Kitchen must haves? Must not haves?

[Anonymous]

The only must-have in the kitchen is an excellent, efficient layout. I shiver when I look at some kitchens in the million-dollar houses and it's obvious that the builder just threw what he thinks a kitchen ought to have into the space and called it a day instead of paying a few hundred bucks to the kitchen designer to put together a layout that works. Our neighbors across the street built a huge fancy house. I look at the kitchen, which is a U shape with an island in the middle, and I see a cutout for barstools in the island on the side facing a sink!! WTF! So you are toiling at the sink and someone's sitting at the island directly behind you, their back to you, making no sense, and blocking your most intensive traffic lane? That should be a crime really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only must-have in the kitchen is an excellent, efficient layout. I shiver when I look at some kitchens in the million-dollar houses and it's obvious that the builder just threw what he thinks a kitchen ought to have into the space and called it a day instead of paying a few hundred bucks to the kitchen designer to put together a layout that works. Our neighbors across the street built a huge fancy house. I look at the kitchen, which is a U shape with an island in the middle, and I see a cutout for barstools in the island on the side facing a sink!! WTF! So you are toiling at the sink and someone's sitting at the island directly behind you, their back to you, making no sense, and blocking your most intensive traffic lane? That should be a crime really.

Installed the thing backwards by mistake and told the buyer it was on purpose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We adore our induction stove. It cooks so much faster! We used consumer reports to find our favorite appliances. We got a Bosch dishwasher that doesn't match, but we were more concerned about the function than the look.

I love having a small TV over the sink for dishes. I keep our kitchen so much cleaner, now that I can watch trashy TV while DH does the bedtime routine. (I turn it off quickly if I hear kids coming downstairs.)

I also hate our open shelving, because we can never keep it cute an styled.

I passionately hate french door fridges. I want to open my fridge with one hand. Every time we rent a beach house with one, I am reminded why they aren't for me.

Agree about the french door fridges. We just got rid of ours and went back to a side by side.

I have an old fashioned style fridge. Why can't you open a french door fridge one handed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We adore our induction stove. It cooks so much faster! We used consumer reports to find our favorite appliances. We got a Bosch dishwasher that doesn't match, but we were more concerned about the function than the look.

I love having a small TV over the sink for dishes. I keep our kitchen so much cleaner, now that I can watch trashy TV while DH does the bedtime routine. (I turn it off quickly if I hear kids coming downstairs.)

I also hate our open shelving, because we can never keep it cute an styled.

I passionately hate french door fridges. I want to open my fridge with one hand. Every time we rent a beach house with one, I am reminded why they aren't for me.

Which stove and refrigerator did you pick based on consumer reports? Appreciate the info!

[Anonymous]

things i like in my kitchen:

-large all-one-level island with cabinetry on both sides, seating at one end and an electric oven at the other.
-wide, deep single bowl steel sink.
-large counter depth all-fridge, freezer is in pantry
-walk-in pantry
-powerful hood with makeup air. (note: you can get an inline heater for the makeup air but i didn't bother. i do have the makeup air dumped in the pantry rather than the kitchen so there is not a huge draft of unconditioned air.)
-lots of drawers in the cabinets

things i wish i had:
-softer floors. had cork in my last kitchen. might cover the floor with cork or cork-backed linoleum
-ice machine. can't really make one fit tho

[Anonymous]

I wish I had a range hood that vented to the outside. So tired of all the grease accumulating on my upper cabinets.

I like an on-the-wall spice rack. Easy to see and grab everything.

I love our French door fridge. We have one of the ones that has a separate refrigerated drawer above the freezer drawer, and between that and only have to open one half of the fridge at a time, I feel like we are saving a ton of energy compared to having the whole fridge open at once anytime I need to get something out. I do hate the drawer freezer, though, but it can’t be helped if I want the other features, and at least it’s better than the bottom freezers with a door.

