Kitchen cleaning #1

One of my major issues in Mama's kitchen is that the kitchen is so small.  Worse, there is very little counter space.  I don't know what genius designed this house in the 1950s, well before the Women's Liberation Movement moved a lot of women out of the kitchen and into an office, but the guy was definitely well before his time.  This tiny kitchen would do well on a modest-sized boat.  It doesn't help that a fair chunk of counter space was lost when a den was added to the house my senior year in high school, lo, these many years ago.

To be fair, the kitchen as designed and even as remodeled fit Mama's needs.  Mama was working outside the home long before Gloria or Bella or even Betty would fight for her right to do so.  Teaching full time and coping with her handicap was more than enough for Mama to handle in those days.  She needed a small kitchen that reduced her steps.  She prepared comparatively simple Southern-style meals that suited my late father's appetite and her skillset.  The tiny kitchen was enough.  I am pretty sure she never missed the lost counter space when it was replaced with a large den just as I am pretty sure she never missed the loss of a big chunk of lower cabinets when a dishwasher was installed. 

I, on the other hand, want to chop things up and then mix them together and even cook several dishes at once.  There just isn't enough room to do that when food and equipment take up already limited counter space.

My first kitchen cleaning strategy has been to clear the counter tops so that I have more work room.  That's easier said than done, but here's what I've managed to do so far--for only half of the counter space.  (I said I was slow.)

• Removed the old knife holder and the blender.  Both stored on a top shelf in the kitchen.  This may need re-evaluation when/if I get to that shelf.
• Limited on-counter equipment to toaster, coffee maker, and coffee grinder.  The coffee maker is a small 4-cup item, so it and the grinder still take up less space than the old full sized coffee maker.  (Did I mention that these kitchen counters are tiny?)
• Replaced rusting metal tray with "silver-toned" tray.  Set tray on top of old plastic cutting board (to avoid rust).  Stored vinegars along with knife sharpener and battery powered jar opener on tray.
• Limited on-counter food storage to the aforementioned vinegars, cooking oil (too tall for shelves), and about 5 large containers of seasonings.  
• Re-purposed napkin holder used to hold cutting boards upright.  Replaced old plastic cutting boards with new ones.
• Left napkin holder, salt/pepper shakers used in cooking as before.

The end result is cleaner (after wiping and scrubbing) and more efficient (tools and condiments are handily available) and less cluttered (only items used frequently are given counter space).  I also have two, maybe three, times as much clear counter space as before. 

Sadly, there is more to be done, because I haven't found a home for all of the things I had to remove in order to get these results.  The work goes on . . .