KITCHEN

We should always remember that in hotel industry due importance must be given towards
kitchen in the early stage of construction itself. Pure kitchen location with respect to the building
renders efficient designing and difficult planning. One must remember while designing a kitchen
that –

 Should be adjacent to the service area.

 Preferably in one corner of the building – in north-west direction which provides two side
walls for windows and free access to air and natural light.
 Corner location makes it convenient for receiving supplies and removal of garbage.
 Should be situated over the ground to avoid flooding, drainage blockage/backflow.
Should not be in basement areas where humidity, heat of kitchen render it prone to
dampness, insect and pest infestation.

Feature of a Good Kitchen

Drainage : Efficiency of the drainage system determines the hygiene and sanitation of kitchen
environment to a large extent. Fat and grease get collected in drains restrict flow of water – all
kitchens should be fitted with grease traps on all drainage inlets to prevent backflow or blockage.

Taking care on this during layout planning can prevent unnecessary recurring expenses during
operation. Drains should be 10 to 15 cm. in diameter.

Electricity and Gas Connections : Electric and gas points to be provided in a kitchen must be in
confrontation with the plan of the equipment and also for the future plan.

Depending on the size of the catering units, the requirement may vary from one power point and
two light points as in a kiosk, to three power point and four light points as in the cafeteria –
which may need to use a refrigerator, a mixer, a juicer, with lighting the area.

For large kitchens it is safer and economical to have a pipeline gas supply with meter, avoiding
changing of gas cylinders in between. Gadgets are available which indicates the quantity of fuel
in each cylinders, helps the changing pattern.

It is wise to make provision for more than one type of fuel in the kitchen to cope with failure
and shortages.

Water Supply : Provision for both hot and cold running water is necessary – this has to be made
at the structural stage.

(Smaller kitchens may have water heater above sink unit may be enough, but in kiosks and
coffee shops installation of instant water heaters connected to normal plumbing proves quite
effective).
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Following points are to be kept in mind :-

 All water supply must be from purified sources.

 Non-purified sources may be used to wash out swill bins.
 Overhead water pipes should be avoided (collect dirt and drop on work areas)
 Preferably pipes should be concealed.
 Water storage tank should be covered and easy to clean periodically.
 Separate provision for drinking water is necessary where public supply is not satisfactory.

Floors : Should be smooth, but not slippery, hard wearing, free from joints, not easily damaged
by spillage, easy to clean, preferably in dark plain colour with appearance and durability factor.
Various types of flooring materials which are available in the market having merits and demerits,
the details of which are given in the following table.
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Walls : Hard plaster with an emulsion finish is most suitable as it is smooth and easy to clean.
Ordinary emulsion paints are not washable, and removing marks or stains could the smudge the
wall. Gloss paints are washable, but tend to show faults in old plaster work. Where the wall is
near steam equipment, a plastic finish is beter than tiles as it is non-absorbent and condensation
from steam does not damage the surface. Any particular type of finish cannot be specified for a
kitchen because the manager of the kitchen must decide what properties should be given priority.
Whatever may be the material, the walls should be smooth, easy to clean, and impervious to
moisture.

Ceilings : Ceiling finish should be heat resistant. A plaster finish is most suitable, though it
requires frequent redoing. While choosing finishing for walls, floors and ceilings one must
remember that dark colours reduce the level of illumination and affect visibility in kitchens.

Work Surface : All work surfaces should be hard-wearing, smooth, and impervious. Stainless
steel is by far the best among work surfaces in the kitchens, though the initial cost is higher.
Marble though expensive is ideal as a work surface for fod preparation work, because of its
hardwearing and hygienic qualities, and beauty.

Lighting : It should be designed to give the best possible illumination. Apart from overall
lightings, fittings need to fixed directly above work tables and food preparation areas. There
might be two types of lightings – Fluorescent lamps amd Mercury lamps.

The recommended lighting per sq. m. of floor area is 30-watt for fluorescent lights, for filament
lamps 80-watts per sq. m. are considered optimum. Recommended illumination for performing a
task is 500 fluxes. The lights should be mounted at height not less than 2.4 metres from the floor
and the fittings not more than 2.2 metres apart.

Ventilation : In kitchen it is very important to prevent the process of condensation which leads to
formation of moulds and bacteria resulting in contamination of food. Proper ventilation is not
only important for a fresh and comfortable environment, but vital to the preparation and
provisions of safe and healthyfood,

Modes of ventilation : There are two types of mode, e.g, Windows and Ventilator hoods.