kitchens, lifestyle choices, appliances and storage

Yes we are all different. My friend has a totally clear worktop in her kitchen apart from her kettle and a bowl of fruit. It looks fabulous but a bit soulless.
I’ve got the things I use very regularly on the top of mine, toaster, bread bin, mixer and various pots of utensils.
Things like the rice cooker go in the cupboards or drawers.
My cupboards have pull out shelves to make things easier.

Like Pamela, the appliances which are used most often I keep on the top, the others are in a cupboard. My kitchen is terribly cluttered, but I prefer that to it being clinical. I know it's clean and that's what matters.

A friend of mine moved to a house with a kitchen that was the biggest I have ever seen. She had nothing out on the surfaces except a spoon rest!

I have loads of things out!

Tea, coffee, sugar, kettle, Tassimo, biscuit tin, fruit bowl, Alexa,flowers, toaster, bread bin, mixer, liquidiser, utensil pot, s and p, oil, hand soap, washing up liquid, 2 plants, egg holder, tomatoes, lemons.....It's not as bad as it sounds! Honest!

Kitty we need all of those things all the time.
Well maybe not the lemons. How many G&T’s does a girl need?
Would we be fitter if we had to keep bending down or reaching up to get things out of cupboards?
Save going to the gym.

When we had our kitchen replaced, all glossy, sleek and modern, with more storage space than I could imagine, I thought I would never have to sully the worktops with stuff! Ha! The only things that ever get put away are the slow cooker and the scales! To be fair, even my DD, who is serially tidy, does not have an entirely clutter free kitchen, but she has acres of worktop so it doesn’t look quite so bad!

kittylester you kitchen is lovely.
Mine is too small and I would love totally empty work surfaces. I would certainly get rid of the microwave as I dont use it and the bread bin as I rarely eat bread. Have to keep the kettle and toaster out, coffee and tee things, chopping boards - far too much in my view.

I have a tiny kitchen area in my apartment, just one 2 metre long kitchen island and a little bit of space either side of the stovetop. I have a hob kettle so I don’t use up worktop space with an electric kettle, and I got rid of my old and rather large microwave before I moved and have never replaced it. A tray at one end of the worktop holds tea, sugar, teapot and coffee pot. There is a mug tree, but I’m thinking of culling my mugs and keeping a selection in one of the huge drawers under the stovetop. I think I have more wooden spoons than one person really needs too- they are in ceramic jugs next to the stove. I’m in the mood to declutter!

I don't like clinical looking empty worktops and would leave out everything that is there. Even if I had room to put them away which I don't.
There is the usual tea,coffee, kettle, filter coffee machine on one side. Utensil pot, scales, toaster, fruit bowl and my cook book collection on the other two sides.

Thank you teetime! It's lived in (or some other euphemisms! I don't drink g&t! I like the colour of the lemons against the brick wall.

I forgot the chopping boards!!

I also forgot the butchers block that serves as my desk - it has a phone, a light, pen pot, diary and basket for collecting stuff.

It honestly doesn't look quite as bad as it sounds.

I have as little as possible on my worktops, That's the toaster and the one cup drinks maker, a pot stand and a bowl of fruit, everything else is put away. I really dislike clutter.

I have built in appliances, stove, hob, microwave, fridge,freezer, dishwasher so don't have masses of low units mainly the corners one single cupboard and a drawer pack.
But have high wall cupboards which reach to the ceiling and I find these fantastic. My kitchen works well for me as I designed it myself had it fitted just over three years ago.

Interesting reading. I aim to keep my kmix mixer out, my veg juicer and other heavy things. My toaster is a 20 year old dualit, I just ordered new elements and will give it a new lease of life before I move. I don`t use a microwave, I suppose I can store something in it

All in all, I will have to wait and see, live in it before I finally decide hot to store things. I mean, where on earth will I keep my mop bucket? The male builder put fully fitted units into the tiny utility, there is no room for a bucket or an airer

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I have a very small kitchen buts it’s saving grace is a walk in pantry/larder where I keep all my appliances, tins, packets, boxes, pots and pans etc. I hate cluttered work tops (there’s not much of them to clutter) so only have my kettle and one or two essentials out on the counter top. My son is a complete tidy freak he only has a kettle out on his worktop. Not another thing.

