The Kitchen – where it all happens
I’ve shown photos of my foods, now let me show you where it all happens. All the cooking that is! Naughty … what else were you thinking :)
The bedroom is where I spend most of my time. Next is the kitchen… I love to maintain our small kitchen. It must always remain tidy and neat (if you want to know why, scroll down to the end of the post). I think I maintain it way more than our bedroom! The counter top near the hob always remains clear and uncluttered. After I cook something I will always clean the hob immediately.
Before when we were still doing the kitchen …
And after … photos taken today. A little dark because I didn’t switch on the top lights. Natural light is the best right :)
This is the other side of our kitchen. I wish our kitchen was bigger. I would have loved an island kitchen! Guess where the dishwasher holder is hiding? Well it’s inside that cabinet on top :) I wanted to have the dishwasher holder directly above the sink, but with a window right above and in front of the sink, this wasn’t possible. I like to keep things behind closed doors. Again I try not to keep so many things on the counter top. Less is best.I like a minimalist look.
Can you spot my “Nigella Feast” book? hehe :) I have more cooking books but they are still in boxes.
If I could turn back time, I would have changed a couple of things to our current kitchen:
- Get a granite or marble counter top instead of a solid surface counter top. I didn’t really know much about granite vs solid surface counter top a year ago but now I can tell that it’s important to get a granite one if you cook regularly!
- There’s more to cabinetry than just good looks. A functional storage is very important. Get some pull outs — easy to reach for spices or other cooking items. Make a customised pantry too.
- Don’t get a white counter top if you plan to keep a lot of stuffs on the counter top. Despite not keeping a lot of things on mine, I still ended up with some yellow marks (thanks to a mango!!) which can’t be removed even with “Cif” cream! But it’s not very visible, so it’s still okay. If anyone knows how I can remove that stubborn yellow mark, please let me know :)
- Don’t get glossy black cabinets if you can’t maintain them. Well I haven’t had any problems with mine so far. You just need to know how to open the doors without leaving fingerprints hehe.
- Get cabinet downlights (below the top cabinets). The kitchen will look warmer :)
I think that’s all I would have changed :) We moved in only a year ago, so maybe in a couple of more years the list will become longer! I will save that for my next kitchen hehe.
I use the “Oven Power” to clean the oven and to remove grease from sticky surfaces. The “Cif” really removes a lot of stubborn stains trust me. The “glass cleaner” is obviously for glass surfaces like my black glass backing, kitchen door and windows.
The reason why my kitchen must always remain tidy and neat …
Before we moved into our current house, I was renting an apartment which was vacant for more than 5 years and was already housing a LOT of cockroaches (especially the kitchen) prior to moving in. I had called the pest control but their sprays didn’t help as there were cockroach eggs hidden somewhere. Everyday for one year I would see one or two (and even more) dead cockroaches in the kitchen. It was very traumatizing! I never dared to keep anything inside the cabinets and the fridge was empty most of the time. Needless to say I was not cooking at all except for a few smoothies or some simple things using my portable electric cooker. If you have been following my old blog (which is not available anymore), you must have seen couple of photos of those cockroaches! Click here to see one of those photos and another one when the pest control people came.
Tags: at home, decor, Home, interior design, kitchen
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:57 pm
if i’ve a choice, i also wish for a big kitchen in my home. With what u call marble top? good for doing kitchen goodies:) But that is just thinking. I don’t tink have the money have a big one hahah. But i know mine will have my table top with so many things haha. I can start neat and ended up having many many other things.
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
wow. so many cockroaches. I haven’t seen any at home yet. *touch wood*
My friends and I just went to our old condo today to clean the place. We have to return the keys to the owner in a week or two. We used something to clean some stubborn stains. I don’t remember the name. I’ll have to ask my friend.
We had an oven quite similar to yours back at our old place but we don’t have one at the new place. :( We are thinking of buying one now but the only ovens we saw are slightly bigger than a microwave. That’s too small.
aline’s last blog post..Cute kittens
May 24th, 2009 at 1:46 am
I think your kitchen looks very welcoming and cozy. No wonder you do some great cooking in there :P
Angele’s last blog post..Now that’s a big whopper!
