Do you love your Kitchen?

[erialc 2]

I've just been talking to gogo about my latest 'must have' bit of tableware! Sizzlers for that authentic Indian Curry feel!

 

 

that and a clay Tandori pot!

 

 

LOL You probably guessed from my other threads I love cooking and I am a bit of a nightmare for getting my tableware right. Not for everyday ofc, who has the time but for when you really want to go all out and make something thats fun (lol yeah all that prep time and cooking and then the tableware to go with it)...Indian and Chinese is a must for me....I love my chopsticks and wok and soup spoons...you get the picture. My Balti bowls and set for dips and chutneys I am addicted to it all.

 

So then gogo asked me 'Do you love your kitchen?'...I really do, I had it fitted on THE tightest budget ever...and I mean really tight, bog standard everything BUT I had to, I am renting and the crud that was already here (read old dirty kitchen sink and a wall cupboard) reduced me to tears...I could cope redecorating everywhere but the kitchen or lack thereof was a killer!

 

It's also very very tiny! so off I went with my list of wants and also my realistic list of what I could afford...they were sooo different LOL and talked to the guy in the only place I could afford big chain kitchen/bathroom store. After lots of haggling and me I am sure driving him insane I got a fitted kitchen with a dishwasher YAYYYYY. Poor guy must have met me here so many times to measure and remeasure and oh and ahh and say 'look I don't think it's possible'....with me behind him saying...'oh ofc it'll fit, make it! fit'

 

Whilst all this was going on I was complaining to the landlord about the lack of kitchen and having to submit a plan of what I intended to do. I drove myself and everyone else INSANE. In the end I got it all fitted, some new electrics and well the basics it takes to make me a happier bunny. Dishwasher, double sink,some cupboards...lol theres never enough but the cooker I wanted a gas hob...which I got ..then an electric oven (which was the cheapest) that has an unusable integral grill....ewwww....never again....ever! I can't use it at all after one or two grillings the damn this smokes the house out so I have no grill to speak of, the oven being electric is ok I guess but I love gas...hehe the budget was screaming at that point so I had to give and go cheap and cheerful.

 

And I love my kitchen for the fact it was all I could afford and it's not great but it's mine...if that makes sense!..it's small and well it works for me

 

Well I could go on for hours but I'd rather 'oooh' over someone elses kitchen, do you have your dream kitchen?, whats in yours?, whats your must haves and then dream item/appliance/gadget?

 

Or should I just get out more?

[Funkilicious 1]

Claire, you have no idea the amount of gadgets and special pots and pans I have in my kitchen.

 

From my embarrassing moments you all know it is a fairly brand new kitchen from our designs. It has beechwood cupboards with dark green granite tops. All the appliances (yes even the stove) were brand new and I wouldn't know what I would do without my dishwasher, lol his name is Sven (Asko).

 

All my everyday plates match (yes I am anal) all Maxwell & Williams white and square

 

All my good dinner party plates are Noritake white with 24k gold edge

Absolutely beautiful when set out but a pain because they have to all be hand washed

 

LOL I have the full range of berndes pots and pans

 

yes even my pasta pots inserts.

 

This is an exact replica of my butchers chopping block, that I refuse to actually use because it is just too beautiful to be ruined with knife marks

 

Ahh Claire, you have no idea on my obsession with kitchen gadgetry.

 

I think I was even online with you in game when my Partner came home with a surprise, lol most would get flowers, I got another Parmesan cheese grater ( I now have two...woohoo)

 

I could go on and on but then I guess I will have to treat myself on the couch

Edited August 16, 2007 by Funkilicious

[erialc 2]

Funki! A girl after my own heart! I remember the grater from in game...now thats love!

