Kitchen stuff

[joesfolk]

When dh and I married I moved into his home. He refused to allow me to change the kitchen so that it made more sense and I have gotten used to the ridiculous way the kitchen is arranged. But now we may be buying a house with a big country kitchen. I was wondering what food items you folks feel need to be in the upper cupboard nearest to the stove (but not 0ver the stove). I was thinking about it today and this is what I felt were most important:
1. salt
2. spices
3. coffee and fixings
4. oil

What would you put there?

 

[Andy M.]

...I was wondering what food items you folks feel need to be in the upper cupboard nearest to the stove (but not 0ver the stove)...

Which side?? To the left of the stove or to the right of the stove?

 

[4meandthem]

I have spices on both sides of the stove filling the uppers. Directly above the stove I keep madeira/marsala
and vinegars. All pots and pans under and as close to the stove as possible.

Dishes above the dishwasher and coffee/filters close but not right next to the coffee maker.

I don't keep food in my kitchen.I have a small pantry off the kitchen for that.6 feet away.

I keep the baking pans above the fridge and oven since they are not used daily.Small appliances that are not used weekly are stored in another closet.

I have limited counterspace like most people but I keep 2 any direction knife blocks on the counter,2-3 tier plate racks for onions/garlic/shallots etc,a cutting board I made,coffee pot,japanese rice cooker,steamer and kithenaid mixer.

Everything else takes up extra closets and storage places in my house.

I designed kitchens and furniture for a living before the big bubble burst.30 years as a cabinetmaker!

The whole key is minimize the steps taken to complete tasks.This is also critical in appliance layout as well.

Long Post HUH!

 

[Moon Flower]

Close to the stove but against the wall, keep a small tub of salt and a pepper mill. Also a bottle of cooking oil. By ours we have olive oil. Depending whether you are right or left handed, allot a small cupboard area for condiments, inc sherry vinegar, dry mustard, any schwartz spice mixes for a quick ruslted up meal. Keep a stock of dried veg, tins of beans (red kidney, black beans, chickpeas etc) for backup. Lea & Perrins is a must.

Above your stove if poss, have a plate rack. From your ceiling hang a pot and pan rack so you reach up easy. Actually, few people use their kitchen ceiling for a handy rack with butchers hooks. Thats a cool idea, yes? Also you can hang strings of onions and shallots, garlic, maybe a string bag of veg-to-be-used-pronto, like us.

We have a walk in larder. But then, our house is big, chockka fulla girls.

 

[joesfolk]

There are no cupboards above or to the left of the stove. For the immediate future we will not be able to make many changes to the kitchen. The cupboard is to the right of the stove.
I love the idea of a ceiling rack. I hope the ceiling is high enough to keep dh from running into the pots. Or I can just hang pots on the wall near the stove. If we get the house we will have a separate cupboard that I will use the top part of for a pantry and the bottom as a kind of appliance garage. It is just a couple of steps from the stove but is actually in the hallway between the kitchen and formal diningroom.
You guys had some great ideas, keep them coming.

 

[Robo410]

I don't have any cupboards there; I have windows. I keep salt and pepper in the window sills and oil in dark bottles at the far end of the counter under the first cupboard.

 

[Andy M.]

I don't keep perishables near the stove. On one side of the stove I have SS bowls, wet and dry measuring cups, trivets, thermometers, etc. On the other side I keep my meds, a box of salt, paper bags, baking soda, hot sauces, etc.

Herbs and spices are in a corner cabinet on a turntable away from heat and moisture.

 

[Mel!]

I dont really put things in cupboards, based on the cupboard position in the kitchen, but the following would probably belong with the group of ingredients you listed.

Vinegar
Soya sauce

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I have a separate coffee/toast bar in the dining room. To the left of the stove I have all those spices and herbs I use frequently in small containers. I buy bulk spices and herbs, a little at a time. To the left of the stove are "test tube" containers in a rack with herbs I have dried. To the right of the stove are S&P in pinch bowls with tops. Shakers with garlic powder, steak seasoning and my oils, soy sauce and vinegars. My utensils (the ones I use all the time) are to the right in a flower pot.

