I think the consensus is that I should just get a new one. I envy my neighbours to the south. I'm in Canada so a lot of these appliances aren't as cheap as in the US.

I just wish manufacturers would make something without non-stick grills that's for home use.

One of my other options might be just to buy a cast iron grill pan and use a heavy press. It won't cook as fast as the electric grill, but it might be just as effective

Looks like aluminum foil is doable. I'm just not sure how effective my machine would be anymore because the grooves of the grill are very deep compared to the more shallow grooves on the Foreman grill.

Wow, that's a heavy duty press. I like that it has cast iron grates, but definitely don't have the space in my tiny galley kitchen for something.

I'm just so surprised that companies haven't considered that potential customers may want cast iron presses instead of the non-stick variety.

Thanks all.

I really like my indoor grill. Perhaps I should just buy a new one. I just assumed it would be okay to place foil on the grills since I see panini presses covered with foil in cafes.

Even if there aren't any health risks to eating non-stick coatings, something about knowing that I'm ingesting flakes of non-stick coating freak me out a bit (I know very unscientific).

Mine is a Hamilton Beach and is quite compact. I've noticed though that the non-stick coating is very different than my dad's George Foreman grill. Mine is dark black, whereas the Foreman grill is grey. Perhaps the non-stick coating on mine is inferior.

I have a George Foreman type grill that has removable plates. After some heavy use, the non-stick surface has started to peel and flake away, so much so that I've not used the appliance out of fear.

I haven't been able to locate replacement grills and I feel bad just simply throwing out the appliance to buy a new one, when it's still perfectly good to use (except for the removable grills).

Is it feasible/safe to use the grills if I cover them with aluminum foil? I'm not sure of any other solution, but am open to anything you might suggest.

Ideally, I would like to find an indoor electric Forman style grill that has cast iron removable plates, but haven't found anything.

Any suggestions would be most welcome.

I have the Breville mini-smart oven and like its small size. I'm in a small space and have found it more than adequate to handle all of my baking/broiling/cooking needs. I find that it produces substantially less heat than my oven. It does a great job of crisping deep fried foods. I use it almost every day.

I've made custards, baked bread, done roasts, casseroles, stews, and heated up food. Due to its smaller size, it can only fit a 10x10 baking pan, and an 11 inch pizza.

What size you get really depends on your needs and your available space.

The Mavalus tape or command strips is a good option for a stick on blackboard. I wonder if the tape would also hold up for a stainless steel backsplash without damaging the walls. I'm a bit worried that the double stick tape won't be so easily removed.

The wheel suggestion was a fantastic one. I can roll it out of the way when I need to clean.

I second (or is it sixth) the boiling water with lemon method, allowing the water to sit and steam the inside for some time. For really tough stains, you can sprinkle baking soda and spritz with vinegar to create a bubbling froth. Scrub with a brillo or similar pad.

For those pesky smells, what I've found that works is spritzing newspaper with vinegar and placing in the microwave overnight or longer if need be. The vinegar newsprint removes the smell quite effectively.

Not wanting to heat the apartment is exactly why I bought a toaster oven. In the summer, the heat output of my oven made my small apartment intolerable. The oven itself does get quite hot to the touch on the outside surface. I'd avoid placing another appliance immediately on top of the oven. You supposedly can use the top as a plate warmer, but I've yet to do so. They recommend that you place the oven at least a certain distance from other things so that it has enough air. In my daily use, while the TO does release some warm air around the unit, it hasn't elevated the room temperature to any noticeable degree (unlike my big oven).

The unit also has an incredibly fast preheat time. Even for a 350F temperature, it heats in less than 1-2 minutes.

Whether it was a nonstick coating flaking off, or just baked on carbon flaking off, I'm not certain. But other ovens I've used have had the black (carbon?) flaking off.

I don't believe you can avoid the beeping of the timer, nor can you adjust the volume. The TO also makes a clicking noise when it's regulating the temperature to adjust internally as the food cooks. I don't find it annoying, but am not sure if you would. Despite the noise though, I'd recommend the unit. It's been fantastic compared to other ones I've used/owned. The small size makes it apartment friendly.

