Here's the floor plan, with a graphic scale:

I did not draw in the barstools around the dining table, but you can imagine them there. This is just a rough sketch to show the proportions and show how little counter space and cabinetry there is.

Here is the new range that we put in, which is Samsung. We have a red Bertazzoni in L.A., but I have found that I like the Samsung oven better. I like the Bertazzoni range top better, however.

This also shows the blender that I bought for this house, which is not nearly as good as the Vitamix I have in L.A., but it will suffice for this kitchen. It has to live on the counter, however.

When we bought the house, the kitchen was already well-stocked with pots, pans, and utensils, and the only pan I had to buy was a flat-bottom wok, which I have to store in the oven, as there is otherwise no space for it. I also did buy a Pyrex bread pan, which I have been using quite a bit.

Yesterday I ordered a new immersion blender, but I might keep that one in L.A. and keep my Kitchenaid immersion blender in Cathedral City because it has a chopper attachment that I would use there but not here. I have a Cuisinart FP here that has both large and small bowls, in case I want to chop something small. The FP also has a very good slicing attachment, and so I might keep my large mandoline there and my small one here.

I also ordered a new Thermopen instead read thermometer, as I decided that we need one in both locations. The price has gone way down on these - the first one I bought cost $100, and I was not going to spend that on a second one, since it is easy enough to move it back and forth.

We recently replaced the dishwasher in CC with one that is slightly cheaper than the Bosch we have in L.A., and there are things that I like better about each one, but overall I like the Bosch better.

I am king of wondering how much duplication I need to make for the second kitchen. I did buy a second Foodsaver for the second kitchen, and I do use it there, especially since I want to be able to store food there for a few weeks while we are not there.

The knives that I have in CC are not as nice as the ones I have in L.A., but I think they will suffice for now. If I get irritated with them, I guess I will need to get better ones. I have better chopping boards in L.A. also.

I recently got a new salad spinner to keep in L.A. so that I could take my old Copco salad spinner to CC, and I do use it a lot there.

I'll think of other things later.

Are there things that you think do not need to be duplicated in a second kitchen, or should they both be equal? We plan to take a charcoal BBQ with us the next time we go, as right now we only have a gas one. We have a Big Green Egg in L.A. but do not plan to get one of those for the desert. However, I think I would like to get an outdoor wood pellet pizza oven, but I'm not sure which one to get.

We have a bar area next to the kitchen

but I have turned it into a sewing station,
since my brother is using the office in this house as his work-from-home office.
I did upholster that sewing chairand I keep an ironing board set up in there.

Since we are not doing any entertaining at the moment, we've decided to make the house utilitarian for now.

I have a folding tea cart with a wood top which I love, but I don't see where you could even store one closed, and I don't know how to add extra counter space. I'm sure you must be using the table already. All I can think of is if you can maximize the one long counter by the fridge. Are you using that for appliances to keep them hidden from the view into the kitchen? No help for that. Otherwise, if there isn't an outlet above the dishwasher, you should be able to add one, or maybe a molding strip of outlets under the cabinet. If you could move the blender and coffeemaker there, and the bread bin, you'd open up a lot of space.

I keep my most grabbed while cooking seasonings in my own little upper between the hood and sink. If you cleared out the corner, you could tuck the blender there instead, if moving to the DW doesn't work.

As to the rest, have you gone through all the cookware and dishes and checked whether you really want them all? Or do you have stuff you didn't choose and will never use eating up space?

Is there anything else you're missing from your cooking arsenal? I know you got the vacuum jars. Do you have storage space for them? Do you need more pantry storage?

You can do magnetic spice jars (i like the hexagonal ones) on the fridge, or on a plate attached to a cupboard. You can also just add your own strong magnets to the tops of jars, but short jars would work better than tall. I like the Spicely herbs and spices in the tiny boxes for less used flavors. There's just enough for 1-3 dishes. Instead of transferring to jars you could just put them in zip bags and put them all into a storage container, which is easy to get in and out of a cupboard.

ETA, we crossed. You could put an easy wheel island in the utilitarian section and pull it into the kitchen when you need more counter space (my folding tea cart is tall).

As to your main question, which I didn't address in my quest for counterspace, I think you'll know what you need in CC when you need it. You're actually living there. There's no reason not to duplicate things you can afford to duplicate.

