What is your kitchen personality?

Simply stated, I like to cook. As a Wisconsin-born cheese lover with a learned appreciation for the finer things in life (seared scallops anyone?). I didn’t discover my love of cooking until my early 20’s, but it’s there, it’s part of who I am, and it’s the reason I call myself a self-taught foodie.

I blame the Food Network for my food-loving habit, with all its fancy (but lovable) chefs and 30-minute recipes (that take amateurs like me about twice as long. Yet I also thank folks like Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray and all those “Next Food Network Star” winners for crafting me into someone that appreciates the art and joy of all things culinary.

I should share that I also have a master’s degree in clinical psychology, so being a lifelong learner and observer of life runs deep in my (bacon-wrapped seared scallop-loving) veins.

That is among the reasons why I was both surprised and intrigued to learn that “kitchen personality” is an actual thing. It’s a term that gets thrown around by real chefs.

It sounded absurd at first, at least from a scientific and research-based standpoint, yet that is exactly the basis for its support.

Surveys developed and shared on prominent and well-respected sites like Martha Stewart challenge you to answer a few questions to help find out what your kitchen personality is.

Others like theKitchn.com embrace the concept at a scientific level defined by how a person scores on a Myers-Briggs Personality test.

The point is, everyone has a kitchen personality and we are here to help you find yours. Here are a few things to consider to help you determine your unique kitchen style preferences:

Your favorite ingredients. Pantry basics and essentials vary for everyone based on their unique cooking repertoire. What one home cook might see as something necessary to have on hand (like fresh garlic and herbs) another might deem useless. Yet what you reach for first in the kitchen says a lot about how you cook, and ultimately helps develop a sense of understanding for what your needs are. While not necessarily always the case, a kitchen with lots of fresh vegetables and fruit may see more culinary mastery on a regular basis than one with the canned varieties. In that case, a kitchen design built for function may be a better fit than one with extra storage, for example.

Your ideal dinner party. It could be you at the table with a candlelit dinner for two, with your ruckus (but precious) family of five with three toddlers under the age of four, or it could be with your friends and family who stop by for a weekly dinner. Whatever that dinner table looks like on any given evening also communicates a message that is particularly pertinent to your kitchen personality. If dinner is hosted frequently, a corresponding kitchen design should seek to provide ample prep space in concert with enough room to physically entertain the group.

The comfort food you crave. This is not to say even award-winning chefs don’t enjoy some good old fashioned Kraft macaroni and cheese from time to time, but generally, if you have a more intelligent palate, your comfort food will align with that in some way. Slow cooker cooking has revolutionized motherhood for me, as I find myself valuing my time, (and sanity). Being able to throw everything in, and let it go for eight hours instead of preparing a nightly delicacy the children won’t eat anyway has been a huge help. However, if I had my way, the comfort food I crave would be a braised short rib with caramelized onion-cracked pepper mash and honey glazed carrots smothered in a rich, velvety Diane sauce. Preparing such a dish takes lots of time and involves many ingredients and cooking tools. All of which demand their own place in what could become my dream kitchen someday.

Start to finish, my result on Martha Stewart’s kitchen personality quiz was far from shocking. (Again, I blame the Food Network).

Defined as the “Ultimate Host,” the summary informed me that I excel at entertaining, strive for perfection and would benefit most from a kitchen design that is both elegant and welcoming.

Your dream kitchen starts with you. How you like to eat, who you prefer to dine with and what you like to cook, all play a role in defining your own unique kitchen personality.

Want more tips on things to consider about designing your dream kitchen?

Contact us to start planning your dream kitchen and learn more about the process to make your kitchen dreams into a reality.