Another day, another 'must-have' kitchen countertop appliance. With an espresso maker and a KitchenAid stand mixer already taking up valuable space, you'd think the last thing I need is another bulky machine — yet, I couldn't help but invest in a Ninja CREAMi recently and, if I'm honest, I use it a lot.
However, I now need to be a bit more clever about how and where I store it, and while I've found a spot in a countertop cabinet that acts a bit like an appliance garage, moving it around is always a bit awkward. It sort of judders along the work surface if you try to drag it, and it's not the easiest thing to move around by picking it up.
I'd seen before that you can buy little wheels to stick onto your kitchen appliances to help them scoot across your work surface, but the CREAMi is so powerful once it gets going, I thought it might end in disaster. Instead, I found a 'sliding appliance tray' when browsing on Amazon, and thought I'd give that a try instead. I bought the size that says it's perfect for a Kitchenaid mixer, as they're a similar size base, and when it arrived, it fit perfectly.
On the Amazon listing, you can't actually see the base of the design in the photographs, so I wasn't sure exactly what I was expecting, but I assumed some sort of wheel. In actual fact, it's just four plastic feet — so how is this exactly supposed to help a heavy appliance slide across countertops? I was unconvinced.
However, as you can see above, it actually moves very smoothly, with very little force applied — I could do it with one hand. And, it moves just enough so that it won't roll around when your appliance is actually in action, which is a plus point, too.
As well as my Ninja CREAMi, I tried it with my stand mixer, and the results were the same.
Even if you're not storing your appliance away (I keep my stand mixer on my work surface), it does make sliding it out to use a lot easier. For an espresso maker, it's perfect if you have one that's awkward to get to the water tank to refill it.
The only thing I might have changed? The finish — it's a bit honey-toned for my wood preferences, but I'm considering staining it.
However, if it's not to your taste either, there are some other options out there on the market. Here are some other finds.
You can buy the sliding feet separately too, and just attach directly to your appliance.
This rectangular design is better suited for something like a coffee machine.
This board will help with moving your appliances, yes, but you need to figure out how best to arrange them on your counters, too.
