Our Small Cool Kitchens contest wrapped up this week. Did you enjoy it? We always love this contest because it gives us a unique snapshot of what’s going on in kitchens around the country (and world!). This year, we were reminded of a few trends that aren’t dying anytime soon, some tips to make small kitchens the best they can be, and one hot new color we see hitting it big in the next year.

The submission portion of our Small Cool Kitchens 2013 contest may be over, but the fun is just beginning! Now we’re into full-on voting mode, and it’s up to you to decide which five kitchens from each division will go on to our judges. Have you looked at all the entries? There are some great ones you won’t want to miss. Click through the slideshow to see all the entries posted from Week 2, and then vote for your favorite!

Small Cool Kitchens 2013 is in full swing! We’ve already seen some great entries from the first week. Read on to see them all and vote for your favorite!Have you entered your kitchen yet? There’s less than a week left to enter, and we’ve got some great prizes for our four finalists and one grand prize winner. Our friends at Cuisinart, Le Creuset, Edgeware, SodaStream, and Staub have helped us put together packages of terrific kitchen tools.

I have a confession to make: I am not a confident cook. I know my cooking knowledge could be deeper, my skills better, and despite the fact that I consider myself a professional learner in the kitchen and should just roll with the punches, I have cried Yes, I second-guess my cooking all the time, with one exception: my granola recipe. I am immensely proud of my homemade granola, and would put it up against any other granola out there.

With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas approaching, your kitchen is about to become a crazy hub of activity. It’s stressful enough as it is managing the menus for these holidays, but to think about cleaning, too, in the midst of all that? Almost more than a person can bear. Take care of a few things now and it’ll make your life easier.

Am I the only one who feels a slow, warming sensation begin to work its way through my body when I look at impeccably organized drawers? The junk drawer in my kitchen doesn’t look like this, but oh how I wish it would. It’ll come as no surprise that the drawers above are from Martha Stewart, but I was pleased to realized her secret: modular units instead of all-in-one drawer organizers. Yes!

Last week we asked those of you who garden in small spaces to share your best advice for starting and maintaining a successful kitchen garden in pots or containers. You had lots of tips to share, but we culled the top five. If you’re ready to jump in and start your own cook’s garden, read on for advice from those who’ve done it before: Start small and start with whatever herbs you already use to cook with.

We’ve already seen how Smitten Kitchen’s Deb Perelman organizes her food cabinets. The other interesting thing about her kitchen setup, though, is how she stores her baking pans. We thought it was such a smart solution for a small kitchen! Here’s how she does it. Deb uses racks on top of her kitchen cabinets to organize and store all her bakeware, a habit she started in her old (much smaller) apartment. She says it’s one of her “favorite kitchen organizing tricks.

How does Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen keep her kitchen organized? That’s what we wanted to know as part of our ongoing series this month. From the three things she always keeps on hand to where she stores her dishes, here’s what we learned when we peeked into the Smitten Kitchen kitchen. I don’t. I mean, I try.

Once or twice a year it’s a good and necessary thing to dig deep and really scrub your kitchen. But what about daily maintenance? The stuff you can do the rest of the year to keep your kitchen clean and enjoyable? That’s what we’re talking about today. Here are 10 tips that will help you keep your kitchen cleaner on a daily basis with less work. Bonus: These things will probably make you a little happier in the process! This is such a simple, but smart suggestion.

I’ve always been a fan of floating shelves. They’re the smooth operators of the shelf world, hanging on the wall as if by magic with no brackets, nails, or supports of any kind (that are visible, at least). They also happen to be kitchen superstars, filling in design holes and solving storage problems with style and ease. Not sure where to put one in your kitchen? We’ve got 10 ideas.

In today’s Who-Knew-This-Existed we have a round sink with two built-in cutting boards, a colander, and a prep bowl that all —wait for it— spin. Yup, it’s a lazy susan sink, and the faucet is installed right in the middle. So, let’s discuss: genius small space idea or totally impractical? Funny the things you come across while trawling the internet. Tim Odom of Atlanta’s Kitchen and Bath Artisans installed this sink into a client’s kitchen.

