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What's your number one tip for managing in a small kitchen?
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amother
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Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:11 pm
For keeping everything you need neat, managing all the small appliances (microwaves, toasters, kettle, sandwich maker, coffee maker), special dietary needs etc.
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thepickled




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:19 pm
Keep as many appliances off the counters as possible (given you have a little storage). Cut down on what you have if there’s any wiggle room.
Clean up each stage of cooking before you start the next.
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motherhood613




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:22 pm
Cleaning up and doing dishes as you go. Mess, particularly in a small space, creates chaos. If counter space is at a minimum, try and find spots for as many of your appliances as possible off the counter. This way you have more space to work with.

Making use of your counters and the space above them is a must for me. My rule is that if each appliance doesn't have a designated spot, it doesn't belong in my kitchen.

Also, sometimes one appliance can have multiple functions, so if you can "double up" it's a great space-saver. Less is more. For example, if you have a good blender it can double as a food processor.
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silverlining3




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:23 pm
Don't leave ingredients outside, use and put right back. Obviously if it didn't get dirty.

At most, once the pot is on the flame or the foil in the oven, wipe down if and whatever got dirty and put it all away. Don't let it stay around till night.
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Rappel




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:24 pm
Nothing permanent on the counters. If it exists in your kitchen, then it needs a home on a shelf or preferably a cabinet. Need high and low cabinets. Very few appliances.
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Goody2shoes




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:26 pm
keeping the counters and stove top clean of any spills or clutter makes it look neat
also I have a craz with keeping the cabinet doors closed at all times. makes the room look bigger and neater
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lucky14




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:26 pm
In short my #1 tip is to keep the counters clean and clear.

Now for the longer answer:

Do you really need all of those appliances? You could at least get rid of the kettle. Boil water in the microwave or in a pot. How many toasters do you have? I don't have many appliances. I do without. I don't have a big mixer. It would be nice to have these things but I just do not have room. Do you use all of these items every day? Do you have extra room anywhere else in your house? I have a storage cabinet in my basement where I keep serving dishes that I rarely use.

Try to keep your counters as clean as possible. If you must have all of those appliances on your counters at least keep everything else OFF. This is not easy for me, it does not come natural for me. I like to have everything where I can get to it quickly and easily and where I can see it. To me if I'll be using something later in the day why not just leave it out. But I've learned that it is SO much nicer when I actually put things away. If I need it again in a few hours I will just take it out again.

I put some appliances that I don't use often on top of my fridge. No, its not so pretty looking but at least it leaves the counters neater.

if you have room for it you can get one of those hanging pot racks and hang pots from your ceiling which can empty out some cabinet space for other items.
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challahchallah




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:29 pm
Be ruthless about what you own. I had a teeny tiny kitchen for years, and I was very aggressive about getting rid of things and not buying things I didn’t have a place for. I made toast in the oven so I didn’t need a toaster. I used a saucepan to boil water for coffee so I didn’t need a kettle. I made the coffee in a French press which was smaller than a standalone coffee maker. I only had a hand mixer not a stand mixer. I didn’t own a sandwich maker. If I wanted that pressed panini type sandwich, I did it between two of my cast iron skillets, but most of the time I just baked hot sandwiches in the oven. I also had almost no storage though. If I had storage elsewhere, I might have owned a few of those things but not have kept them in the kitchen. Regardless, make sure everything has a designated space and that when everything is put away, you still have enough counter space to work with.

Last edited by challahchallah on Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Goody2shoes




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:32 pm
challahchallah wrote:
Be ruthless about what you own. I had a teeny tiny kitchen for years, and I was very aggressive about getting rid of things and not buying things I didn’t have a place for. I made toast in the oven so I didn’t need a toaster. I used a saucepan to boil water for coffee so I didn’t need a kettle. I made the coffee in a French press which was smaller than a standalone coffee maker. I only had a hand mixer not a stand mixer. I didn’t own a sandwich maker. If I wanted that pressed panini type sandwich, I did it between two of my cast iron skillets, but most of the time I just baked hot sandwiches in the oven. I also had almost no storage though. If I had storage elsewhere, I might have owned a few of those things but not have kept them in the kitchen.

was gonna say that you can own these things with enough storage. I have a tiny kitchen but enough space in the cabinets to keep these things. I just need to remember to keep them off my counters
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:56 pm
Thank you everyone.
The thing is we do use all of these appliances everyday, and really would use more (I am holding back as it is). Many times I may be able to manage with less appliances but the ease of my kids having the kettle, sandwich maker, microwaves etc. is something that is necessary. They wouldn't be able to use some of these other ideas.

Even the structure of some of my cabinets is invonvenient (down low , cut off at the sides) . Really hard to figure out.
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Goody2shoes




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 12:58 pm
they wouldn't be able to put it away after using the appliance?
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thepickled




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:05 pm
Can you utilize the wall space beneath your cabinets or on nearby walls more? Hang hooks, floating shelves? Ikea has a lot of useful items you can hang that might help free cabinet space and keep things off your counters.

Last edited by thepickled on Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:05 pm
That's the problem .
Nowhere to put things away.
Maybe I am not using my cabinets efficiently. But there is such little space.
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challahchallah




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:05 pm
How big is your dining room? Could you set up a little “appliance station” out there? (Or laundry room or basement or whatever exists in your house)
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thepickled




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:09 pm
You can also look into stackable cabinet shelves which would help you utilize your cabinet space better. You might also need a small storage unit outside your kitchen, if you have some space for it, to hold things you use less often (serving dishes, pantry spillover?) that are taking up precious space in your cabinets.
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Rachel Shira




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:17 pm
My kitchen is fully adequate for my needs, but I make sure to keep what I own minimal. I have only a couple pots and pans. Not so many serving dishes, etc. We’ve gotten rid of the full set of mugs that came with our dishes and only kept a few that we use. Because of that, I have space in my cabinets to store the sandwich maker, blender, etc. We only keep out the toaster and kettle because we use those multiple times every day.
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Goody2shoes




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:21 pm
I'm still just about in shana reshona so I cant get rid of any of the dishes yet but am I waiting for the day we can get rid of a lot of the clutter
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Frumme




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:22 pm
Creativity is super important. We bought a magnet bar, hooked it up to the wall over the counter, and that's where we kept our knives instead of a bulky knife block (also keeps kids from getting into the knife drawer). We have "stadium seating" for our spices and keep them in a cabinet by the stove vs on the counter.

We have a single induction burner for milchig which we put away after using. No microwaves; everything gets reheated on the stove or in the oven (although I have been thinking about getting one for the sole fact that it's amazing for frozen veggies). We also got an amazing kitchen cart where we do all prep work and has added storage.
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juggling




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:24 pm
What about a kitchen cart? That you could put appliances onto or into? And you could wheel the cart into a corner when not in use.
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YounginBP




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 22 2021, 1:59 pm
Why can't the kettle just stay out on the range? Mine does... and for shabbos I hide it.
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