Is there some “perfect” arrangement for the kitchen triangle that everyone talks about? As far as I can tell any three points will make a triangle regardless of where you put them. So why do people talk about putting the appliances in a specific location to make that kitchen triangle?
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The “ideal” kitchen triangle is an ergonomic setup where the stove, sink, and refrigerator are all easy to access when you are cooking so you don’t need to keep walking too far back and forth across the kitchen.
According to some sources, this means 4-9 feet so you have space to work but not too far to walk, see https://www.homesandgardens.com/news/kitchen-triangle
Some other sources do consider the triangle as a dated concept as the way people cook has changed (more single purpose appliances, for one thing) and are promoting the idea of “work zones” — see for example https://www.bloomsburykitchens.com/blog/is-the-triangle-kitchen-outdated
It’s more that you want to avoid having the stove, fridge and sink being in a line, not being too far from each other, and unobstructed. You should be able to go easily from one to another without having to walk around something, like an open fridge door or a chair.
The discussion is about the “quality” of the triangle; not whether it is one. If a table or island is in the middle and you always have to walk around it, or one angle is so obtuse that it’s tough to navigate (especially if you aren’t cooking alone) then that’s less ideal than if you had a clear space between each pair of points.
A big part of it is not the triangle itself, it’s the work spaces around it. It’s one thing to have a stove or sink, but a real PITA if there’s no place to set things or work next to or near them. Otherwise, if you’re not holding it, it’s on the stove, in the sink, or in the fridge!
Ok, or on the floor maybe.
The kitchen triangle is an outdated concept, but I learned it was a 17′ perimeter of the triangle as measured between the center point of sink, fridge and stove.
It is outdated because, in practice, designing an ergonomic kitchen is more complicated, You need to have some clear floor space in front of each appliance and some nearby counter space for staging things while using the appliance. You also need work spaces for prep that may not be related to an appliance. Having too many interior corners can cause traffic jams and unusable spaces if two people are trying to work together on a meal. If a kitchen is over-large it could mean someone is always taking extra steps to get from one area to another.
If your fridge, sink and stove are in a very small triangle, two people can’t use the kitchen at the same time. On the other hand, if the triangle is too big, everything is too many steps apart and its annoying (although probably better for your health)
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