Elizabeth lives with her husband and 3-year-old daughter in a 1923 California bungalow that came with orange kitchen cabinets, bumpy yellow walls, and splintering wood floors. “Our kitchen remodel was long overdue,” she tells us. Take a look at how they updated it — it’s a good one! So much better! Here’s what Elizabeth tells us about the renovation: Our kitchen remodel was long overdue.

In 2011 we asked our readers to share how they organize recipes. Back then Evernoteeverything, Every year since then we’ve continued to ask readers about organizing recipes to get an overall sense of how systems change with time. Our latest call-out was last week, and here’s what we learned: When it comes to organizing recipes, some things never change … but then again, there’s always room for improvement!

Islands are the great multitaskers of the kitchen, the missing link that can turn a small, spare kitchen into a functional, multipurpose space. Decent kitchen islands can be had for around $300, but a clever, more affordable solution may be to do what Julia and Bruno did in their Montreal kitchen: buy this trestle leg setup from IKEA! I’ve typically seen the Tornliden/Finnvard set ($119 from IKEA) used as a table or desk, but in this case it’s been turned into a kitchen island!

Where would we be without IKEA? It’s hard to talk about setting up a kitchen without bringing the Swedish megastore into the mix. IKEA continues to be a terrific resource for affordable kitchen tools and products, and while it’s hard to pick 10 favorite items, we did our best. From a new kitchen cart (in turquoise!

Although it always makes a big show around Mother’s Day—which is still a few months away—breakfast in bed should be a celebration in and of itself. For mothers! For fathers! For everyone! Enjoying breakfast in bed on a lazy weekend morning while reading a book or catching up on a few favorite blogs is one of life’s small luxuries.

It’s true: white dinnerware is crisp, clean, and endlessly versatile. However, sometimes you just need a little color! Whether you want a cupboard full of splashy solids, or a few patterned pieces to brighten up your otherwise neutral table setting, this colorful dinnerware shopping guide will help you out.TOP ROW• 1 Tric Dinnerware, $140 for 5-piece place setting at TableArt. Available in 18 colors.• 2 Fiestaware, $28-$50 for 5-piece place setting.

If you’ve already renovated a kitchen or are just beginning the process, you know how overwhelming the details can be. Our Fittings and Material Spotlights are quick guides to basic kitchen fixtures to familiarize you with terminology, pros and cons, and relevant reader reviews. We’ve covered sinks and countertops, and now we’re moving on to faucets. From basic single and two-handle faucets we move to today’s focus: pull-out and pull-down spray faucets.

If you’ve already renovated a kitchen or are just beginning the process, you know how overwhelming the details can be. Our Fittings and Material Spotlights are quick guides to basic kitchen fixtures and materials to familiarize you with terminology, pros and cons, and relevant reader reviews. Today we look at linoleum flooring – that is, real linseed linoleum flooring, not the cheap vinyl sheets that are often called linoleum. Do you know there’s a difference?

