It seems that whoever designed the kitchen in my new apartment in Chicago does not have a college degree.
Instead of opening at a ninety degree angle, as ovens normally do, mine opens to about forty-five degrees. It bumps into the refrigerator, making it next to impossible to slide anything into or out of the oven.
Even though I have attempted to cook in it, even sliding a cookie sheet or a baking dish in and out of a preheated oven is a dangerous game.
I’ve asked my building if they’ll consider fixing this or moving the refrigerator, but the jury is still out on whether or not they’ll be able to do it.
It’s ironic though, right? Someone who loves to cook has an oven that will not open fully. I have plenty of friends who use their ovens for storage.
In fact, my friend’s husband once had the gas company show up at his front door to check for a potential gas leak or service outage because he and his roommates had never once opened or turned on their oven. The company was convinced it must have been a mistake because they hadn’t registered any usage in the year or however long their apartment had been occupied.
That would not fly in my kitchen. When my oven broke last year, I barely survived the month and spent a lot of time in friends’ kitchens, baking and working on recipes for my blog.
With an oven that only opens halfway, I’ll never be able to bake elaborate cakes, make anything that requires a water bath or a roasting pan (in other words: I definitely will not be roasting a turkey any time soon).
On a related note: next time I look for an apartment, I’m going to need an assistant.
24 Comments
Meal Makeover Mom Janice
December 12, 2009 at 11:06 amThis is too much! How could this happen? I understand that some people don’t cook, but really, being able to open the oven door all the way is a pretty basic thing. I’m sure you will figure something out. Hope you are happy in your new place in spite of this one ‘little’ issue.
Amy J in SC
December 6, 2009 at 10:03 pmOh man..that’s the craziest thing. Do you have any other well designed surprises?
Jeff
December 6, 2009 at 5:11 pmlol it took me a second but I started laughing when I did see it. However, that really does freaking suck! I would be busting out a saw and cutting out a section of the wall so the door can go down.
E.P.
December 6, 2009 at 12:21 pmOh no! That’s ridiculous! And looks vaguely like my current apartment…
Maria
December 6, 2009 at 12:38 amThat is too funny, well sort of! I hope you are enjoying your new place, minus the small space:)
Kerstin
December 4, 2009 at 11:52 pmOh no! You can’t move the fridge? You should so get a discount on your rent!
ErinsFoodFiles
December 4, 2009 at 3:19 amWTF?!?
Cate O'Malley
December 3, 2009 at 10:35 pmlol, too funny. We have one kitchen drawer like that. Can’t open it up all the way, darn window is in the way. 😉
Chez Us
December 3, 2009 at 7:51 pmWe are looking for a new place, this reminds me to check the oven, we never think about that when looking! Funny micro post!
thatShortChick
December 3, 2009 at 5:45 pmoh no! i hope that’s the only negative in your new living situation.
Sarah Caron
December 3, 2009 at 2:11 pmSounds like the perfect reason to get a small countertop rotisserie. Seriously.
And, ahem, shouldn’t the kitchen have been the area you paid *a lot* of attention to when looking? 🙂
CrystalsCozyKitchen
December 3, 2009 at 2:06 pmDon’t you just love apartment living? It seems like every other apartment I move into has a small oven (the first would not fit a full size cookie sheet and the next one would barely fit it.) Good luck with that!
Megan
December 3, 2009 at 1:54 pmOh no! That is terrible!! How is the rest of your place?
Good Taste. Healthy Me
December 3, 2009 at 1:15 pmhaha oh my! That’s not good!
kat
December 3, 2009 at 10:53 amLol, classic!
doggybloggy
December 3, 2009 at 9:53 ammaybe they do have a degree but its in psychology or something… this is classic NY!
mandy
December 3, 2009 at 9:26 amOh no! Thats horrible!
beyond
December 3, 2009 at 8:00 amhmmm. looks like an ill-conceived nyc kitchen. but it’s not if your shower isn’t in there too, i guess.
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
December 3, 2009 at 7:41 amI’m so sorry that this made me laugh! But it reminded me of the first kitchen we ever built. We left the cabinet installers alone for the day and went off to work, and when we came home, they had installed one cabinet incorrectly and the handle blocked the oven door from opening at all. Now really, you’d think they would have tried it just once…..
VeggieGirl
December 3, 2009 at 7:37 amYikes!
Daryl
December 3, 2009 at 4:12 amOh oh oh I see! I would call the landlord
Daryl
December 3, 2009 at 4:11 amwhy whats wrong?
Cant you move the shelves?
Joy
December 3, 2009 at 2:51 amOMG…. bummer.
But at least, it’s not an electric stove. 🙂 I hope that aside from this ‘snag’, you’re almost settled in.
Heidi Renée
December 3, 2009 at 2:47 amOoooops!