The Perfectly Ergonomic Kitchen – Professional, Safe and Age-Friendly

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The Perfectly Ergonomic Kitchen Professional,
Safe and Age Friendly
A professional kitchen is one that is well
organised and is ergonomically suitable for its
user. Ergonomic means that a space is efficient,
comfortable, provides a balanced movement around
the room and increases productivity. An
ergonomically organised space is gentler on the
body, as it helps reduce time and movement. The
user of a kitchen may be a professional chef, a
young wife or husband, an elderly person, or
someone disabled, to name but a few types of
individuals amongst the many who spend time
preparing food in a kitchen.
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c ustomerservice_at_essentialaids.com For an
elderly person in the kitchen, there may be
age-related concerns to address. These could
include diminished strength and grip, balance
problems, visual changes, arthritis and walking
difficulties. Making an ergonomically friendly
kitchen for someone may mean considering
age-related changes which have resulted over the
last few years. An Efficient Kitchen A perfect
kitchen size for an average house size of 1,500
square feet (e.g. two floors of 30 x 25 feet) is
150 to 225 square feet (e.g. 12 x 12 and 1/2
feet up to 15 x 15 feet). A good starting point
for a successful ergonomic kitchen is the
triangle effect between sink, oven and
fridge. Having these three facilities in easy
reach, with a good worktop in between,
immediately reduces the time spent between
walking from one area to another. A U-shaped
kitchen, with worktops on three walls, the sink,
oven and fridge within these three walls and a
central island, creates a perfect working
kitchen. It cuts down on the time spent carrying
items from place to place, something which could
be an issue for people with
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• reduced strength and weakened grip,
  balance and mobility difficulties, arthritis and
  vision changes.
• The width of aisles is very important, as age
  could bring with it the need to use a trolley,
  walking frame or wheelchair, all of which need
  sufficient turning space.
• Having items within reaching distance, both
  height and depth wise, will eliminate
  stretching.
• Appropriate lighting (e.g. spotlights on
  important areas) will make food preparation an
  enjoyable experience.
• What to Keep in a Kitchen and Where
• All chefs have items and tools which they use
  again and again. Think of the items you use most
  often-
• Most often-
• Cups, saucers, plates, bowls, cutlery, regular
  drinking glasses, teapot, toaster, kettle and
  pans.
• Keep these items within easy reach. Maybe keep
  one easily reachable cupboard for day-to-day use
  e.g. your regular cup and plate, as well as your
  regular glass and your regular bowl.
• Items brought out only when visitors are present
  could be in a different cupboard, maybe not
  quite as accessible, or even a

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• different room, leaving other accessible
  cupboards for food and drink items.
• Least often-
• Bread maker, pasta maker, blender, best tea set,
  and special drinking glasses.
• Keep these items in low cupboards. Bending may be
  needed to access these items but, as they are
  not used every day, bending occasionally will
  prove less of an issue than bending on a regular
  basis.
• Equipment
• For food preparation, there are three kinds of
  equipment in a working kitchen-
• Large equipment, usually fixed items e.g. oven,
  hob, refrigerator and freezer. Remember the
  triangle layout for ease of use.
• Mechanical equipment e.g. blender, bread maker,
  toaster and food mixer. These items may not be
  used every day and so dont need to adorn the
  worktops.
• Utensils small hand-held pieces of equipment,
  of which there are many.

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• Utensils
• A cook needs many types of utensils-
• A good quality, chefs knife - learn how to use
  knives correctly, not only for professional
  cutting but also for safety reasons
• Mixing bowls these are needed for dry, moist,
  hot and cold ingredients, so have both plastic
  and glass bowls at your disposal
• Spoons and spatulas
• Cutting boards - remember to use the designated
  colour for the food item you are cutting and
  preparing
• Measuring cups, scales and spoons Americans
  weigh ingredients in small cups, designed solely
  for the purpose of measuring, rather than
  weighing ingredients on kitchen scales.
• Utensils Regularly in Use and How to Store Them
• There are certain kitchen utensils which are
  regularly in use e.g. spatula, large spoon,
  slotted spoon, a potato masher, scissors, bottle
  openers and can openers. Store these items within
  easy reach, maybe in a drawer near where they
  will be used, or in a container on the worktop.

