Small kitchens

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BlackShaky

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5 Oct 2015
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Washington State
Hi all,

How do you cope with limited counter space to prep meals that require a lot of work? I recently decided to expand my recipe knowledge but feel so cramped in my kitchen...any suggestions?
 
http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/making-the-most-of-a-small-kitchen/

See if that link helps and some of you already have a relationship with 'the pioneerwoman' and that's part of the reason I selected that link. I am not sure how small your kitchen is but hopefully this helps in some 'small' way. I think mine is of decent size for my needs. I have mixed feelings about big kitchens. One day it seems ideal and another day it feels unnecessary.I do have access to a very large kitchen from time to time.
 
If you have a large dining table you can use it as an alternative for your counter space. If you need to cover it do so to protect it from stains and accidental scratches from your knives. That is what I do when I was still living in a small apartment in the city. Keep only the essential utensils or cookware in your kitchen to save space. You can also go vertical when you store something.
 
We have 2 small countertops that are enough for our regular cooking needs in the kitchen. However on occasions that we cook many dishes, we use the dining table for extra space. Particularly for the dish called menudo, we had to slice the ingredients so we need several plates, and of course a place for the plates. Since our kitchen is small, we have learned to cope and save on space. As what my husband said, it's just a matter of getting used to what you have so you will not have a problem.
 
Our prep space in the kitchen is none exsisting, all the counter space is on the wrong side of the sink, it is used to collect junk and drain the dishes. We did purchase one of those kitchen storage counter tops for more prep space and it does help but what we found to work best are trays. We have a few trays that are good size, they fold down or are used in another parts of the house. When we need to cook a large meal the trays are brought out and are used for prep space. they have 3 different adjustable heights, it works for us.
 
We also have a very small kitchen, but in some ways I find it quite useful because it forces you to make the most of the space and keep counters clear of junk. It is harder in a smaller kitchen because you really have to organise yourself and keep it organised. All of my cupboards have a very specific use and each shelf is for a certain item, so I know exactly where everything is and where it should go to. Everything has a home and gets squirreled away into its place.

In both of out last 2 places I have extended the kitchen workspace by adding worktops into the existing space and effectively redesigning the kitchen. In fact our last home had absolutely no working space once you had put in the kettle! It was awful until we redesigned it. Luckily the landlord didn't mind because we improved it and replaced the flooring thereby adding to the value of the property not taking away from it which helped considerably.

We are currently in the process of purchasing an old house and I will be doing exactly the same again because although the kitchen/diner is quite large there is little useable work surface space. In fact once you have put in a toaster and kettle, plus the microwave the new house will only have 1 double cupboard space of work surface available and that is not going to be enough for me. I have a dehydrator and a few other bits that I need a space for, so I will be looking at adding work surface space to it as well. Thankfully cupboard space won't be an issue because the new house has a pantry and food will get stored in there, so only equipment (pots, pans, baking trays, food processor, mixer etc) will get stored in the kitchen cupboards.
 
I have this same issue in the kitchen. I try to do my best and chop one item at a time. As I prep my things out, I will separate everything into random areas in the kitchen. It's a really tedious task, but it has to be done in order for me to create a meal.
 
I have this problem and all I can do is use the stove top and kitchen table I have. Somehow work with what you've got.
 
I have a small kitchen too with limited counter space and sometimes it can get pretty tight when preparing a big meal. We have one of those portable islands that you can roll out of the way when not it use. It gives you the extra space you need.
 
L_B said:
We have one of those portable islands that you can roll out of the way when not it use. It gives you the extra space you need.
Click to expand...
my kitchen is that small that a portable island would actually take up the only standing space! Yep, it is that small. there is room for 2 counters about 2 meters long, opposite each other and space for a 3rd down the middle (if you understand what I mean). That space down the middle is all of your floor space. The counter behind you is taken up with the sink and the cooker. I am sooooooo loking forward to moving house!
 
My kitchen is of ample size, so I am thankful for that. Doing things in there is a pleasure. However, my niece who only recently got married, moved into an apartment with an extremely small kitchen. I had to tell her that I would call that a kitchenette and not a kitchen in the real sense of the word. She has an extremely small counter space. Working in there when the stove is on would be extremely difficult having to contend with the heat from the stove. Washing up any kind of ware would have to be done when the stove is off.

I guess it would take a longer time to prep everything having to use such a small space. Using a dining table for doing your meal preparations, is the only other option I can think of.

Since we spend so much time in the kitchen, I think houses and apartments should be built with more kitchen space.
 
My kitchen used to be quite small before we renovated it. I had very little counter space and would have to get creative when making supper. I would have to plan out the order of doing things. I was also limited in cupboard space so I also had a blender and toaster oven on my counter too. I was a challenge. I didn't mind it I actually got used to it. Now that my kitchen has been renovated I have an island which doubles the counter space and cupboard space. It is amazing.
 
BlackShaky said:
Hi all,

How do you cope with limited counter space to prep meals that require a lot of work? I recently decided to expand my recipe knowledge but feel so cramped in my kitchen...any suggestions?
Click to expand...
One way of dealing with the small space issues is to look at the recipe and divide things up into sections.

If the recipe says add a, b & c to the pan at the same time, then you can prepare a, b & c into the same container. If it says then add d & e, followed 5 minutes later by f, then you can have d & e ready prepared in a second dish/container together. F will then be ready in a 3rd container/bowl.

I find this method of preparation works really well for me because I have a small space where I can prep veg or anything else, but it is not large enough for me to prep everything and keep it there on the counter space. So everything that gets added at the same point can be prepared and then stored in a bowl (often just a breakfast or soup bowl) and kept alongside the cooker where the only other counter top space is. It works in a manner similar to TV shows only I don't do an individual bowl for each and every prepared item, but 'blocks' of prepared items. I do the same with the herbs and spices and they get lined up so that the closest to the cooker is the one that gets added first.
 
I had been to a cousin's house who had their house renovated. Whoa, what a huge kitchen they have. I'd say our bed can fit in the middle of the that kitchen with several countertop tables plus 2 movable tables. Now here is the catch. When cooking, the countertops are quite far from the stove so you have to walk a few paces to get the ingredients and vice versa when you wean the food from the pot. Maybe that is a consolation for those with small kitchen like ours. At least the mobility is limited and you don't get easily tired.
 
My first flat many years ago had a tiny kitchen: you could open the door, walk in and have just enough space to shut it behind you (here's a pic from an identical flat on Rightmove: http://imageshack.com/a/img910/8351/0GPRSy.jpg) The fridge freezer is in an alcove behind the door on the left so you need to shut the door to get to the fridge, and most of the worktop is taken up with the hob and the sink. I still somehow managed to cook proper roast dinners, entertain friends etc...though when I look back I can't imagine how!

When we were looking for a new house last year our main criteria (apart from number of bedrooms) was the size of the kitchen - we rejected some very nice houses because the kitchen was too small. I wanted plenty of worktop space and as cooking for me is often a sociable thing it was important to have space for a table too. The house we went for in the end doesn't have very big bedrooms, but the kitchen is perfect with plenty of worktop area, lots of storage and room for a full size dining table too.
 
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