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I have a friend who lives in Noank and she asked me some time ago why she should keep her large Cuisinart. I literally blanched.

There are two reasons to keep your kitchen counter appliances. One, of course, is because you use them fairly often enough that you want them close to you. The second is perhaps you adore them, as I love mine, and consider them, if not as pets but as best friends in the kitchen.

On the other hand, if you have a terrific yet very small kitchen, sometimes things have to go.

I have just a galley kitchen, but it has a bay window and a shelf below it. That shelf was utilitarian but incredibly ugly, covered with the same humble tiles on the floor. I asked woodworker Josh Friedman in New London to make maple board the exact size as the shelf. Now the shelf holds large and small Cuisinarts, a 6-quart KitchenAid mixer, an Instant Pot, a Slow Cooker, a Ninja Pro blender and two tiny grinders (one for spices, one for coffee). I use all of the gadgets constantly. I keep them shinier than my desk. They are my own pieces of art.

This weekend I was asked to make coleslaw and potato salad for an indeterminate number of friends. I used my big Cuisinart thin slicing disk for the cabbage and the grater disk for the carrots. I use my Instant Pot for the potato salad. Both dishes were ready for the refrigerator within half an hour. With summer coming, my counter appliances will keep my kitchen cool.

1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice (or celery spice, if you don’t have five-spice)

fresh white pepper to taste

about 6 to 8 cups green and red (Savoy) cabbage, shredded in a food processor

2 carrots, shredded in a food processor

Using whisk, blend mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, five-spice, salt and pepper.

Combine cabbage and carrots. Pour dressing over vegetables and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours. It is even better on the second or third day.

Lee’s Favorite Potato Salad

2 pounds of potatoes (I love The Little Potato Company’s tiny potatoes; no need to peel them)

2 stalks of celery, finely diced

About 3 to 4 tablespoons bottled Italian salad dressing (I love Wish Bone brand, full fat)

salt and pepper to taste

about 4 tablespoons Hellman’s mayonnaise (full fat)

In a large pot of water, bring potatoes to a boil and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

Drain water and, in the same pot, toss potatoes with onions and celery and stir. Wait a few minutes before you add the Italian dressing and mayonnaise and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool on the counter at room temperature before covering and refrigerating.

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.

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