Cooking Centers in the Kitchen

While the sink center may be the most frequently used area in the kitchen, the cooking center or centers may be the true heart of the kitchen. People who love to cook will be very particular about the types and features of cooking appliances. They find true self-expression in their cooking techniques and the quality of the final outcome of the food product and planning for this task is important.
How do we cook?

Surface Cooking- This refers to cooking that is taking place on the top of the range or on the cook top.

Oven Cooking- Typical cooking in the oven includes baking, roasting and broiling.

Microwave Cooking- Over 96% of households have a microwave and use it in a variety of ways.

Speed Cooking- Several new appliances offer higher speed cooking that combines microwave with convection or light.


Planning the cooking center is more complicated today than in the past when the range was the only cooking appliance. With one appliance to anchor the center, it was relatively easy to plan work surfaces and storage that would surround the place of all cooking activities. Today it is typical to have several cooking appliances, so some of the recommendations must apply to several cooking areas.

Surface Cooking: Because of the interaction between the surface cooking appliance and food preparation tasks, this area is often considered the primary cooking center.

It should be located with consideration to the other centers, particularly the sink center. Cooks will move most frequently between the sink and the cook top, and there should be a clear interrupted path between these two areas. This means that the cooking surface will often be placed beside or across from the sink.

If the sink in on an island, there may be a desire to place the cook top beneath the window, the traditional sink placement area. If this is done, the window should not be operable. Trying to open a window by reaching over hot pots is not safe and drafts from the window can affect cooking performance and safety. Fixed windows or a glass block area might be a solution but consider how hard this area will be to clean.

There should be a landing area on both sides of a cooking surface. Not only does the landing area allow for a place to put spoons, pot lids and ingredients to be added, it also provides a space to turn pot handles so that they are not hit by passing traffic. Unless the countertop is a heat resistant material, the landing area is not a place to put hot pots, unless it is an emergency.

There should be a minimum of 15 inches of counter frontage on one side of the range and 12 inches on the other. If there are various counter heights at the range, the 12 and 15 inch landing area should be the same height as the cooking surface.

If the cooking surface in on an island or a peninsula that is the same height as the cooking surface, then there should also be 9 inches of counter space behind the cooking surface to prevent handles being hit and hot spatters getting onto people standing or sitting behind the cooking surface.

Occasionally, in a small kitchen, a cooking surface will be placed next to a wall or tall obstacle. This should only be done it it is in accordance with manufacturer's instructions for clearances. This closed configuration will not provide an adequate landing area on one side of the cooking center and can restrict the size of pots that will fit on the cooking surface. If no other configuration can be used, then fire retardant and easy-to-clean wall materials will be necessary.