<p>Kitchen counters can be totally clean, totally cluttered, or somewhere in between… as long as the parents agree on the scheme DH is ok with a bit of clutter, but I hate it when he clears my occassional and few temporary small “piles” from the table and stacks all together… my preferred method is to put a pile on chair(s) and sit on it. </p>
<p>“A couple of the niftiest ideas I’ve seen there: a charging drawer with a power strip in back to charge cell phones” - For us, that would not work. We’d sometimes forget the cellphone. Usually I charge mine in the kitchen, with it hanging into my purse.</p>
<p>toaster, paper towel holder, utensil container and olive oil next to the cooktop, coffee maker (grinder is integrated into maker), cookie jar, one small wooden cutting board stored on end (rest of cutting boards and all other appliances stored out of sight) and a vase of flowers. Oh, there are some pots draining right now, but the drainer will be put away when I finish here!</p>
<p>Looks like a lot when I list it! But it doesn’t look cluttered IRL. I have a knife block in a drawer.</p>
<p>I lied! I just went into the kitchen and found, in addition to the above, a bowl of peaches, a bowl of tomatoes and a trivet. The S&P are still on the island because I haven’t put them away yet. An old time whistling tea kettle is sitting on the cooktop, where it lives.</p>
<p>On one side of stove there is only our toaster oven (used daily for all sorts of items) and some vitamin bottles that drive my husband crazy. Other side, a cute banana hanger and a large decorative jar. A two tier stand with fruit and veggies sits on our very large island as well as hand soap for the sink. Most of my kitchen clutter comes from all the paper that accumulates on the island!</p>
<p>Parent1986, I do have a radio but it’s one of the undercounter mounted ones. So it’s not cluttering!!! :)</p>
<p>Sounds like lots of us have toaster ovens. Hate to get away from the original topic (but hey, I’m the OP so do I have the right to stray??? ) …but does anyone else have trouble keeping their toaster oven glass door clean??? I had yet to come up with a cleaning solution to get it like it was when first purchased.</p>
<p>Microwave, with my daily meds on top of it. H’s essential oils and spices are on the window sill behind that.</p>
<p>In front of the microwave is our meat slicer, one of the best investments we ever made.</p>
<p>Then we have the toaster, but no toaster oven.</p>
<p>On the other side of the sink is the blender. Over the sink, we have one of those hanging copper things that holds pots and pans, strainers, ladles and serving spoons, knife sharpening tool (looks like a light saber), cheese grater and some other stuff. On the top is the wok. In the back, we put the big knives hanging down behind the backsplash. Dishsoap in a ketchup dispenser is on the sink, with sponges. Over the stove are oil, 3 types of vinegar, a ketchup dispenser of vanilla and one of hot sauce, other things are on a small area of counter on the other side of the stove. Above that area is a magnetic strip that holds our smaller knives.</p>
<p>Attached to the hood range is a hanging device which holds tongs, lemon reamers, butter spreaders and smaller items that we don’t use all the time.</p>
<p>I also have 3 levels of a metal thing that holds various spices. I keep the ones we use frequently in Chinese soup sized containers which I buy at Restaurant depot. I also have a smaller spice rack with stuff we rarely use.</p>
<p>I have another counter which holds the Cuisinatt and the food processor.</p>
<p>My H is a pretty good cook so our kitchen is well stocked.</p>
<p>It is horrible 50’s yellow but after 15 years in the house, we still can’t agree on how to make it better.</p>
<p>I like to have stuff out. On my counters starting from the left: food processor, knife sharpener, blender, juicer, compost bucket, dish soap, dish drainer, mug with chopsticks, mug with pens and pencils, mug with spoons and things made of metal, mug with things made of wood, mug with scrapers, Kitchen Aid mixer, toaster, French press. Salt, pepper, cinnamon and garlic and some plants are on the window sill.</p>
<p>What I’d like to do if I ever redesign my kitchen is have deeper counters, so I can have all that stuff out still, but more room it front of it. I hate searching in cupboards for stuff, especially things I use often. Or don’t want to not use because it’s too much trouble to get out (like the knife sharpener.)</p>
<p>I have things out that I use every day. Toaster, microwave, veggie juicer, electric tea kettle and coffee maker are the only small appliances. On the sink I have my favorite Williams-Sonoma Basil hand and dish soap. I keep my All Clad dutch oven out on my stove because I use it often, and it looks pretty.</p>
<p>Next to the stove I have a few bottles of oils (olives, walnut, coconut) and a couple of different vinegars as well as a couple of different salts and peppers. On the other side of the stove, next to the electric tea kettle, are a few tins of tea. On the island I have a full pottery fruit bowl that was handmade by my brother, and often a vase of flowers.</p>
<pre><code>Above the oven there’s an open shelf where I keep my favorite wooden salad bowl, a couple of canisters for cookies or granola bars, and a basket that contains various extra sets of keys. On the counter behind the refrigerator I keep my food processor, a few of my most used cookbooks, and a bowl of lemons. It sounds like i have a lot of stuff out, but I have a large kitchen with a lot of counter space, so they really aren’t cluttered. I really don’t like clutter. I’m one of those strange folks who can put up with dirt before clutter.
