What's the Skankiest Part of Your Kitchen?

[Chris Amirault]

Fess up. You're no more a crusader for hygiene or against pathogens than the next one.

What's the skankiest part of your kitchen? If you ran a restaurant, what would you think, "I hide that first if the inspector shows up"?

I'll start. A few of my cutting boards are, uh, dark on one side. Not the side I use, of course.

You go next.

[Chris Hennes]

The floor. Have I ever mention my hatred of tile, and grout in particular? I stopped even trying...

[Chris Amirault]

Don't worry: germs need at least six seconds to jump onto a piece of raw meat you've dropped.

[heidih]

Thankfully I have granite counters and they are cleverly "grouted" with a clear almost epoxy like fill at the counter to splash and splash to wall joints so I have no issues there.

My much used stainless heavy bottomed pot (1983 Pottery Barn) and sheet pan (mom's- at least 35 years old) have that baked in "stuff" that looks horrid but is almost a part of the piece.

And of course the fact that the big dog hangs out in the kitchen, has his dishes there and one of his beds...

[ChickenStu]

The floor. Have I ever mention my hatred of tile, and grout in particular? I stopped even trying...

I 2nd this.

[della206]

Probably lately the compost keeper, especially in hot weather.

[Chris Amirault]

I thought compost was supposed to be skanky.

[Doodad]

Puppy pen and food dish. Not much of any other place we can put it. Oh well.

[Peter the eater]

Don't worry: germs need at least six seconds to jump onto a piece of raw meat you've dropped.

You mean there's actual science behind the Ten Second Rule?

[Chris Amirault]

You haven't read McGee's chapter on skank? For shame.

ETA: It's a five second rule. No wonder you're confused.

Edited August 20, 2010 by Chris Amirault (log)

[Peter the eater]

The floor. Have I ever mention my hatred of tile, and grout in particular? I stopped even trying...

I 2nd this.

I 3rd this, and add the air vent located under my feet when I'm chopping stuff. I don't shop-vac it often enough.

[vice]

The tile underneath the dish rack

[Darienne]

I have lived through tile floors in my long married life, but a wood floor is best. Doesn't show dirt until it's REALLY dirty.

I don't like the fan over the stove. Yucky and so fast.

Also, I hate the word 'skanky'.

Edited August 20, 2010 by Darienne (log)

[Chris Amirault]

You're supposed to hate the word. It's an amalgamation of all that is bad in your kitchen.

[JAZ]

My range is a model with the controls at the back, and since it has no real exhaust system, the back part gets covered in gunk. Every once in a while, I get out the Goo Gone, which seems to be the only thing that takes it off. Then it's clean for a few hours, until I start cooking again.

[Dakki]

It's all skanky but I think the top of the fridge is the worst. I put tomatos up there to ripen, you see, and sometimes I forget I have them...

[jsmeeker]

The gap between the stove/range and the counter. All sorts of thing fall down there when I am chopping and prepping.

[Beth Wilson]

The black hole of a cupboard under the sink....dark, musty and sometimes there is a bonus mouse for the cat! I have latched it closed but I know it is there, crying out for a kitchen renovation!!

[heidih]

The gap between the stove/range and the counter. All sorts of thing fall down there when I am chopping and prepping.

Forgot about those gaps. A lizard ran in the house a while ago and I was convinced it was under the stove. A rigorous broom swiping revealed 3 cat toys from a previous resident - ack - who knows what else is under that small space.

[LindaK]

I have lived through tile floors in my long married life, but a wood floor is best. Doesn't show dirt until it's REALLY dirty.

Which is why my kitchen floor gets my vote. Another reason to love wood floors.

[Porthos]

It's all skanky but I think the top of the fridge is the worst.

Yup.

[ChickenStu]

Come to think of it, the wall next to my stove is pretty bad too.

Who would put a stovetop right next to a wall? My one big burner is of course on the wall side. Tons of oil, duck fat, red sauce, and other unkowns splatter the wall.

They will have a good time painting that when I move out.

[codheadred]

Floor beneath the dishwasher it needs pulling out and bleaching....shudders at the thought

Edited August 20, 2010 by codheadred (log)

[nakji]

I was going to say my fridge but then responses here got me to thinking about the hood exhaust fan, which has spent its life sucking the spray off of gas-burnered woks. I'd goo-be-gone it, but I'm starting to think of the grease haze as patina.

[alex james]

The extractor fan above my gas range scores highly on any skankiness index.

Airborne grease gets sucked in whilst cooking and congeals within. Next time a gas burner is lit, it uncongeals and drips out around the edge of a light fitting. Big brown blobs of gooey horror. I think I intercept most of them but I'm sure that some will drop into the food cooking below. Cleaning the contraption has no effect. The stuff is probably not dangerous in any way but aesthetically....