I used to keep our toaster in the top drawer under the counter. Pulled it out and put it on the counter to make toast, then put it back again.

Make the other kid eat gluten free toast, get a great looking new toaster and put it on the counter. AWAY from the sink.

Designate a different family command than a counter top. Move the mail, chargers.......to the mud, get a system and use it. Start with leaving catalogues in the garage recycle and don't even bring them in. : )

I store my toaster in a cabinet! We have a cabinet, above our stove, that has the vent going up through it and I use it to store things like the toaster, mixer, popcorn maker, and so forth.

Why not put them away in a lower cabinet? You have plenty of them by the diagrams provided.

Thinking you don't have kids (or a husband) @JAN MOYER? Or maybe you're kidding :D That's not an option. And even if he would eat gluten free toast (which actually he will...he likes my homemade gluten free bread!) it's more expensive, so it's preferable to have those of us who can eat gluten to eat it.

@jmm1837 - I'm actually kinda thinking maybe that's what I should do. Do you no longer do that?

And no @JAN MOYER they don't necessarily eat it every morning. In our last house we kept it in an upper cabinet and just pulled it down to make the toast. You are right, it was less convenenient than being on the counter, but not prohibitively inconvenient.

And yes, the amount left behind is enough to cause a problem. And no, a 4 slot won't solve the problem. There is too much chance of cross-contamination and a high likelihood that someone will accidentally use the wrong designated slots. Now, they don't have a life-threatening allergy or we wouldn't be having this conversation. In that case, there would be NO gluten in our home. But they are sensitive enough that we need to prevent cross-contamination.

And now that I've finished arguing why our personal choice to have two toasters matters... I'm going to sketch up what I'm thinking.

@couchgolfer and @Bev - thanks! See, that's why I post here. Things I may not have considered are brought up and sometimes I use the advice or sometimes it just sparks another idea. Really appreciate the input!

Shutterbug - we had the toaster in the drawer for ten years in our previous home. I never found it much of an issue pulling it out, putting it on the counter, then putting it back afterwards. That house had a small kitchen, so I didn't want something that got used for about 10 minutes every other day cluttering up valuable counterspace.

Our new house has a walk in pantry so the toaster, the microwave and the kettle all live on the counter in there.

Thanks jmm1837! That sounds lovely!
And thank you Alison! I wonder if upper cabinet or drawer would be preferable.... also trying to decide if it would make more sense in that end section past the ovens or in the island (assuming I do a drawer.)

Y'all my sketches are getting messier and messier lol! But here's an idea. If I go ahead and forgo any appliance garage cabinet for the toasters, and instead put them in a drawer (somewhere) I could just do an "appliance garage" for my Family Command Center. I absolutely MUST have a place for keys to be hidden, school papers to be stored (permission slips etc), bills and mail (short term storage, that is), and a place for multiple electronics to be charged. Previously there was a desk area, which has already been demolished. We really don't need a desk per se, but I do need a spot for all that junk.

So, I COULD put the countertop next to the oven for kids to prep easy snacks and lunches (and a second landing spot for ovens, with the island being where I'll likely land stuff.) Save on 30" of unnecessary countertop cost by putting in a full-size cabinet on the end. Or go ahead and make it just an "appliance garage" style with countertop underneath.

Side note/questions - I'm debating between 2 narrower pantries flanking fridge vs. one larger pantry to left of fridge with ovens right next to it. Original plan was 2 18" pantries. But then I realized that I actually get more storage space with a single 34" pantry because you lose almost 5" width with roll out trays. So in these pics I show 2 24" pantry cabinets vs a 36" cabinet (only because that's all ikea lets me choose from lol)

Second side note - I would love to incorporate a rustic floating shelf or two into my kitchen for display items *only*. I was considering putting them in that space next to the oven. There will be a 3" molding at the top of the cabinets to ceiling and I feel like it would look weird to have cabinets on either side, then nothing across the top and just open shelves? If I did a 21" cabinet in the center (same height as fridge cabinet) maybe I'd have room for a single long floating shelf there? I really just want a spot for something decorative. Or maybe a couple of shorter shelves staggered?

Now that I've veered way off my original question.... any input??

I got the Maytag Gemini range and it has a toaster in the upper oven!!

Could you get an oven with a toaster feature and eliminate the toaster?