Other thing I love about our fridge is that it has a measured full function. Not precise enough for baking or anything but I love being able to put a glass on the shelf, tell it to pour two cups and then walk away and do something else while my cup fills.

[Anonymous]

What I have and wish I didn’t need to get rid of is laminate countertops. We have to switch them out to sell, but I am not looking forward to the extra noise from dishes clanking on granite when I set them down. I am hoping it won’t be as bad as at my IL’s house where they have tile floors and high ceilings that make things echo (we have wood floors).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I have and wish I didn’t need to get rid of is laminate countertops. We have to switch them out to sell, but I am not looking forward to the extra noise from dishes clanking on granite when I set them down. I am hoping it won’t be as bad as at my IL’s house where they have tile floors and high ceilings that make things echo (we have wood floors).

Just don’t replace them until right before you sell and you’ll never have to live with them.

[Anonymous]

Just did a new kitchen and I really love:

Huge island with nothing on it. Chairs on the back side (not in the work zone).

Drawer for dishes that is right across from the dishwasher so super easy to unload the dishes from the dw right into the drawer. And little kids can reach dishes now. I love this.

Not a must have of course but we like the drink fridge.

Counter depth fridge so nothing gets lost in the back of it.


We don't have a double oven but I wish we did.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the people who don't like the trash cabinet. How are yours getting so dirty? My has two plastic bins on a slider, and we line them with typical kitchen trash bags. There is no mess, and nothing gets in the cabinet. Are you lazy about emptying the trash and let it overflow into the cabinet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the people who don't like the trash cabinet. How are yours getting so dirty? My has two plastic bins on a slider, and we line them with typical kitchen trash bags. There is no mess, and nothing gets in the cabinet. Are you lazy about emptying the trash and let it overflow into the cabinet?

we just got rid of that for a stand alone. I love not having to open a cabinet and pull out the slider to toss something. Just open it with a foot and done. The stand alone holds more. I hate using extra plastic bags that are not full. The stand alone is enough for the whole week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only must-have in the kitchen is an excellent, efficient layout. I shiver when I look at some kitchens in the million-dollar houses and it's obvious that the builder just threw what he thinks a kitchen ought to have into the space and called it a day instead of paying a few hundred bucks to the kitchen designer to put together a layout that works. Our neighbors across the street built a huge fancy house. I look at the kitchen, which is a U shape with an island in the middle, and I see a cutout for barstools in the island on the side facing a sink!! WTF! So you are toiling at the sink and someone's sitting at the island directly behind you, their back to you, making no sense, and blocking your most intensive traffic lane? That should be a crime really.

Installed the thing backwards by mistake and told the buyer it was on purpose?

That's a double crime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the people who don't like the trash cabinet. How are yours getting so dirty? My has two plastic bins on a slider, and we line them with typical kitchen trash bags. There is no mess, and nothing gets in the cabinet. Are you lazy about emptying the trash and let it overflow into the cabinet?

I dont get this either. Ours has recycling bin in the back, trash in front. Just as easy to open and toss as it would be to open with a foot. And no trash can in view!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of things already mentioned but only saw induction cook top mentioned once. Life. Changing. Don't understand why more people don't do it.

Also think pot filler is kind of a waste of time and generally ugly. Had one in an old house.

My guess is because they look goofy. Induction is faster and perhaps cleaner, but they look 80s compared with the nice gas range options out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of things already mentioned but only saw induction cook top mentioned once. Life. Changing. Don't understand why more people don't do it.

Also think pot filler is kind of a waste of time and generally ugly. Had one in an old house.

My guess is because they look goofy. Induction is faster and perhaps cleaner, but they look 80s compared with the nice gas range options out there.

Faster. Cleaner. More energy efficient. Far better control over your temps, which equals better cooking. They're very flat and streamlined and not even terribly noticeable, as compared to the large and clunky gas ranges with the iron grates. Is anyone really counting on a gas range to make their kitchen look good??