Ditto all previous comments. Its a no go.
A THS exchange is based on trust. You trust sitters to take the best care of your precious pets, and your home. This includes your pots and pans!! Don’t insult sitters, especially older and/or experienced ones, by implying they aren’t trustworthy enough in your kitchen when you are already entrusting them with everything else!!
If you have any truly special pieces just put them out of sight but the sitter should be able to have full access to your kitchen and be made to feel welcome and at home.
This not a paid airbnb exchange where the host might equip the guest space with minimal, and lower quality, appliances incase their guests trash things.
If your friends or family came to stay would you restrict them too from full use of your kitchen? 
@MeowMeowMom I am an owner and a sitter. To answer your question, yes it would be rude to ask this of a sitter for all the very relevant reasons above provided by the very experienced quality sitters. The most important though is that THS is a mutual beneficial exchange, not a one-sided transaction where one party assumes they have greater entitlement than the other. Unless you can view your sitter as a guest, and they view you like staying with a friend, then this will likely not work out well for either of you.
Hi, I think you’ve got your answer. I mean, you can set whatever limits you want as long as you are clear about it in your listing. You’ll be restricting yourself to applications only from sitters who want to only eat ready meals and takeaways. I would say not many competent adults live their life like this, or would want to do it for a week or two. So, from your own point of view, you aren’t likely to attract the best of sitters.
I don’t think it’s exactly rude, but hard to justify as it shows a lack of trust, and I wouldn’t apply.
You could buy alternative cheaper knives/pans and pack the others away.
Love the titanic analogy.
Also would food delivery gift cards not mount up to quite an expense? As I am assuming because cooking facilities are off limits this would be takeouts and cooked meals, which aren’t cheap if you’re getting them 2-3 meals a day for however long the sit is. I’m not sure what you’d be budgeting for it, but it sounds like a potentially awkward exchange as it could easily end up in the 100s if the sitter was actually getting decent meals delivered in in lieu of using the kitchen.
Unless you mean a food delivery of ingredients? But then I’m not sure how that would counteract a lack of cooking facilities.
By the time you’ve paid for all of that you may as well just get a paid sitter who isn’t looking for a mutual exchange because they’re being financially compensated for their troubles.
Great advice!!
Not being able to use a kitchen during a sit would be a huge turnoff for us. There might be some sitters who are okay with eating out and food delivery all the time, but that just isn’t us as our stomachs can’t handle that.
Be honest and up front in your listing. If you are unable to find anyone willing to sit without use of the kitchen, that will be your sign to board your animals (in a grand pet hotel, of course) or pay for a sitter.
It would be a turn off for me too. I have had a new kitchen and new, good quality pots, pans and knives etc and I would feel insulted that I automatically couldn’t be trusted just because I was a sitter.
From time to time, I tend to think these kind of topics are part of a social experiment to see how THS users react to adversity and extreme situations.
It seems surreal that someone would pay for a TrustedHouseSitters membership, only to not TRUST either offer their HOUSE in exchange, merely showing interest in the SITTER’s service.
They seem straight out of a comedy-drama. 
I am also particular about how many of my things are used. When we had someone stay at our house, rather than micro-manage and restrict usage, I boxed up the items I was worried about and left perfectly functional, basic equipment in their place. When I return home, switching the items back takes me about 10 minutes.
Would you rather pay for them to eat out with how expensive it is or you could let them use your stuff and if any damages you could use the money to replace what you need. You could also buy a cheap set of pots and pans and put your good ones in the box in the garage or basement. But most ppl like to cook in nice kitchens, its also way cheaper for us to do so. I love a home with a nice spacious kitchen. I also am totally aware of the expensive cookware those beautiful kitchens have, i ask the homeowner if theres anything they prefer me not to use ? Most tell me what dinnerware or glasses or tell me whats not dishwasher safe. Im careful when using others things. Good luck.
I think that makes sense. As a sitter, I prefer not to use very precious equipment and risk disaster if it breaks.
I would be fine with that, I rarely cook on my pet sits. It certainly would seem more difficult for folks if the pet sit were a longer period of time however.
Hi @MeowMeowMom
I’m a sitter that likes to cook a few meals at the sit so I’d not apply for a sit if they stated I’d only get limited use of the kitchen. I’ve been fortunate to sit in homes with amazing expensive kitchens. I’ve used them respectfully like the rest of the home.
@SoloGal
Its a fair exchange If there are compensation like food delivery and giftcard to make up for the inconvenience. But this Might be difficult for those who often eat home made food bcus food delivery one day might bring me something am allergic to.
@MeowMeowMom - I probably wouldn’t apply. That said, if you are especially concerned about your pots, pans, and knives, it isn’t unreasonable to ask that the sitter hand wash them rather that put them in the dishwasher!
I think you’ll find the majority of sitters are grown adults and have the ability to dress themselves, clean their teeth and cook in a kitchen without causing it damage. As with many of the other experienced sitters we would steer clear. Please be honest on your listing so potential sitters are aware of your house rules and also provide a thorough welcome guide well in advance of your sit so there are no surprises last minute for the sitter.
I enjoy cooking. I like going to local grocery stores and farmer’s markets to get fresh local foods. Not having use of a kitchen takes away that part of the travel experience for me. I rarely eat out, I’m a vegetarian and a picky eater and much prefer to cook my own food.
I’m currently traveling full-time for a few years and the thing I miss the most from my house is my big, beautiful kitchen and my high quality cookware and knives. So, seeing a picture of a nice kitchen at a sit is a draw for me. If I found out I couldn’t use it, I would definitely pass on the sit. Even if I didn’t cook, seeing a listing like that would indicate to me that the host doesn’t view this an an exchange of equals.
If you choose to go this route, which you certainly can, make sure you clearly state that the kitchen is not to be used in the listing. If I found this out in the welcome guide, I would absolutely cancel.
As others have said, yes of course it would be rude to ask prospective sitters to not use the majority of the kitchen. Most owners tell me to treat their home as if it were my own.
Try putting this in your profile and see how many applicants you get! I can guarantee, not many if any!
@MeowMeowMom you might be better off boarding your pets so that you don’t have to worry about in home sitters using your kitchen.