I can't really comment on the science aspect of your safety concerns, but I do have experience using the Breville mini-smart toaster oven.

I've used the Breville solidly for four to five months and have yet to see any signs of the inside deteriorating or breaking down. There are no visible flaked chips on the inside. It cleans up well with a quick wipe. Compared to other toaster ovens I've used and seen used, the inside is holding up really well despite the high temperatures. A similar Cuisinart unit had much black flaking after only using two months.

I've found that things do cook quite evenly, and have had success with baked goods, custards, roasts and breads. Even toast comes out quite evenly, better than my toaster. When I bake, I use mostly corning ware (the pyroceram kind) and reduce the recipe's heat by 25 degrees.

One of my main criticisms with the unit is the insanely loud beeping sound. While it's good if you're across the house and need to hear when your food is done, in a smaller apartment the noise is too loud.

I just wanted to provide an update on my revamped space. Instead of sitting on the physical configuration for a few days, I just went out and bought an external unit; I tend to be a bit "go-go" with my need to do (and complete) things.

I'm really pleased with the results. I genuinely like the space, feel good in it, and am excited about being able to purchase more than 1 can of food on sale. Having taken all of your wonderful suggestions into consideration, I decided on the following:

1. As stated in an earlier message, my table is reduced in size, folded, and now covered with a tablecloth to hide other things. It is still rectangular, but much smaller than the previous table. Between the stand alone unit and the table is about 2.5 feet.

2. Four tier wire chrome shelving was purchased as a stand alone pantry unit placed on the opposite wall of the kitchen. Baskets were placed on shelving and appliances placed on the top tier. Most if not all unopened canned, boxed, bottled food is now on the stand alone unit, and my narrow pantry is reserved solely for opened products in bottles and tins, flours, sugars, oils etc. These are things that I would like to have within reaching distance when I cook.

I wanted to place a stick-on vinyl chalkboard beside my shadowbox, but since my walls are painted plaster, I'm not certain the vinyl will stick.

I'm also considering putting a stainless steel (or aluminum) backsplash and on the walls of the kitchen. I'm leaning towards aluminum because it's cheaper. I can buy some inexpensive roof flashing from a construction store and use double stick tape and apply it to the walls without too much damage. I also thought about adding some self-adhesive tiles on top of the aluminum backsplash for a faux centrepiece type look.

I'm attaching some pictures of the new redone pantry and wanted to say a big thank you for all the great suggestions. I'm still organizing the layout of the stand alone unit, so things will probably move a bit in time. But so far, I'm liking the accessibility. Thank you

I'm not sure how large the hole is, but have you considered finding a similar sized screw to simply screw into the hole? Even a short small one might plug the hole sufficiently to prevent water from getting in. I'm not sure if that would ruin the bone china or not though.

If the hole is big enough, and you can get your hands on a mini pipette or a syringe, you might be able to draw the water out that way.

I adore apothecary style spice cabinets. Hopefully one day I'll have the space to have an entire cabinet with apothecary spice drawers.

Well who knew a reefer was a fridge. I just assumed that reefer was the exhaust since reefer madness, reefer usually has smoke. LOL

I think you still have more storage than me. Without the DW, I do have the space where it would have gone. But the piping under the sink is so intrusive that there are limited options to place things

3 drawers vertical (for utensils etc)
4 under counter doors (medium size, 2 of the 4 which are under sink)
4 double door half height ceiling cabinets (2 of these are over the fridge and oven, the other 2 over the sink/prep area)
1 pantry unit that has 8 inch door

I'm really struggling for space. It's been a nightmare trying to balance space with needs. Recently I pared down so much of my cookware, it was tough to say goodbye to it.

I absolutely agree with the closed cased furniture. It allows for you to be a bit more free with how you place your goods.

One of the problems I have is that this is a rental space and not a very good one. The place where I would place the pantry is directly against two baseboard heaters. If I purchased something closed, I'd be quite worried that the heat in the winter would be blocked, but also burn the furniture.

