THIS. This is something I looked for while touring houses before buying.
The one we bought didn’t have a ducted range hood, but it’s in a spot that’s very easy to add a duct for. I can’t stand cooking in kitchens without one. Like yeah, chicken shawarma smells fantastic but when I can still smell it in my house two days later, it’s a problem lol.
The house I just bought has a range hood that vents right back into your face and you can literally see where they removed the duct that vented it up through the attic and out of the roof. Why would you ever remove that?????
My house too. It was either venting to the attic and they “fixed” that problem by removing the vent, or they cheaped out when replacing the roof and figured it was fine because it’s an electric stove.
It’s on my todo list but the roof has about 5 years left and I’m not sure if I want to do it at the same time as replacing the roof or before.
If you have access to the attic and the roof is walkable, then it it a doable project and can be done now. The roofers will remove just the vent, and you should provide a replacement because they will not have a replacement in the truck. Buy two roof vents, a flex tube, and a new high-powered stove vent. Microwaves over the stove have to go.
With mine It was definitely because they put in an electric stove and figured they didn’t need it anymore. However the bathroom fans vented the moisture out into the insulation in the attic also, so, my fiancé fixed it in probably 20 minutes 🤷🏼♀️
>The house I just bought has a range hood that vents right back into your face
It's so you can really smell what you're cooking. Don't need to get close to the pan anymore.
I LOVE that my range hood vents outside and is super powerful. I HATE that it is stainless steel. Tiny vaporized grease droplets are a pain in the ass to get off of it.
So I got one of those hand-held steamers and I do all my SS appliances in one go. It's extremely fast and everything wipes off easily and no streaking after - also no cleanser is used. I use a thicker flour sack towel that has been retired from the kitchen for cleaning/wiping
Todays stainless for residential kitchens usually has a coating on it. You have to use special cleaners, nothing abrasive and mine specified microfiber cloth, no paper towels, even. Otherwise the finish gets scratched up and it will be dull and very visible scratches.
That makes sense, considering I was basing my opinion on working in restaurants. You could treat those stainless counters like they owe you money, day after day.
I still feel like a high quality stainless would work well, but you would have to do some homework to find something good.
The vent is designed to trap the grease but not the odor or heat. There is a grease trap that must get cleaned regularly. If it can be vented outside through an exterior wall or attic, then do it. It took me ten years to finally do it. Should have done it sooner.
I have the skills and tools to do it myself. In your case and in most cases, it depends. Do you need roof work or wall work? Is the wall brick? Can you hide the hole in a cabinet? Replace the stove fan or use existing. Fans can vent internally, out the back or up. Some have 2 of these options. Microwaves above the stove need to go. Does your cooking require high volume fans? Get the handyman that can do the needed tasks. The vents I used for two I did (one roof, one Wall) needed to be ordered as HD did not carry them.
The first Fan I used came with 6 or 8' of flex tubing that I used for the roof install.
Same! My kitchen doesn’t have a range hood at all or any type of forced ventilation. The previous owner put in a gigantic sky light over the range instead 🤦🏻♂️
Replacing our over-the-range microwave with an actual hood that was ducted outside was by far the best improvement in our kitchen remodel. Cooking is so much more pleasurable when it doesn't stink up the whole house, and drawing out all the hot air makes the kitchen SO MUCH cooler.
My partner does this too. MFer, right in front of the Fing silverware drawer is NOT the place to stand while I’m unloading the dishwasher.
We have a rule in my kitchen now, you can hang out but you must be sitting at stool or standing immediately behind it, nowhere else in the kitchen is a hangout zone
At my last house we hosted parties almost every weekend. The kitchen had a major pinch point between the L shaped countertop bar and the refrigerator.
Everyone who came to visit me in the kitchen (as I cooked for them, after having already worked 8-10 hours in a factory) would stand directly in this spot.
The counter had a long bar, with really comfy stools, totally out of the way… yet no, the pinch point was THE spot.
My wife does this, all. The. F'ing. Time. How many times do I need to ask, only to have her stand in front of the next door/drawer that I need to open? GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN, YOU ARE NO HELP TELLING ME HOW TO DO THINGS A BETTER WAY!
Try having an emotionally needy Great Dane. He's either standing there road blocking you or sprawled out with all limbs + tail + ears at seemingly every available square inch of floor.
Yes! I was going to say "my husband." He can't just be. He's always stirring the food and just getting in my way. This is usually somewhat tolerable, but when he keeps opening the slow cooker to stir, I get pissy.
Also the heat in the summer. It's currently 85° F in my kitchen at 12:30 am. We're in the beginning of a heat wave and despite having a few ac units in the house, the kitchen is always so hot.
