The most important feature of a spice kitchen, apart from the spices, is a solid ventilation system.

Consider it as a confined version of the fully working kitchen. A spice kitchen is adjacent to the primary kitchen with a separate sink range, cabinets and a powerful ventilation system. Spice kitchens, also called "Wok kitchens", are age-old and originate from Asia. At one time, the primary purpose of a spice kitchen was to prepare the spices at home used in cooking.

Nowadays, the primary intention of having a spice kitchen is to keep the smell of spices and other smelly food items away from different parts of the home. For people who love to cook, they can do so while avoiding a mess in the main kitchen, keep the odours out and have easy access to all the ingredients in one place. A stainless steel benchtop would be idea.

Having such a secondary kitchen room in a poorly ventilated house can make the cooking process easy for the cook and all the other house members. Most secondary kitchens include a single sink (sometimes double sink) in addition to a gas stove. The size of this room is similar to the size of a pantry.

What is the layout of a spice kitchen?

A spice kitchen's basic layout is very similar to the main kitchen and is usually located adjacent to or near the main kitchen. It can have everything from stoves, pantry, cabinets to countertop and sinks. A spice kitchen is usually in an enclosed and smaller space.

The most important feature of a spice kitchen, apart from the spices, is a solid ventilation system and sometimes exhaust fans because ultimately, it must eliminate foul odours. Very often, kitchens have doors that separate them from the main house. Another feature of a kitchen's layout is ample storage space.

This is vital for storing spices and other food items so, secondary kitchens usually have upper and lower cabinets. It is a pantry where people can cook as well. Usually, cooking in a spice kitchen is avoided due to lacking ventilation and small area, making the room vulnerable to fire accidents. Some homeowners tend to install a small microwave in the spice kitchen, while some add more electrical equipment used to cook the food.

Cabinets are located on the top and bottom, giving ample counter space in the centre to carry out the cooking activity.

What is in a spice kitchen?

The items and appliances found in a spice kitchen depend upon the space available. However, there are a few essentials that can be found in them.

Appliances

  • Stoves and ovens—these are generally in every spice kitchen.

  • Fryers —people use their spice kitchen to deep fry food.

  • Refrigerators—This is not a spice kitchen essential because it takes up much space. But, some people have refrigerators in their spice kitchen to store pungent-smelling food away from other food items.

  • Some people also add microwaves or electric grills to their spice kitchen.

Cooking essentials

Utensils, pots, pans, spoons and spatulas, which are essential for preparing food, are usually found in a spice kitchen.

Ingredients

Cooking oils, salt, pepper and other spices required for cooking. Different spices or herbs that you may want to separate from the central kitchen.

Pantry and storage ideas

These include a pull-out pantry, flat-panel cabinets, cutting board cabinets, pull out towel cabinets, horizontal spice storage, vertical spice cabinets and more.