I tried to draw as little attention to it in my post on the greatest refrigerator in the land, but pretty much every one of you spotted the hole in my countertop. Seriously. You people are freakish. I'm gonna start leaving weird things around in my photos just to see who spots it.
One of the few thing I absolutely knew I wanted for the new kitchen was the countertops. There was no stressing out and no decision to be made. They were going to be made out of the braided beards of forest Gnomes. Sturdy stuff. And I mean everybody's using it so it must be great. You see it on all the design shows now.
Turns out Gnome beards are harder to find than you'd think. So I went with my second choice ... butcher block.
I ordered the custom made butcher block counters from Chris' Store Fixtures. They're inch and a half solid maple.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Some time years and years ago. Like, probably 20 years ago, I remember seeing a hole cut into someone's countertop so they could just wipe all their cuttings and peelings into it. I never, ever, EVER forgot that. It was the most genius thing my infantile little brain had ever imagined. Even smarter than super sized bags of chips.
I always thought that I'd get it done if I was ever lucky enough to redo a kitchen. That of course was when I was so infantile I thought redoing a kitchen was fun, FUN, F U N.
But when the time came to order my butcher block countertop I almost didn't order the hole cut into it. It's a scary thing to have a hole put in your very expensive custom made hunk of wood. If I ever built a house, I'm guessing I wouldn't have the nerve to put in doors or windows. The only entryway would be down the chimney.
But just before I ordered the counters I thought "This is stupid. I've been dreaming of this hole for 20 years. If I don't get it now I never will.". So I proceeded to figure out exactly where I thought this waste hole should be and how big.
I ended up putting it near my refrigerator (as you found out) in front of the window looking into my backyard. It's my longest expanse of counter and where I figured I'd be doing most of my prep work because it is close to the fridge and there's lots of room.
I wanted the lid to basically disappear and be flush with the counter when it wasn't in use so I had a lid made out of the same butcher block material and inserted a brass pull ring myself.
To stop the lid from falling through the hole, I've just screwed in some shelf supports underneath for the lid to rest on. I may find a better solution later, but for now it works well and I can pull the stops out to clean them.
The countertop waste hole is neat and tidy and easily one of the smartest things I did in the kitchen. Everything just gets brushed into the hole where a large bucket sits underneath. Then once a week I pull the bucket out and take it to either the compost pile, the chickens, or the green bin. I didn't have the lid until a few days ago so it was just a gaping hole, but there isn't any smell from it. Meat is what would stink up in a few days but vegetable peelings are fine.
And even though I don't put meat into it, if I knew I was going to empty the bucket right away then I would. And could. It's Karen's Kitchen! ANYTHING can happen. At the moment I'm using the kitchen to do a little bit of bumble bee taxidermy. Just kidding. It's not really taxidermy so much as preserving.
There are two lessons for you in this post. #1 Have courage. Don't be that person who has always dreamed of something and when the time comes to do it you chicken out. #2. Ask yourself why you like something. Is it because you saw it on a design show or because everyone else has it? Or is it because it's what you truly love and want and need.
Because frankly I think braided Gnome beard counters are hideous.
Shauna
Fantastic. I will totally be referencing your kitchen when we are finally able to re-do our own. I've also always wanted butcher block counters and a waste hole. Also on my wish list is a stainless farm sink and a new refrigerator. Ours is made for little people who live in little spaces. My 6' 4" husband can never find anything because he would have to bend down, and that's just asking too much of the man:\
Nancy Blue Moon
There are two lessons for you in this post. #1 Have courage. Don’t be that person who has always dreamed of something and when the time comes to do it you chicken out. #2. Ask yourself why you like something. Is it because you saw it on a design show or because everyone else has it? Or is it because it’s what you truly love and want and need....BEST ADVICE EVER..for so many things..
Barbie
That one sweet potato on the counter looks like a baby seal with it's momma close by (the other potato) ....
I LOVE your waste hole! Wish I had one....
YOUR MAKING ME WANT TO RE-DO MY KITCHEN!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!
Teddee Grace
Ingenious. I always wanted one of these when I was making silk floral arrangements, a very messy hobby. I envisioned having my studio in the hay mow of a barn with one of these in the floor where all the junk could just be swept away to the lower level.
Traci
This is a great idea! You should do a top 5 kitchen tips post a la the cleaning tip post you did recently (actually a series along this line would be great as you've got smart readers!). I would suggest my most brilliant idea--put your cookie sheets and cooling racks in a drawer. This came from the desperate realization that mine fit nowhere in my odd kitchen when I moved into this house (seriously there was an entire wall with just a counter and no cupboards in a 10'x10' kitchen that has 2 doorways and it was the long uninterrupted wall). I've since added way more storage, but this worked so brilliantly that I never moved them. It makes them easy to grab and is an efficient use of space.
LeeAnne
Brains, beauty, sense of humour, great taste. Jeez Karen you are a god.
I too want a hole. My husband might stop using the sink as a garbage! He hates the bending over to do the veggies.
karol
Love your hole ("that's what she said") teehee
Jody
I've always wondered, "Why mineral oil?" Wouldn't you want to use an edible oil since you cut food on it? But every instruction I have read suggests mineral oil.
Traci
that is what is recommended because edible oils tend to go rancid. I didn't like the idea of putting petroleum on my counters so I went with 100% pure tung oil from here http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html It works great, comes from a plant (nut actually), and is eco-friendly and food safe. It does not go rancid. The thing is you need a reputable source of the 100% pure stuff because most tung oil products only contain a bit of tung oil and the rest is nasty stuff that is not food safe. You can't buy it at the big box stores.