I also adore vintage teak furniture and I don't have the money to buy a piece that will see me through my lifetime right now.

My reasoning for settling on a wire pantry is that when I move, I can always use it in a cold cellar or a real pantry room later on.

If I had the money and the right space, I'd definitely go for a closed case piece.

The wheels are a great idea. Originally I wasn't going to get one with wheels, but having the option to wheel around if only to clean makes good sense.

I know what you're feeling Kris. I'm lucky in that I have a window right in the middle of the alleyway of the galley kitchen I have. But when I moved in, it was like they hadn't even cleaned the fridge. I pulled out all the drawers and there was still food left over from the previous tenants stuck underneath.

I always wonder who designs the kitchens in these apartments. It's like they don't realize people need a functioning kitchen with adequate cabinet and storage, plus space. I'm a bit envious of your DW to be honest. I'm my own dishwasher and I only have one sink.

You might have scratched off the first layer.

If it's "real" corning ware (aka pyroceram), you might be able to remove the metal marks. I've had really good luck by:

1. first scrubbing with a baking soda paste and a non-abrasive scrubby. I use a sponge made by 3M called O-Cel-O. It's a sponge with little plastic nubs that are very good at removing the most stubborn marks.

2. Buy a ceramic top cleaner like Weiman or Ceramabryte or even Corning ware cleaner (sold in the factory outlets). Use the O-cel-o sponge with the ceramic top cleaner and really scrub. That usually gets off the marks, even black marks on the bottom of French White corning ware. Make sure that you thoroughly clean the corning ware with dish soap and water after you use the ceramic top cleaner. You want to wash it all off.

If these two steps don't work, I'm not sure what else will get it out.

I agree that it's not easy. While my budget isn't exactly "tight", it's still substantially less than I'd like to spend. And I have to be very mindful of where that money is going and how it's being spent. Sometimes (usually oftentimes), that means I can't arbitrarily buy something.

I stick to lists, use coupons all the time and only buy what's on sale to feed myself. It's definitely helped by cutting out meat to once a week.

Some great ideas and thank you so much for everyone's input. I've definitely gotten such good ideas. Here's what I've tentatively decided to do for a few days to test it out.

Since I can't afford to buy a new table, I'm going to decrease its size by folding down a leaflet. You're right that the table is too cumbersome and big. Instead of pushing it against the wall, I'm going to hide the two extra chairs inside the table (there is a built in space for this), and cover the entire table with a table cloth to hide the folded down leaf. This way, I can hide a few other things (like cookie sheets etc) under the table and nobody will see it.

I've moved the table closer to the kitchen by a few inches to centre it under the light. This has really opened the space. If I'm entertaining, I'll open up the leaflet and pull out the other two chairs. But otherwise, on a daily basis, I only need the smaller table.

Instead of the outdoor patio cooler (I have squirrels that always dig through my planters and are persistent creatures), I'm going with a stand alone pantry unit against the wall near the baseboard heater inside the apartment. I'm about 80% decided on a wire one simply because I want it to blend into the space rather than a bulkier unit. Also, the wire one will allow for air flow near the heater. I'll place baskets on the bottom of the unit to store bulkier items like sodas, juices. And I'll place extra cans in other baskets on other shelves, mixed in with a few cookbooks, a tiered candy tray, and some dishes (I think). Obviously I'll organize it when (or if) I buy it.

In terms of the garbage can, I hope I can place it under the sink, once I open up some space by placing things on the rack. While the shelving unit idea is good, it would visually block the kitchen.

I like that backsplash idea a lot. Instead of the back of the oven, I might try to place it on the right side of the oven beside the window, or behind the sink on the opposite wall.

Unfortunately, my balcony door is a single door, so placing anything there isn't feasible. But, I could probably put a small little end table under the window for some storage.

I'm going to sit on this for a few days. Right now I have a box mimicking the rough placement of where the rack will go. I just want to see if I'm happy with the physical flow of the space first before investing in the pantry.

I wanted to extend my thanks to everybody. You have all had such awesome ideas shared here that have really motivated me to think outside the box for what my kitchen can do for me. Thank you so much.

