If your household is committed to a raw food diet, your kitchen design should reflect this. In many ways, designing a raw food kitchen is a much simpler task as you won’t likely be needing as much storage for pots and pans and many appliances, such as microwaves, coffee machines, and fancy stoves won’t be needed.
In general, there are certain approaches to a raw kitchen design that can help you get better functionality out of the space; however, it’s important to think long-term to ensure you are getting the best value for your renovation budget. Will this be your diet forever? Or is it something you are just trying out? Are there children or others in the home who do not eat this way? If so, compromises may be necessary.
Here are some raw kitchen design concepts to think about:
Countertop Choice
Nonporous surfaces are ideal for raw food kitchens.
LG Viatera or Cambria Natural Quartz
Viatera and Cambria are two top suppliers of natural quartz surfaces, each recognized with several certifications for hygienic safety. They are safe for contact with all kinds of food and have been certified by Mindful Materials. Additionally, they are listed as Living Building Challenge Compliant, meaning they are fit for building projects that are focused on sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Stainless Steel
Perhaps a more obvious choice in terms of nonporous surfaces, stainless steel is resilient and versatile. Depending on your design aesthetic, it may not be what you want throughout your kitchen. If you have one designated food prep zone or if you do your prep on an island, a stainless steel countertop could provide an accent.
Extra Counter Space
Having a little extra counter space is important too. You will likely require areas for blenders, juicers, dehydrators, juice presses, spiral slicers, and other appliances specific to the diet.
Do you need more refrigeration or freezer space?
In general, raw foodists might require more refrigerator or freezer space. You may want to plan for refrigeration or freezer drawers (in place of what would normally be pots and pans storage) in addition to a larger refrigerator.
While most raw food diets depend on fresh foods, you may want to freeze fruits and vegetables in season for later use and more freezer space can allow for this.
Depending on the brand of refrigerator you choose, you might want to think about a unit that allows you to set different temperatures. This supports items with varying shelf lives and gives you more control over the quality of your food. Also, refrigerator drawers could allow for variable temperatures and the money you would save by not having other appliances—like a microwave or range—would allow for this in the budget.
Touchless Products
When preparing any kind of raw food, you will want to avoid cross-contamination. Touchless products are ideal for this. Items such as touch faucets that you can bump with your arm, faucets that you can wave your hand over to activate or activate with a foot pedal are all things you can think about.
Motion soap dispensers are an easy add, too. As home automation becomes more ubiquitous, you may want to consider smart appliances that link up to Google Home (for instance) and respond to voice commands.
Extra Prep Sinks
With the range of raw food preparation you might have going on, extra sinks could be advantageous.
Think about your prep activities. Would it be great to have two sinks? Three? Is there a requirement for a prep sink that is separate from the rest of the kitchen? Where might this be the best place to put it?
If you have a sink in your island, you could have a pair of prep sinks elsewhere. If you have a galley kitchen, you might think about having one long sink. Today’s designs have strainers, wash areas, and various features that might be appealing and convenient.
Is this your forever home and forever diet?
When planning your raw food kitchen, we encourage our clients to think long-term. Are you new to raw food? Or is this a lifestyle choice that is not likely to change? The answers will help to direct our kitchen design approach.
If you plan on selling in the future, you should probably plan to have an area for a stove and an oven. Even if you don’t install the appliances now, making provisions that will allow adding them down the line is always a good idea.
Are you thinking about updating your St. Louis kitchen to support your raw food diet? We would love to help! Reach out today and let’s talk about what’s possible.
