In our kitchen tour last week, we highlighted one of our favorite small space solutions: an over-the-sink cutting board. Use it any time you need extra counter space, whether it's for chopping vegetables, mixing a cake, or holding a cookbook (just don't turn on the faucet!).
While it is not necessary to use a cutting board specifically designed for over-the-sink use, we like the built-in colanders offered in many models. Whichever board you use, you'll want to make sure it is large enough to completely cover the sink basin. A couple of extra inches on either side can help prevent slipping. Rubber feet or grip handles are also useful.
Leave a comment if you have experience with the cutting boards listed here or any others we may have missed!
TOP ROW
• 1 Over-the-sink cutting board, as seen in Kitchen Tour: Gregory and Emily's Colorful Kitchen. We have owned this Snow River cutting board for about four years and have been very pleased with it.
• 2 Snow River (Cooking.com), 24" x 12", $31.99
• 3 Catskill Craftsmen (Cooking.com), 14" x 11", wires extend an additional 3", $17.00
• 4 OXO (Cooking.com), 18.25" x 11", $29.99
• 5 Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's, no dimensions listed, $29.99
BOTTOM ROW
• 6 Crate & Barrel, 22" x 10", $29.95
• 7 Island Bamboo (Amazon.com), 23" x 12", $29.99
• 8 American Standard (All Cutting Boards), 15.5" x 13", $57.85
• 9 Catskill Craftsmen (Amazon.com), 24" x 12", $44.99
• 10 Progressive International (Amazon.com), 16.8" x 9.8", extends up to 25", $24.95
Related: Small Kitchen Solution: Cover the Stove Top for More Counter Space?
(Images: Emily Ho, Cooking.com, Cooking.com, Cooking.com, Macy's, Crate & Barrel, Island Bamboo, All Cutting Boards, Catskill Craftsmen, Progressive International)
© 2010 Apartment Therapy
Emily, thanks for this! I have 12x10" of counter space in my new place - seriously. That's twelve by ten inches. I had no idea these things existed - you just improved my kitchen experience by about a thousand percent :)
view chez shoes's profile
I've been considering getting something like this. Thanks for the post. I have a Crate and Barrel gift card to use so this is perfect, I love the collapsible strainer on the C&B one.
view dmstudio's profile
We have a large one of these (http://www.epicureancs.com/store/products.php?category_id=1). It fits perfectly across one side of our double sink. I don't really like to use it there - it sounds all hollow and weird when I'm chopping - but if I'm a little short on space I do. They're nice boards, too; gentle for your knife and dishwasher safe.
view marisab's profile
these are awesome and I WANT.
view mlleErica's profile
Do you know of anything that is made to sit on top of a stove for added room? I have a full-size stove in my little studio kitchen and a lot of the time I am using the sink for other things but my 12 x 12 counter space is not enough.
view Domestic Intellectual's profile
Domestic Intellectual, many years ago, I had some large rectangular burner covers (painted metal) that fit over 2 burners--I think I got them at a local hardware store. They were large enough to make it really easy to balance a cutting board over the stove. Since they were metal, I did have to be a little careful about putting them over hot burners. A web search for "rectangular stove burner covers" turns up a bunch of much prettier versions (mine were plain black and got beat up quickly in all the moving I did then).
view RebeccaCT's profile
Oh, and I have something very like the Martha Stuart one (might be a knock off). Very useful, but be aware that the collapsible colander really collapses--it almost useless outside of the cutting board because you can't put it down with something in it--I had radishes all over the place once!
I use it without the colander more often, with a bowl underneath the hole (in the sink) for scraps.
view RebeccaCT's profile
@Domestic Intellectual, a few options were mentioned in this post.
view Emily Ho's profile
Ikea has one that I really like: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70117921
view Jose A's profile