Your new kitchen: step by step

You have the funding in place and a budget in mind, but what’s the next step to getting the church kitchen you and your community need?

After months of pulling the funding together or painstakingly raising money to pay for your new church kitchen, it can be difficult to know how to bring it to life. But with Steelplan Kitchens, your church will be ready to feed the five thousand or whip up a tea round in no time.

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Church checklist
All new church kitchens start with a purpose. Followed by an idea of what you want it to look like. But whether you’re restricted by size, space and location, or you’re working towards a complete renovation, it can often feel a little overwhelming. Which is where design and planning comes in. If you’re seeking guidance on ensuring your space is DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant, or you just need to know what size range cooker you need to cook 50 big breakfasts every Sunday morning, Steelplan can help.

And with our handy checklist, you can be sure that the final designs will meet all your needs. Tick off as you go, and your new church kitchen can soon become a reality:

• Define how the kitchen is used. For example, will it be used to make occasional sandwiches, or are you planning to create a new community café, with a purpose-built tea-making area?
• How many people will be working in the kitchen? To avoid possible congestion or accidents in the preparation areas, it’s a good idea to plan your new kitchen around typical use.
• Do you want a service window or counter? Community kitchens often install these, as they are an excellent way to serve a thirsty congregation after a service.
• Will you need a commercial-style dishwasher? If your kitchen is frequently used for on-site preparation for large group meals, this might be a wise investment.
• Does it need to be accessible for wheelchair users, and is it DDA compliant? We suggest planning for accessibility, and where possible, avoiding basement locations. You might also want to consider wider doors and modified counter heights to accommodate people who use wheelchairs.
• How much available space do you have to play with? Generally speaking, commercial kitchen designers allow five square feet per person for food preparation, storage, service and cleaning areas. But you also need to consider the space available for equipment.
• What type of food will be prepared and served? Serving coffee and cake on Sundays will need less equipment than making weekly hot dinners to the homeless. If you’re planning to feed a lot of people, you might want to consider commercial cooking equipment.
• Will you serve frozen food? If you’re only offering snacks and cups of hot chocolate to your congregation, you won’t need as much freezer space as a kitchen that prepares food on a daily basis.
• Are you after a bright kitchen? At Steelplan Kitchens, we can add the finishing touch with strong and durable metal carcasses, in a range of 30 different colours to suit a range of different kitchens.

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Once you know exactly what you want from your church kitchen, we can work on how it will look – size, requirements and budgets – we’ve got the know-how. Contact us on 0844 809 9186 to find out more about our semi-commercial kitchens.

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