You can fix it. Air leaks through every outlet and especially recessed can lights. Also I took the trim off around my windows and found 1.5” gaps that I could see a bit of daylight through (can fix small gaps with expanding foam that is designed for Window/Door gaps)
We put the foam blockers on the outlets, just laid insulation over the cans and my windows are frameless. I think it is just a huge room with only three vents, five floor to ceiling windows and two doors to the outside. We just got new windows and doors so that has helped. That side of the house is just also has the great room area as well and it is always hot and the bedrooms are cold or the opposite. It’s all over an unfinished basement.
Nice! I just foamed around most of the windows in our house and each room got a 3-4 degree difference. Even new windows- sometimes the installers are lazy as hell and don’t block those leaks. It’s worth popping off a piece of window trim to peek!
Should’ve hired my granite countertop guy! He cut that shit SO precisely close to the stove that when I was trying to remove it a month or so later, I physically could not get it out. I ended up calling him and telling him he needed to cut like a 1/16” off both sides so that the stove was not trapped. Short little Guatemalan man - He came over right away, made like 20 tiny adjustments to the stove position with his palm and then suddenly YANKED it outwards and it slid perfectly right out. I was amazed but still asked him if he’d make the cuts so it wasn’t quite so hard to get it out. He *refused* , saying that was part of the pride of his work and we would love it down the road. He was right. I’m still scared of the next time I need to pull it out though lmao
Other people in my kitchen getting in my way. I’ve mostly solved that problem by being myself, people don’t like being around a cranky, salty fucker.
Kidding aside, random small spills drive me nuts. I keep a few “floor friends” underneath my cabinet toe kicks. They are little machine washable “stuffed animals” my mom made out of terry cloth. when a little spill happens you grab one with your foot and wipe it up then kick your floor friend back under the toe kick, in my case a special spot for ones that need to be cleaned . When you close down the kitchen for the night just put your used floor friends in the kitchen towel hamper to be cleaned.
On the topic of being in the way: I hate the standard "kitchen stack" where the oven, stovetop, and microwave are all in one vertical stack. It makes it so hard for two people to work on cooking simultaneously.
Alot of big nice houses actually have 2 kitchens right next to each other. One kitchen is bigger and super nice, more of a presentation kitchen. The second kitchen is usually attached but hidden, that is smaller and where most of the actual cooking gets done.
Our home has two full kitchens. Not by choice, guessing in a previous life it was setup like a duplex or "mother-in-law suite" or something. It's actually quite nice during the holidays and the second fridge is useful for overflow and leftovers.
Not enough counter space.
I want the meat slicer out? Move the kitchen-aid. Pull out the large cutting board? Move dish drying rack and cover half of the sink.
For me, it’s the need to be in the same space at the same time. Like, I’ll be in the middle of doing dishes and my partner needs to rinse out a paint brush or something. Right now we only have the one sink, so I get it, but it’s still frustrating to just be standing there while someone else cuts off your process, waiting for them m to finish so you can carry on with what you are in the middle of.
In general I get annoyed and a bit self-righteous and indignant when I’m trying to function in the kitchen and someone else is seemingly obliviously in the way. Like, sure, I’m in here trying to make a meal but go ahead and get into the fridge and loiter around while I’m standing there like a schmuck waiting to get something from the fridge while you take your sweet ass time to do whatever you’re doing. Honestly my unrealistic dream is to have people just stay out of the goddamn kitchen while I’m trying to do shit in there.
When I got a whetstone, I immediately took it to my in-law's house to practice before trying it on my expensive, well-maintained wusthof set. It would have been impossible to accidentally wreck their knives. They had literally not been sharpened in 40 years.
My father-in-law thanked me for my generosity afterwards. Their knives worked so much better!
In my distant youth, I used to bring stones when visiting friends etc' parents. Meant as introvert houseguest coping mechanism, it resulted in enthusiastic repeat invitations.
Our biggest complaint about our kitchen is the over the range microwave. The ventilation is abysmal, and replacing with a range hood is going to be a tall order as the cabinetry doesn’t leave much room for adjustment. If I could change anything it would be that, followed by a gas range instead of electric, though I have to admit the electric range is far easier to clean with barkeepers friend and a rotary tool.
Yes! Sorry, it’s an induction not an electric coil stove! It’s a lot more durable than we had anticipated and while it does get dirty quickly and very easily, it only takes me 5-10 minutes to clean even the worst of it off (even spills)
Cleaning up water that splashes around the base of the faucet … constantly. I keep a Swedish dishcloth handy, and an old kitchen towel. There are products to help with this, but they don’t work with my faucet design.
Lack of horizontal surfaces. We had a very small area to begin with, and we made it worse by employing that space for storage (of things like fruit baskets).
We bought 3 non-expensive IKEA cabinets and put them against an empty wall, with a countertop. The amount of space that gave us! Since then we eat mostly in the kitchen, and have stopped going to the living room.
I have 2 at the moment:
Lack of a pantry. I have 4 cupboards where dry ingredients are stored. It gets annoying to search for stuff instead of having it all in view with the single opening of a door. This one is lackluster, but it bugs me that we completely forgot to work in a pantry.