</code></pre>
<p>My calico cat is cluttering the kitchen counter as we speak. She usually does not counter surf; this is her way of telling me that she is bored and needs my attention. Shoo!!!</p>
<p>Made me smile when one of you mentioned a “cookie jar” - wow, only one of us has a cookie jar on the counter?! Must be kind of a thing from the past - my mom had one when we were growing up for sure.</p>
<p>My counters have various sections of newspapers from the last week that I’m still working on getting read. There’s also a big pile of flashlights and batteries from the storm that I need to go put back in their home. And there’s dirty dishes from breakfast and dessert last night. And there’s a big swatch of carpet that I’m considering for a runner on our stairs. And there’s an African Violet that is still ailing no matter what I do for it since the disruption of moving last year. And there’s a box containing my daughter’s text books for the semester that came last night. </p>
<p>I find the mess reassuring somehow. I like a clean kitchen that is messy.</p>
<p>Removed the coffeemaker last night along with the sugar/creamer which had nothing in them but trinkets. I put the coffeemaker in a closet which I will now clean up this afternoon. It needs some attention. I hope this snowball ends here.</p>
<p>Yep, that was my cookie jar; I used to fill it with home made goodies. Empty nesters now, but my slender husband still raids the cookie jar from time to time…
I. Must. Stay. Away.</p>
<p>I have dog snackies in the cookie jar across from the kitchen counter. My muts,aka the"boys" ,can be outside and under the house chasing squirrels and STILL hear that little clink when the jar opens. It’s basically how I call them to come inside.</p>
<p>Actually we have 2 cookie jars. One is usually empty (sentimental attachement) and the other on has granola bars and hard candy. They kindof hide the white kitchen fire extinguishers (darn - one of these years I need to figure out how to get rid of the old one).</p>
<p>I have a coffee maker, pretty ceramic vase for my wooden spoons and spatulas, Knife block and EVVO, Balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, red wine, etc., that I use almost every day for cooking, next to one side of my stove. Other side has only a toaster oven. </p>
<p>My kitchen is U shaped with the stove in the U. Left side of U has nothing on it, right side has beautiful ceramic tea pot and a few cookbooks along the end where the counter meets the wall next to the refrigerator. </p>
<p>Island has wooden bowl that I keep tomatoes, bananas and any fruit which needs to ripen. </p>
<p>I gutted my kitchen 4 years ago and put in as many cabinets as possible and all the way to the ceiling for added storage space. I also put three huge deep drawers in the island. </p>
<p>My only problem has been what to do with all the things which went on my refrigerator now that I have a stainless steel one. Kitchen walls are all glass tiles so couldn’t put up a bulletin board. I put one in the laundry/mud room but I just don’t look at it often enough and have missed a few important things.</p>
DH is ok with a bit of clutter, but I hate it when he clears my occassional and few temporary small “piles” from the table and stacks all together… my preferred method is to put a pile on chair(s) and sit on it. </p>
) …but does anyone else have trouble keeping their toaster oven glass door clean??? I had yet to come up with a cleaning solution to get it like it was when first purchased.</p>