Tiny kitchen strategies

[Ultralight]

Hey, I have a tiny -- and I mean tiny -- kitchen. Any ideas for using the space, cutting down on kitchenware or utensils or what-have-you?

I have no usable lower level cupboards. And a couple of my upper level cupboards are not regularly accessible as they are blocked by my fridge. If I were a foot taller they would be partially accessible.

[Ultralight]

Disclaimer: I don't aim to be negative on this thread. So if I shoot-down suggestions it might be because I already tried it or because there is so little room that things like "Buy an external spice rack" just won't work.

[Tybee]

well, it's kind of an exterior spice rack, but they sell these magnetic spice jars that stick to the fridge that I think are cool:

https://www.amazon.com/12-Tins-Talented-Containers-Refrigerator/dp/B01FY69CPS/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1542482072&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=side+of+fridge+spice+rack&psc=1

[SteveinMN]

You really need to examine what you keep in the kitchen and what can go elsewhere. My rule is that if I don't use it most days of the week, it's out of my sight. We use the coffeemaker every day, so it gets counter space. The food processor? We use it enough use to keep it around but not on the counter. Be ruthless about gadgets and being too specialized. You need a chef's knife, a paring knife (or two), and a serrated knife (for bread, meat, frozen foods); any more than that (beyond table utensils) is extra. Do you have wall space you could use to put up a magnetic knife rack or small shelves on which you could put lighter items? Do you have refrigerator space? Even stuff that doesn’t have to be refrigerated, like condiments, pasta, and canned goods, can go in the fridge if you have room there but not in cabinets. And I've been known to deputize another part of the house as my pantry for lesser-used pots and pans, serving dishes, and extra containers of food (or foods I use less often).

[Ultralight]

You really need to examine what you keep in the kitchen and what can go elsewhere. My rule is that if I don't use it most days of the week, it's out of my sight. We use the coffeemaker every day, so it gets counter space. The food processor? We use it enough use to keep it around but not on the counter. Be ruthless about gadgets and being too specialized. You need a chef's knife, a paring knife (or two), and a serrated knife (for bread, meat, frozen foods); any more than that (beyond table utensils) is extra. Do you have wall space you could use to put up a magnetic knife rack or small shelves on which you could put lighter items? Do you have refrigerator space? Even stuff that doesn’t have to be refrigerated, like condiments, pasta, and canned goods, can go in the fridge if you have room there but not in cabinets. And I've been known to deputize another part of the house as my pantry for lesser-used pots and pans, serving dishes, and extra containers of food (or foods I use less often).

Good thoughts here!

Do you have a magnetic knife rack?

[rosarugosa]

What about one of these step stools?

https://www.amazon.com/Jeronic-11-Inch-Plastic-Folding-Stool/dp/B01BZUVSAE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1542483657&sr=8-5&keywords=small+folding+step+stool

[bae]

Follow Steve's suggestions, and be ruthless about simplifying. Learn to substitute skill for gadgets.

[Ultralight]

The only gadgets I have are two crock pots. I am tossing one of them, the big one. I will be keeping the little one.

[catherine]

well, it's kind of an exterior spice rack, but they sell these magnetic spice jars that stick to the fridge that I think are cool:

https://www.amazon.com/12-Tins-Talented-Containers-Refrigerator/dp/B01FY69CPS/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1542482072&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=side+of+fridge+spice+rack&psc=1

I have exactly those in my tiny kitchen! And they're great.

[catherine]

I think I've posted this Mark Bittman article before but I think it's relevant for this thread:

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html

When we moved up here we decided to use a "minimalist" approach. So we brought up:

1 9 inch cast iron skillet
1 6 inch cast iron skillet
1 1.5 qt. saucepan
1 small saucepan
1 self-draining Dutch oven
1 baking dish that doubles as a baking tray

1 French knife
1 paring knife
1 peeler (I know I can use a knife, but a peeler is so much easier
1 sharpening stone
1 can opener
1 set of bamboo cooking utensils
1 large whisk
1 small whisk
1 spatula

I found a great set of 8 nesting bowls at Goodwill.
I bought some canisters at Home Goods, and in those, and in smaller clear glass jars I store coffee, tea, sugar, quinoa, barley, rice, loose tea, pine nuts or almonds, and beans. If you put that stuff in jars and canisters you eliminate ugly boxes.