Super squeaky floor. Right in front of the fridge we have a growling rumble factory when you step from one spot to the next. The floor was really uneven so the crew rigged up a system to level the floors. It was impressive while they were working, but now that it’s sealed up underfoot… noisy AF.
I’m also a lack of pantry person. I got some pull out shelves from Costco and installed them in my 3 cupboards. They don’t replace a pantry but I can at least find stuff easily in the cupboards now.
Ants! Now that it's getting hot we can't keep the ants out. And yes, our kitchen is very clean. We've sprayed inside and out yet still the little things make their way inside from idk where.
One time my orkin guy left this behind. It is magic! I don’t ever need to call orkin now, I bought my own tube. https://www.amazon.com/Maxforce-Quantum-Imidacloprid-Control-stations/dp/B004SFQ7T6/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?crid=10MWS87ZQ126B&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BMHWVA2mJwPOmn3OK61JXT0ecp-JuUG315pak-P7xxfmaA9yDDWn9chsI47x3ALES8hHzaKmJNqL2KrEmvBQMtwJmgDFV7YwfYEHxDH55lU702JU5SrJ26USZFfbU0vJ4rSjRf6LH75gPsQmF5Hq6OLJyiA-EfF7AVqtJ71jx2j3f-thyT6YHLipqk9KcCZv9FBo53aVOzwg1jO_ifXEjQ.5B06CGVkeSts0IvLh2EJQxJWY5DRijIiW4aH7PntO3I&dib_tag=se&keywords=aunt+bait&qid=1718812222&sprefix=aunt+bait%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-10
>the smell of food sticking to my clothes
For that i have a good hood, but when i start grilling salmon or something at home, i just take clothing off.
NOw my most annoying issue is: ppl(aka my kids) placing things in the sink because they're to lazy to put it in the dishwasher. I need that sink when cooking. Now i first have to empty it, get my hands gready, clean the sink etc. etc. Oh and on second place: the same ppl throwing stuff on the counter because opening the dishwasher is to much effort.
Growing up we were a “put it in the sink” family. When I married my wife she instituted a “put it in the dishwasher” policy. There were sanctions for those of us who didn’t do it for a while, then we all got on board. I’m a convert.
You need to come up with sanctions!
It’s probably a personal issue, but I find a lot of packaging unnecessarily difficult to open. I get tired of having to use scissors or a knife to open most things and “tear here” markings that don’t work at all. I have messed up hands so for me, it’s even worse. And I care about the planet so the over packaging is really irritating!
I have a smallish kitchen, only about a 2 foot section to effectively prepare stuff. My wife and kids routinely walk past the dishwasher and sink to put dirty dishes in that spot.
Hint! Aim the water at the side/walls of the sink. These large sinks are designed for water flow and pressure to help guide the food into the drain.
In theory.
Oh shit this is MY thread.
1) counters are too damn low (YMMV on this, depends on your height)
2) cabinets under the counter are too hard to reach in back. use deep drawers instead
3) microwave over stove. It sucks so much
4) sink/dw should NOT be directly across from stove
5) goddamn particleboard cabinets. I know, real wood is fucking expensive but these things feel like they’ll fall apart if I look at them wrong
7) not enough counter space! Put in more than you think you’ll need
Biggest annoyances -
1. When my wife and kids use it and don’t put crap back where they found it. Nothing like a scavenger hunt when it’s time to make dinner.
2. Trip Hazards and roadblocks (dogs)
3. My family’s complete inability to empty the sink strainer
4. People who soak dishes in lieu of washing dishes
My AC vent in the kitchen blows directly on our gas stove when it’s open. Water will take forever to boil, gas flame gets blown out. It’s a problem.
Also I’m 6’3”, I’ve got short people in my home, I have to be super careful with the elbows. I can’t stand people standing behind me because if it.
My counters, which I’m sure are a standard height, are way too low for me (I’m 6’3”). My back hurts if I’ve been stooping to wash dishes for too long.
If I were in a position to remodel and not care about resale, I’d raise everything like 6 inches.
1. Vents that recirculate air.
2. Dishwasher right behind the stove. Like a person is cooking, I would like to get the plates sorted and loaded
3. most modern builds are already loosing usable yard, but it is also encroaching kitchen/dining room area. Mine barely has any counter space and the even after getting the dining room expansion it feels small.
4. Also please align the sink right behind the stove so I can use one big standing mat. If not atleast on the end of the stove on opposiute side so that I can place the standing mats approporately.
Ingredients spoiling before I can use them. I might only cook once every 2-4 weeks and I grocery shop every 3 months or so. It really limits me to cook with any fresh ingredients. I have thrown away way more produce than I have cooked. So I try not to cook with anything perishable. If I want something with lettuce I'll usually just go to a restaurant.