 

Your pan set is droolalicious! and as for your tableware...I love it! And no you are not anal I know just where you are coming from! I would love to spend all day in my kitchen pottering around arranging stuff and I have sooo many wish lists of things I fear if I even got half I'd need a stately home! What would be your most prizes kitchen item Funki? What are the things you can't live without? Do you have a favorite style of cooking? And dress your table accordingly?...LOL I could ask you a tzillion questions!

 

I left ALL my cooking/kitchen gear when I left my ex and I'm now having a huge buzz rebuilding it all up, there was years worth of stuff *cries* but somehow I never brought it back. But this although a bit costly *read too costly* is sooo much fun! Even now I still think 'oh I have a so and so ' and then think nope...ok add it to the list! hehe I wouldn't mind so much but the week before I left our super kitchen had just been finished haha and all I was waiting for was to have it tiled!... but life's like that.

 

I don't know about you Funki but I can spend literally hours searching in cookware stores and online, even at those sites aimed for professionals for a gadget!....you know my one favorite thing is an egg shape...you pop the egg in it int he pan and you get this perfect round egg out! ....yeah I am that bad! I can spend hours and hours faffing around!...Oh have you ever tried carving food? I saw an awesome knife set but I wouldn't have a clue how to make a tomato a butterfly or some such! I can make a spikey thing though LOL

 

Your kitchen sounds amazing, how long did it take you to plan it out?

 

Ok I'll stop now I promise....well till after you posts again

[Funkilicious 1]

What would be your most prizes kitchen item Funki? What are the things you can't live without? Do you have a favorite style of cooking? And dress your table accordingly?...LOL I could ask you a tzillion questions!

 

Your kitchen sounds amazing, how long did it take you to plan it out?

 

Ok I'll stop now I promise....well till after you posts again

 

 

Hmm there are just so many things that I just grab and know where it is, I would have to say there isn't a day that doesn't go by that I don't reach for my bamix or my pestle and mortar for cooking wise.

 

For coffee have that in two sizes, small one for us and a larger one if we have guests, nothing like the smell of coffee.

 

Cooking style would be Italian (I am Italian descendant, so have a lot to live up to with my Mum's and Nonna's cooking)

 

My table dressing for dinner parties is all white linen, yes another pain to actually get it all cleaned but I love the crispness of white because you can do so much with the decorations around. Either jazz it up with a great centre piece depending on the time of year or occassion, which is always in the dining room

 

But everyday is at the kitchen table which I only have a runner on because I absolutely love the look and feel of wood, its a huge square 8 seater with beautiful high backed chairs with iron inlays. The kitchen area is huge so needed large pieces of furniture to make it feel right.

 

It took as around six - eight months by the time we knew what we wanted (and more importantly agreed on) and finding the right kitchen builder to do it justice.

 

The beechwood is such a light honey wood that I wanted the appliances to really set it off so went for black glass/ceramics so the wall oven and microwave are clean lines of only a handle protuding and my poor stove top is flat on the granite top only the knobs stick up

 

There are so many cooking/homewares around these days and especially online that I keep getting reminder when a new item arrives into the kitchen that we will have to end up getting a bigger kitchen just to accommodate the gadgets.

 

My next gadget is going to be a microplane but just cant find the right one mind you I dont need it but I really want it LOL

 

You have to start showing us more of your gadgets Claire.

Edited August 16, 2007 by Funkilicious

[Funkilicious 1]

Oh have you ever tried carving food? I saw an awesome knife set but I wouldn't have a clue how to make a tomato a butterfly or some such! I can make a spikey thing though LOL

 

Forgot to answer this one, umm though I may love my knives, they dont love me I tend to accidentally cut myself especially with pesky onions, and tend to faint when I see blood I get enough time in to call out so that my Partner can hopefully catch me

 

So if it is something that is a little stubborn to cut like pumpkin, I get him to do it

 

So carving food, lol wouldn't be allowed to be a hobby of mine.

[erialc 2]

Oh Funki, no carving food for you!...me either, I wouldn't have the patience or eye to create something like that but I am always astounded when I see pictures of the things other people have carved. LOL those knife sets look lethal in the box, I don't want to imagine how lethal they could be in my hands!