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c ustomerservice_at_essentialaids.com Cooking
utensils come in all shapes and sizes and so are
difficult to store. They dont fit in a
regular-sized drawer, unless placed diagonally,
so these utensils may often be kept on the
kitchen worktop in a utensil holder. Utensils
holders for kitchens can be purpose made, or you
can make use of an old container (e.g. a flour
jar), which will meet the needs of utensil
storage. Regularly used utensils can also be
suspended from a rail on the wall or ceiling.
Make sure that the rail isnt too high to reach
and that the hooks from which the items are
suspended will not easily fall and cause
injury. Only store regularly used utensils on the
worktop and in the drawers and keep less used
items (a nutcracker, for example) tucked away
until needed. Drawer dividers can make the
contents look more orderly and make items easier
to locate. Plastic cutlery trays can divide your
drawers, or you can use other kinds of dividers
to keep order amongst your knives and forks. Two
shallow drawers are better than one deep one, as
the deeper drawer will lead to getting as much
in the drawer as you can, a very messy way to
work.
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c ustomerservice_at_essentialaids.com A pot rack
usually hangs over the worktop space and neednt
be only for pans. Regular utensils can hang there
as well, making accessibility easy. A
wall-mounted bar for hanging utensils can also
free up some drawer space and make items ready
for the taking. Other Storage Jars which often
take up space on the worktop (e.g. tea, coffee
and sugar) could be relocated on wall shelves.
The jars should be easy to reach and the worktop
will have more working space. If you have enough
space in your kitchen, a portable kitchen island
can prove a bonus. With its own worktop, as well
as storage areas and places to hang utensils
from, it is like a mini kitchen in its own
right. A baking tray and chopping board rack is
ideal for keeping these items in place in a
cupboard or a deep drawer, freeing up space to
store other items. Trays and boards stand
vertically and you dont have to lift several
out to get to the one you want.
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Safety Comes First If safety isnt addressed,
the kitchen is one of the most dangerous rooms
in a house. Make sure that a kitchen suitable
fire extinguisher is within easy reach for all
who work in the kitchen. Seek professional
advice on the right type of fire extinguisher,
and the best location, for use in your
kitchen. Slip-resistant flooring is worth its
weight in gold. Accidents could include slipping
on a wet floor, slipping when holding a kettle
or pan of boiling water and many other
frightening spur of the moment issues. Wear
sensible clothing i.e. nothing with loose straps
or belts (in which pan handles could get
caught), or clothes so long that they might
cause a tripping hazard. Use different coloured
chopping boards for cutting raw meat (red), raw
fish (blue), cooked meat (yellow), salads and
fruit (green), vegetables (brown) and dairy
products (white). You cant wash your hands too
often. In particular, always wash your hands
after touching raw chicken and always rinse
cutlery and utensils used for cutting or
touching chicken before placing them in the bowl
or dishwasher to wash them. Food poisoning can
last a long time and make you very ill.
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c ustomerservice_at_essentialaids.com When
preparing a meal, keep children, pets and
anything else distracting out of the kitchen, not
only for your sake but for theirs as
well. Install a water regulator system, to avoid
scalds and burns. With age and with certain
medications, the skin doesnt always recognise
when water is too hot and so having a regulator
is a must. Avoid any dark areas in a kitchen, by
fitting appropriately located lighting e.g.
spotlights over the oven and hob. Summary A well
organised kitchen is gentler on the body, as it
helps reduce time and movement. Organise your
cupboard and drawer content to take into
consideration any age-related changes you have
developed in recent years. Utensils holders for
kitchens can be purpose made or can be an old
item which has been recycled (e.g. a flour
jar). Age could bring with it the need to use a
trolley, walking frame or wheelchair, so ensure
that aisles are wide enough to ensure turning
space.
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c ustomerservice_at_essentialaids.com When
choosing utensils, take your health
conditions into consideration and choose adapted
items where appropriate e.g. an electric can
opener for a weak grip or arthritis. Fit
appropriately located lighting (e.g. spotlights),
both for safety and for enjoying the experience
of being fully, even semi-, independent. Store
regularly used items within easy reach and leave
low cupboards mostly for rarely used items. NB
Items on display anywhere in the kitchen will
attract dust and insects, so leave only
regularly used ones open to kitchen conditions,
as these will be washed on a regular basis. Blog
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