I fit all my other pantry items on one small bookshelf, 3 shelves 15" wide, and 3 wall shelves. I keep bread stuff in a breadbox.

My French press and electric kettle are on the counter.

That about does it.

Picture of my kitchen, rotated... I don't know why that happens!
2584

[Tradd]

A big cutting board that can go over your sink will help with a lack of counter space.

[Zoe Girl]

A big cutting board that can go over your sink will help with a lack of counter space.

I love mine, anything that goes over the sink is awesome. Mine has a space for collecting food scraps too. I like all the magnetic ideas. I also store canned goods and little used items out of the kitchen. I have everything to cook for a family and serve meals up to 20 people. It is worth it to me to have those things boxed up and put aside. I figure I need about 2 full meals of dishes and my most common cookware. In my roommate situation we have no microwave or dishwasher, and I don't miss that at all.

I would only add that I have mason jars of various sizes and I get food in bulk from sprouts. I fill the grain one with quinoa, when I use it up then I fill with brown rice, next is a couscous kick. Or I put these in outside of the kitchen storage.

[ToomuchStuff]

Pic's of the kitchen would help, so would knowing restrictions, since you rent.
Skill, is more important then gadgets, as mentioned, and in the days prior to my life, the kitchen table was also a prep surface, not just the eating point.

[rosarugosa]

A big cutting board that can go over your sink will help with a lack of counter space.

We have a cutting board over 2 of the 4 burners on our stove top. On the rare occasion that we need to use more than 2 burners at once, we move it.

[SteveinMN]

Good thoughts here!

Do you have a magnetic knife rack?
Thanks! Our knife rack is not magnetic, but it can be mounted underneath a cabinet...
2585
... and you don't need to fill every slot. :)

Some of the other ideas here are great, like the cutting board over the sink; I know they also sell strainers/colanders that fit over a sink, too (you only need one strainer if it's designed well). Nesting objects, like bowls, are good. Storage/leftover dishes which use common lids and/or nest themselves are winners.

And substitution can help, too.

For example, unless I know I'm using a specific (or large) amount for a recipe, I don't buy ground spices. I have a small mortar and pestle to grind whole spices when I need them. Some people use a dedicated cheap "whirly-grinder" typically used for coffee beans (I find them hard to clean thoroughly). Whole spices keep much better and the fresh-ground spices carry more punch than the stuff you buy at the store.

The bottom of my pressure cooker also is my 6-quart-sized pot; I don't need a separate large pot. I fashion a cover out of aluminum foil when I need one. I don't own a tea kettle; I'll boil water on the stove if DW or a guest wants tea.

[Miss Cellaneous]

What needs to be done to make the lower cabinets usable?

I once had a kitchen in a small studio apartment with three upper cabinets, no lower cabinets and no real counterspace, just the drainboard of the old sink. I put a couple of wooden crates under the sink to hold pots and pans. Stored extra food, like bulk rice and canned goods, under the bed. Still managed to invite up to six people at a time over for dinner.

Have as few single-use appliances as possible, i.e. a toaster oven instead of a toaster. Or no toaster oven at all, if you never eat toast.

Cull the kitchen gadgets. If you never use something, get rid of it. If you only use something once or twice a year, evaluate if you can either use it more often or get rid of it.

Store extras elsewhere. Food, plates, cutlery, keep just what you need in the kitchen space and store the rest elsewhere.

We could offer more concrete suggestions if we knew what the specific issues with your kitchen are--what you need to store, etc.

[Float On]

I only have sheets that fit on the beds we have no shelves of extra sheets in the linen closet. Instead...it's my pantry and kitchen gadget storage because my kitchen is tiny as well.
Do you have a dishwasher that you don't use? I currently store potatoes and onions in there because it's broken.

