Make your kitchen more practical, functional

I’m sure your kitchen was bustling this past weekend, with lots of baking and cooking — and I hope you got to enjoy some good weather and company as you celebrated Thanksgiving.

Kitchens are the heart of the home and are still one of the most popular rooms to renovate. Making upgrades can undoubtedly add to the value of your home and make your kitchen more functional, especially if you love cooking.

Whether considering a whole kitchen renovation or just making some minor improvements, consider these additions to make your kitchen more practical and functional.

Thanksgiving means turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and all the delicious aroma, but being who I am, I also think about all the moisture cooking creates. So, I naturally think about exhaust fans or hood vents.

When a well-maintained good quality exhaust fan is running, it removes excess moisture from your indoor air and improves its quality. Not to mention, it avoids any excess moisture building up that can lead to mould and mildew on walls and ceilings.

But to be effective, a hood fan needs to be exhausted outside through a filter and run at least 30 minutes after cooking. Adequate ventilation is also essential for gas ranges, as the fumes created from burning natural gas contain CO2 and can be harmful if not properly vented.

One important thing to remember is to replace or clean the filters regularly. Highquality exhaust fans will get rid of those cooking smells and moisture if adequately maintained.

My family is growing by the minute, and family gatherings are getting bigger every year. I’ve recently come across some kitchen accessories that will make prepping and cooking so much more enjoyable. For example, a wall-mounted pot-filler tap is a life changer. No more lugging large pots of water to the stove — you can fill the pot right on the stove. Brilliant!

Whether you have a big kitchen or a small one, there are some cool kitchen sink accessories on the market that can provide some practical options, like bottom sink grids. They work great as a drainer and protect dishes and cookware from scratching your sink.

Over-the-sink cutting boards are practical and convenient — the cutting board fits securely over the sink and makes cleaning up easy. Plus, it gives you more countertop space, which is especially important when you’re entertaining.

My favourite accessory is the roll-up drying rack that goes over your sink area. This is great for the times when you don’t have very many dishes to put in the dishwasher, as it is often more practical and convenient. It’s also great for rinsing produce and it can also be used as a cooling rack for hot pots to protect the countertops.

A good kitchen faucet is another essential element, and having one that you love is key. For me, a pull-downstyle faucet is the best for a kitchen. Pull-down-style faucets are convenient and practical, especially great for cleaning large pots and roasting pans.

You can also get ones with hands-free activation, which is ideal for a busy kitchen. Hands-free activation also reduces germ transfer when handling raw food and is easy for kids to use.

I can’t talk about kitchen faucets without talking about kitchen sinks. Personally, I like having a double sink. I have a dishwasher, but we only use it when we have family gatherings and I prefer to handwash my dishes. To me, having a double sink is practical — you can use one for washing dishes and the other for drying or rising.

Today sinks are made from a variety of materials, stainless steel, porcelain, fireclay and quartz or granite to name a few. I personally like stainless steel because it’s easy to clean, it’s stain and heat resistant, and very durable.

Lighting is another element in a kitchen that can easily be improved to give your space a fresh look. Adding LED under-cabinet lighting will certainly make your kitchen brighter and functional, as it’s great for additional task lighting.

LEDS are perfect for undercabinet lighting because they are energy-efficient, and they don’t create heat, which can be especially bad if you’re storing food in cupboards.

No matter how big or small your kitchen is, consider adding some or all of these tips to your next kitchen upgrade. They will certainly help your kitchen, the heart of the home, to become more functional, especially when you’re looking to entertain and enjoy your space.