 

Well I'm currently rebuilding my pan collection, starting with the cheapest first hehe. My stainless steel heavy pans that I can go from the hob to the oven. Mostly they are Lagostina Acedemia

 

but some are other less expensive ones hehe I love stainless steel, it's so hard wearing and can put up with a fair amount of abuse! I hate non stick stuff...to me it yells to me ...lets see how long it'll take before you bin me after peeling bits and nastiness appears!...I guess though I've just never really learnt to cook using them.

 

Next on the list is the Cast Iron pans...LOL...I know but I need both!

 

 

I can't live without my coffee bean grinder at all

 

 

It's not actually that one lol but very similar...my Mom gave it to me when I moved in and it's really old but oooh the smell when those beans are being ground....mmmmm.

 

I'm like you I think with regard to everyday gadgets, it's hard to think what they really are as I do tend to just reach for things, pestle and mortar a must, nothing more wonderful than crushing up spices in one and the smell hitting you.

 

I think some of my favorites aren't really gadgets but my set of Spanish Terracotta bowls that I can make all sorts of meals in the oven. They are so hard wearing and I love to be able to use them for individual servings. My parents visit spain a couple of times a year and they always bring me back a couple more in varying sizes.

[Funkilicious 1]

Oh how lucky are you in getting authentic Spanish Bowls I am so envious

 

And you are absolutely spot on about non stick fry pans, I hate them with a passion, I have to wonder how toxic they are when heat is applied. Heavy based stainless steel or copper are my preferences, cleaning them is an absolute breeze.

 

Oh our coffee grinder lol yep one very essential item, none of this pre ground coffee.

 

I have one very heavy and I mean heavy cast iron pot for slow cooking and a cast iron grill

 

Having pots that go from stove top (for searing) to oven for final cooking is an absolute must.

 

We have a fantastic Asian grocery store that is like a goldmine for all gadgets, another product we have found an essential to keep well stocked in the pantry is shao hsing wine I add splashes into most things I cook now

[gogoblender 3,078]

Good lord. Claire, I was planning on posting on this thread not long after you put it up, I leave for just a day and I see so much stuff on it! Great posts you guys. My experience with kitchens has been mixed, lol. Claire, I love the heart you've put into your kitchen. Having to build it up from scratch like that is a great story. All the pics you've posted in this forum had me thinking "wow, Claire's so lucky to be cooking in that!" And I mean that, lol. Or...you've just got way with doing pics that sells what you've got. Good stuff. Funki, I can only imagine the pleasure you get when you walk into yours. It sounds like you've spent a lot of time picking out every item with love. The table cloths, the china...everything. Ain't our kitchens darlin?

OKay, my own now. heh, I've gone through a lot of kitchens, I think everyone has with moving from one place to another. The last "family" kitchen I was in, my parents had floored with black and white huge tilings and pink walls. I don't know what got into them and whether they wanted me and my brother to think we were growing up in a pop shoppe.

lol, anyway...it was a fun place, and all I remember was that it had lots of cupboards. Lots. After uni and all, I think my first serious kitchen was the place my cousin and I had for a few years in a kind of snazzy area of Montreal. This place was high up on a hill in Westmount, and the kitchen had it's own little second door leading out of it. Cute. Again...lots of cupboards. We got drunk later on that night had some friends over and painted all the walls orange.

Oh yeah.