You can also make or obtain a nice box for that which goes back and forth that you can keep such items in at all times, as their "cupboard", so you only have to remember to bring the box. Alternatively, keep a checklist.

In my kitchen, I have five whisks for different uses. I use them all. I have three reamers of different sizes, shapes and types which I use regularly, and at least one more that I use rarely. I could manage just fine with one of each. These things have been accumulated over decades. I also have camping utensils in a special box, and a bag of kosher prep only ones. I know I'm an extreme case, but what I'm trying to say is that there's now shame in having duplicate items in two houses you actually own which are hours apart.

Given the size of your CC kitchen, however, if you need a simple scale, Joseph Joseph has a folding one that works with your own bowl...

The countertop beside the refrigerator has the breadbox (which I use), and next to that is a toaster oven, Kevin's coffee maker, the blender, and then the small shelves in the corner.

Above the dishwasher is the Foodsaver, and in front of that is my food slicer, which I use for slicing bread and meats. I have to move it out of the way temporarily when I want to use the Foodsaver. On top of the cabinets I have my large mandoline and Kevin's coffee roaster, which he takes down when he wants to roast coffee beans. If I am there by myself, I leave it up there, since I do not roast coffee.

I've been keeping a checklist of things that I plan to move back and forth, but at this point I want to minimize that and just keep everything I need at both places.

We did already get rid of dishes that had been left behind that we will never use. We still have a bit of cupboard space left over, mostly on top shelves. The previous owner left a revolving spice rack that I keep on the top shelf in the pantry, and that works well for me for the spices. I do not keep nearly as many spices there as I do in L.A., and I make certain spice mixes in L.A. to take with me, such as Cajun, Berbere, and Za'atar. I have a small collection of Japanese ingredients that I took there, since they are difficult to find in Coachella Valley, but I do not plan to keep Indian spices there, as they take up too much space.

I have a very small kitchen scale in CC (which I forgot to bring back with me), which is actually a jewelry scale, and I use it for measuring salt when I make sauerkraut. I probably do need to invest in more scales, as they are not expensive.

When I go back, I will take more photos, but I'm not sure when that will be. Kevin wants to stay in L.A. for three weeks in order to catch up on yard work, etc that we are behind on.

We did get rid of all the fake plants in the kitchen above the cabinets (and in the rest of the house, for that matter), and so we can store things up there, but of course they will be difficult to reach and always in view. I could probably store the wok above the microwave.

We have a lot of storage in the garage, and we can enter the house from the garage (unlike our house in L.A.), and so it is not terribly inconvenient to store some things there. The house came with a four-slice toaster and a toaster oven that would not make toast, and so we bought a good toaster oven and moved the old toaster oven and the old toaster into the garage, to be donated later. The toaster works fine, but we don't need it, and it takes up too much space in the kitchen. It used to be above the dishwasher.

One thing I do not have that I would like is a pressure cooker, and I'm thinking that I might buy one like the one I have here, if I can find it. The one I have here I use with a portable induction burner, but I do not have room for that in CC. I'm not sure I have room to store a pressure cooker either. I've been working around that successfully - it just takes longer and requires a bit more planning.

We have a summer cabin at the Russian River that we normally rent out during the winter. This means packing everything up at the end of each summer and storing in a shed.

It seems that everyone who gets a new frying pan brings up the old one! We end up with tons of OLD yukky pots and pans!

Last year, I brought all of the boxes out of the shed and on to the porch, BUT I only stocked the shelves with the minimum I felt we would use and the rest were available on the back porch.

I think the only thing that came out of those porch boxes was a large salad bowl that I forgot to pull out!

We mostly BBQ and cook sides inside. Wine glasses are a must!

I'll bring a couple of FS meals to put in the freezer, but they're rarely used.

We've also noticed that the groceries are triple bought by several family members, then the unused stuff ends up (unused) in my fridge!

It sounds like you guys stay longer times and are more serious about cooking real meals than we are. We go for 3-4 days at a time. Of course, our cabin is just 1/2 hour from our house!

Our houses are two hours apart, and so it is not really an afternoon or one day trip for us. We have gone for long week-ends before the pandemic, however.

I used to go to the Russian River from San Francisco as a day trip in the summer, especially in August when it was cold in the city but hot at the river.

There are no other family members visiting us, as they all live in Texas and at most visit once a year.

