Kitchen Countertop Appliance Audit – How to Choose What Stays and What Gets Storing

Home cooking is an essential activity that reduces risk for depression, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and inflammatory diseases like arthritis. Yet more than 1.9 million adults cannot complete this task independently due to impairments.

Matching storage to usage frequency makes kitchen tasks simpler. Daily drivers should reside on the countertop; weekly-use appliances can be kept close at hand in close-range storage such as pull-out racks or appliance garages; occasional gear can go into higher cabinets.

1. The One-Trick Pony Test

Many small appliances may only serve a single function, but that doesn’t diminish their significance. These devices allow us to cook, clean, and care for ourselves in ways that lower risks associated with depression, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and inflammatory diseases like arthritis. Food preparation may even be one of the most crucial activities of each day for some individuals.

Mistaken appliance placement in homes with young children or grandchildren can easily result in burns or scalds; recall files show incidents involving coffee and electric kettles, air fryers, and other hot-beverage appliances such as the CPSC recall files are full of such cases. We can reduce this foreseeable risk with layout changes: Move power up: Reserve cabinet face-mounted receptacles for low-heat devices (chargers, under cabinet lights and vacuum docks) that don’t produce heat; add shorter cords clips or channels that keep slack off counters and walking paths – these measures should help keep heat out of reach – we can reduce it significantly!

An effective appliance storage solution keeps countertops free, shortens prep times, reduces clutter, and facilitates smooth operations. Arranging appliances according to daily, weekly, or monthly use helps guide layout decisions. Items used often should be stored nearby: on a countertop with a receptacle, in a pull-out or lift-up appliance garage or even right under your prep zone. Occasional gear (ice cream maker and sous vide circulator) should be placed higher, lower or deeper for easy retrieval without too much shuffling and stretching. Lighting experts from IES suggest task-level illumination between 300-500 lux for preparation zones in order to prevent glare and shadows forming, in accordance with WELL v2 Kitchen and Nourishment guidelines which recommend accessibility as well as ergonomic reach ranges that reduce strain.

2. The 30-Day Trial

Home meal preparation has an enormously positive effect on quality of life, independence and overall health. Eating homemade foods reduces depression risk as well as cardiovascular diseases like stroke and heart attack as well as osteoporosis and arthritis [1].

However, over one quarter of American’s have impairments that impede their food and beverage preparation abilities [2]. Therefore, accessible, usable kitchen countertop appliances are key in encouraging independent meal prep.

Burns and scalds from hot appliances are one of the primary causes of product-related injuries, accounting for nearly half of CPSC injury cases [3]. With some simple layout changes, it may be possible to reduce this foreseeable hazard. Remove cabinet face-mounted receptacles from the counter overhang and install surface-level or in-counter/worksurface outlets that conform to NEC 20-inch allowance, covered by covers. Alternately, use cord clips or channels that keep slack on the counter rather than over the edge; reserve below-counter outlets for non-heated low-risk devices like chargers and vacuum docks; aim for lighting schemes with 300-500 lux task-lighting criteria for appliance zones to enhance safety and visual clarity.

3. The One-Year Rule

Preparing meals and beverages is an integral component of self-care, helping lower risks associated with depression, stroke, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Furthermore, meal prep plays an essential role in mitigating hunger and malnutrition – major contributors to disability in America [1].

Cooking appliances pose an ever-present risk of burns, cuts, cuts, spills, falls and other injuries that could have been avoided with proper design and layout. According to CPSC recall files each year there are over 400,000 incidents which could have been avoided with better design and layout.

Heat and height hazards pose the greatest threats: an overflow of boiling water can damage a coffeemaker or tea kettle on the counter; while appliances plugged into cabinet face-mounted outlets at countertop overhangs may create trailing cord paths that pull heat or liquids down onto their user.

To address this, try elevating the power source: ask your electrician to replace any below-counter outlets on islands/peninsulas with surface-level receptacles (within NEC guidelines) or worksurface assemblies that keep cords out of reach; or if remodeling, install new outlets that conform with safer code guidance and burn injury research; ensure lighting provides 300-500 Lux of task illumination in prep zones so users can see clearly and safely; utilize cabinetry storage solutions like an appliance garage, lift-up drawers or simple appliance cubbys so items remain close at hand and out of reach of potential harm’s way!

4. The Glass-to-Plastic Test

Kitchen countertop appliances like coffeemakers and electric kettles have become part of our daily ritual, improving health and well-being by decreasing depression risk factors such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis diabetes inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. Unfortunately, over one quarter of Americans live with disabilities that make meal prep one of their greatest challenges [1].

While most people can manage most kitchen appliances with ease, improper kitchen tool storage can add unnecessary stress. According to research conducted by Steelcase, extra reaching and shuffling may reduce productivity by as much as 20%.

Good design pairs storage with usage patterns to ensure tools are conveniently placed where they’re needed and used. For instance, daily drivers (electronic coffee maker, toaster oven and blender) tend to live on countertops or within close reach – such as pull-out or appliance garage storage – while weekly or monthly gear (blender, toaster and air fryer) prefer lower or deeper cabinetry while occasional equipment (ice cream maker, sous vide circulator or waffle iron) might require higher or farther back retrieval within drawers where retrieval will still be acceptable but less efficient than retrieval would allow.

Apart from reducing clutter, an organized storage system can improve safety and create the sense of order in your kitchen. According to CPSC’s product-related injury surveillance process, over 400,000 burns and scalds occur annually from hot beverage appliances that tip over or leak their contents, leading to spillage or burns. For this reason, the 2023 National Electrical Code now mandates outlets serving island and peninsula countertops be located either above/above counter assemblies, or listed in-counter/worksurface assemblies rather than below overhangs, as this helps avoid trailing cords which might otherwise snag little hands!

5. The Recycling Rule

Small kitchen appliances can have a profound impact on quality of life and independence for those with impairments, yet an improper layout of appliances may create unnecessary clutter and make food preparation challenging.

Even small changes to your layout can significantly improve accessibility and usability, such as installing cabinet face-mounted receptacles beneath an overhanging countertop that encourage cord paths leading to cord burns or scalds. If your island features such receptacles, request that they are converted to surface level receptacles (or listed in-counter/worksurface assemblies) so as to fall within the NEC 20-inch allowance and reduce trailing or pull-down risks.

Daily drivers (coffee makers and kettles) should remain on the countertop; weekly gear (blender, toaster oven) can be stored close by in drawers directly below prep zones or slide-out appliance garages. Occasional gear like an ice cream maker or waffle iron may need to be kept higher, lower, or deeper for easier retrieval but retrieval should still be possible with minimal difficulty.