Ahh, wait, I forgot to mention the kitchen I had before. No walls. Ayup. You know in retrospect that kitchen was probably my favorite. I was living in a loft with seven others and this loft...it was huge..I mean huuuuuuuuge. Five thousand square feet. In a commercial building in a really cool part of town that had tons of raves going on. This loft was so big that universities used to rent it out for beer bashes, lol. Well, one day all us seven decided to redecorate that kitchen. Our kitchen was "walled off" by the shelves on three sides that all us roomies used to store our tinned foods upon. Each member of the loft with his own shelves. The fourth wall of the kitchen had two fridges and the stove. One day we decided to paint the floor of the kitchen. It was cool, because just like that we all instantly decided to make the kitchen bigger. We all pushed the sheves-walls back...presto...bigger kitchen! After a few (wait, many?) beers we went down to the paint store and chose our color for the floor.

Periwinkle.

I remember looking at that kitchen floor while the paint was drying. In my mind, and at that age, there was never a more beautiful floor I had seen in my life. When the paint had dried, we moved the table back in...voila...brand new kitchen!

I miss the loft and it's flexibility. The kitchen I use now is certainly big enough, and actually has my parents old oak dining room table in it upon which we use to dry dishes.

shhhhhh...don't tell

It's a good little kitchen and serves well. It's got cupboards full of lagostina, creuset and oven mits, all old gifts of ex gf;s...

C'mon...what guy do you know is actually going to go out and buy oven mitts?

 

gogo

[gogoblender 3,078]

Sorry for the double post. Lol, just realized I threw out the word Periwinkle about my crush on the best kitchen floor in my life, and noone probably even knows that color that is.

Here, then, is a periwinkled mop

 

 

 

gogo

[erialc 2]

Thats a seriously cool colour gogo! (nar nar...I knew it was a blue) Your loft kitchen sounded awesome!...to be alble to 'enlarge' your kitchen LOL how cool is that! Seems to me you have a passion for painting your kitchens!...what colour is this one? and how many times has it changed?

 

hehe I could see you all in my mind giggling and drinking and painting!

 

It's a good little kitchen and serves well. It's got cupboards full of lagostina, creuset and oven mits, all old gifts of ex gf;s...

haha you lucky devil! Le Creuset is awesome and veeery pricey! hehe heartbreaker you

 

Whats your favorite gadget in your kitchen at the moment?

[gogoblender 3,078]

heh, this is the funny thing. lol, most of the stuff that I had hoarded from all the gfs was stolen when this real WANKER ( @ Claire ) was living in my old place and took off with it. Even a sofa too What I'm left working now is one or two leftover lagostina pans, some with covers, some without. The fry pan is my latest crush. It's got that cool heavy feel of lagostina stuff, and is just plain awesome to fry anything in. I do love anti stick stuff but everytime I go to my gramma's to swipe stuff, they're always hidden.

I think of all the creuset stuff I have, the one that's the most fun is this big pot (orange) that I use to boil pasta in. one day I forgot about the water, and the bottom burned :trans: I called a few creuset places in montreal to see if I could get it re-enamelled, but after I got the phone number I got drunk later that night and never could remember where that place was

Lately...and ONLY because of you...I've made friends with the oven. Ayup. I like turning that thing on, sticking food in then forgetting about it, lol We don't use ovens much in our family...we're a stove=top kinda clan. And this whole new oven-business only came about after I read a few of your posts.

And tonight...my attempt at a brand new dish...rare chicken!

 

gogo

 

p.s. hahah, Claire, that was a joke...oh here Claire comes...run gogo run... :trans:

[erialc 2]

gogo You made me cry laughing!...here's a tip if you still have that pan and the black burnt stuff is still sitting on the enamel...forget it if the enamel came off though....heat up the pan...buy some really cheap red wine and when the pan is very hot....step back and keep splashing the wine in....slowly then start to scrape the burnt stuff off with something wooden. You might have to do this a few time but it should come off eventually.

 

As for that robbing Merchant Banker...may all his milk curdle and his eggs have salmonella!

 

Where are your cooking pics gogo?...show us your creations...and rare chicken...LOL...ok I'm coming over. NO RARE CHICKEN :trans:...what ya like!

