Good food and good company are two of life’s greatest pleasures, and a kitchen island is a great place to bring them together.
These areas provide beautiful, functional space for food prep, entertaining, casual dining and everyday gathering.
When it comes to choosing an island, select the size and materials that best suit your kitchen. Among the more popular are custom painted and stained wood and are available in a wide range of sizes with various finishes, storage features and types of work surfaces.
Here are some great features to look for:
• Butcherblock Top
End-grain construction with a food-safe oil finish looks wonderful– and provides a perfect surface for food prep. It’s resilient enough to protect cutlery blades, yet sturdy enough to absorb the full force of a cleaver.
• Stainless-Steel Prep Surface
Sleek stainless-steel work surfaces are the top choice of professional kitchens. They’re exceptionally durable, hygienic, easy-to-clean, and can withstand even the hottest cookware and baking dishes.
• Expandable worktable
Some islands feature slide-out or folding work surfaces that can expand at a moment’s notice to provide extra space for prep, casual dining or visiting.
• Open Shelving
Open shelves create easy-to-access storage space for everything from cookware and small appliances to crockery – or use them to showcase your cookbook library.
• Cabinetry
Cabinetry provides additional storage space much like open shelving but with the ability store bulky pots, linens, and other items which don’t display as well.
• Drawers
When constantly using an island for prep work drawers can provide a fantastic area for you most used knives and utensils.
• Wine Storage
Island wine racks store an assortment of your favorite vintages, holding them on their sides to keep corks moist. Many racks have removable dividers, so it’s easy to create extra shelving space where you need it.
• Towel Racks
Built-in racks provide a handy place for kitchen towels – most have plenty of space to keep separate towels for mopping up spills, and drying your hands.
—Sandra T. Aromando of EuroLine Designe, located at 751 Bay Avenue, Somers Point, New Jersey 609-927-1111 www.eurolinedesigne.com
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
