Rental Guide: Tips for finding an ideal kitchen

A lot goes into crafting the ideal living situation: landlord, location, roommates, reasonable… A lot goes into crafting the ideal living situation: landlord, location, roommates, reasonable rent and utilities. But as your food columnist, I know of one room that deserves extra attention: the kitchen.

Even if cooking isn’t your thing, you can’t pretend you won’t need to eat. And by the time you move off campus, you might be feeling a little over student meal plans. So, in brief, here are few things to watch out for while apartment scouting and house hunting:

What is the counter space like?

Your counter space is where you’ll do the vast majority of your food preparation. Again, I’m not talking about having room to do anything tricky with complicated preparations, but will you have a place to put your bowl down while mixing powdered soup into it? Are you dexterous enough to accomplish that and other similar tasks in midair? Probably not.

Counters are also where all your kitchen gadgets will go. Even the bare basics — microwave, toaster, coffee maker — consume space. And there are blenders, toaster ovens, stand mixers, electric kettles, rice cookers, crock pots … you get where I’m going with this. Think about what you’ll want to have constant easy access to and how much space you’ll need to achieve that.

How large is the pantry and how much storage is there?

This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but  a lack of a pantry might require some creativity. My roommates and I felt we needed a pantry more than a linen closet, and the difference between those two is really only a matter of state of mind if you aren’t bothered by constant short commutes back and forth from your kitchen during the course of your meal preparation.

It’s hardly hygienic to recommend keeping food in spaces other than those designated for its storage, but you can fudge this rule a little with things unlikely to draw insects and rodents. You might, for example, keep your bulk supply of soda and canned soup under your bed or in the coat closet.

Is there a dishwasher?

Can you live without one? Of course you can — if you’re willing to commit to actually doing dishes by hand. Ask anyone who moans about a bad roommate and odds are tremendous that chief amongst their complaints is dirty dishes being left for days.

The most common remedy for such oversight that I’ve heard ­— or at least the most memorable  — is to pile all the food-encrusted dishes and pans and grimy glasses in the offending housemate’s bed. Which creates a pleasant living situation for exactly no one.

What utilities must be paid?

Electric, gas, water — the bills can pile up. Or they might be included in your rent. Or some combination thereof. But it’s worthwhile to ask if the stove is electric or gas to find out whether you’ll be footing the bill for major cooking.

How old are the appliances?

Leaking faucets and broken ovens can be a tremendous hassle. Not that new appliances can’t misbehave too, but a refrigerator that looks like it’s seen your parents’ or potentially your grandparents’ college days is a likely culprit for stressful breakdowns.

Find out if previous tenants have had problems and, if you can track down an unbiased source, how good your landlord is at addressing concerns promptly. You’ll be glad for this in the future should anything really go wrong.

Should you consider a place with multiple kitchens?

The house that you pile eight of your closest friends into for the year might not have been built — or at any rate retrofitted — to accommodate such a group en masse. If it was intended to be rented as separate units, you could find yourself with two or even three kitchens. This can be too much of a good thing.

Are you going to have to pay for gas or electric for spare stoves you’ll never use? Or deal with additional malfunctioning appliances? If you attempt to convert one kitchen into some other form of living space, what are the implications of that? These are all questions to ask before you dive in.

Bearing these tips in mind, have a good search!