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Kitchen Counter Real Estate

I’m a passionate home cook trapped in an apartment with limited counter space. It’s not as bad as a NYC galley kitchen, but I don’t have much room to spare. So I’ve put a lot of thought into what items I keep out. Most make the cut because they get used almost every day (food processor, blender, toaster oven/microwave). The one exception is my beloved Kitchen Aid standing mixer, which gets a place on the counter because it’s too cumbersome to move, and I’m happy to see it! What’s hanging around on your counters?

“Unmeasured” sculpture created from scraps by Lydia Ricci 

Discussion

10 comments for “Kitchen Counter Real Estate”

  1. Claire says:

    My kitchen is decent size, but it’s wide open to the living room. I may be the only person who loathes “open concept”. It’s an older home and I can tell the landlord removed part of the wall at some point. I really wish they hadn’t. I hated how my kitchen “on display” looked with lots of things on the counters so I jammed as much stuff in the cabinets as I could.

  2. Petra says:

    I’ve got a cheap coffee maker, a container with spoons/spatulas/whisks, and then in the corner, I’ve got the KitchenAid stand mixer/KitchenAid food processor/Brita filter, all in glorious, brilliant red! I don’t use the stand mixer or food processor all that much, but I love the way they look! Plus, I don’t really have a good spot in the cabinets for them.

    • wendy says:

      Cheap coffee maker? That doesn’t sound like you. That reminds me, I also keep olive oil, sherry wine vinegar, salt & pepper grinders on the counter.

      • Petra says:

        I have a shelf in my kitchen solely for the purpose of storing my oils and vinegars, of which there are many. 🙂

        I hesitate to get a new coffee maker because a.) I’m a decaf drinker and not exactly an afficianado and b.) it still works and c.) footprint is small and it’s easy to move around.

        • wendy says:

          Small footprint is important. What’s your favorite olive oil and vinegar?

          • Petra says:

            Extra virgin olive oil (I like the California one from Trader Joe’s a lot). With vinegars, it really depends on the dish. Currently I’m experimenting with making my own red wine vinegar, but I just started my first white wine one (a Gewürztraminer) with the mother that I got from a bottle of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar. It’ll take a couple of months for me to know if it works, though I can probably start testing the flavor in about 4 weeks.

          • wendy says:

            Please keep me posted about your red wine vinegar experiment. I’ve been using a lot of sherry vinegar, both in cooking and salads.

  3. Gigi says:

    Most people walk in my kitchen and look puzzled. I love commercial kitchens so my kitchen is very functional and efficient.
    There is a lot of counter space but I keep most of it empty. I have the usual utensils next to the stove, favorite spices, olive oil and my Kitchen Aid mixer. A busboy station from my parents restaurant circa 1955 and that is my coffee bar. I keep most of my small appliances in the pantry.
    Children love to play Chef in it almost as much as I do 🙂

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