@futurebird
If replacing the oven would be an issue and if it doesn't have a pilot light, the oven space could be used to store pots and pans.

Two or all four of the burners could be covered with a metal cover for extra counter space.

@jaystephens

Thank you for making me feel a little less freaky. Part of me thinks "it's not that complex, ordinary solutions should be fine" but

I don't think that's really true if I'm honest.

@futurebird
It's just silly - the standard appliances take up room I could use for something else, use more power than I need, and (for example oven) heat up slower because to big.
I've nothing against big when wanted - we'll go a huge fridge because we're in the subtropics, but I'd rather pay a little extra for something that fits my space and doesn't needlessly guzzle power to cook for just 1-2 people.

@jaystephens

Big fridge makes sense if going to buy food is a journey, or if you need to buy in bulk. But in NYC? Why would I store frozen meals in my house when I can store them downstairs at the grocery store and go get one if I'm hungry?

And never need to thrown them out if I forgot about them.

@futurebird I was listening to a couple episodes of The Checkout ( https://www.thecheckoutradio.com/ )and I wonder if it relates to the fact that grocery stores increased profits by increasing their stock of processed foods (frozen foods being a large part of that).

The monopolies in the food industry seem to guide a whole cascade of other social changes as we've conformed to how the industry wants to serve us food.

@jaystephens

@futurebird okay I don't know what are the common appliances brands or places to shop at are in US, but I also tried entering "induction two" into walmart search bar and got plenty of results too, even e.g. this one (with knobs!): https://www.walmart.com/ip/KFFKFF-Induction-Stove-1800W-Electric-Tabletop-Heater-Dual-Knob-Controlled-Burner-Integrated-Induction-Stove-12-Heat-Levels-Glass-Top-Automatic-Power/14836714105?classType=REGULAR&from=/search
I just wonder what am I missing.

So I'm thinking about how much I love my small fridge and start to eye the stove.

I do not need four burners. Two is enough. I do not need the oven. Period. I don't use it. I have a very nice, large toaster oven. It's more precise, uses less energy. (and you don't need to bend over)

So, why can't I just have a two burner range with half the width and GAIN counter-space and more storage again?

I've searched far and wide. I would need to buy a "nautical stove" made for a boat!

@futurebird Hunh, I was just clicking around and came across this all-in-one thing. https://a.co/d/ie7z47V

@JessTheUnstill @futurebird theres something about putting the hot and the cold and the wet so close together that makes me uncomfortable. like it should not be.

@futurebird how about an induction cooktop?

@SarraceniaWilds @JessTheUnstill

"putting the hot and the cold and the wet so close together"

But this is the essence of "the kitchen"

and maybe also the bathroom...

@futurebird @JessTheUnstill in the same room is not the same as in the same appliance! its weird why is it weird
this feels like building an aviary paludarium for your birds and lizards and fish. sure you can, i guess, but... euhh...

@SarraceniaWilds @JessTheUnstill

I don't think I've done a good enough job conveying the smallness of the kitchen this would be for.

I'd totally get this... but it means replacing my sink and I like my sink. It's 80 years old and perfect.

It wouldn't have to replace it. I know people with 2 sinks - it can be convenient to have a cooking sink and a cleaning sink.
@futurebird @SarraceniaWilds

@JessTheUnstill @SarraceniaWilds

OMG you have a point!

And a cutting board cover can go on one... hmmm

@jaystephens

Big fridge makes sense if going to buy food is a journey, or if you need to buy in bulk. But in NYC? Why would I store frozen meals in my house when I can store them downstairs at the grocery store and go get one if I'm hungry?

And never need to thrown them out if I forgot about them.

@futurebird 100% go induction. It's fast, doesn't heat the room so it's nicer in summer. I have been so happy with it

@ianmnoone @futurebird Trvth. I have a 1-burner countertop induction thing that heats cast iron to smoking-hot within a minute. I use it outside in lieu of a gas grill.

You could probably find a 2-burner unit that is more built-in.

@futurebird @jaystephens This was honestly the thought I was scrolling down this long thread to see: "But in NYC?" Because much of flyover country we're (financially) better off doing a big monthly grocery run, with maybe a second monthly trip to top off ultra-perishables like milk. There are smaller local markets, but they are usually unaffordable (coastal prices for flyover incomes) and many still require a car trip. It's night and day from big city living (having lived in Shanghai a while.)

As someone else upthread also said, I'm the cook they design those kitchens for - I have a full (imo ultra-oversize) fridge, but it's always PACKED: I have a chest freezer, likewise PACKED. I do use a couple, sometimes three, burners at a time, occasionally while the oven's running too (at least in winter - in summer, everything goes in the instant pot because it's insulated.) Then most of the giant batch cook goes in the fridge and freezer, to make the most of occasional purchases of seasonal or perishable ingredients, minimize cooking fuel (even if it's all solar electricity), cut total kitchen time, etc.

But as with anything else a lot of American homeownership norms are about cosplaying the wealthy from the middle of the last millennium, in miniature, so of course every home needs a kitchen equipped to feed the football team, even when few enough of us have cooked like that since the 1960s ushered in TV dinners and cooking with canned soups as primary ingredients.