When it comes to installing a kitchen counter from scratch, most homeowners seek a reputable installer. When it comes to selecting kitchen accessories, they are on their own. Selecting the essentials — those things designed to enhance your cooking experience — can be a challenge. Any way you look at it, these two factors play a big role in the overall look and feel of the most used space in your home.
Love Your Kitchen Counter
It can be the catchall for all kinds of stuff that really has nothing to do with cooking. Our keys, the mail, the newspaper and more get thrown on it, leaving little room for our favorite spices, a utensil holder and other necessities like our toaster oven, microwave, coffee maker and even our dish soap and sponge.
Honestly, who keeps their liquid dish detergent in its original container next to the sink? Raise your hand. I do, and I hate to admit it, but really, I’ve been in denial for two years now. (Note to self: look for a unique or seasonal decanter to complement my kitchen’s black granite tile countertop.)
My sister Vicki keeps her dish soap in a hand-painted English rose pottery dispenser crafted by a local potter in her hometown in Colorado. The dispenser matches her favorite flour and sugar canisters crafted by artisan Ruthann Maze.
“I cannot live without these things; they are a perfect complement to the wallpaper in my Victorian, English kitchen,” she shares.
The colors, she continues, coordinate perfectly with a set of rose toile Old Britain Castle dishes displayed in a plate rack.
Having beautiful things inspires my sister to cook in her kitchen, which has designated counter space for prepping, baking, cooking and serving. It even has a special area for preparing coffee. “I feel like I can be an authentic barista with my Starbucks Verismo coffee maker, a gift from my son, Colton, at Christmas last year,” she tells me.
My other sister, Lori, loves her matching olive oils and balsamic vinegars that she keeps in a long basket against a vivid backsplash of small tiles in tan, pale yellow and terracotta. The bottles, from the Saratoga Olive Oil Co., Saratoga Springs, N.Y., have sentimental value. “I was visiting my son Alexi when I purchased them. They are so pretty and handy for when I’m cooking,” she shares. She describes her kitchen as having a contemporary country look. Her long pale yellow granite countertop is home to a bright red blender — for morning smoothies — and her espresso machine. An antique silver tray contains sugar, coffee beans and various toppings for lattes.
Everyday Appliances You Keep Out
Today’s traditional coffeemaker brands like Cuisinart come in a variety of colors and styles designed for visual appeal. It’s no wonder we fall in love with them. “The art and look of home-brewed coffee has come a long way over the last few years,” says Matt Burkholder at Martin Appliance, which offers a wide assortment of countertop appliances at their six locations. “Having an espresso maker and whole bean grinder can really add flexibility as far as brewing coffee to your specific taste,” he adds.
Also in demand is the iconic KitchenAid stand mixer, says Matt. The most popular model, large enough to mix dough for 8.5 dozen cookies at a time, comes in 27 colors. Mixing bowls can be ordered in clear glass or stainless steel. Available attachments include grain mills, pasta makers, food processors, juicers and sausage stuffers.
At the Restaurant Store in Wyomissing, both homeowners and commercial restaurateurs are using induction ranges in addition to their stoves to cook a multitude of dishes, says Shawn McGinley, the assistant store manager.
“Induction ranges are safe, efficient and quick to heat,” he says. Unlike conventional electric and gas ranges that transfer heat from the heating source to the pot, an induction range uses magnetic energy to create friction for heat.
Since induction uses magnets, you need to cook with magnetic cookware. Induction equipment starts at around $75, says Shawn.
Also trending at the store is the Waring XTreme blender, a good-looking appliance that comes with a 3.5 HP motor for making perfect smoothies, frozen drinks, protein shakes or any other beverage you want to blend up, says Shawn. With a starting price of $264.50, it is a less expensive option than other commercial blenders.
Pretty Polish Pottery
In Oley at Evelyn & Harriette’s, shop owners Stuart (Stu) and Annesley (Ann) Kern are known for their wide assortment of stunning Polish pottery: plates, serving platters, pouring bowls and the like. The pottery, says Stu, is fired at extremely high temperatures so that it hardens like stone. For the home baker, there are decorative ceramic rolling pins and pie birds (mostly used to prevent pie filling from boiling up from inside the pie). Polish pottery, according to Stu, is not only beautiful in its design, but it is also practical in that it is durable: microwaveable, oven-proof and dishwasher-safe. The one caution, though, is thermal shock when it is exposed to very rapid and extreme temperature changes, Stu says.
Look for Le Creuset enameled cast iron cookware at baldwinbrasscenter.com. Ideal in the oven or on the stove or table, this colorful product can take a beating with its chip-resistant enamel exterior. Showcase your favorite pieces in a five-shelf corner cookware stand and put additional pieces out of sight. Having dedicated storage is a big trend at Baldwin Kitchen & Bath Design Center, West Reading.
“We are seeing more and more customers going with cabinet storage solutions to clear the clutter off of their counters,” shares Erin Piar, kitchen and bath designer at the store. “This not only shows off the stunning movement and colors of their natural stone or quartz counters, but gives an uninterrupted view of their kitchen backsplash tile.”
And lastly, here’s a “bite” of advice from a well-known designer with an eye for detail in the home…
Making the Most of Your Counter Space: A Decorator's Point of View
A couple of years ago, interior decorator Liz DeLany of Limerick, formerly of Lizzy’s Victorian Furniture Gallery, Reading, challenged herself to free up space in her small transitional kitchen. “I love to cook and to entertain, and there is nothing more frustrating than trying to prepare a meal with little or no counter space,” Liz says. So her first self-imposed rule was, “if it hasn’t been used in three days, it has to go somewhere else!” Her second rule was, “if it isn't pretty or extremely useful, it’s out of here!” She keeps useful things like her phone (so she doesn’t have to leave the kitchen while something is on the stove) and a small Keurig on the counter.
Her liquid detergent gets transferred into a pretty glass or stainless steel pump at the sink. She keeps a decorative tray next to the stove with the staples she uses to cook: salt & pepper in a handsome grinder and extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar in pretty bottles. Her baking flour is stored in a small colored glass container and her coffee in a ceramic container with a lid; these things get tucked away in the corner, she says.
And lastly, Liz has to have a candle. “I especially like this in the winter when it is getting dark early,” she says. “It makes me feel cozy.”
SOURCES
Baldwin Kitchen & Bath Design Center623 Penn Ave., West Reading610.373.1177 or 800.358.2469baldwinkbcenter.com Martin Appliance4850 Perkiomen Avenue, Reading866.497.2481martinappliance.com Malsnee Tile & Stone1106 Stinson Dr., Leesport610.916.7621malsnee.com Evelyn & Harriette’s LLC1232 Oysterdale Rd., Oley610.987.6055 Liz DeLany Designs, Interior Design and Fine ArtLimerick610.247.9931 lizdelanydesigns@gmail.com The Restaurant Store 845 Woodland Rd., Wyomissing484.651.1010therestaurantstore.com
