Sim won't cook in round house

I don't know if this is a 'round house' issue, or whether it's just a coincidence. I've got a straight wall through the house, and against this are the kitchen counters. When I ask my sim to cook, he takes the items out of the fridge, puts them on the side, then does nothing. If I ask him to resume he does the thought bubble that shows he can't get there. I moved the counter to the space next to it, and now he just thinks of a picture of the counter if I ask him to cook, but he still does nothing. There's nothing I can see that would be in the way that would prevent him.

Any clue what the problem is?

Edit: Just moved the counter clear outside and he still can't use it...