| visit my small, happy kitchen
A guide by Katie, Girl who likes to cook See all products
You Call This an Eat-In Kitchen?
I live in a very small apartment with an even smaller kitchen. My husband and I both like to cook so our kitchen has definitely evolved over time. I think we both have a "less is more" attitude in terms of kitchen tools and appliances and if we don't love something, well, it gets taken off the tiny kitchen counter and moved into a closet somewhere.
Kitchen Basics: Knives and Pans
Everyone says good knives are essential to good cooking. I disagree. However, good knives make cooking easier, faster, and a lot more fun. I absolutely love these knives. Instead of buying an entire 10 or 12 piece block set I went the open stock route, essentials first: chef's knife and parer, and later tomato knife and bread knife. I bought a beechwood block - it was smaller than the Sabatier block and didn't say "Sabatier" in huge black letters either - and mixed the beautiful new knives with the old. I also bought a diamond-edged knife sharpener and it improved the old knives quite a bit while keeping the new ones pristine. These pans - the 'Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid' and the 'Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Lid' - are a pretty recent acquisition. I love them! They heat quickly, cook evenly, and are as easy to clean as the nonstick el cheapo pans they replaced. Again, instead of buying a whole set of pans I bought the two I need most. I have an old-fashioned griddle and a stainless steel 1 1/2 qt. saucepan that I inherited from my grandmother as well as a set of stackable camping pans of my husband's which are fine for cooking vegetables and pasta. Oh, and I can't forget the "Queen of the Kitchen" - my 'Le Creuset 2-1/4-Quart Apple Casserole, Red'. Many people feel that this pan is too small to be practical but I couldn't disagree more: I've made soup, stews, chili, and, of course, casseroles in it. It heats evenly and wonderfully, seals perfectly and...also, it just looks so cool. I leave it sitting on the stove all the time.
'Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan' - I have two of these heavy cake pans and I think they are wonderful. Every cake I've baked in them has turned out perfectly. Let's just say that it didn't used to be that way.
'AirBake Cookie Sheet - 14Lx16W"' - I love these cookie sheets and they've really saved a lot of batches of cookies in my very temperamental oven.
'Emile Henry Couleurs 13 by 10-Inch Lasagna Baker, Red' - I got this pan as a gift and I like it very much. Nice and heavy so that everything cooks evenly. I use it most often for roasting lots of vegetables at once.
Appliances
'George Foreman GR10BWV Champ Grill with Bun Warmer, Purple' - I've had this mini-grill forever and I still use it all the time. Grilling, yes, but did you know you can also use it to toast bagels? Important when you don't have a toaster.
'Oster Beehive Chrome Blender' - I bought this blender as a present for my husband but I think I use it more than he does. We've made margaritas, mojitos, daiquiris, and iced rum punch but also lots of salsa and hummus and even pesto. The motor is quite powerful and it's good-looking to boot.
'Breadman TR888 Corner Bakery 2-Pound Programmable Bread Maker' - My husband and I received this bread machine as a wedding present and I have to say the jury's still out. It works fine, but I don't really love the bread it bakes. It's better than supermarket bread loaded with preservatives but doesn't come anywhere near real bakery bread. That said, I haven't given up yet and maybe it's just a matter of finding the right recipe. My own efforts at homemade bread have been nothing to crow about.
Tools
'KitchenAid 4-pc. Culinary Utensil Set - Red' - These tools are so useful that I have them hanging on hooks rather than stashed in a drawer. Very attractive, as well, and they won't scratch anything.
'Microplane Fine Grater' - Very useful and easy to clean. I like this grater/zester a lot better than its clumsy cousin, the full-sized cheese grater. Oh, for a better cheese grater!
'Evco Green Marble Collection Mortar & Pestle' - My husband got me a mortar and pestle set very much like this one. I use it a lot more than I would have expected. It's very nice for grinding up just a bit of something likepepper or cloves or allspice or for mixing dry spices and mashing seeds.
Cookbooks
I'm actually not big on cookbooks. I tend to cook by improvising as I go. That said, cookbooks are essential for technique and cooking times and so I keep quite a few of them on the kitchen windowsill.
'Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, Ninth Edition' - I had the BH&G checkered cookbook since I started college and it finally wore out - first two signatures fell out of the book! - a few months ago. I was planning to just buy a new one but after taking a look at this cookbook I decided to buy it instead. The recipes are basic and not any more exciting than in the BH&G book but all of the charts and graphics are amazing as well as the kitschy-cool "Learn with Betty" sections in which you can learn to properly soften butter, devein shrimp, etc. I definitely recommend this cookbook!
'The Foster's Market Cookbook : Favorite Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night' - This cookbook was a gift. I like it pretty well though I'm never inclined to follow the recipes precisely. As "commercial" recipes they call for a lot more butter, fat, sugar, and even whiskey than I like to use when I cook. The carrot cake recipe, however, is perfect.
'The Ottoman Kitchen: Modern Recipes from Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Lebanon, and Syria' - I love this cookbook, though I will say the emphasis is mostly on Turkish food rather than Lebanese or Syrian food as the title would seem to promise. The recipes are clear and the dishes are interesting. 'Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook' - This is the one cookbook that I really don't recommend. The menus are fascinating but I think the author's approach to cooking is, well, kind of uppity. The directions for each recipe are also quite unclear. That said, I would eat at the author's restaurant, yes, I definitely would.
'The Medieval Cookbook' - This cookbook is a bit of a novelty item, though I will say that the recipes I've tried have been good. Besides, who wouldn't want to make the rose pudding from the court of Richard II of England?
'Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating: How to Choose the Best Bread, Cheeses, Olive Oil, Pasta, Chocolate, and Much More' - This isn't really a cookbook, but it's amazing nonetheless. Want to know why you should buy a $25 bottle of olive oil and an $8 bottle? Want to know how to select vanilla beans? Want to know how chocolate is made and where it comes from and why this matters? Buy this book. Well, that's about all she wrote. If I tell you that our kitchen is 13 1/2 feet by 8 1/2 feet you won't wonder! |
Products mentioned include:
You Call This an Eat-In Kitchen?
| Kitchen Basics: Knives and Pans
| | 1. |  | Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Everyday Pan with Lid
CalphalonSee Related Items | | 2. |  | Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Lid
CalphalonSee Related Items | | 3. |  | Le Creuset 2-1/4-Quart Apple Casserole, Red
Le CreusetSee Related Items | | 4. |  | Chicago Metallic Professional Non-Stick 9-Inch Round Cake Pan
Chicago MetallicSee Related Items | | 5. |  | AirBake Cookie Sheet - 14Lx16W" See Related Items | | 6. |  | Emile Henry Couleurs 13 by 10-Inch Lasagna Baker, Red
Emile HenrySee Related Items | | Appliances | | 7. |  | George Foreman GR10BWV Champ Grill with Bun Warmer, Purple
George ForemanSee Related Items | | 8. |  | Oster Beehive Chrome Blender See Related Items | | 9. |  | Breadman TR888 Corner Bakery 2-Pound Programmable Bread Maker
BreadmanSee Related Items | | Tools | | 10. |  | KitchenAid 4-pc. Culinary Utensil Set - Red See Related Items | | 11. |  | Microplane Fine Grater
MicroplaneSee Related Items | | 12. |  | Evco Green Marble Collection Mortar & Pestle
EvcoSee Related Items | | Cookbooks | | 13. |  | Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, Ninth Edition
by Betty Crocker (Editor)See Related Items | | 14. |  | The Foster's Market Cookbook : Favorite Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night
by Martha Stewart (Foreword), et alSee Related Items | | 15. |  | The Ottoman Kitchen: Modern Recipes from Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Lebanon, and Syria
by Sarah Woodward, Jan Baldwin (Photographer)See Related Items | | 16. |  | Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook
by Alice L. WatersSee Related Items | | 17. |  | The Medieval Cookbook
by Maggie BlackSee Related Items | | 18. |  | Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating: How to Choose the Best Bread, Cheeses, Olive Oil, Pasta, Chocolate, and Much More
by Ari WeinzweigSee Related Items |
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