I tend to put leftovers in the freezer when we leave, if I do not have room in the ice chest to take them with us, and I still have room in the freezer in CC - but not in L.A. We have a Yeti ice chest with very thick walls which therefore does not hold a whole lot of food, but we always take food back and forth, to cut down on shopping trips.

I do have a rolling cabinet (wood) in my kitchen in L.A. for extra storage and to hold my electric meat slicer, but there is absolutely no room in the kitchen in CC for such an item. If I put the barstools in the floor plan, that will become more obvious. There is barely room for one person to work in the kitchen, and the barstool in front of the dishwasher has to be pushed against the table in order to open the dishwasher.

The one advantage to this is that the work triangle is extremely small. The return wall beside the pantry is a major traffic path, and so nothing can be put there. The realtor photos give an illusion that there is more space in the kitchen than really exists.

Here's another photo of it before we moved in:

I never leave towels on the oven door handle, since I actually use the oven and don't want towels in the way. It's easy enough to put a towel rack inside the cabinet door below the sink.

The only unused space we have at this moment is above the cabinets above the microwave.

I'm going to make a list of all the important items I have in L.A. that I do not have in CC and decide whether I need duplicates of them there. There are a few that I would like to have, but may not be absolutely necessary.

Today I ordered an additional kitchen scale, and this one seems much better than the postal scale I've been using for the past 20 years. I supplemented the postal scale (which has an accuracy of only ±0.2 oz., which is not accurate enough for weighing salt for sauerkraut) with a jewelry scale that is accurate to ±0.01g, even though the add says 0.05g. I know this because I have used it, and it measures grams in 0.01 increments, which is very helpful for salt in small quantities. I left this jewelry scale in Cathedral City by accident, but I think the new scale might be accurate enough at ±0.05g for measuring salt in the recipe that I use, which requires 5g of salt per pound of cabbage. I weigh the salt in grams.

Other things I have in Los Angeles but not in Cathedral City include

• Pressure cooker (which I mentioned)

• Marble mortar and pestle

• Knife sharpener (electric)

• Whetstones (These were expensive)

• Pullman bread pan (I might take this back & forth)

• Kitchenaid mixer (with meat grinder, pasta roller, & grater attachments)

• Pasta machine

• Waffle maker

• Electric kettle

• Mixing bowls

So far I've been fine with rolling pasta out with a rolling pin, and so I may just continue to do that.

I have a bunch of mixing bowls in L.A., and so I might try to divide them up. I have two very large glass ones that I use when I make sauerkraut, but I could try making half as much sauerkraut at a time, I guess, and then take one of the bowls to CC, in case I want to make sauerkraut there. Or I can just take sauerkraut with me when I go there.

Lars, a pullman pan is light and easy to carry back and forth, and I get put it at the bottom if you're devoting your dollars to something else, but of all things, it's inexpensive. Get yourself a second one! I know you use it a lot.

It sounds like most of your list, other than the mixer, is easily kept in the garage storage.

Adding the mixer to what you already have on the counter is going to be a real crowding sitch. Any chance you could move the bread bin to the lowest shelf of an upper? I grew up with that setup and it's actually quite nice. I assume it doesn't require electricity. :)

I get it. I have two drawers that are designated for small appliances, like the foodsaver, but I still have the mixer, FP, blender, and ice cream freezer on the counters (plus the grain mill and multicooker, though they could be moved when not in use--they're just too tall for the drawers) and I seem to have filled the spot in the drawer the toaster was in while it was out for use. Your list is all heavy and/or daily use, so there's no real moving them. I still suggest the corner between the stove and the fridge wall as a good place for the less frequently used ones to congregate My similar corner hods a lot! Could the blender move to the bar?

Since you're living in the desert half the time, at least, it makes sense to fit it out properly. If you're not ready to move there full time, at least for some years, it's worth it. You shouldn't have to feel like you're camping out in either house.

I would have bought a Pullman pan, but they are unavailable at this time! When they are back in inventory, I will buy another one.

I also have an ice cream maker in L.A., and I might just move that to the desert, since I really do not use it much here. I can store it in the garage there and pull it out when I want to use it. Right now it is taking up valuable space in L.A.

I have no plans to add a KA mixer to the CC inventory - I really don't need it there.

Moving the blender would not help a lot, and right now, the bar is covered with sewing supplies! I'll consider moving it there once I move my sewing to a different location. I've been using the blender for puréeing things that I would normally purée in the Cuisinart food processor, and that is another reason for keeping it in the kitchen.