 

 

Ohh off to the chinese market in a few mins with my sis!...Hopefully she will stop me spending too much cash, then to the noodle bar round the corner for late lunch...haha I love weekends :trans:

Edited August 18, 2007 by erialc

[myles 2]

Not to be a spoil sport, but there are numerous reports where bottled product from mainland have mysterious contents. If you can make sure you get products from Taiwan or HongKong (at least non-china based).

 

Of course there are good China products out there, but just to be safe you know.

[erialc 2]

The market was awesome! My sis and I spent very very modestly indeed for such an array of goods that we bought...muwahaha sesame snacks with vino are a must...I found my sizzlers at a bargain price, got some bowls spoons etc, sauces many many noodles. hahah the best bit we bought half a duck each all roasted and chopped as we waited...YUMMY!...duck for the next few days...quack quack! The we hit a Vietnamese Noodle bar for a late lunch...OMG such a huuuge plate of food! I had mixed meat with soft Pull noodles and Lisa had sweet n sour chicken with soft pull noodles. haha we are both still full! but the vino is sliding down nicely

 

Funki I was thinking about you whilst we were going round there haha actually hoping for some tips on things that I didn't have a clue about! This market has grown from a smallish shop to a big market and it ROCKS! pak choy....mmmmm....it all smelt so delicious and we both said we could have spent hours and hours in there!

[Funkilicious 1]

I know exactly what you mean Claire, somehow Asian markets just cram so much into their stores, and the aisles are only wide enough for maybe one person to go thru so more goodies per sq foot.

 

The gadget section is always my favourite, the prices just cant be believed.

 

Another favourite is their frozen section with all the yum cha goodies ready to be taken home and steamed.

 

I could spend hours as well.

 

@ gogo , lol you are never allowed in my kitchen with a beer and a can of paint at any point in time. LOL we had a good giggle going over your antics regarding Kitchens and the common theme always seems to be beer and paint

[gogoblender 3,078]

awww...c'mon Funki...not even for a few minutes?

I promise that my taste in colors has much improved

 

gogo

 

p.s. when I used to live in Old Montreal in that loft, I wasn't more than five minutes away from china town. Both of you would have drooled. ^^

[Funkilicious 1]

awww...c'mon Funki...not even for a few minutes?

I promise that my taste in colors has much improved

 

gogo

 

p.s. when I used to live in Old Montreal in that loft, I wasn't more than five minutes away from china town. Both of you would have drooled. ^^

 

Gogo, ok for a few minutes, as long as you take a sobriety test and leave all paint cans and brushes at the door

 

Oh yes I would drool, I get into china town every now and then but I am so lucky to have a couple of asian grocery stores in my shopping precinct.

[gogoblender 3,078]

It was a fantastic thing to have so close by. Imagine never having to use your fridge, and always being able to buy fresh. I know my parents grew up with this kind of thing in Sri Lanka. They'd have all the merchants come down the street one after another all calling out what they were selling.

-meats...

-fresh fish...

-laundry...

 

It's funny because the concept of freshness seems to have been a thing that our parents took for granted, but which we now here in Canada expect to pay a high premium for. That Chinatown so close to me was like adventuring each time I wanted to eat a meal. Hot buns, wild veggies I'd never seen nor heard of before. Beautifully arrayed chilli bottles, and the smell...ahhh, that smell was enough to start the smile. And the merchants were always so friendly. Especially when I told them I knew nothing about how cook the ingredients, I'd get at least two ladies always near me giving me their recipe.

My love for FECAL MATTER!ake mushrooms and properly prepared chinese cabbage was born.

 

 

gogo

 

p.a. HAHAHHAHA, THE CENSOR KILLED MY MUSHROOMS lol!!

It was supposed to read s h I t a k e mushrooms

[Funkilicious 1]

gogo

 

p.a. HAHAHHAHA, THE CENSOR KILLED MY MUSHROOMS lol!!

It was supposed to read s h I t a k e mushrooms [/color]

 

LOL too funny