3 Tiny Things That Are a Huge Help in My Small Kitchen

One way to adapt to life in a small apartment is to have less stuff. Another way is to have smaller stuff. In my apartment’s petite kitchen, I have a few items that work especially well for me — scaled-down versions of standard kitchen staples that take up less space, but still manage to get the job done.

Sometimes, you just want to cut a few things, and washing a big cutting board in a tiny sink is kind of a pain. For smaller tasks — say, dicing a single shallot or a couple cloves of garlic — my tiny cutting board is just the right size, and it doesn’t take up much countertop real estate, either.

My tiny waffle maker set me back less than ten dollars, and it has become one of my favorite things. Honestly, my preference for this petite waffle maker can be chalked up more to my appetite than the size of my kitchen — I don’t think I’ve ever finished a standard-sized waffle in my life, but one of these tiny waffles (plus maybe a few strips of bacon) is just right. It doesn’t hurt, though, that it doesn’t take up much space on my countertop, since I don’t have much countertop to spare.

I’ve been told, many many times, that cooking on cast iron is just absolutely the best thing ever. And I want to embrace the wonderful world of cast iron, but I’m scared. Every article I see about caring for cast iron skillets starts off talking about how easy it is, and then lists off 15 things you ABSOLUTELY MUST DO immediately after using the pan EVERY TIME or it will be RUINED. This is more than a little intimidating.

So I had never been brave enough to tangle with cast iron. Until! Last year for Christmas, my friend Vicki gave me a tiny (like five inches in diameter) cast iron skillet. This may seem like a weird gift, but it was actually part of a kit, designed for making skillet cookies like the ones you get at Chili’s (because Vicki knows I have a weakness for Chili’s, and particularly their skillet cookies). After I made my skillet cookie (delicious, of course), I had a skillet just the right size for frying a single egg. I’m not sure I’ve quite gotten the hang of this cast iron thing just yet, but my little pan is the perfect size for experimenting.

What other little things have you loved in a little kitchen?