[Rosemary]

I have a very small kitchen, and I cook a lot.
I often use a cutting board at the dining table or on top of the stove, and will dry dishes on towels on the table when we have a lot going on in the kitchen.
I keep larger baking pans in the oven, so when I'm baking, they go on the dining table.
My pantry and less-used kitchen items are in the basement.
My kitchen cabinets don't go all the way to the ceiling, so I have canisters, baskets, and an old bread box on top of the cabinets to store items.
A huge space-saver is the pot rack installed on one wall. It is similar to the "wall bar pot rack" shown at this link (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjou424_uHeAhVBrYMKHaSvDa8QjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnymag.com%2Fstrategist%2Farticle% 2Feasy-cheap-small-kitchen-ideas.html&psig=AOvVaw3xLbu9iH_rsD_3d-Ryr0YR&ust=1542769446905150). It is sturdy enough, and the hooks shaped well enough, so that a hook can hold 2 pots or pans.
One of my lower cabinets is very narrow, and we installed off-the-shelf stainless steel in-cabinet drawers to make it more usable. I think the cost was about $15 x2, well worth it for the reduced frustration.

[Rosemary]

When I get frustrated with my kitchen, I sometimes think of a distant older cousin's kitchen in Germany. She and her husband lived in an old family farmhouse next to the church in a very small town... which means that their house was hundreds of years old, as that is the center of town. The kitchen was updated sufficiently to have running water, but there were no cabinets, and it was a cold, dark room even in the middle of summer. Where a modern kitchen has cabinets and a counter, they had various sturdy old tables around the perimeter of the room. I figure that if that part of the family could feed several hundred years' worth of my cousins from that kitchen, I'm really in the lap of luxury.

[befree]

I used a wire shelving unit over the inside door of my hall closet as a pantry; it holds an amazing amt. Yes, pictures pls, so we can give specific advice. If you have space over your sink to hang a rail, you can suspend items from it (I think Ikea has a system called "grundtal") Pot rack is a great idea, as is narrow folding stepstool that's light and easy to use to access taller cabinets. There are nesting products made for RVs made to fit in small spaces. To maximize space inside cabinets, wire shelf racks can double your space. A row of cup hooks uses the top of each cabinet.

[rosarugosa]

Hi Rosemary! Relative to another thread, I was thinking of you as an example of someone who could be considered a foodie but with a focus on healthy eating. You have the Middle Aged Vegan Facebook page I think, is that right?

[Teacher Terry]

When I have had a tiny kitchen I stored some of the stuff in a hall closet.

[Rogar]

A dilemma I can identify with. I have used the old joke line, my kitchen is so small the rats are hunchbacked. Steve pretty much nailed it from my experience. I don't know how you are for floor and wall space, but I build a small shelve like an open front bookshelf style that's about thigh or waist high and made to fit the floor space I have. I keep frying pans in the drawer under the stove. I also put in some adjustable shelving mounted to the wall that uses dry wall anchors so it's not just for light weight things. I'm not sure what the big box stores have these days for space savers but every time I pass the aisle it looks like some interesting ideas.

[Ultralight]

My kitchen is really in a closet.

[Rogar]

My kitchen is really in a closet.

That places some new limits on things.

[Rogar]

I was thinking today about an old friend who used to do quite a bit of cooking in an outdoor kitchen. There are some interesting stoves that are more in the compact camping line of things rather than the expensive space consuming suburban BBQ grills. I've always wanted to play around with a solar cooker, but it's never happened. There are plans around to make them and pretty decent commercial ones.

[Rosemary]

Hi Rosemary! Relative to another thread, I was thinking of you as an example of someone who could be considered a foodie but with a focus on healthy eating. You have the Middle Aged Vegan Facebook page I think, is that right?

Hi, Rosarugosa! That page was not mine, but I do cook a lot and focus on healthy eating.