May 24th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Beautiful. I have only one thing to say. If you want to keep your knife sharp for a longer period, try using a knife block :-) I used to do the same thing, but then I saw a cheap knife block.
I am obssessed with knives :-)
Patrick Ng’s last blog post..Entre les murs
May 24th, 2009 at 7:07 am
Believe it or not, I have yet to see a cockroach in Canada. That does not mean they don’t exist though. There are a bigger problem in restaurants (Canada) I think.
Patrick Ng’s last blog post..Entre les murs
May 24th, 2009 at 9:55 am
@ Aki
Yeah we don’t have much choice over here huh. All the apartments are so small :(
I don’t understand your question “With what u call marble top?” …
The counter top near the hop seldom ends up having other things, but as for the one near the sink, if I don’t declutter it every few days or so, it will end up having quite a number of things :)
May 24th, 2009 at 10:02 am
@ Aline
Yes it was my first time seeing so many cockroaches! The place was vacant for so long and there were left-over foods in the cabinets! That is why it was infested with those unpleasant roaches!
Is your rubbish chute inside or outside the apartment? Sometimes if there is a rubbish chute inside the place, some cockroaches can get in from there.
Are you referring to a microwave oven? Yeah they aren’t as big as the other types of ovens but you can still bake stuffs inside, not everything though.
May 24th, 2009 at 10:02 am
@ Angele
Hehehe :)
May 24th, 2009 at 10:11 am
@ Patrick
I used to have a wooden knife block but it rusted all my knives! I think it’s because I never used to dry my knives before putting them into the knife block or maybe because they quality of the stainless steel wasn’t good hehe.
Yeah I know about you and your knives haha.
May 24th, 2009 at 10:15 am
@ Patrick
How about lizards? I have hardly seen lizards here, unlike in Mauritius! :P
May 24th, 2009 at 10:33 am
No, I have not seen any lizard either. I’m sure they exist too. I don’t know if it’s too dry inside. In winter, it’s very dry indoor. Sometimes we need to use a humidifier, otherwise our nose will bleed.
Also, unlike Mauritius where if you leave food on the table you’ll get ants in less than no time, I have not seen ants at home. That being said, I have seen some big ones when I used to live in an old apartment. But, I only saw them when at the very beginning of spring, and then I did not see them again for the rest of the year.
Patrick Ng’s last blog post..Entre les murs
May 25th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Your kitchen looks very nice. And very fitting if you live in an apartment, too. It reminds me of when we just finished our kitchen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeyoung/287127990/in/set-72157594431339071/).
@Patrick – Insects are rare in cold countries. Summer is here, so I’m seeing a few ants and bees. I, too, have never seen a cockroach here.
@Carine – You should wipe all your utensils after washing them for a few reasons, but mostly:
1) To remove water marks off them.
2) To eliminate breeding ground for bacteria, especially in a damp climate like that of Singapore.
Eddy.
Eddy Young’s last blog post..Two brains
May 25th, 2009 at 4:44 am
@Eddy
I think it’s because of the cold too. However, they need to be careful in Canada. They noticed than some insects that get into shipping boxes from China are very resistent to cold weather.
@Carine
Yes. You should wipe your knives before putting them in a knife block.
Patrick Ng’s last blog post..Entre les murs
May 25th, 2009 at 9:37 am
@ Patrick
I’ve seen some ants at my place in the kitchen but they seem to be seasonal. Thank God I haven’t seen any for the past couple of months! I hate ants!! I never leave food on the counter top or table just in case. The moment I see ants, I will trace their home and immediately spray insect spray! I also use a white chalk that can kill them.
May 25th, 2009 at 9:42 am
@ Eddy
Your kitchen is lovely! :) Does it always remain neat as in the picture?