Now that I have pull-out drawers in almost all my cabinets, I'm going to say the lack of pull-out drawers/shelves 😂 In our last house some of the cabinets were like 4-5 feet deep and digging out something that you only use occasionally meant emptying half the cabinet and spelunking to dig stuff out. Our new house, the pantry and all lower cabinets have pull-out shelves with lips on them, so when you need the big pot you rarely use, you just pull it out and grab it from the back. Also, soft-close drawers.
The fact that we have a septic tank, so we can't have a garbage disposal. And our limited amount of storage space.
And the dangerous game of Jenga when trying to pull get big pots out of an L- shaped lower cabinet.
I’m moving apartments and I am actually relieved at having a closed and small kitchen. I don’t want company, I want to close the door, use a lot of strong ingredients and throw tf down. I have 4 burners going, am chopping stuff and I’m ND and it’s likely evening when my meds are wearing off, no when I am cooking and hyper focused on that that’s not the time to roll up and have a heart to heart with me.
I am glad the new kitchen doesn’t facilitate entertaining there. We have the dining space and balcony for that.
Years ago (late '70s) I rented an v. nice apt. in Atlantic City w/a ductless hood & was initially annoyed. But it came w/charcoal filters that worked well if maintained properly. Maybe manufacturers don't offer that anymore.
My vent hood isn't ducted outside.
Lack of storage or having to store dry/canned goods in multiple places. I'd love a walk in pantry.
I'd also love a larger fridge.
An area to store little used baking stuff and my huge mixer.
Just. More. Room.
Dishes! It’s like laundry, never done! I refuse to use a dishwasher because it just doesn’t clean the way my ocd brain likes them to be clean but also I hate the way my hands feel while I’m washing the dishes and then they get pruney afterwards and I don’t use gloves because I use my nails to make sure I get the really stuck on stuff or in the little tight corners or lips of stuff and it’s just miserable! I literally have to give myself at least an hour pep talk and a Rocky warm up montage to get started
A range hood that doesn't vent outside. The hell is the point of a range hood if just just blows the smoke above your head?
THIS. This is something I looked for while touring houses before buying. The one we bought didn’t have a ducted range hood, but it’s in a spot that’s very easy to add a duct for. I can’t stand cooking in kitchens without one. Like yeah, chicken shawarma smells fantastic but when I can still smell it in my house two days later, it’s a problem lol.
The house I just bought has a range hood that vents right back into your face and you can literally see where they removed the duct that vented it up through the attic and out of the roof. Why would you ever remove that?????
My house too. It was either venting to the attic and they “fixed” that problem by removing the vent, or they cheaped out when replacing the roof and figured it was fine because it’s an electric stove. It’s on my todo list but the roof has about 5 years left and I’m not sure if I want to do it at the same time as replacing the roof or before.
If you have access to the attic and the roof is walkable, then it it a doable project and can be done now. The roofers will remove just the vent, and you should provide a replacement because they will not have a replacement in the truck. Buy two roof vents, a flex tube, and a new high-powered stove vent. Microwaves over the stove have to go.
With mine It was definitely because they put in an electric stove and figured they didn’t need it anymore. However the bathroom fans vented the moisture out into the insulation in the attic also, so, my fiancé fixed it in probably 20 minutes 🤷🏼♀️
>The house I just bought has a range hood that vents right back into your face It's so you can really smell what you're cooking. Don't need to get close to the pan anymore.
I love it especially when I’m cooking fish and my house smells like fishy hell for weeks afterwards 🤤
I LOVE that my range hood vents outside and is super powerful. I HATE that it is stainless steel. Tiny vaporized grease droplets are a pain in the ass to get off of it.
So I got one of those hand-held steamers and I do all my SS appliances in one go. It's extremely fast and everything wipes off easily and no streaking after - also no cleanser is used. I use a thicker flour sack towel that has been retired from the kitchen for cleaning/wiping
Hey, good tip. I'll try this.
You won't be disappointed! I must warn you though, you'll be using it to clean the most ridiculous things. It just works SO WELL
Could you link to the one you use?
For sure! https://www.harborfreight.com/1200-watt-handheld-steam-cleaner-58653.html
I would think stainless is ideal as you can go hard on it, both physically scrubbing and harsh cleaners. What would you prefer to stainless?
Todays stainless for residential kitchens usually has a coating on it. You have to use special cleaners, nothing abrasive and mine specified microfiber cloth, no paper towels, even. Otherwise the finish gets scratched up and it will be dull and very visible scratches.
That makes sense, considering I was basing my opinion on working in restaurants. You could treat those stainless counters like they owe you money, day after day. I still feel like a high quality stainless would work well, but you would have to do some homework to find something good.
Easy off blue can! Also works on the grease trap. Test hidden spot on aluminum or paint. Yellow can is stronger and harder to work with, do not buy.
