People often find themselves living in a home, apartment or studio that has a much smaller kitchen than average. While it might seem that this would make the process of creating enjoyable meals difficult, it is possible to find small electric appliances that will do essentially the same job as their big brothers while taking up much less space. However, choosing the right appliances and arranging them in a compact kitchen requires careful planning.

Take Measurements You cannot make choices about which electric appliances you will have in your small kitchen until you quantify just how small it actually is. Take careful measurements of any openings you might have for a small stove or a refrigerator, as well as counter spaces and open shelves where you could place some electric appliances. The measurements should include width, depth and height. Evaluate the appliances you consider based on the measurements you have taken.

Utilities Examine the kitchen space to determine how many wall plugs it has and what types they are, since this is a key factor when making your choices. Ensure that all of the outlets have ground fault interrupters, or do not use them with the appliances you purchase. In addition, some electric appliances you might choose, such as a small dishwasher, will need to have nearby access to a water connection, so look for these where you might need them.

Refrigerator Choices For keeping perishable foods fresh, even the smallest kitchen needs a refrigerator. For a larger refrigerator, you might substitute a small single door model. For an even smaller space like a studio apartment, many choose dorm-sized refrigerators. For actual dorms with extremely little space, you can buy mini-fridges that can hold a couple of drinks and a snack or two.

Stoves and Ovens Stoves also come in much smaller models. If the kitchen space has no location for even a small stove, you can install a cook-top surface on a counter and a small convection oven on another counter next to it. While these smaller electric appliances will not have nearly the capacity of full sized models, for one or two people living in a small space they are often enough.

Microwaves Microwaves used to be large, extremely heavy electric appliances, but advances in recent years have reduced both the size and weight. You can now purchase microwaves to fit into almost any small space. Some mini-microwaves are as small as a lunch box, and can be used to do things like make a cup of coffee or heat a frozen muffin or two.

Other Small Electric Appliances In addition to the smaller versions of large electric appliances, people living in a smaller space should try to reduce the clutter of blenders, mixers, coffee makers and can openers that cover most kitchen counters. One way to do this is to try to find the smallest useable version of these appliances. Another approach is to choose some small appliances that can serve more than one function, such as using one device as both a blender and a mixer.