What’s the deal with disinfecting cooking tools and utensils? Is it really necessary? If so, when? And what’s the deal with bleach? Good or bad? Answers to these questions and more below in our quick guide to sanitizing techniques in the kitchen. When You Should Sanitize For most everything, we think scalding hot water and soap is perfectly suitable for regular cleaning and disinfecting. (I’m not a germ phobe, and in fact I think antibacterial cleaners do more harm than good.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at the pros and cons of ceramic countertops. Origin: Ceramic tile is made from clay, which is fired at a high temperature and then glazed. Pros: Can be customized to suit specific shapes and sizes; heat and stain resistant; damaged tiles are replaceable.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at the pros and cons of concrete countertops:Overview: Concrete countertops are made from a general-purpose mortar mix: one part cement to three parts sand. To avoid the appearance of a sidewalk, concrete countertops can have any color added to them, and must be sealed to make them non-porous and heat- and- stain- resistant.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at the pros and cons of soapstone countertops: Origin: Soapstone is a natural stone, like granite, that is quarried. It’s composed mostly of mineral talc, which makes it quite soft, but soapstone used for countertops typically has higher percentages of quartz in it, which makes it harder and more suitable as a kitchen surface.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at paper composite countertops:Origin: Paper composite countertops are made of post-consumer recycled paper and other fibers held together by a formaldehyde-free thermoset plastic resin. Available in thicknesses ranging from ¼ inch to 2 inches.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? If so, then our Sink Spotlight series will help you. We’ve been looking at sink materials the last few weeks (we’ve already covered stainless steel and copper), and today we turn to enameled cast iron.Distinctive Features: You know cast iron is a common cookware material.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at lava stone countertops: Origin: A new type of countertop material, volcanic lava stone is extracted by hand from open-air quarries (usually in Auvergne, France), then cut into slabs, glazed with enamel, and fired in a kiln at 1300 degrees.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? If so, then our Sink Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at bar or prep sinks, those small, secondary sinks that many of us dream of having in our home:Also Known As: Wet-bar sink, entertainment sink.Distinctive Features: A small sink, measuring around 15-25″ long, 15″ wide, 5-6″ deep, often round or square and made of either stainless steel or copper.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at synthetic or manufactured solid surface countertops (Corian, etc):Origin: Synthetic or manufactured solid surface countertops are made of man-made materials, most often acrylic, but also polyester resins, marble dust, and other pigments.Popular Brands: Dupont Corian, LG Hi Macs, Formica, Wilsonart, Staron, LivingStone.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? If so, then our Sink Spotlight series will help you. Today we take a look at double bowl sinks. Distinctive Features: A rectangular sink with two side-by-side bowls or basins separated by a partition; bowls may be the same size or one may be smaller than the other. Common dimensions include 13″x18′ for the smaller bowl and 30″x20″ for the larger bowl. Pros: Enables multi-tasking.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at the beautiful warmth of butcher block countertops. Styles: Edge grain butcher block tops have parallel wood rails that run the length of the piece. End grain butcher block tops are created by fusing together the end pieces of wood rails into a checkerboard pattern.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? If so, then our Sink Spotlight series will help you. The last few weeks we’ve been looking at various sink materials, from stainless steel to enameled cast iron. Today we look at another popular material for farmhouse-style sinks: fireclay.

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we start with the most popular countertop material: granite.Finish types: Polished, sandblasted, brushed, flamed.Origin: Granite is a igneous rock that contains at least 20% quartz by volume, but also some mica and feldspar. It’s mined from around the world, including quarries in India, Brazil, Norway, Italy and China.

If you’ve already renovated a kitchen or are just beginning the process, you know how overwhelming the details can be. Our Fittings and Material Spotlights are quick guides to basic kitchen fixtures and materials to familiarize you with terminology, pros and cons, and relevant reader reviews. Today we look at the pros and cons of rubber flooring in the kitchen:Origin: Virgin rubber comes from latex, the sap of rubber trees, which typically grow in tropical areas.

When it comes to kitchen faucets, we think single-handle is the way to go. With one flick of your hand (or elbow, if you’ve got messy food hands) you can turn the water on and off. The one handle, or single-lever, faucet was also the faucet feature most recommended by our readers. A side lever looks minimal and attractive, and thankfully there are a number of options that come in under $200.

We’ve talked a lot about how to maximize space in a small kitchen, from recommended storage products to specific kitchen helpers, like burner covers, magnetic hooks, clamp lamps, and cabinet shelves. But, having cooked in my share of small kitchens, there’s nothing I’ve found quite as effective at curbing the stress many cooks feel in a small kitchen as this, the one rule that can make even the tiniest kitchen feel workable and enjoyable.