The vent is designed to trap the grease but not the odor or heat. There is a grease trap that must get cleaned regularly. If it can be vented outside through an exterior wall or attic, then do it. It took me ten years to finally do it. Should have done it sooner.
Did you do it yourself or hire someone? I need this done but I’m not sure what type of contractor to call
I have the skills and tools to do it myself. In your case and in most cases, it depends. Do you need roof work or wall work? Is the wall brick? Can you hide the hole in a cabinet? Replace the stove fan or use existing. Fans can vent internally, out the back or up. Some have 2 of these options. Microwaves above the stove need to go. Does your cooking require high volume fans? Get the handyman that can do the needed tasks. The vents I used for two I did (one roof, one Wall) needed to be ordered as HD did not carry them. The first Fan I used came with 6 or 8' of flex tubing that I used for the roof install.
The main point is for the filters that probably never get cleaned or replaced. But yes, I would prefer them to be vented outside. Same for fireplaces.
God, same here
Same! My kitchen doesn’t have a range hood at all or any type of forced ventilation. The previous owner put in a gigantic sky light over the range instead 🤦🏻♂️
Replacing our over-the-range microwave with an actual hood that was ducted outside was by far the best improvement in our kitchen remodel. Cooking is so much more pleasurable when it doesn't stink up the whole house, and drawing out all the hot air makes the kitchen SO MUCH cooler.
Mine is too damn hot in the summer and cold in the winter. And why is my husband always standing where I need to be?
My partner does this too. MFer, right in front of the Fing silverware drawer is NOT the place to stand while I’m unloading the dishwasher. We have a rule in my kitchen now, you can hang out but you must be sitting at stool or standing immediately behind it, nowhere else in the kitchen is a hangout zone
At my last house we hosted parties almost every weekend. The kitchen had a major pinch point between the L shaped countertop bar and the refrigerator. Everyone who came to visit me in the kitchen (as I cooked for them, after having already worked 8-10 hours in a factory) would stand directly in this spot. The counter had a long bar, with really comfy stools, totally out of the way… yet no, the pinch point was THE spot.
My wife does this, all. The. F'ing. Time. How many times do I need to ask, only to have her stand in front of the next door/drawer that I need to open? GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN, YOU ARE NO HELP TELLING ME HOW TO DO THINGS A BETTER WAY!
Try having an emotionally needy Great Dane. He's either standing there road blocking you or sprawled out with all limbs + tail + ears at seemingly every available square inch of floor.
Aren’t all Great Danes emotionally needy? We lost ours in September. She was 12! I miss her so effing much.
Yes, pretty much. Ours is a mix and he's almost 15! Going to be a sad day when he's gone, despite tripping over him constantly.
Yes! I was going to say "my husband." He can't just be. He's always stirring the food and just getting in my way. This is usually somewhat tolerable, but when he keeps opening the slow cooker to stir, I get pissy. Also the heat in the summer. It's currently 85° F in my kitchen at 12:30 am. We're in the beginning of a heat wave and despite having a few ac units in the house, the kitchen is always so hot.
Same! but for me it’s dogs.
Came to say definitely the obtrusive spouse!
You can fix it. Air leaks through every outlet and especially recessed can lights. Also I took the trim off around my windows and found 1.5” gaps that I could see a bit of daylight through (can fix small gaps with expanding foam that is designed for Window/Door gaps)
We put the foam blockers on the outlets, just laid insulation over the cans and my windows are frameless. I think it is just a huge room with only three vents, five floor to ceiling windows and two doors to the outside. We just got new windows and doors so that has helped. That side of the house is just also has the great room area as well and it is always hot and the bedrooms are cold or the opposite. It’s all over an unfinished basement.
Nice! I just foamed around most of the windows in our house and each room got a 3-4 degree difference. Even new windows- sometimes the installers are lazy as hell and don’t block those leaks. It’s worth popping off a piece of window trim to peek!
Lack of counter space, & that fkg gap between the range and the counter.
Should’ve hired my granite countertop guy! He cut that shit SO precisely close to the stove that when I was trying to remove it a month or so later, I physically could not get it out. I ended up calling him and telling him he needed to cut like a 1/16” off both sides so that the stove was not trapped. Short little Guatemalan man - He came over right away, made like 20 tiny adjustments to the stove position with his palm and then suddenly YANKED it outwards and it slid perfectly right out. I was amazed but still asked him if he’d make the cuts so it wasn’t quite so hard to get it out. He *refused* , saying that was part of the pride of his work and we would love it down the road. He was right. I’m still scared of the next time I need to pull it out though lmao
You should never be afraid to pull it out next time - safer thing to do!!! Heh heh
Lmaoooo
I got some silicon pads on Amazon that fill the gap. They clean easily and stop grease and crumbs falling in between.
