plenty of room.

There's no reason the rolling pin, cookie cutters, etc., couldn't go in the island if there were room there. I LOVE having the staples right at the mixer, as well as the measurers, scrapers and all. The pastry cutter and mixing bowls are best where you have a lowered counter, if you'll have one. Mine are in the same bank of drawers mentioned above. The perimeter counter is slightly lower than the island too. The rest--pans and all--don't matter as much. My big baking board is around the other side of the island, and the cookie sheets are actually in the butler's pantry with the trays (though I could use the ones that came with my oven and are right by the baking area, over the ovens). It's the things that you're constantly reaching for that are really best right where you'll be using them.

Interesting side note: I put my big, old mixing bowls in a baking drawer because I've always used them for that kind of thing, but I find myself recently using the steel bowl for making meatballs, and the Pyrex one for stuffing, and things like that, and I'm thinking of swapping them to the island prep area and moving the melamine bowls I have there to the baking area. Moral: You can only plan so much.
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rhome410
13 years ago
I guess you could say I have what you're talking about. My official 'baking center' is across the aisle from one side of my island. The KA mixer sits on the counter, and is used there. The flour, sugar, flavorings, etc. are in the cabinets above. In the cabinets below are measuring spoons/cups, rubber spatulas, baking pans. In the island, where I do kneading, rolling out, and putting things in pans, I have my bread mixer, bread pans, cake decorating tools and cookie cutters. But I think of it as one baking cetner, it just happens to be on both sides of me when I'm in that aisle. :-)

These photos are a little old. Since then, I turned the bottom left cabinet into vertical baking sheet storage, so have pie and cake pans in the bottom drawer...So those things swapped spaces. I also moved the tea from the upper cabinet and have more room for extra baking supplies.
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I don't know what kind of space you're working with but storage is at a premium in my kitchen. I spent a lot of time thinking about how I work when I cook when planning my kitchen. Aside from not having room for a specific baking area there's a lot of cross over with spices & things that aren't used solely for baking so I like everything living in one cabinet. Agree about the doors over the spices. It's better for the spices & things can get messy and/or crammed. It may not always look picture perfect. Plus keeping those jars clean is going to drive you nuts, not to mention the potential for dust etc to settle in the baking cups. My upper cabs are 11" deep and I have risers in the spice cabs that look like little steps. Basically I can see 4 rows of spices on one shelf, the only concession is that I write the names of the spices on the sides of the caps since I can't always see the labels. If you don't have room for a pull out trash in your baking area you can always do what I do I use a "garbage bowl" while you work. Trash gets tossed into the bowl then carried over to the garbage when all is done. I've found this to be really handy! Things like eggshells & butter wrappers just get tossed into the open bowl as opposed to having to open a door or pull out. Here's a picture of my kitchen before it was finished (notice the dixie cup pendants) but it gives you a good idea of what I'm working with. The upper cab to the right of the stove is where the spices, oils & flavorings live. On the counter directly underneath I keep a few canisters & my stand mixer (I keep it underneath a fabric cover to keep dust out). The base cabinet beneath them is all drawers & they hold cooking utensils, measuring spoons, rolling pins, parchment, etc. The actual prep work is done on the peninsula (underneath the dixie cups). This way I have room to spread out. This is my work area for everything. I still have counter space to either side of the stove (which I didn't have before) and plenty of room to spread out. See those open shelves up top? I wanted them in order to display some Fiesta and also as a callback to my mother's kitchen which had open shelves like that on either side of the window. I love having them but they are DUST MAGNETS! All of the dust that can't get into the cabinets to settle on the spice jars must settle there. Good luck with this. You're going to live it when it's done. Cloud_Swift- I recognized your gorgous granite before I realized that it was your post! too funny. Nina
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Jo Ann, The big trick is not to trip off the box and break an ankle ;) A lot depends on how you like to work, and what else the island is for. I should have mentioned that my island is my higher work surface (38"), but it's also deeper than my 24" perimeter. The box for me is for if I want to roll on the island. I think my too tall clogs might actually be a better way to go for me. ;-) Is your island a big area? lots of cabinets? Prep sink? All that stuff? Or is it relatively small? Mine is only about 5'x3'. A great prep height for taller people like me (and I have an alternate prep area at normal height elsewhere). Similarly, a smaller island that's a good baking height for you might be useful, if there are other tasks you want to do at that height. A large island, that takes the place of a whole wall or similar, for architectural reasons, as well as the other people considerations Trailrunner mentioned, is probably better off at a standard height. Before I decided on the box/clogs thing, I came up with all kinds of convertible notions. For instance, a pullout rolling table with marble surface, complete with legs, with a cabinet underneath and a drawer above. No problem for the cabinetmaker, but I couldn't figure out how to keep the flour from getting into the cabinet. A baking/chopping center, with rolling height marble, and a fitted piece of butcher block that fits on top to counter height. Butcher block is heavy, though, so moving it might be too much of a pain if the rolling area is big enough for shortbread cookies or gingerbread, which don't like a lot of rerolling, and cut better with more rolled at once, than small batches. A baking cart that fits into a niche and pulls to center floor (for easy cleanup). There were more. Clogs, or a box, seem easier.
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melaska
13 years ago
rhome - ahhh, it's so nice to get another peek at my favorite GW kitchen. Yours is my inspiration to use 3 different finishes in mine...can't wait to see how it turns out! :)
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ideagirl2
13 years ago
Rhome, you have inspired me too. Partly with your baking center setup, which I'm lusting for, and partly with your different finishes. Thanks to you I'm thinking we can do white cabinets on either side of the range and white uppers, but stained lower cabinets everywhere else. The point being to really set off the red range. I thought it would look weird to do that, but seeing your kitchen I am obviously wrong. Yay! Thanks!
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lavender_lass
13 years ago
AP- I dream of having your situation :)

If I ever get my kitchen remodeled, I'd do something very similar to what you're describing. I love to bake and would enjoy having more room, just to bake bread and frost cakes. Now, it's always move something to make room for something else!

Rhome- You're so organized! Nice set-up.
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rhome410
13 years ago
Thank you, everyone!

It's probably not as neat as the pics make it look! lol But I think organization is due to the blessing of having enough storage in the right places, and that definitely helps with my neatness issues.

I am REALLY looking forward to seeing your multi-finish kitchens, Melaska and Ideagirl2. And a red range! I saw a red American Range the other day in my oven hunt, and had to stop and run my hand across it. SO GORGEOUS!!
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gj144
8 years ago
I have a bake table area that works well - everything I need is near me. Two doors open out and then slice back into the cabinet so I have access to all equipment on slide out drawers- the surface is granite which is great for rolling out cookies and pie dough. My table is 30-5/8 " high - about 5-1/2" lower than the normal 36" counter top. I find this a little low - does anyone have an optimal height for a bake table?
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Baking center in two places?

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plllog

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