Welcome back!! I'm a little out of it so I don't think I can explain it well, but I really dislike 1, 4 and 5. They look like they're suffering from designitis and too much space. Someone who wants a baking center isn't a frozen pizza and chinese takeout type cook. Therefore, the kitchen should be most about function, with pretty slathered on top, rather than being about cool looking with function grasped at where one can.

#3 looks most like a proper kitchen to me. There appears to be good access to all the elements, and good flow. It makes sense. I think it will look best as one moves through the space as well. If you want the bigger baking area 2 would work, but it's more scattered.

Where is your dish stoarge?

The biggest problem I see with these plans is the clean-up zone pushed aside like that. There's plenty of intermediate places to put the dirty dishes and stuff down between points of use and the clean-up sink, however, so it's not so bad.

Thank you Pllog, I agree, #3 probably flows the best. My only concern is the loss of cabinet space.

I have a 12 foot peninsula now, will lose cabinets moving the range to the middle.

I'm also concerned where to put the easily accessible items that we use a lot now, the microwave, toaster oven, and I want to keep my kitchenaid mixer out and ready, it is on the end of the peninula now, and I just can't see where it would be practical to put it on the island. (It won't fit underneath the cabinets, it's too tall.)

If I put the toaster oven and microwave in the island, it seems the only place would be accross from the range, which is questionable. Unless I lose the seating area and put it on the other side.

Hmmmm.... I'm totally confused. :(

Definitional: Open up house=lose wall/cabinet space. It just happens. You have a lot of cabinets now. Have you gone through them and seen how much stuff you don't actually use? Or rarely use? Maybe some things can be moved to the top shelf of the pantry. Or maybe there's a closet in a totally different part of the house where you can store the Christmas dishes, or whatever.

For the rest, let's talk zones. They're very important in a large, spread out kitchen. What do you use the microwave and toaster oven for most? Do you mostly use the toaster oven for toasting? Maybe the best place is the bar area by the dining table? Keep the bread there too. What do you use the MW for? Defrosting? Heating sandwiches? Snacks out of the freezer? Cooking vegetables? If it's mostly defrosting and snacks, maybe it's good by the freezer? If it's mostly vegetables maybe by the fridge.

There isn't room for a baking counter between the oven and freezer, is there? I only see 24-30"? That would be plenty if it wasn't enclosed, and it would have good access to your rolling station and your baking oven. Maybe have the cabinets in that area on castors so that you can pull it out to use? That way you could wheel it over to the island as well. A good alternate area for the KitchenAid is the corner between the range and the clean-up sink. Because it's a corner. Corners tend to be either junk traps, or good places for large items like the mixer. You can just slide it out to use. It's handy to water and clean-up. Intermediate to the lower baking counter for pouring batter or making cookies or whatever, then into the oven. A bit spread out, but doable. Using the mixer is the least of baking, so I don't see that it needs to be on the island at all. The island work is after you've done the mixing. Not hard to move your bowl over.

Thanks, Pllog, re: the microwave, I rarely use it, just for heating up leftovers occasionally, my coffee when it cools. :) But, DH uses it to make ramen noodles, oatmeal, and a variety of other things.
re: toaster oven, I use it all the time. It's a convection oven and if it's just me here during the day, I cook whatever I'm going to eat. It's also used a lot for toast, warming up pizza, etc.

There is 4 feet between the freezer and oven. And, I thought about leaving that open, so there would be access from the other side and putting my coffee there. I'm the only one who drinks it. Or maybe a rollup door? I guess that might be a good place to put the mixer and baking supplies. I have a LOT of cookie making stuff, Just cupcake holders, cookie cutters, cookie press, and misc. take up 4 drawers at the end of the peninsula.

Then, the bar area I suppose could house the bread, I keep 4 drawers full right now for bread, chips, snacks for kids, and potatoes. They are in the island I was using. Also, with a sink there, I could keep the ramen noodles, oatmeal and stuff they use for the microwave.

I'll do as you suggested and go take an inventory of what could be put in the pantry. I think it will be large enough to hold Roasters, Blenders, stuff not used as frequently.

Thanks again for your help!

I like #2 and #3 best, too. ;-) I can't really understand how the last one fits the space. But that table top going into the kitchen seems like it'd be a problem, and make the island into something VERY long to walk around.

#2 with its more separated approach was because of Susied3's desire to have the grandchildren activities separated from her cooking area, but still reasonably close for helping/supervision. I have 4 ft between my fridge and oven for my baking area. (Each square is 1 ft.)

I agree about the dish storage and can't remember if you didn't want uppers on the range wall? There is quite a bit of space between the range and the cleanup area for uppers...

With the long range wall, the dbl depth island, the cabinets by the oven, and the pantry, I see a lot of storage area.

Glad to see you back. I was wondering if you'd started the kitchen yet!

Thanks Rhome, good to see you! I'm kind of setting things up in the kitchen to see how this works. It's a little difficult with the peninsula still there.

Only thing I am still really struggling with is that dang refrigerator on the range wall. The long bank of glass uppers on that wall has always been pretty useless. When we mix, bake, cook, we all congregate at the island and the peninsula, none of us like to cook, prepare with our backs to the action. :)
So, as DH says, "get over it", So I'm trying... Let me ask this, how far down does the range need to go to give ample space for the refrigerator, without it taking over the range area?

I will put uppers back up. Either repositioned, or new ones built.

And, DH is ready, so I've got to finalize my decision!

Since we are going to close that space in by the MB, I kind of thought an alcove might work, like in the first plan, but maybe not!

I like Bmore's alcove, but the fridge is just too far from the main area that way.

In plans 2 and 3, I centered the rangetop behind the main island which is a good look and good for using the island as prep space, while also leaving you 3 1/2 ft or a little more between the fridge and stove...Close enough to be convenient, but definitely not so close that it crowds your stove area.