Karen
Hi Jody - Mineral oil is actually edible. It's used for constipation, lol. This is food grade mineral oil. Other oils can go rancid, although to be perfectly honest with you I've never had that happen when I oil my wood with olive oil. ~ karen!
BB
Much smart. I usually keep a bag on my counter for the same purpose, and toss it every 2-3 days depending on how gross it is or if gnats have appeared. A hole & bucket would be much better. I'm running out of bags!
Samantha
Wait...........................hold the phone..........................you peel your sweet potatoes?
Debbie
I understand this as I peel sweet potatoes when making Sweet Potato Apple soup. It is yummy.
Mary Werner
Can you add a post script to your post - about the rubber bands?
Deb J.
I have wanted a hole in the counter ever since I saw one on an old CBC cooking show (can't remember whether it was 'The Frugal Gourmet' or Bruno Gerussi - maybe both). It seemed like genius. So we looked into one when we built this house 17 years ago. One of those German kitchen brands sold one - a stainless pail, a lid and a 'grommet' that sat flush with the counter (we put in laminate counters so no open hole would work). We were severely tempted but the $700+ price tag was just tooooo much. In the end we installed a pull out shelf in one cupboard and set a Lee Valley stainless pail on the shelf. Not quite like the hole, but we can at least just pull out the shelf and scoop the mess into the pail. Love your wooden countertops. Someday we will change our laminate - I hope/dream:)
Ev Wilcox
Karen, your kitchen is just plain awesome! The time you spent designing it clearly shows!
Melissa in North Carolina
A few others have already asked the question about the rubber bands on your veggie peeler...what's the deal?
I've only seen the slop hole in institutional settings...how cool to have one at home. It's the little things, huh? Just like the fridge...but not so little, lol and I'm imagining the same with your stove? Come on I wanna see another corner!!!! Sink and cabinets, please. Thanks for the lesson on courage.
Jack Ledger
I am sure you already considered this when you cut the hole in the counter top but the other option other than "stop tabs" was to taper the plug and hole to fit. Your idea is good as well.....I am just yammering on to give some justification to my year at Jasper Park Lodge where I was the Fry Chef in charge of all the veggie preparation. I will always remember that hole.........so many items of value disappeared into it........knives, forks, plates, my little finger.......oh well, that is another story.
Ev Wilcox
My first thought when I saw the support tabs was-Hey! They should have tapered the hole and the plug! Great minds, huh?
Kristin Ferguson
Exactly my thought. The TINIEST taper would do! But then you'd have to make a new plug so it wouldn't fall through, of course. And you already have that lovely brass ring pull. Here's another thought, and one that would also nip any OCD wood-grain-lining-up behavior: Cut two tiny notches on opposite sides of the hole, and put two tiny pegs in the plug to match (making sure you align them so the wood grain matches perfectly) and then whenever you put the plug in, it will automatically settle in to the aligned position. Not that I would care much about wood grain matching up. And by far the more elegant solution would be the slightly tapered hole and plug.
Karen
I can see I need to address this, lol. The problem with the taper is in order for it to work the lid has to fit PERFECTLY. So it may have to be made over and over again. (you can't just use the plug you pull out because the kerf from the saw blade will have shaved off a fair amount from the plug making it smaller than the hole. Also, with the tapered plug for it to work the lid would have to fit tight and it's less convenient for pulling out. If you don't pull exactly straight up it gets stuck and wedged. :) ~ karen!
Pam'a
That danged kerf'll get you every time.
What about inlaying a small piece of wood into the surface of the plug that extends just a teensy bit outward into the countertop? (Maybe 10 cm or so.) It would necessitate routing a tiny notch into your gorgeous countertop, but would keep the grain aligned and be easy to clean... I hope that made sense.
But above all else, it's beautiful, Karen!
Mandy
That counter top scrap hole is such an awesome idea. Love that!
CBuffy
Hole shmole... I was just so excited to see a J-cloth! I grew up in Calgary and took them for granted. Now I live in Florida and haven't been able to find anything nearly as good. Maybe I'll ask Mom to send me a pack for my birthday!
Kristin Ferguson
That's so funny! I saw that cloth and instantly thought of Ireland/England, where I spent some years in my young adulthood/early motherhood, and they were ubiquitous over there. I admit though that I now love the super-absorbant, washable soft cloths I buy at Trader Joe's.
Ruth
Neat!
jainegayer
I love the counter hole (genius) and the wood. You just chop right on it? How do you care for it?
Karen
Hi Jaine - I oil it once a week with mineral oil to keep it from drying out. That will be cut down to once a month after the counter gets a bit older. Maple is a very hard wood that actually self heals. It's meant for cutting on. So nothing special needs to be done. Just cut on it, the way you would a cutting board, then wipe it clean. Butcher block also has antibacterial properties that in fact make cutting meat or anything like that safer than cutting on any other material. ~ karen!
jainegayer
I have always wanted a butcher block counter (kinda like you never forgot the "hole") but was always told I was looking for trouble. Now I know if I ever get the chance to do a counter, I will stick with my dream butcher block counter. Thank you Karen, for inspiring me to have courage.
Feral Turtle
Geez I thought I had one upped you with my braided Gnome beard counters and then you go hating them. I must admit, they are a bit of a pain to shampoo. Love your slop hole...pure genius! (that sounded so wrong)