Kitchen Island

The heart of any successful party is the kitchen. Whether you’re having a house party or having friends over for dinner, your kitchen is an essential area for entertaining. Unfortunately, if your kitchen is not properly equipped, it can lead to your event being a flop. So, here we will explore the best tips for successful entertaining in your kitchen. Set Up a Bar Your guests will need drinks, and whether this is cold lemonade, punch or craft cocktails, you need an area set aside as a bar. Create a beverage station on a kitchen island or countertop where you can place glasses, an ice bucket and your selection of drinks. If you have an under counter beverage center outside, on a warm evening, you could create a bar area on your patio for an alfresco event. Even if you intend to prepare your guests’ drinks, keeping this area separate from food prep areas will help keep your kitchen flow at its best. Prepare Delicious Snacks Whether you’re planning on serving a gourmet meal at a dinner party or are hosting a sophisticated soiree, it is a good idea to have some delicious snacks available for your guests. Plan your hors d’oeuvres in advance and store them in your refrigerator until they can be baked off before your party. Even something as simple as mini quiches or fresh bruschetta will keep your guests happy. If you’re not planning on serving a meal, it’s a good idea to designate an area

It’s officially spring, and summer is right around the corner. We’re in the peak season for afternoon parties and gatherings, and if you’re playing host and looking for ways to keep guests entertained during your events, you might be inclined to gather in the living room or parlor. But if you’ve never considered your kitchen a space for fun, you’re missing out on a prime opportunity. When you’re all together in the kitchen, you have the chance for a more relaxed, intimate setting, and you’ll have the bonus of keeping all the tools you need for a great get-together right at your fingertips. Fridges and Chillers What’s a proper reception without drinks? When prepping a party area, the best tool to utilize is without a doubt a reliable wine cooler. Whether for storing wine or if you just want a place to chill non-alcoholic bottles, this can be an integral part of both your party and your kitchen. The wine cooler will cultivate the best temperature for drinks when a refrigerator isn’t quite specialized enough for the task. You won’t have to fuss about running out of ice with a chiller like this handy, either. Additionally, no party is complete without snacks, and a wine cooler can be great extra storage for cheeses, chocolate, olive oil, or anything else that might otherwise bulk up the fridge. With a handy wine cooler, it also offers you the freedom of versatility. Whether you’re pouring drinks or allowing self-serve, this appliance allows easy

Four Kitchen Island Ideas It seems hard to imagine a kitchen these days without either a peninsula or island of some type. With today's open kitchen designs, the extra workspace comes in very handy. Here are a few kitchen island ideas for kitchens of various sizes and shapes. 1. Wheel-In Kitchen Island Belmont White Kitchen Island This roll about cart from Crate&Barrel can serve as a work table or as convenient roll-in seating for a small kitchen. Roll it out of the way if you need the space to maneuver around the kitchen 2. Basic Kitchen Island Credit: Trackmeetsonline If you have room to add a permanent kitchen island, here's one that fits basic needs of an island with workspace, and seating for two. It's great for food prep or for your morning coffee and roll: the French call that morning cuppa with croissant a petit dejuener. 3. Kitchen Appliance Island I'm kind of an appliance guy, so I have to point out that a kitchen island can be a great place for appliances. Get that microwave off the counter and into the island. The microwave pictured above works well, but I really like the convenience of the microwave drawer for an under counter unit. The wall oven shown in the above picture is particularly useful for an accessible kitchen. If plumbing is available, another favorite use on a kitchen island is for a sink. Either a main sink or a small prep sink can make the island even more

Kitchen Island Ideas What can you do with a kitchen island? We're appliance guys. Mostly, we like kitchen islands that provide space to build in kitchen appliances. We like islands with shelves built-in, because there's no such thing as a good place to put a microwave oven on a kitchen counter. We like them even more if we can also put a built-in oven nearby. By the way, both of these ideas make the appliance accessible, and can be part of a thoughtful universal design. We love slide-in ranges. Several appliance manufacturers have recently introduced new slide-in range models. Slide-in ranges work very well in islands. Make sure that you plan for ventilation. Let's concede that islands can serve purposes other than provide room for our precious appliances. This island has a butcher block countertop. Great for food prep. Speaking of food prep, an island sink can be a big help if food preparation is a primary function of the island. At the other extreme, this table in the kitchen is great for meals, and family gatherings, but not so much to chop lettuce on. Here's an island that is really multi-purpose. Sink, appliances, and bar stools that are convenient for an informal meal, or to just visit and nosh. From the above, you can see that kitchen islands can be multi-function. For appliances and plumbing fixtures for your island, count on the experts at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center for the best availability and lowest prices.