Bakers love it when their dining area adjoins the kitchen because it can give them extra workspace. Especially when whipping up baked goods for the holidays or a large gathering, having a dining table that you can use as an additional workspace is important. It is also a great way to enlist volunteers and delegate easier tasks.
But not every dining table or dining room décor will be ideal for this purpose. If you have carpet in the dining area, you should get a plastic mat to place under the table to protect the floor during mixing up batters and working doughs, even if you don’t leave it in place all the time. In addition, you should look for dining tables with the following characteristics.
No crevices
The last thing you want is a dining table that traps liquids, flour, batters, and dough remnants getting stuck in the crevices created by the table’s design. That means you should definitely stay away from dining tables with a tiled or mosaic surface. There are other designs that might also create traps for such debris that can be difficult to cleanout.
An expanding dining table will also have a crevice that could trap baking debris, but they are much easier to clean by just pulling the table apart with its existing mechanism. You could also get a plastic mat or vinyl tablecloth to cover the table while it is being used as a workspace.
Get a table on the tall side
You want your table to be comfortable to sit at, but when you are baking you need it to be as close to counter height as possible. A dining table for kitchen cannot be a truly effective workspace for an adult if it is on the low end of the dining table height range.
The best solution is to get a counter height dining table with counter height barstools or tall chairs. This way you can have full use of the surface at any time.
Gloss, glass, or matte finish
You really need any kitchen table that you will be using for baking to have a gloss or matte finish, polish, or a glass top. These are the easiest surfaces to keep clean and disinfected. You should also look for a finish that makes the table better withstand heat and other hazards. Glass can be a great option because you won’t permanently damage it if you use knives or other sharp kitchen tools at the dining table.
Get a table with stable dining chairs
Will you have little ones helping to bake in the kitchen? If so, you should make sure that the chairs are very sturdy and steady. No matter how much you tell them to sit down, you know that small children will fidget, get up on their knees, or maybe even stand at the table while trying to help.
Prepare for the inevitable and get a dining set with chairs that offer a stable, flat back and seat. These types of dining chairs can also be used with strap-on booster seats for infants and toddlers.
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