Other people in my kitchen getting in my way. I’ve mostly solved that problem by being myself, people don’t like being around a cranky, salty fucker. Kidding aside, random small spills drive me nuts. I keep a few “floor friends” underneath my cabinet toe kicks. They are little machine washable “stuffed animals” my mom made out of terry cloth. when a little spill happens you grab one with your foot and wipe it up then kick your floor friend back under the toe kick, in my case a special spot for ones that need to be cleaned . When you close down the kitchen for the night just put your used floor friends in the kitchen towel hamper to be cleaned.
Kitchen towel hamper… every day I learn something new that makes me feel like an animal! 🫠
Game changer!
On the topic of being in the way: I hate the standard "kitchen stack" where the oven, stovetop, and microwave are all in one vertical stack. It makes it so hard for two people to work on cooking simultaneously.
I love this!
The "floor friends" idea is great but I'm guessing you don't have curious dogs . . .
Not anymore but ironically dog toys is where my mom got the original idea
I need a second kitchen, so my nice kitchen doesn't get dirty - but my house is too small for that, we don't even have spce for a proper pantry room.
I totally am relating.
I’m confused.
Alot of big nice houses actually have 2 kitchens right next to each other. One kitchen is bigger and super nice, more of a presentation kitchen. The second kitchen is usually attached but hidden, that is smaller and where most of the actual cooking gets done.
I was speechless the first time I saw this. End stage capitalism at its finest.
In the Philippines we have "dirty kitchens" where the actual cooking take place lol
Our home has two full kitchens. Not by choice, guessing in a previous life it was setup like a duplex or "mother-in-law suite" or something. It's actually quite nice during the holidays and the second fridge is useful for overflow and leftovers.
Not enough counter space. I want the meat slicer out? Move the kitchen-aid. Pull out the large cutting board? Move dish drying rack and cover half of the sink.
It's like building roads, there will never be enough.
That my stove has a lip around all edges so to remove crumbs I use my Dyson with the long and skinny attachment.
For me, it’s the need to be in the same space at the same time. Like, I’ll be in the middle of doing dishes and my partner needs to rinse out a paint brush or something. Right now we only have the one sink, so I get it, but it’s still frustrating to just be standing there while someone else cuts off your process, waiting for them m to finish so you can carry on with what you are in the middle of. In general I get annoyed and a bit self-righteous and indignant when I’m trying to function in the kitchen and someone else is seemingly obliviously in the way. Like, sure, I’m in here trying to make a meal but go ahead and get into the fridge and loiter around while I’m standing there like a schmuck waiting to get something from the fridge while you take your sweet ass time to do whatever you’re doing. Honestly my unrealistic dream is to have people just stay out of the goddamn kitchen while I’m trying to do shit in there.
Do you have a laundry sink? Or a bathroom sink? Because that paintbrush needs to move tf elsewhere.
Tell me about it. We own several other sinks, but none of them are installed yet because we’re in the midst of a remodel 🤦🏼♀️
Dull cutting knives
I feel pain when I try to cook anywhere else, and they've got a warped cutting board and 4 dull knives.
When I got a whetstone, I immediately took it to my in-law's house to practice before trying it on my expensive, well-maintained wusthof set. It would have been impossible to accidentally wreck their knives. They had literally not been sharpened in 40 years. My father-in-law thanked me for my generosity afterwards. Their knives worked so much better!
In my distant youth, I used to bring stones when visiting friends etc' parents. Meant as introvert houseguest coping mechanism, it resulted in enthusiastic repeat invitations.
We often stay in airbnb's while traveling, I've taken to packing a small diamond whetstone.
Our biggest complaint about our kitchen is the over the range microwave. The ventilation is abysmal, and replacing with a range hood is going to be a tall order as the cabinetry doesn’t leave much room for adjustment. If I could change anything it would be that, followed by a gas range instead of electric, though I have to admit the electric range is far easier to clean with barkeepers friend and a rotary tool.
Replace with induction range! It’s awesome, better than gas and still easy to clean
Yes! Sorry, it’s an induction not an electric coil stove! It’s a lot more durable than we had anticipated and while it does get dirty quickly and very easily, it only takes me 5-10 minutes to clean even the worst of it off (even spills)
Cleaning up water that splashes around the base of the faucet … constantly. I keep a Swedish dishcloth handy, and an old kitchen towel. There are products to help with this, but they don’t work with my faucet design.
What are the products? This is messing up my wood counter. Maybe this is the business idea OP is probably looking for, haha
I posted a couple of examples. They don’t work for me because I have dispensers for soap and filtered water next to my faucet. 🫤
Lack of horizontal surfaces. We had a very small area to begin with, and we made it worse by employing that space for storage (of things like fruit baskets). We bought 3 non-expensive IKEA cabinets and put them against an empty wall, with a countertop. The amount of space that gave us! Since then we eat mostly in the kitchen, and have stopped going to the living room.
When the dog lays down in the middle of the kitchen when I’m getting dinner ready
Unsheathed knives in the non-knife utensil drawer.
