The Rise Of Open Plan Kitchens

January 08, 2022

Mastering the technical and culinary facets of the kitchen helps to facilitate not only the proprietor’s vision for a dramatic, edifying, innovative, and transparent restaurant experience but also the diners, believes Chef Kasivisvanth-Radisson Blu Atria, Bengaluru.

The key to successfully planning and outfitting a crowd-pleasing open kitchen is to start with the intent, careful execution, and a full understanding of kitchen and dining area operations. In the quest to be the change in the industry inclusive environment is a must where customers and back of the house staff connects. Open kitchen design concepts are proving to be a unique selling proposition for restaurants and other hospitality operations. Whether fad or long-term business strategy, open kitchens seem to awaken much interest among certain consumer segments or at least many restaurateurs believe that such development is taking place. In the open kitchen, everything is on display including pots and pans and raw ingredients.

Getting in the habit of watching chefs do their thing on TV has obviously boosted the fascination with what goes in restaurant kitchens. “It’s just that the open kitchen is being embraced not simply for practical reasons but as a way to entertain and make diners comfortable. The USP of this is Chefs can showcase their unique culinary skill at the same time gauging customer reactions and receiving immediate feedback from simple expressions. Customers – especially foodies – can feed their curiosity about how their orders are prepared and the dramatic behind-the-scenes happenings,” observes Chef Kasivisvanth. “While many different elements contribute to the memorable dining experiences in hospitality scenarios, the open kitchen concept not only provides entertainment in the form of the display of cooks’ at work but also ‘transparency’, that is customers being able to see first, how food is handled,” avers Chef Kasivisvanath.

Role of kitchen tools and appliances

Manning, planning, and staffing play a key role in preparing the food menu. Choosing the right appliance, equipment for the food menu is from where it starts. The country is equipped with a lot of resources instrumental in transforming the age-old kitchen with high-end kitchen appliances, technology, chemicals, and much more.

Baby/Mini/Small Offset Spatula is a handy tool for every pastry chef. Plastic Bowl Scraper is the simple invention of a stiff piece of plastic, with one edge lightly curved, which is essential to working with the lightest foams to the densest bread dough. By holding the plastic it becomes an extension of the arm, allowing folding, stirring, or scraping with more control and precision, and because it’s light and thin, it’s accessible at all times. Induction Burner accuracy is such that it cooks the food five times faster than a home stove, a must. The vacuum Sealer on the kitchen counter is a blessing as it helps to keep the fridge organised and fresh — just like the restaurant. It’s also great for protecting food in the freezer and, of course, for cooking sous-vide in the sink.

Chef’s kitchen knife is an indispensable cooking tool along with a top-quality cutting board that is the kitchen knife's best friend on the cooking counter. Opting for a plastic or wood version comes down to personal preference. A set of durable stainless steel bowls — a must for everything from tossing salads to whipping cream for desserts. A set of nesting bowls that fit inside each other for space-saving storage is a clever gadget for pureeing vegetables and fruit, getting lumps out of soup or gravy, whipping cream, whisking eggs, mixing batters, and much more.

Microplane Grater is a versatile kitchen tool with razor-sharp stainless steel teeth that grates citrus zest, hard cheeses, and spices in a snap. Last but not least Combo ovens are a must in every kitchen. Induction hob, aesthetics-wise, is a good choice considering individual choice and preference. The electrical appliances used in this kitchen are energy efficient.