Lately we’ve been working hard to organize our house in a manner than functions well.
We might have some trouble with this.
Yup.
We might have a little trouble with putting items in random places when we don’t know where it should go. We also might also have a little issue with having too much stuff.
We’re working on it.
You can read more about this on our baby prep blog here: findinglydian.com
So, when we moved into our new place last spring, one of the things that was a real selling point was the kitchen. It’s set up with an island and tall cabinets, enough counter space to really prep food from the start, and granite countertops. Our last kitchen was a little tiny galley and it was the absolute bane of my existence.
Here, for reference.
INSERT OLD KITCHEN PIC
And here is our new kitchen:
INSERT NEW KITCHEN PIC
You see the difference right?
But, we still are refining some aspects. All of our kitchen stuff definitely fits better, but we’re still moving some items around, trying to find that perfect fit. We also have been condensing and upgrading some things. For example, my FIL recently bought us an Instant Pot. We LOVE our Instant Pot. It not only does pressure cooking, it also does slow cooking and can cook rice. So out goes our crockpot and our rice cooker. Both were fine appliances, it’s just a little more efficient to have just one device for all of those functions. Go here for recipes and go here to read more about the instant pot.
And if you’re questioning why we had a rice cooker in the first place, go here.
It is so amazing to have the right kitchen. And it is so amazing to have the right stuff in your kitchen. We’re not quite there with stuff part, but I wanted to talk to you about how important it is to curate a well-thought out kitchen. This doesn’t have to take a lot of money or even a lot of time.
When Lady K and I first moved into the same apartment, I didn’t have a lot of kitchen equipment. My previous living situations as an adult had been with my parents and in a dorm. I just hadn’t really had a reason to curate kitchen supplies. Lady K had been living a bachlorette sort of life. She cooked for herself, but she’s a rules follower in the kitchen, so she mostly had been cooking box meals and simple recipes. She had enough to get by, but it was mostly just what she had ended up with over the years.
One of those disasters was the blender we had. Let me tell you, I hated that thing. I don’t remember what brand or how old it was. TECHNICALLY, it functioned just fine. It blended things, it wasn’t overly hard to clean. Being a hand blender meant it didn’t take up much space. But, it had this small tendency to run at about a million miles an hour, resulting in me being covered by whatever I was blending. If I wasn’t super careful, pretty much the whole kitchen got little droplets of batter and whipped cream and cookie dough and all that. It made for a messy kitchen that took more time to clean up and just looked overall more gross! Lady K never seemed to have an issue, but oh boy, I got rid of that thing as soon as possible! To replace it, I bought a little hand blender at target, Kitchenaid brand, I think it was maybe $30, not any big deal on the wallet. I also will advocate for going to thrift stores if you want cheaper. Our friends have this amazing blender that has to be from at least the 70’s if not the 60’s and it is the best thing ever.
Now, don’t get me wrong, if you have the money, there’s no shame in spending it on some premium equipment sometimes. We just shelled out for this masterpiece, and I’ll be getting rid of the hand blender, mostly just to save space.
Pic of kitchenaid!
Ok, so I guess what I’m getting at here is to simply be thoughtful when building your kitchen. Do your research, think about what will fit and what is necessary, and if you have something in your kitchen that isn’t working or that you never use, don’t be afraid to get rid of it. You don’t have to have all of the same equipment as me or Alton Brown or any other person who does a lot of cooking. If something works for you, well, You Do You.
Good Luck in Your Kitchen Adventures!