Back kitchen - what would you include?

[MaryQueenofPotts]

So we are in the process of renovating and would like a second/back kitchen where most of the cooking would be done.

In South East Asia these are becoming more popular, where messy or greasy cooking can be done, and you keep your front kitchen relatively clean and more for display. House plots are generally bigger so it’s easy to make the space.

For us, being in the England, I think we use our rooms differently. I’m not keen on being stuck in a crappy kitchen at the back and only having a nice kitchen for display 😂 I want to use it and enjoy it, but I’m not the best house keeper so a second kitchen could be good to keep things tidier and cleaner.
So, the plan is an open plan kitchen diner. I’m thinking we could have a cooker, washing machine, fridge in the back kitchen. Enough work top space to prep veg, can stock cooking related foods in the fridge. But, dishwasher in the front kitchen as we can eat there are wash up there. Pots can go in the back kitchen.

Any advice please? For those who have an extra kitchen, how do you use it? Am I complicating things? Dishwasher location? I don’t really want to be going back and forth between kitchens.

Thanks for any advice!

Aren't back kitchens for when you have staff who cook dinner for you? So the front kitchen just looks fancy and has enough stuff for someone to make a snack?

I wouldn’t waste the money to be honest. I’d have a nice big utility room though for drying washing, ironing etc but I assume if you have the money for two kitchens you’d have that anyway!

Cooker washing machine and fridge....you'd spend your entire life walking between the two. Just sounds like you are making work for yourself. Why don't you make it a utility room so you have a place to hide appliances like blenders, store big pots, a sink for washing them but just use your main kitchen as usual and make sure you get a decent extractor and splashbacks that are easy to wipe clean e.g. not grouted tiles.

I think a really useful utility room is better. Plenty of storage, even a second freezer, good sink etc.
Otherwise I'm struggling to see what you'd actually need in your 'good' kitchen.

My in-laws (not Asian) have a covered patio area outside the back door. They have a BBQ and deep fat fryer there and used it to cook things like kippers and other stinky foods. Would this be an option, rather than an entire kitchen?
I'd prefer a utility room!
I too thought 2nd kitchen's was for the 'staff/chef' to use.

It sounds like a faff. Maybe consider putting 2 dishwashers in, one in each, or you'll be forever carting chopping boards etc between them. Zone it - store every single item in the kitchen it will be used in. For some things (oil, herbs, knives?) you might want two. If you are cooking and washing pots in the back kitchen then you also need storage for all the ingredients, fridge, cooking utensils, baking dishes, and pots in there. And then what would be left in your main kitchen?

I'm maybe a bit jaded because we used to have our fridge in our utility room and I found it incredibly annoying. Every time you make cups of tea do you carry them all carefully into the next room for the milk, or do you go to the next room twice, once to get the milk and then return it? Far too much like hard work for me🤣. And then whenever I cooked dinner I would need a few trips into the utility too. Lazy perhaps but after a couple of years of this, I compromised cupboard space substantially to get the fridge within arm's reach of the kettle.

We have a utility, not a back kitchen, but we have a microwave out there and I would consider putting an oven or airfryer in there. I can sort of imagine a sort of sluice kitchen with micro, oven and DW where you can pile and process the worst of the mess on special occasions, while using your first kitchen almost entirely day to day.

I guess I just can't get my head round the idea of doing all the "prep" and cooking in your little kitchen, while trying not to spend most of your time stuck there. This seems contradictory to me. Whatever you do, put your fridge and hob near your main working space. Ovens I think don't need to be as close, as you're not in and out of them quite as much.

Consider domino hobs (only 2 rings) or a single plug in hob ring in one or other kitchen, so you have the flexibility without taking up too much real estate.

The point of an open plan kitchen is that you’re not shut away on your own cooking. The back kitchen would defeat this purpose surely?

I can understand if you cook a lot of smelly food. Eg the smell of fish going all over the house is horrible so being able to shut away the cooking smell would be good.

if I had the space I would have a separate laundry room and then perhaps another smaller utility for stinky cooking/storage if that was really a big problem. But if stinky cooking is your main issue I wouldn’t be combining the back kitchen with the laundry

Get a chef's candle, a decent cooker hood, good window ventilation, and develop an organised way of keeping the kitchen in an ok state. It doesn't have to be clinical.

Use your money for a laundry/drying/freezer room, with space for storage etc. A futility/utility!

Thanks for all the replies.

I can see why it would be considered a posh thing but definitely no staff here 🤣. We’re extending a 3 bed semi so not masses of space either but could squeeze it in.
So I have been considering the practicality of going back and forth between kitchens, and it is annoying enough during renovations to not have things in one place.The back one would need to be fully stocked and have all the necessary equipment which seems pointless so will drop it for now.

@MaryQueenofPotts I would consider a good laundry room though. We have washer and dryer in ours, large sink with spray tap, lots of hanging, large towel rad, drawers for light bulbs. string and “stuff”, large recycling basket for paper, welly store and a big cupboard for ironing and cleaning equipment. Also a fab wine fridge.

In our kitchen I cook but I also chat! When friends are here it’s the social hub. We are semi open plan so my big bit of advice is get a very quiet dishwasher!! Miele are whisper quiet.