I'll keep you all posted on what I end up doing after I've lived with this configuration for a few days.

Interesting idea. I'm not sure it's feasible because my bedroom is on the opposite side of the apartment. To get it there, would mean pushing the darn thing over and it would scratch up the wood floors terribly. Plus, I think the breaker in my bedroom isn't meant for the fridge. I'm afraid it would short everything out.

Kris, what did you put in place of the fridge now that it's in the dining room? Is it just space?

In a reply I just posted, I was considering folding down my table into a half table and pushing it against the wall. Then I could put a pantry somewhere.

As it stands, I currently have some bakeware in the section where the chairs would normally fold up and fit.

I like the trunk idea. I have a coffee table with a shelf on the underside with two baskets. But if I had a large trunk, I could really cram a lot of the cookware in there.

I haven't even thought about this. I do have one corner beside the tv that currently has a DVD bookcase that I could move and place a large chest there to hide the canned goods I might use.

Great idea HillJ. I considered sticking spices to my fridge but then read about how spices can go bad with heat. Then I considered painting the inside of the pantry with magnetic paint so I could stick it there, but given how narrow it is, it makes spice retrieval awkward.

Instead, I've settled on placing all my spices in hexagon jars that abut each other in a plastic bin. I can fit roughly 48 jars in there and buy spices frequently to replenish. (I posted a photo of it in the thread "how do you store your spices")

I'm envious of all your space JayL. My 600 square feet also includes the footage of the balcony, so my apartment is probably more like 580 or maybe 585.

The open layout makes it seem bigger than it is.

As you can probably guess, since I'm in such a small space, much of my bedroom space is packed with other things (toilet paper, tissues, clothes, books and books and books)

MrsJonesey, exactly what I was thinking from your initial idea. A thin bookcase or even DVD/CD unit might be enough space to hold the canned goods. That way, it would still be narrow in depth, but fill my needs. I attached a photo way up in the thread of my kitchen all drawn up that has your idea there.

So I'm considering either placing the rolling rack/bookcase there or the standalone pantry on an opposite wall

Thanks for the great tips Indianriverfl. I have found that the only way I can keep my spices fresh is to buy in very small amounts, very frequently from the bulk store. The spices that I purchased in larger bags go stale too quickly, despite placing in an airtight plastic container. The only thing that I like about my current spice system is that turnaround in the small jars is quite quick. Though, the constant trips to the bulk store are probably less than enjoyable.

If I can find enough small, round jars that are the same size (eating lots of jam), I think I'll rejar them from the hexagons to the rounds. That would allow me to pack more into the space.

Thanks

Hi all,

I thought I'd try to include a bad drawing of my kitchen to give a better idea of spacing. It's not drawn to scale at all.

So based on ideas, I'm thinking of the following:

1. I would move the dining table closer to the kitchen area so it's maybe 12 or 15 inches from the counter

2. I would put a stand alone pantry either in the L shaped corner where the baseboard heaters meet or at the foot of the table where I've drawn it in red. I've seen standalone pantries with a width of 36 and depth of 15. It would make it doable but tight. This would get some of my bakeware/cookware onto the rack and free up cabinet space

3. Or, I could put a rolling rack inbetween the fridge and patio door. It would allow me to put lots of jars and cans and keep the existing configuration.

4. Or, my dining table is a folding leaf table. So I could conceivably fold down half of one side and eat off the folded up side. Push the table all the way to the wall where the baseboard heaters are, and somehow put in a pantry. I can't quite conceptualize this yet because this would leave a large empty space between the edge of the table and the countertop. Or I push the folded half table under the window and that would open up a wall for the pantry.

What do you think?

kaleokahu, I have a pull out shelf under my stove which is filled with bakeware. I store all of my cast iron pans in the stove when not in use already. Admittedly, I have a lot of kitchenware, cookware; but I love cooking. I've already pared down and donated quite a bit and can probably donate a bit more.

I'm not sure what a reefer is, but if you mean exhaust, I don't have one. Immediately above the stove are cabinets