I do have a wooden mortar & pestle in CC that I bought at a Christmas art sale last year, but I do like the marble one better. I'll keep using the wooden one for now - it is equally attractive as the marble.

I am using the kitchen dining table as a counter, and so I have to keep it free from clutter at all times, as that is often the only large enough work space I have in the kitchen. Also, the surface is better for rolling out dough than the countertops I have there.

I think if we ever get to rent the house in CC out that the renters will not use a fraction of what I use there, unless they stay for a month or so. Normally it is so easy to eat out there or buy take-out. The Latin market in the neighborhood has great tamales, but you have to get to the store early, as they sell out quickly.

I agonized for a couple of days over whether to buy a new vegetable cleaver so that I could have one at both locations, and Kevin told me to go ahead and buy one. I was torn between an inexpensive one (similar to what I have in L.A.) or a Shun cleaver, which is similar to the Shun chef's knife I have here in L.A. The inexpensive one is about the same cost as the Mac cleaver I have here that cost $60 when I bought it, and I was not going to pay $85 for a replacement, although $62 did seem reasonable, although it is a different brand. I ended up ordering the Shun knife because I think I will enjoy it more, even though it costs more than twice as much as the inexpensive one. I also considered the Yoshihiro knife, but I was not sure I would like the hammered finish on. This one looked better but did not get such great reviews.

It is really much easier to buy knives when I can hold them in my hand, but I guess if I do not like this knife, I can return it and order something different.

Nancy Jane, here is a photo of the corner cabinet in the bar area that was left by the previous owners:

It's
a bit blurry because Kevin took it with his phone, but I think you can
see that they left us a lot of wine glasses, and there are more in a
kitchen cabinet.

Well, if you need more storage, you can certainly box some of the glasses and put them in the garage for when you entertain. :)

Congrats on the purchase. I've found that I like all the sister knives to my favorite chef's knife, though I only own the paring knife (all of my knives were gifts so I didn't even get to choose, but I've tried them at Sur La Table ;) ). On that basis, I'm guessing you'll like the feel of the new one since it's like your chef's knife. I also think you'll like having a better knife, long term, and that knives aren't the place to stint, unless they're likely to get beat up, like with hacking bones. Use it in good health!

The previous owner left even more wine glasses in the garage! I'll have to see what else I can put in the garage (since there is a lot of empty cabinet storage there) to make more space in the kitchen. I think that there are pans etc in some of the lower cabinets that I do not need to have at hand, but I hate lower cabinets and do not like to store anything there that I use often, as I do not like to stoop. I keep everything that I use more often in the upper cabinets - or else in the top drawers. Upper cabinets are my favorite place for storage.

I do have a 10" Shun chef's knife here in L.A., and so it will complement the Shun vegetable cleaver that I ordered, and I agree that knives are not the place to stint, especially since I use my vegetable cleaver every day. That's how I justified buying the more expensive cleaver. It will make my life easier (I think), or at least more enjoyable and help encourage me to chop and cook more vegetables! I already have meat cleavers, and so I do not need any more of those. In fact, I have two and have already moved one to the desert. I use them very seldom, however, but they are good to have so that I do not need to use vegetable knives for meat. I do use the meat cleavers for hacking bones, but I would never use a delicate Japanese knife for that.

Kevin has said that he wants to buy an Ooni pizza oven for Cathedral City, but the one I want will not be available until September, and so we will wait until then to order one. We do not need one for L.A. because we can use the BGE instead, and we have the BGE pizza stone for that. It will be nice to have Kevin cook pizza outdoors in CC, although I will have to do all of the prep work.

So long as the wind isn't blowing, the outside pizza oven sounds ideal.. ;)

I have a straight sided, tall side, plastic basket, which is probably meant to be a shower caddy, on a top shelf with lids for my Pyrex bowls on end. It makes the top shelf useful. Maybe you could so something similar to your lower cabinets if you don't want the mess and expense of retrofitting pullouts. Find bins or baskets to fit, and put things that aren't too heavy to pull out and hold up in them. I totally get that shoulder/eyelevel storage preference, but there's a whole bunch of other kitchen you could use! Thinking of which, you might also be able to add a narrow ledge on top of the backsplash for some of the bits and pieces.

My bottom cabinets already have pullout shelves, but I still do not like the bottom ones.