Bakers Take Note

We’re coming on that time of year when the delicious aroma of pumpkin pies and holiday cookies start to fill your kitchen. If you’re one of those make-it-from-scratch bread and pie makers, and a new kitchen or a remodel is in your future, you might want to consider a custom baking center.

Planning a baking center

Baking centers are easily placed in an island or perimeter location. Regardless of placement you want a prep area, proximity to ovens, and lots of landing space for hot cookie sheets and cake pans. Many home bakers drop a section of their standard 36-inch counter top to between 30 and 33 inches to create a comfortable space for mixing, kneading and rolling out dough.

 Outfitting your baking center

One ideal cabinet accessory is a utensil organizer to keep all of your baking tools organized and at the ready to whip up your favorite treats.

kabi's standard drawer is deep enough to accommodate many of your favorite cooking and baking utensils.

If you use a heavy stand mixer a mixer lift could prove essential, double wall ovens provide lots of baking racks, and roll out drawers for accessing baking pans and mixing bowls are really helpful.

Easy glide drawers are among the many behind-the-door kabi options.

Topping your baking center

Marble has long been the material of choice for home bakers because its smooth, cool surface is perfect for kneading dough but granite has became an accepted alternative for its cool hardness. It should be noted both these surfaces require sealing.

Engineered quartz-surfacing offers the same benefits as marble or granite, but without the maintenance requirements. Because they’re non-porous, engineered stone tops like Caesarstone, Cambria and Zodiaq also reduce your contamination risk.