12 Items Worth a Spot on Your Kitchen Counter
Keep these useful tools and accessories out in the open to maintain high function without spoiling the view
In certain areas of my house, clutter just shows up out of the blue. The kitchen countertop is a dumping ground for random, misplaced objects left by children and a naughty husband. On any given day I find junk mail, empty grocery bags, the ubiquitous unfinished glass of milk and spare change.
I like my countertops sparse, so I take responsibility for clearing them each night after dinner. As part of my nightly ritual, I clear the countertops, wipe them clean and then reposition all the things for the next day. I like a combination of functional things and pretty things out on my countertops, but I am very picky about my selections. It is a working area, after all, so function comes first. Here are some ideas for countertop styling that looks good and is functional, too.
This is a handy kitchen tool, especially for those who track portion sizes. A scale can also be useful for baking and weight conversions. You can find scales online in every color of the rainbow and digital versions, too.
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I like to keep rosemary on my kitchen counter for the fragrance and general softness it brings to the hard surfaces in my kitchen. Of course, I snip a bit here and there for cooking. Find a sunny spot on your counter and water your plant once a week. Other herbs to try growing are mint and basil.
Guide to growing herbs
I know an appliance garage is a handy thing, but I honestly like seeing mixers. I love the color and the simple engineering of a mixer. We use ours all the time, so it earns a counter spot in our house. Try a baking corner with a mixer, measuring cups and a rolling pin.
You can place canisters for sugar and flour, plus salt and pepper shakers, right on top of the counter. These canisters can be glass, ceramic or tin. The styling details are endless, but I suggest airtight versions to keep out pests.
Another power appliance in many homes, the coffeemaker need not be hidden away. Those who drink coffee every day should consider a coffee section for their counter.
I keep a bowl on my counter filled with fresh, seasonal fruit to encourage healthy snacking.
Shop for fruit bowls and baskets
The book stand is one of my favorite countertop accessories. Use it for a hard-copy cookbook or an iPad with a recipe app. The best book stand is heavy enough to support even a large book. Consider a cast iron one with felt pads on the bottom to prevent scratching.
I really like a container for tall utensils right next to my stove. I use a slotted spoon just about every time I cook, so why not have it there at the ready? And I think it’s fine and interesting to keep oils and salt and pepper right within arm’s reach.
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Here is an idea sure to appeal to some but not others. Oversize bowls can sometimes be hard to store, especially with standard-depth upper cabinets at 13 inches. I use oversize bowls a lot for pasta and salad. Find the best-looking and thickest one you can and leave it on the counter.
Another kitchen tool available in any color, a blender is handy for blending soups, juices and smoothies.
My family loves toast. I bought the biggest toaster I could find, and there still is a line at breakfast time. The toaster definitely gets a spot on the counter in my kitchen. Keep yours next to a bread drawer or bin for a complete toasting section.
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celestina89
Each person who uses the kitchen will keep what they want or need on a counter, depot any lists. As an example, a person who cans and puts up veggies from the garden each year will keep items he or she needs on a daily basis. The person may even prepare the jars and bottles a day in advance and have it all set out for the next couple days or so usage as the process continues.
A baker will certainly do things differently as well as a casual cook or one who cooks a couple times a week or every day.l
I consider myself a casual cook. I cook generally 3 times a week if not a bit more. However, I do make my salsas fresh as well as my soups. I do make smoothies daily. Some are yogurt smoothies, some are fruit & veggie and some are a mixture of stuff I have around. Sometimes I make two smoothies a day. And I do not use a dishwasher.
Dishes, pots/pans, stainless ware I keep in a drawer/cabinet. I do keep on open shelving, glasses, mugs and assortment of bowls different sizes for mixing, serving and even eating (soup/salads). I also keep a few bakeware on the shelves. All those I use daily and weekly at least twice if not more.
Based on that, I keep on my counter the following items:
1. Paper towels (extras are in pantry)
2. dish drainer, dish soap, micro cloth, scrub pad
3. cutting board - yeah... I use that several times every day
4. compost pot: my scraps go into the compost heap daily.
5. A souvenir mug with pens and scissors
6. a 5 x 7 pad to take notes, lists of all sorts of things for shopping
7. box of tissues always come in handy
8. my vitamix blender that makes soup, salsas, frozen yogurt, no bake cookies and oh, yeah - smoothies. It hardly gets time to rest.
9. Two tier fresh fruit & veggie basket.
10. leather 'vase' full of rattlesnake rose, leather roses, dries stick and other interesting stuff.
11. a terracotta jar of wooden (mostly) cooking & mixing utensils.
It seems 11 items are a lot for a 90 sq ft kitchen, but it all fits in nicely with a lot of room to spare. Most of the items are small.
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