Ever wondered if the top chefs really cook at home? We take a peek into the kitchens of five culinary masters WORDS ROSANNE PEACH

DAMIEN PIGNOLET
It's a pleasant surprise to find revered Gallic chef Damien Pignolet, the man behind Sydney restaurant Bistro Moncur and 'French' ($69.95, Lantern) cooking from a tiny galley kitchen. Here's how he makes it work.

Favourite feature?
"I only have to turn around and move half a metre to do something else. I can take a pot with one hand and light the cooktop with the other, then I just reach over to the cupboard to get the pasta. The other hand washes the salad, then 30 minutes later I'm sitting down to eat an effortless meal."

Lessons learnt from the professional kitchen?
"I've been very cognisant about what works in the five kitchens I've designed and I found that a galley kitchen, where there's a confined area to cook, works best. You're close to the sink, the chopping area and the garbage shoot."

Kitchen tip?
"If possible, have a garbage shoot or container set into the benchtop - Franke does a really good one - and an insinkerator. It gets rid of heaps of stuff off the bench. It's also critical to get the best handspray you can. With the current water restrictions it's so efficient, as you don't need to fill a pot with water to clean it. You can just give it a quick spray."

How do you get around size?
"When entertaining, I use the convection oven to reconstitute or freshen up veggies. I'm not one to use a microwave to cook but it's a small space and I have to use it wisely. I cook veggies perfectly, then just refresh before serving, so they keep their colour and nutrients."

When I'm in the kitchen, my family/friends...
"are nearby, but there is almost no room for anyone to stand in the actual kitchen. I go to extreme lengths to have the menu as service friendly as possible and do all the prep in advance so that I can be a host."

Space savers?
"I put in towel rails under the cupboards for extra storage. Under the eaves is more storage with about 50 boxes of kitchen equipment from my last kitchen. I've given up trying to find things and just use what's here. When plating main courses, I put a serving tray over the sinks to create more benchspace."

See the June issue of Home Beautiful for other kitchen scoops.