Gourmet kitchens of Montgomery County: A place to channel your inner chef

Anyone who has spent hours cycling a pair of baking sheets into and out of a tiny apartment oven or rolling out crusts on a countertop the size of a laptop knows the visceral longing for a palatial, magazine-worthy cooking space. No matter how many cookie exchanges or holiday parties are in your future, these kitchens are grand enough to truly enjoy baking. Of course, if you're in possession of a $6 million-plus house, you may have more help than a double sink or convection oven.

7111 Sheaff Lane, Fort Washington 
$13,950,000 
Monthly taxes (for entire parcel): $28,585 
Tel me all about it: In addition to boasting a positively enormous eat-in kitchen with feet and feet of window-facing counter space and handsome built-ins, this home has the cachet of being designed by renowned architect Rafael Viñoly. The 10-bedroom property is set on 29 sprawling, wooded acres and is divided into three wings, one of which is dedicated entirely to dining and includes two separate dining rooms.

720 N. Spring Mill Rd., Villanova 
$6,999,000 
Monthly taxes: $7,524 
Tell me all about it: We love the wide-open kitchen in this eight-bedroom estate, and it's easy to imagine over a century of Main Line parties coming to life there. The entire property is an entertaining showpiece, featuring enormous terraces, topiary gardens, a greenhouse and a paved pool with fountains. Adjacent to that you will find a pool house with its own catering kitchen worthy of a party or two.

929 Rock Creek Rd., Bryn Mawr 
$6,750,000 
Monthly taxes: $7,359 
Tell me all about it: We love the aesthetic of this Bryn Mawr home, especially in the kitchen with its exposed brick and large, working island. The gourmet kitchen features a double oven as well as a spacious adjacent breakfast room. The rest of the estate is equally luxe, boasting a saltwater pool, a finished carriage house apartment, a cherry library, and six en-suite bedrooms with marble baths.