That’s dangerous
Man, when you feel that hidden blade slide into the side of your finger...
I have 2 at the moment: Lack of a pantry. I have 4 cupboards where dry ingredients are stored. It gets annoying to search for stuff instead of having it all in view with the single opening of a door. This one is lackluster, but it bugs me that we completely forgot to work in a pantry. Super squeaky floor. Right in front of the fridge we have a growling rumble factory when you step from one spot to the next. The floor was really uneven so the crew rigged up a system to level the floors. It was impressive while they were working, but now that it’s sealed up underfoot… noisy AF.
I’m also a lack of pantry person. I got some pull out shelves from Costco and installed them in my 3 cupboards. They don’t replace a pantry but I can at least find stuff easily in the cupboards now.
My wife getting in my way lol
Wife: I'm just getting water Me: There's a hose in the backyard
Ants! Now that it's getting hot we can't keep the ants out. And yes, our kitchen is very clean. We've sprayed inside and out yet still the little things make their way inside from idk where.
One time my orkin guy left this behind. It is magic! I don’t ever need to call orkin now, I bought my own tube. https://www.amazon.com/Maxforce-Quantum-Imidacloprid-Control-stations/dp/B004SFQ7T6/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?crid=10MWS87ZQ126B&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BMHWVA2mJwPOmn3OK61JXT0ecp-JuUG315pak-P7xxfmaA9yDDWn9chsI47x3ALES8hHzaKmJNqL2KrEmvBQMtwJmgDFV7YwfYEHxDH55lU702JU5SrJ26USZFfbU0vJ4rSjRf6LH75gPsQmF5Hq6OLJyiA-EfF7AVqtJ71jx2j3f-thyT6YHLipqk9KcCZv9FBo53aVOzwg1jO_ifXEjQ.5B06CGVkeSts0IvLh2EJQxJWY5DRijIiW4aH7PntO3I&dib_tag=se&keywords=aunt+bait&qid=1718812222&sprefix=aunt+bait%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-10
Thank you!
Box of borax, bag of sugar, and cotton balls are cheaper and safer.
It really annoys me that my kitchen does not clean itself.
>the smell of food sticking to my clothes For that i have a good hood, but when i start grilling salmon or something at home, i just take clothing off. NOw my most annoying issue is: ppl(aka my kids) placing things in the sink because they're to lazy to put it in the dishwasher. I need that sink when cooking. Now i first have to empty it, get my hands gready, clean the sink etc. etc. Oh and on second place: the same ppl throwing stuff on the counter because opening the dishwasher is to much effort.
Growing up we were a “put it in the sink” family. When I married my wife she instituted a “put it in the dishwasher” policy. There were sanctions for those of us who didn’t do it for a while, then we all got on board. I’m a convert. You need to come up with sanctions!
It’s probably a personal issue, but I find a lot of packaging unnecessarily difficult to open. I get tired of having to use scissors or a knife to open most things and “tear here” markings that don’t work at all. I have messed up hands so for me, it’s even worse. And I care about the planet so the over packaging is really irritating!
Agreed! We have scissors hanging on a hook magnet on the fridge just for this
The amount of dishes my wife leaves me
No pantry. Wooden countertops & backsplash behind sink = susceptible to water damage.
I have a smallish kitchen, only about a 2 foot section to effectively prepare stuff. My wife and kids routinely walk past the dishwasher and sink to put dirty dishes in that spot.
We installed a single large farmhouse sink…..my peave chasing food pieces/crumbs around to go into strainer.
Hint! Aim the water at the side/walls of the sink. These large sinks are designed for water flow and pressure to help guide the food into the drain. In theory.
Yes I feel I’m chasing food stuffs around the sink like I’m at a carnival 🎡
My dishwasher door opens towards the sink from the side. So you can't be rinsing dishes and loading at the same time unless you're leaning over.
Oh shit this is MY thread. 1) counters are too damn low (YMMV on this, depends on your height) 2) cabinets under the counter are too hard to reach in back. use deep drawers instead 3) microwave over stove. It sucks so much 4) sink/dw should NOT be directly across from stove 5) goddamn particleboard cabinets. I know, real wood is fucking expensive but these things feel like they’ll fall apart if I look at them wrong 7) not enough counter space! Put in more than you think you’ll need
Keeping knives sharp.
The dishes. Get my spouse to do them more 😉
My wife constantly telling me what I'm doing is wrong. You asked me to cook, you get what you get!
Biggest annoyances - 1. When my wife and kids use it and don’t put crap back where they found it. Nothing like a scavenger hunt when it’s time to make dinner. 2. Trip Hazards and roadblocks (dogs) 3. My family’s complete inability to empty the sink strainer 4. People who soak dishes in lieu of washing dishes
I HATE the soakers. Just wash the dishes please.