Very, very cool idea @Kathi Steele, but at this point we've already got the appliances ordered and on the way. I really need to work with what we've got and just make some decisions already :D

Do what works, because in a few short years, you won't have to worry about it! They will be grown, but grateful you took the time to do some special things, just for them!

My sister did something that I think was brilliant. I don't know if this would work with your floor plan, but instead of appliance garages, she got 2 sliding doors built into the wall between the upper and lower cabinets. On the other side of that wall is her laundry room. Her kitchen counter continues through the sliding doors into the laundry room. All of her small appliances are on that counter in the laundry room. When she needs the mixer or toaster or anything else she simply slides the door open, pulls the appliance through to her kitchen and pushes it back into the laundry room when she is done with it.

If my sister's plan doesn't work, I would simply buy 2 matching toasters. They are really not very expensive and don't look bad sitting on the counter.

@Jennifer Hogan: I expect the mismatched toasters are in part to identify (for parents, or kids) which toaster is gluten free and which one is not, otherwise OP probably would have long ago spent a few bucks on a matching toaster.

OP: we just leave our toaster out as it is used nearly everyday, but I suppose if I wanted to hide it I would rather just put it in a deep drawer or a specialty pull out drawer like this, where you could have two and put a toaster in each, or get one with only two shelves so room for a small toaster on each:

" I doubt the amount of gluten left behind in a toaster??"

YES it is enough to cause a problem for people with Celiac disease. Even a knife can transfer enough gluten to cause a problem.

I won't comment on toaster placement because I'd have it on the counter -- clutter doesn't bother me, and my kitchen is a working room, not a sterile magazine shoot.

Wow - the placement of a toaster is a big deal. I don't own one and my kitchen is 25x15. Anytime my son wants toast I put one of my 2 wall ovens on broil and put the bread in there and he has toast.

I'm with Rai Kai. Do a pull out of some kind. My hubs did this for my toaster oven and I LOOOOOOVE it.

If your child is actually celiac the toasters can’t even be near each other , if just gluten intolerant they can share a toaster.

Patricia - There are varying degrees of gluten intolerance... there's the "I'm on a Paleo diet and don't want to eat gluten" and sure, they could probably share a toaster for their toasted plantains ;) Then there's celiac (my SIL has celiac), in which case the toasters CAN be near each other, but obviously you have to be even more careful with cross contamination. There's a true wheat allergy, in which case I wouldn't keep anything that even touched wheat in the house. Then there's varying degrees of gluten intolerance/sensitivity. Some of these are diagnosed by a doctor (in our case) and some are self diagnosed (not necessarily any less valid.) Some are slightly sensitive. Some are extremely sensitive. And the symptoms can also vary.

So, I will repeat myself - no, my children cannot simply share a toaster. And we are careful to ensure no cross contamination by their being on the same counter.

Jennifer Hogan - that is a brilliant idea! I don't think I have anywhere that I can do that though. On the other side of one wall is the dining room, which is already just barely big enough. And the other is the back side of our stairs, so we can't bump into there at all.

Rai Kai - yep, you got it! Part of the need for mismatched is it's much easier for everyone to remember which toaster is GF and not accidentally use the wrong one. I really like the idea of a drawer/pull out like that.

ecm123 - option 1 is my favorite visual. But it would require that my husband build the appliance garage. He could totally do it. I'm only concerned about whether we can get the doors to match perfectly. Might just be simplest to go with option 6 (if I counted right lol) where we just put the toasters in a drawer and have a single appliance garage (or just a tall cabinet) on the far right for our Family Command Center.

felizlady - I totally agree. I really went back and forth on double oven w/cooktop vs range with second wall oven. Ultimately I really wanted the cooktop so I ordered the cooktop and double oven. Now I've got to make it work. But safety/function of ovens is definitely higher priority than symmetry!

shirlpp - that's probably a great solution for infrequent toasting, but I think it would be pretty costly to heat up the oven for toast several times a week vs an inexpensive toaster :)

Melissa R - that looks great!!

I know it's a kitchen, so kitchen stuff is expected to be there. So it is a little silly to be talking about this. lol! I just really like a minimalist look. And someone on another thread somewhere pointed out that things like toasters are NOT in use more than they are. So for me, if I can swing it, I'd rather they be out of sight :)

So, I'm definitely leaning toward toasters in a drawer, pull them out to use then put them away.