And How Small Can You Get?

How small can you make a kitchen and still call it a kitchen? That’s what we were wondering last week and decided to look it up. While we enjoy our spacious kitchens with full-size appliances and lots of counter space, we know there are people who don’t. People who love the idea of living in a tiny house or an RV. They still need a fully functional kitchen though. That is where this week’s post comes in. 

What to Keep

Let’s start off with the things we won’t budge on. A full size sink and either a coffee pot or tea kettle. The sink is needed because there is nothing worse than trying to scrub a burnt cookie sheet and spilling water all over because your sink is too small. So, a single or double sided sink, it’s your choice. We’re going to stick to a double though, as it means more space for dishes to dry. An added point of having a full sink means you don’t have to have a dishwasher under the counters. Now, while you can certainly have a wide range of options for both tea kettles or coffee makers, we will wager that a large percentage of the population relies on one or both to get through the day. 

What to Cut

Now that we have the two that have to stay, let’s look at what we can cut. Take a look at your range or stovetop. That? It’s at least 30” by 22” of wasted space. If you’re not cooking for many people a single or double electric burner can work just fine. Plus, when you’re done it can easily be stored away in a cabinet. 

What about the oven though? Roast vegetables, cookies, breads, heck, even a turkey. How can you do without those? Easy, you don’t have to. Toaster ovens are an option, and, having tested them, they can most certainly handle everything we rattled off. They cook as well as a standard oven, but they take up ¼ of the space. As an added bonus, you’ve also eliminated the need for a toaster. 

Moving on, let’s look at an Instant Pot. Whether you go for the name brand or not, what matters are the features. With an Instant Pot you can replace 90% of your pots and pans. Just like the electric burner, you can unplug it and stash it away when not in use. The only thing we haven’t tried on ours yet is the ability to make yoghurt. Everything else that we’ve tried from air fryer donuts, to corned beef, to rice has turned out perfectly. 

The last appliance we’ll look at is the Foreman grill. Our team was split on this one. We eventually decided to call it as an “if you have the space” item. On one hand, this makes cooking many different meats very easy. You can also unplug it and store it away when not in use. We don’t feel that it’s a “have to have it.”  So, if you can, if you want it, go for it. It also makes for a wonderful panini press. If you can’t, though, there’s no major loss in that.

So, we’ve ripped out the stove, the oven, 90% of your pots and pans, a toaster and your microwave.  With what’s left, how much space does it take up? The Instant Pot, a single electric burner and the Foreman grill can be fit into a single cabinet measuring 22” high by 30” wide and 16” deep. The toaster oven is the largest on its own, and depending on what size you purchase, requires at least a space of 10” x 15” x9”. However, in most cases, you could fit the coffee pot or tea kettle in the same cabinet as it. So, two mid-sized cabinets and a sink are all you absolutely need to hide away a kitchen at the end of the day. The only other thing to consider is your refrigerator. If you’re short on space, a half fridge can be easily fit under a countertop. 

What do you think? Are we on the mark  with our math? Or are we batting 0? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. If you happen to have a tiny kitchen of your own, show us please! We’d love to hear how you make it work. 

Just because we talked all about small appliances all day today, doesn’t mean we’ve given up on repairing your normal appliances. Whether you’re dealing with a dishwasher that’s bathed your kitchen in a recreation of the Great Flood, or an oven that won’t turn on, we’re here. We can fix anything you throw at us, so long as you live within Allen or the surrounding area. Reach out anytime via phone ((214) 599-0055), or our website and we’ll be there. 

Disclaimer: These are rough estimates on space. Let’s face it, with how many different options there are for every appliance we named, it would be near impossible for us to account for all possibilities. We also didn’t account for dishes or silverware for the same reasons.