Are you concerned about bacterial contamination of your kitchen countertop? With my toddler son, I know I certainly am.
Today, it is understood that many food items that we purchase are highly contaminated with pathogenic micro-organisms, and it is necessary for the home cook to make these foods safe. Often, the first step in food preparation is cutting and manipulating the food to get it ready. It is essential that the countertop be cleaned after raw food has touched the surface. Otherwise, there can be cross-contamination, and the people eating the food prepared on the cross-contaminated surface can become ill.
Showing posts with label Küchen Essentials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Küchen Essentials. Show all posts
Laminate countertops
If the term laminate countertop doesn't ring a bell, the name Formica probably will. Formica is the brand name of the oldest makers of laminate countertop materials.
Laminate Composition and Grades
High Pressure Laminates (HPL) are made by bonding melamine, paper and plastic resin layers through a high heat and high pressure process. This manufacturing process produces the dark brown line at the edge of the HPL. Sometimes you might see a brown line along the seams of the joints of the countertop.
There are specialty HPLs that do away with the brown edge, and have a solid color running throughout the sheet. But these have a smaller range of colors and finishes.
HPLs come in different thickness depending on their intended use. For kitchen countertops, there are 2 basic grades used. Standard, General-purpose or Horizontal grade (0.05") is suitable for countertops, tabletops, shelving and desktops. It is the most resilient grade of HPL and can withstand the most impact. For postforming—the process of forming the decorative HPL into simple shapes—a slightly thinner grade (0.04") of HPL is used. Vertical grade (0.028 - 0.03") is the thinnest and is typically used for low-impact vertical installations, like backsplashes, and cabinets, doors and drawer faces. It can be used for horizontal applications if the surface is not expected to withstand heavy use.
Countertop
To make a laminate countertop, the HPL is glued to a core/substrate with contact cement. In Singapore, solid-ply is commonly used as the substrate of countertops although particleboard and medium-density fibreboard (MDF) can also be used.
Laminate Composition and Grades
There are specialty HPLs that do away with the brown edge, and have a solid color running throughout the sheet. But these have a smaller range of colors and finishes.
HPLs come in different thickness depending on their intended use. For kitchen countertops, there are 2 basic grades used. Standard, General-purpose or Horizontal grade (0.05") is suitable for countertops, tabletops, shelving and desktops. It is the most resilient grade of HPL and can withstand the most impact. For postforming—the process of forming the decorative HPL into simple shapes—a slightly thinner grade (0.04") of HPL is used. Vertical grade (0.028 - 0.03") is the thinnest and is typically used for low-impact vertical installations, like backsplashes, and cabinets, doors and drawer faces. It can be used for horizontal applications if the surface is not expected to withstand heavy use.
Countertop
To make a laminate countertop, the HPL is glued to a core/substrate with contact cement. In Singapore, solid-ply is commonly used as the substrate of countertops although particleboard and medium-density fibreboard (MDF) can also be used.
Is there such a thing as non-solid ply? Hollow-core assemblies are more commonly seen in hollow-core doors and areas where a solid core is not needed. A piece of non-solid ply panel is probably made out of 2 thin sheets of plywood sandwiching a skeletal frame of either hardwood or plywood, with a paper honeycomb infill. Of course there is nothing to stop the carpenter having just the frame and omitting the honeycomb infill. I think for the moment, no one has pulled a fast one in using hollow-core for kitchen countertops, but there is no harm in giving it a tap or two just to be sure.
Much ado about Kitchen Countertops
Because of cost, I began my reno planning believing I should go with Solid Surface. I thought to myself, its about mid-priced and so long as I'm careful to maintain it (i.e. wiping off spills quickly, diligently using trivets, etc) I should alright. But the more I read about experiences of home owners who chose Solid Surfaces, the more the negative voices bothered me. Before long, I started to doubt if it is the right choice after all.
So before I make my final decision, I wanted to take a closer look into the world of kitchen countertops. I'll be posting as I go along so things might get messy for a while until I can organized it more coherently. I'll start with the simplest (and cheapest) and move up to the most expensive.
