For an experienced Chef, working in a cramped kitchen should really not prove too problematic at all. On the contrary, sometimes working in cramped conditions is easier, as everything is closer to hand. To make things as easy as possible, the Chef will, of course, need to be very organized, and have a designated spot for all his knives, his kitchen utensils, his storecupboard ingredients and his fresh produce.
Some of the best Chefs in the world have turned out amazing food in the smallest of spaces – as a minimum, as long as there is a worktop with sufficient preparation and plating up space, a sink, a refrigerator and a small oven with a grill and hob, you’d be amazed at what can be created. As far as kitchen equipment goes, any Chef worth his salt will have his own kitchen knives. Aside from them – space permitting of course – he will probably also need (as the bare minimum), a couple of spoons, forks, jugs, bowls, a whisk, a sieve, a grater, a set of cast iron skillets, a couple of heavy saucepans with lids and a chopping board. Even the most cramped of kitchens should be able to accommodate this very limited range of equipment.
It’s not the size of the kitchen space that is the important factor when it comes to producing delicious, gourmet dishes. Moreso, it’s the Chef’s ability to recognize what he has to work with, and then do the best job he can with the equipment and the ingredients he has, in the space provided. Working in a cramped kitchen can very often be an advantage, as the Chef will not have the luxury of square footage, with numerous kitchen appliances, and an enormous larder filled with an abundance of ingredients to choose from. Neither will he have the distractions of all that goes on in a huge kitchen full of staff, which makes it far easier to remain focused on what he’s doing.
When kitchen space is at a premium, and he has only limited ingredients and equipment at his disposal, an experienced Chef will simply adapt to his environment, and be able to turn out dish after dish of exquisite food with little or no trouble at all. It must be said that working in a cramped kitchen will certainly not prevent an experienced Chef from creating anything less than culinary excellence.