New Jersey homes, situated among beautiful natural surroundings, are designed and built for those who enjoy an elegant lifestyle. There’s much that the state of New Jersey has to offer and makes living here so appealing, as well as attracting home builders dedicated to superior quality with a fine attention to detail—and such qualities often win over the hearts of anyone who tours a home in New Jersey.

When looking for a spacious home, many people find what they’re looking for in New Jersey. The most common requirement among such discerning home owners? A gourmet kitchen. By today’s standards, a gourmet kitchen should start with granite counter tops and custom cabinetry, but the list doesn’t stop there. Here are a few tips to help you when sizing up a future kitchen in New Jersey.

What Is a “Gourmet” Kitchen?

If you’re a great cook, you only need the most basic of utensils and appliances to turn out a fantastic meal. Having a gourmet kitchen in your home, however, will allow you to cook up the most mouth-watering masterpieces for your guests to enjoy. Inadequate working conditions is one of the main reasons why potential masterpieces flop, but when you have a beautiful kitchen to work in, any meal you prepare for your family or guests will be perfect every time.

Benefits of a Gourmet Kitchen

The benefit of having a gourmet kitchen in your New Jersey home means it will likely include top-of-the-range appliances, materials and conditions for you to enjoy:

• Appliances – these are always of superior quality, either gas or electric, or both. A range hood is essential, preferably one that vents outdoors, to get rid of smoke, greasy steam and moisture. Depending on the size of your kitchen, refrigerators in a gourmet kitchen range from the walk-in variety, through under counter units to those which stand alongside each other and are built into the cabinetry. Trash compactors, wine refrigerators, microwave ovens and dishwashers are some of the other essential appliances found in a gourmet Montgomery kitchen.
• Storage – Plenty of storage is an absolute must in a gourmet kitchen, and while it has to be practical it must also look elegant. Everything the gourmet cook needs should be at his/her fingertips, and easily reachable.
• Countertops – These need to be made of heavy-duty materials such as stainless steel, stained concrete, natural stone and even re-cycled glass, for those who are environmentally-minded, to withstand all the slicing, dicing, spilling, and staining that goes on in a gourmet kitchen. Since gourmet cooking often requires different types of preparation surfaces, your kitchen might use a combination of countertop materials. These include stainless steel countertops, a butcher’s block island and a section with a marble surface for rolling out pastry. 
• Kitchen sink – In traditional kitchens, the sink is viewed mainly as the area where dishes are washed, but this is not so in a gourmet kitchen. Here, it is just as important as the appliances and other features. It must be large and deep, and made from an excellent quality material. It must be set underneath the countertop, with no protruding lip, so food particles can be swept straight into the waiting garbage disposal in the bottom of the sink. An absolute must-have feature of the gourmet sink, is a pull out faucet with a spray attachment.
• Lighting – The gourmet chef needs lighting - and plenty of it too, to create those memorable meals quickly safely. Pendant lights, ceiling lights and under cabinet lights – about four times more than a traditional kitchen, are all part of a well-lit gourmet kitchen.

With all these features in your New Jersey gourmet kitchen it will be an absolute pleasure for you to cook up the most amazing meals for you, your family, and any guests you have around for dinner.