I had a real old fashioned pantry once in my lifetime, it was wonderful and I was sad to leave that house

I am kind of getting a few collywobbles about settling into my new kitchen. I am sorting boxes here and there are so many marked` kitchen`. They will never fit into the new build but I have to wait to downsize even further

Probably I will have to think very seriously about a mobile and large butchers block but will have to be there first and/or an ikea trolley for pans. It was always easier on the mindset to upsize with a growing family, much harder to go down to catering for one plus visitors, esp since I always cook from scratch and make veg juices, sprout edible seeds, make my own bread etc

Just one example: my bread proofer, it folds and I use it but it isn`t small

I don't have worktop room for a lot of appliances. Kettle and toaster stay out, ancient Kenwood mixerb lives in a cupboard, ditto small blender and the coffee grinder we don't use very often. No other gadgets.

I nearly always cook from scratch, everything from roasts to soups and stir fries, but meat only around twice a week. Do enjoy the odd ready meal, though, usually picked up from a petrol station M&S after a long drive.

One thing I'll never have in my kitchen is a set of those murderous-looking knives, sitting there so handy on the worktop. They make me think of some mad intruder grabbing one and coming up the stairs....

I have got scales, kettle, coffee jar and fruit bowl on one worktop. Breadbin, liquidiser, knife block and mug tree on another. Various bits and pieces on flat bit of dresser, chopping boards hanging on wall or on shelf. Kitchen table used for food preparation.

You think I do a lot of cooking now don't you?

Ha!

Oh, breadmaker and slow cooker on floor in dining room. (Not often used)

I have a small but well fitted kitchen with kettle/toaster/tea & coffee tray on the worktops.
Mixing bowls and cake trays are kept at the back of a cupboard for easy reach and roasting dishes are stored in the oven .
I have a great pan rack bought in Ikea which is fixed on the wall over the cooker it has a rail for kitchen utensils and is very useful.

Just moved and there is a deep full height cupboard in the kitchen that I instantly labelled The Pantry when we first viewed the property. We have now kitted it out with a metal shelving unit similar to those in professional kitchens and I'm so chuffed. The lower deeper shelves have been filled with equipment whilst the top is now a neat store cupboard just like Grandma used to have. I am slowly getting used to this new kitchen and having all of the important stuff in one cupboard is so much better. Bring back 'Pantries' I say!

We’ve moved house quite a few times, new kitchens and bathrooms every time. The latest kitchen refit, three years ago, is the one I’m still thrilled with simply because I had deep pan drawers fitted instead of cupboards. It’s so much easier to access appliances when they are right there at shin or hip level, instead of having to reach into the back of a cupboard. It is a large kitchen, can’t cope with a tiny one, been there, done that and struggled. I love cooking and have every appliance known to man according to DH.

I live in a small, stone cottage, my eating habits lean towards balanced, simple, organic depending on availability and cost otherwise conventional - more fish than meat, vegetables daily, some fruit, some dairy, some carbs - colorful- usually reach for deep pigment food - not enough space to keep everything put up in cupboards - love cast iron, vintage bowls, my things look used or have a history- patina ..

ohh Jessity, that is what I am leaving behind, the lovely useful deep pan drawers. I would have them again in a heartbeat but cannot see me doing anything to my new kitchen because it is new and nice in its own way but not practical for me and I am going to have to force myself to learn to live with it

I saw the house again today and each time I see more, so there are enough sockets in the small utility and the same length of counter space as the kitchen. I never took that into account. So I can keep some appliances on the counter in there. An obvious one is the breadmaker, maybe the veg juicer because I do a lot of veg at once and freeze it. Any ideas what else? not the kettle and toaster or the food mixer but what about the food processor? Ice cream maker, had that for 15 years, a solid Italian one, will never get rid

I feel a bit more optimistic about it now

First spend. My worktop is very small and the induction hob is right in the middle, a peninsula. I have had inductions for 16 years and they do scratch, I don`t put anything on them, except pans. I can`t be doing that with such a small workspace, need the worktop to be flexible

Beech hob covers, I bought 2, together they are slightly over the hob size, small feet with silicone ends to prevent scratching. They are also suitable as sink covers. I dithered, discarded bamboo, stainless steel and ceramic and wanted feet. Induction heat goes straight into the pan, so I can just remove one cover and use the other as a pan stand for hot pans

Fingers crossed