Kitchen facilities and layout
Facilities are the built parts of the kitchen: floor, walls, ceiling, water supply, drains, lights, ventilation, storage and hand-wash basins.
- Floor: smooth, non-slip, easy to wash, sloping to a drain.
- Walls and ceiling: smooth, light-coloured, easy to clean, no cracks where pests hide.
- Ventilation: an exhaust hood or chimney over the cooking area removes steam, smoke and heat.
- Lighting: bright and shadow-free where knives are used.
- Water and drains: safe drinking water, hot and cold, and covered drains.
- Hand-wash basin: separate from the food sink, with soap and a towel or dryer.
- Storage: dry store, cold store (fridge 0–5 °C), freezer (−18 °C), kept off the floor.
Work-flow: receive and store → prepare → cook → serve → wash up. Raw and cooked food are kept apart so germs do not cross over.
Hand tools and equipment
Equipment means tools and vessels you hold or use by hand:
- Cutting: chef's knife, paring knife, peeler, grater, chopping boards. Keep knives sharp, a blunt knife slips more.
- Measuring: weighing scale, measuring cups and spoons, food thermometer.
- Cooking vessels: pots, pans, kadhai, tava, steamer, baking trays. Materials: stainless steel (strong, does not react), aluminium (heats fast, light), cast iron (holds heat), non-stick coating (use soft spoons), copper (heats fast, needs lining).
- Others: ladles, tongs, strainers, mixing bowls, rolling pin.
Colour-coded boards stop cross-contamination: red for raw meat, blue for raw fish, green for vegetables and fruit, yellow for cooked food (colours may differ slightly by country, so follow your kitchen's chart).
Appliances and heat sources
Appliances run on gas or electricity.
- Gas stove: instant flame you can see; needs ventilation and a leak check. About 40% of the heat reaches the pot.
- Induction cooktop: a magnetic field heats the pot itself; needs magnetic (iron or steel) pans; very fast and about 85% efficient; the surface stays cooler.
- Oven: hot air for baking and roasting.
- Microwave: heats water in food quickly; metal must not go inside.
- Pressure cooker: trapped steam raises pressure so water boils at about 120 °C, so food cooks faster and saves fuel.
- Rice cooker, steamer, mixer-grinder, blender, toaster: single-purpose helpers.
- Refrigerator and freezer: slow germ growth. Fridge 0–5 °C, freezer −18 °C. Do not overfill, and keep raw food on the lowest shelf.
- Dishwasher: washes and rinses at high temperature.
Big kitchens
Canteens and hotels use large kettles, tilting pans, combi-ovens, blast chillers and hot holding cabinets (63 °C or more). The same ideas apply, only the size changes.
Safe use, cleaning and care
- Fire and gas: check for leaks (smell, soap-water test), turn off the cylinder valve after use, keep a fire extinguisher or fire blanket. Never pour water on an oil fire.
- Electricity: dry hands, no damaged wires, switch off before cleaning.
- Knives: cut away from the body, carry with the point down, wash separately, never catch a falling knife.
- Burns: turn pan handles inward, use dry oven gloves, open lids away from your face.
- Cleaning: scrape, wash with hot soapy water, rinse, sanitise, air-dry. Clean surfaces after every task.
- Care: dry cast iron and carbon steel to stop rust; do not scratch non-stick pans; service appliances regularly; store tools in clean, dry places.
Choosing equipment and saving energy
Choose equipment by job, number of people, safety, cost, cleaning ease and energy use. Match pot size to the burner, keep lids on, soak dals before cooking and use a pressure cooker to save fuel. For large batches, do not fill a pot above about 80% of its volume so it does not boil over.
Try it yourself
- Draw your home kitchen from above. Mark store, prepare, cook, serve and wash. Does the food path go forward only?
- In the 3D free-play step, pick Fruit salad, Rice and dal, and Tea. Which one skips the cook zone? Which skips prepare?
- Look at the fridge thermometer or put one inside. Is it 5 °C or colder?
Key formulas and definitions
- Work-flow: Store → Prepare → Cook → Serve → Wash up (food goes forward only)
- Fridge: 0 to 5 °C; freezer: −18 °C; hot holding: 63 °C or more
- Energy (kWh) = power (kW) × time (h)
- Fill a big pot to about 80% only: needed volume = food volume ÷ 0.8
- Colour boards: red raw meat, blue raw fish, green vegetables, yellow cooked
Worked examples
1. An induction cooktop of 1.5 kW is used for 30 minutes. How many units (kWh) of electricity does it use, and what is the cost at ₹8 per unit?
Energy = power × time = 1.5 kW × 0.5 h = 0.75 kWh. Cost = 0.75 × 8 = ₹6.
2. A canteen must cook soup for 100 people, 250 mL each. A pot should be filled to only 80%. What is the smallest pot volume needed?
Soup volume = 100 × 250 mL = 25 000 mL = 25 L. Needed pot volume = 25 ÷ 0.8 = 31.25 L. So pick the next common size, for example a 40 L pot.
3. A cook cuts raw chicken on a green board and then slices tomatoes on it without washing. What went wrong and how should it be fixed?
Green is for vegetables, so raw chicken should use the red board. Using one board for both moves germs from the chicken to ready-to-eat tomatoes (cross-contamination). Fix: use the red board for raw meat, a green board for vegetables, and wash and sanitise tools between tasks.
Common mistakes
- Letting food travel back to a dirty zone, for example putting cooked food on a counter used for raw meat.
- Using one board and knife for raw meat and for salad without washing.
- Overfilling the fridge so cold air cannot move, or keeping it warmer than 5 °C.
- Using metal in a microwave, or using aluminium or glass pans on an induction cooktop (it needs magnetic pans).