Next up: Laminates
Oh before I forget, most contractors and ID are likely to quote for the countertop as a separate item from the kitchen cabinets (but I'm not too sure about laminate countertops though).
Kitchen Layouts
The kitchen layout deals not only with the proper selection and placement of appliances and cabinetry, but also is the very foundation of the design of the kitchen. It will also determine how cook-friendly the kitchen is.
A kitchen layout should be designed around a work triangle. From the smallest kitchen to one on a grand scale, all kitchens are equipped with the same basic appliances. The significance of a kitchen layout is to arrange everything within a functional kitchen plan.
Regardless of the perimeter shape of the room, most kitchens are organized around one of several basic kitchen layouts, each with its own type of triangle: One-Wall, Galley/Corridor, L-Shape, U-Shape, G/Peninsula Shape and Island.
However, in today's modern homes that embrace the open-concept by removing walls and eliminating door ways, new arrangement styles may be necessary. The traditional idea of lining the perimeter of a kitchen with base and wall cabinets may not work in a modern kitchen.
A kitchen layout should be designed around a work triangle. From the smallest kitchen to one on a grand scale, all kitchens are equipped with the same basic appliances. The significance of a kitchen layout is to arrange everything within a functional kitchen plan.
Regardless of the perimeter shape of the room, most kitchens are organized around one of several basic kitchen layouts, each with its own type of triangle: One-Wall, Galley/Corridor, L-Shape, U-Shape, G/Peninsula Shape and Island.
However, in today's modern homes that embrace the open-concept by removing walls and eliminating door ways, new arrangement styles may be necessary. The traditional idea of lining the perimeter of a kitchen with base and wall cabinets may not work in a modern kitchen.
Kitchen Work Triangle
The kitchen work triangle is an imaginary triangle that connects the sink, refridgerator and hob. This work triangle is functional centre of any kitchen. The goal is to place the 3 most common workareas or zones in the most efficient distance apart, and to minimize unnecessary traffic through this work zone.
The 3 traditional zones are: Hob - Cooking/Hot Zone, Sink - Preparation Zone and Refridgerator - Consumables Zone. It might be different for you if you use the kitchen differently. These represent the 3 points of the work triangle.
Efficiency of the kitchen is the main goal of the kitchen work triangle, as it keeps all the major work areas near to the cook but not so close that the kitchen becomes cramped. The kitchen work triangle is also used to minimize traffic within the kitchen. If the work stations are too far away from each other, it probably means that you'll be taking a few extra steps each time you prepare something in the kitchen. On the other hand, if they are too close it means you might have a cramped kitchen with little place to work.
The 3 traditional zones are: Hob - Cooking/Hot Zone, Sink - Preparation Zone and Refridgerator - Consumables Zone. It might be different for you if you use the kitchen differently. These represent the 3 points of the work triangle.
Efficiency of the kitchen is the main goal of the kitchen work triangle, as it keeps all the major work areas near to the cook but not so close that the kitchen becomes cramped. The kitchen work triangle is also used to minimize traffic within the kitchen. If the work stations are too far away from each other, it probably means that you'll be taking a few extra steps each time you prepare something in the kitchen. On the other hand, if they are too close it means you might have a cramped kitchen with little place to work.
Kitchen Zones
Popularized by the modular kitchen, the concept of zoning the kitchen is based on the idea of setting up the work area to accomodate the function performed there. While we may or may not actually buy kitchen modules, I think knowing the design principles will still help us when we model our own kitchens.
There are 5 common distinct work areas identified for a kitchen: Cooking/Hot Zone, Prep Zone, Cleaning/Wet Zone, Non-Consumables Zone, and Consumables Zone.
Image courtesy of There are 5 common distinct work areas identified for a kitchen: Cooking/Hot Zone, Prep Zone, Cleaning/Wet Zone, Non-Consumables Zone, and Consumables Zone.
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