An Electric Outlet

Who would think one little electric outlet would make me so happy? I love everything about my kitchen and if I had planned it all myself, I don’t think I would change anything – except adding one electric outlet.

The photos are from when the house was for sale.

The kitchen is in a bit of disarray right now because I had to take everything out from under the sink and move everything off the bar in case the guys needed to work in that area . . so we’ll just work with these photos. We’ve changed all the appliances but nothing else has changed except we did take down CD player/radio that was kinda to the left of the sink. I have a Google Nest “thing” in the kitchen and I can play music through that.

In the top photo, see the dishwasher? The photo below is the end of that little section of cabinet. That is the only countertop that doesn’t have a cabinet over it. It’s hard using the Nesco roaster under a cabinet because the lid is hinged and opens really high and I can’t open it all the way with a cabinet overhead and if I’m trying to hold it open, the steam burns my arm. I could use the roaster on the breakfast room table but then I’m back and forth with dripping “stuff” . . from tomatoes to empty jars to full jars to tools and utensils used in canning. It would be so much easier to be able to do it right by the sink but . . I had to use an extension cord that either (1) stretched across behind the sink, which I didn’t really want to do; (2) stretched across the opening from the kitchen to the breakfast room (so that when you walk walk into the kitchen from outside you’d have to walk under or over the cord), which I’ve done but it isn’t convenient or safe if someone isn’t paying attention or (3) run an extension cord from the family room, along the bottom of the bar and up the side of the cabinet to the roaster. This is what I’ve been doing.

Since this is the only place where I can use the Instant Pot or the crock pot without steam going under the top cabinet, I end up bringing the insert into the kitchen and getting everything assembled, then taking the insert back out to the sun room where the Instant Pots and the crock pot are kept. That’s all inconvenient too because if I’m browning something, I do that in the sun room, bring the hot insert into the kitchen, finish the assembly, take it all back to the sun room, do the cooking bring the insert back into the kitchen for serving, then cleaning.

We’ve had electricians out several times – to change a breaker for the vacuum system before Vince got here; to add electricity to several areas where we wanted it; to add electricity to the greenhouse. Every time I ask Vince if we can get them to put it an outlet on the side of that cabinet. He will get the electrician to look at it. The electrician says “How much space is behind the dishwasher?” “We don’t know.” I always say “Can’t we pull it out and look?” No . . that’s too much trouble.

As I was canning and using the electric roaster every day for the past week or so, I told Vince . . I REALLY want an electric plug on the end of that cabinet! What an ordeal. ONE little outlet needed an electrician to do the electrical part, a plumber to disconnect/reconnect the dishwasher, remove it and then put it back, and someone brave enough to cut into that cabinet. Vince finally said he wasn’t afraid to cut into the cabinet and he wasn’t afraid to disconnect the dishwasher, move it and re-install it.

We had some other work being done here this week so Vince arranged to get the outlet installed. It happened yesterday and I am crazy happy to have it.

After the incident when the dishwasher was first installed, I was kinda nervous about it all but Vince ended up not having to do any of it. The guy who cut the hole in the cabinet . . Vince said he was meticulous and the hole was exactly perfect. I was so afraid to come upstairs and find a hole that was not right.

I wanted the plug to be easy to reach but kinda hidden behind the little rack I have that sits there.

All is good. I think I’ll plan next week’s menu so I use the crock pot or Instant Pot every day next week . . just to celebrate the new electric plug.