 

[DaveSoMD]

I have a wall-mounted 1/2 circle pot rack haning next to my stove that I keep all my skillets (except CI) hanging from. I keep all my food stuffs in a pantry. I use the small cupboard over the stove/range hood to store my food storage containers ans lids since I have been known to be a klutz and drop things on the stove when I used to keep oils and other food stuff up there.

My kitchen is small enough that nothing is more than 3 steps away so it is not a problem for me to use a pantry.

 

[bakechef]

on one side of the stove are spices, salts etc.. in baskets separated by type so I don't have to dig to the back of the cabinet looking for something. on the other some pyrex measuring cups, and small cutting boards, not much really.

I have a small pantry in the kitchen for snacks, cereal and baking ingredients, and a larger pantry (converted coat closet) for all of my pots, pans, bakeware, bowls, casseroles, small appliances, and some foods like canned tomatoes, rice, couscous,pasta and good deals that I have stocked up on.

I actually have very little in the kitchen cabinets, I hate having to dig around a cabinet looking for things.

 

[bakechef]

I have a wall-mounted 1/2 circle pot rack haning next to my stove that I keep all my skillets (except CI) hanging from. I keep all my food stuffs in a pantry. I use the small cupboard over the stove/range hood to store my food storage containers ans lids since I have been known to be a klutz and drop things on the stove when I used to keep oils and other food stuff up there.

My kitchen is small enough that nothing is more than 3 steps away so it is not a problem for me to use a pantry.

LOL sounds like my kitchen. I put food storage containers over the stove, one because I now had a glass top stove and two, I was sick of bouncing oil and vinegar bottles off my head!

 

[Kayelle]

I have two upper cabinets on each side of the stove. On the right side I keep all of my spices on two double decker lazy susans, and I have single decker lazy susans on the other side for cooking oils and sauces. On the top shelf of that cabinet I have a basket that holds all those pesky envelopes and mixes that make such a mess, and are so hard to store. It's easy to take the basket down, and find what's needed. The cabinet above the stove hood I store my colanders, strainers and silicone steamer. I'm lucky to have a bottom drawer in my stove, there you will find the broiler pan and as of yesterday, my brand new Stovetop Smoker.

 

[DaveSoMD]

LOL sounds like my kitchen. I put food storage containers over the stove, one because I now had a glass top stove and two, I was sick of bouncing oil and vinegar bottles off my head!

Exactly. I moved everything after I lost a whole meal. I was grabbing a bottle of Gravy Master, out of the cupboard over the stove, to finish off a stew and dropped the bottle. It fell and hit the side of the dutch oven and broke with glass going all over and into the stew.

 

[Constance]

Exactly. I moved everything after I lost a whole meal. I was grabbing a bottle of Gravy Master, out of the cupboard over the stove, to finish off a stew and dropped the bottle. It fell and hit the side of the dutch oven and broke with glass going all over and into the stew.

Oh, man...what a mess. That sounds like something I would do.

Don't forget, spices are supposed to be kept in a cool dark place. Close to the stove would not be ideal. I wouldn't keep anything flammable there, either. Things like baking sheets, cake pans, colanders and measuring cups would be my pick.

 

[joesfolk]

Don't forget, spices are supposed to be kept in a cool dark place. .

My mother used to keep her spices in a drawer. I may do that. If I have enough drawers in the kitchen. I never did count them.

 

[Chef Dave]

I don't keep food in cupboards. I store all food on pantry shelves where they're easier to see and rotate. (I think this attitude comes from having spent years in commercial kitchens).

I like having spatulas, slotted spoons, and tongs by the stove.

I keep tasting spoons in a drawer by the stove and serving platters, dinner plates, and soup bowls in nearby cabinets.

With regards to your kitchen, I think you need to set it up the way you want to use it. As you may have gathered from responses, everyone has a different idea about what works for them. You need to think about what works for you.

Kudos on having a big country kitchen.

 

[Zhizara]

If you have a drawer for utensils put them in so that the business end is toward the front. It took me years to get tired of always pulling out things to see the "business" end, or reaching inside to feel for it and maybe hurting myself before I realized the important part was being hidden in the back. I turned all of them around and had no problem finding what I want. Of course, now I use a large bamboo container on the countertop to keep them visible and handy. It looks like a kind of bouquet and doesn't take up much room.

Take a guess at your arrangement and start to cook. As you settle into your kitchen, it will become more obvious where things go best and you can make adjustments then.