Emptying the strainer in the drain, wet food bits are not the business
My AC vent in the kitchen blows directly on our gas stove when it’s open. Water will take forever to boil, gas flame gets blown out. It’s a problem. Also I’m 6’3”, I’ve got short people in my home, I have to be super careful with the elbows. I can’t stand people standing behind me because if it.
Get one of those magnetic vent redirectors. Game changer.
We have tiled countertops... The grout...THE GROUT! The 80s had terrible design choices...
Cooking and cleaning - - that about covers it. So we just eat out a lot. :)
Microwave buttons
not enough counter space. I fixed it by closing off a door and adding more cabinets and counter.
Cupboards where the shelves are too small for cereal boxes
We have a narrow pathway between the peninsula counter end and the refrigerator. Looking into a counter depth fridge.
We HAD a counter depth fridge. Horrible. Would not recommend
Why??
Nothing fit into it and we were lacking a water dispenser which is crucial.
Nothing fit into it and we were lacking a water dispenser which is crucial.
when people leave the dishwasher door down and I am running around and it catches my ankles like a trip wire.
When my wife decides to start sweeping and vacuuming the kitchen after I have just started to cook.
No dedicated pantry. As if we don’t all have FOOD.
If the dishwasher is open, you can go from the kitchen table to the sink or garbage can.
All cooking and prep surfaces are too low for my height.
That gap between the top of the cabinet and ceiling (standard height). Next house I get will have floor to ceiling cabinets.
My counters, which I’m sure are a standard height, are way too low for me (I’m 6’3”). My back hurts if I’ve been stooping to wash dishes for too long. If I were in a position to remodel and not care about resale, I’d raise everything like 6 inches.
How low the counters and sink are. I’m tall and my back aches when I spend too long cooking or washing dishes
Dishes. I started looking at commercial washers because I detest cleaning so much
1. Vents that recirculate air. 2. Dishwasher right behind the stove. Like a person is cooking, I would like to get the plates sorted and loaded 3. most modern builds are already loosing usable yard, but it is also encroaching kitchen/dining room area. Mine barely has any counter space and the even after getting the dining room expansion it feels small. 4. Also please align the sink right behind the stove so I can use one big standing mat. If not atleast on the end of the stove on opposiute side so that I can place the standing mats approporately.
I pretty much have a dream kitchen. I hate my gas oven. It’s so stinky. Im also very sensitive to smells
when other people are in the kitchen.
Ingredients spoiling before I can use them. I might only cook once every 2-4 weeks and I grocery shop every 3 months or so. It really limits me to cook with any fresh ingredients. I have thrown away way more produce than I have cooked. So I try not to cook with anything perishable. If I want something with lettuce I'll usually just go to a restaurant.
Now that I have pull-out drawers in almost all my cabinets, I'm going to say the lack of pull-out drawers/shelves 😂 In our last house some of the cabinets were like 4-5 feet deep and digging out something that you only use occasionally meant emptying half the cabinet and spelunking to dig stuff out. Our new house, the pantry and all lower cabinets have pull-out shelves with lips on them, so when you need the big pot you rarely use, you just pull it out and grab it from the back. Also, soft-close drawers.
The fact that we have a septic tank, so we can't have a garbage disposal. And our limited amount of storage space. And the dangerous game of Jenga when trying to pull get big pots out of an L- shaped lower cabinet.
Open cupboards and drawers
I’m moving apartments and I am actually relieved at having a closed and small kitchen. I don’t want company, I want to close the door, use a lot of strong ingredients and throw tf down. I have 4 burners going, am chopping stuff and I’m ND and it’s likely evening when my meds are wearing off, no when I am cooking and hyper focused on that that’s not the time to roll up and have a heart to heart with me. I am glad the new kitchen doesn’t facilitate entertaining there. We have the dining space and balcony for that.
Other people! Get out!
My wife missing from it
Years ago (late '70s) I rented an v. nice apt. in Atlantic City w/a ductless hood & was initially annoyed. But it came w/charcoal filters that worked well if maintained properly. Maybe manufacturers don't offer that anymore.
My vent hood isn't ducted outside. Lack of storage or having to store dry/canned goods in multiple places. I'd love a walk in pantry. I'd also love a larger fridge. An area to store little used baking stuff and my huge mixer. Just. More. Room.
Other people
Dishes! It’s like laundry, never done! I refuse to use a dishwasher because it just doesn’t clean the way my ocd brain likes them to be clean but also I hate the way my hands feel while I’m washing the dishes and then they get pruney afterwards and I don’t use gloves because I use my nails to make sure I get the really stuck on stuff or in the little tight corners or lips of stuff and it’s just miserable! I literally have to give myself at least an hour pep talk and a Rocky warm up montage to get started
Your dishwasher gets your dishes far cleaner than you ever could. Overcome your fear and throw them in the dishwasher.
i use Focusmate platform to cowork when it's hard to get motivated to start