I wipe my more expensive utensils (Mayer ones) and those that I store. As for the ones that we use daily (the 2 plates, 2 forks & 2 spoons), I don’t wipe…
May 25th, 2009 at 9:43 am
@ Patrick
Yeah, if I get a knife holder I will definitely wipe all the knives before putting them in :)
May 25th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
@Carine – It is actually tidier now! Priscilla, like you, does not allow any traces on the cooker. She’s the one who tidies up. I do the washing.
In this picture, you see plates on the drainer, but they are usually wiped dry and kept in the cupboards. I have cutlery dating back to 2001 that is still as shiny as when they were first bought. Same for the glasses.
Do you have a gas cooker or an electric hob?
Eddy.
Eddy Young’s last blog post..Two brains
May 25th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
@Eddy
You don’t have a dishwasher? When I was in the apartment, I wanted a dishwasher since the rent included water and electricity, but was not allowed to have one. When we moved in our house, there was one already, but did not use it a lot thinking it will use too much water and electricity. But, with a baby we started to use it a lot. Surprisingly, it did not cost. In fact, I think it’s even better.
Patrick Ng’s last blog post..Entre les murs
May 25th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
@ Eddy
Hehehe thumbs up to Priscilla :) Oh no, I don’t allow the husband to do the washing (and anyways, he doesn’t like to wash the dishes lol) because the soap will fly everywhere and the floor will be wet! :P Ok maybe I’m exaggerating a little :P
We use gas cooker, those centralised ones from PUB. Yours is gas too if I’m not wrong?
May 25th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
@Carine – Yes, we get gas from the mains supply in the UK.
I do the washing and clean the oven. Fair, I suppose, as I couldn’t boil an egg to save myself!
@Patrick – We planned to get a dishwasher — even have the space under the counter — but I got used to washing up; so much that we don’t see the point of having one now.
Eddy.
Eddy Young’s last blog post..Two brains
May 25th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
@Eddy
You need to learn how to cook. That being said, I have been eating out mostly for the past 3 weeks since Sheron and Angelica are still in Mauritius. Having very little time left for my studies after coming from work, I did not see the point of preparing food and then clean up after having eaten. The incentive is not there when I need to cook for one person only. I used to do it before Sheron arrived in Canada, but don’t feel like doing it anymore. For $7.00 I can get a nice Vietnamese noodle soup…mmm
One thing I hate when doing dishes is how bad dish soap can be on my skin. I have very dry skin which is already greatly affected by the dry weather in Canada. A dishwasher is of no use for a big wok and a pressure cooker though. We still have to wash those ourselves.
@Carine
If you don’t want to use a knife block, you can still use magnet, but I think this is overkill for just a few knives.
Patrick Ng’s last blog post..Entre les murs
May 26th, 2009 at 1:17 am
As usual Eddy is too modest… Sous sa carapace se cache un grand chef :)
May 26th, 2009 at 9:56 am
@ Eddy
Well the husband help me with other things like sometimes wash the balcony, hang the clothes, throw the garbage … Just don’t mess with the kitchen :P
@ patrick
I want to get a dishwasher but I find it too bulky … It’s pretty useful though. Especially when hosting dinners. Sometimes when I have casual dinners at home I will just use paper plates. No need to wash a lot after that! Plus, there’s no need to take out the plates and keep them again after use :P
May 26th, 2009 at 10:02 am
@ Patrick
I also don’t feel like cooking if cooking for myself. How big is the Vietnamese noodle soup for $7.00 CAD?
Magnet?? How does this thing work?
May 26th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
@Clive – Unfortunately, I am not being modest. I really can’t cook. It’s one of those things that completely evade me.
Eddy.
Eddy Young’s last blog post..Two brains
May 26th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I think he’s talking about the magnetic knife holder. We considered getting one for our kitchen but two of us are a bit wary about letting our knives stick to the magnetic holder like that. My friend’s bf was the one who seemed more keen about it. He wanted the type that is placed on the wall. As for us girls, we are a bit scared that somehow the knives will fall off one day. :P Such a thing might probably not happen but we don’t want to take any risks.
I also heard that it’s supposed to be bad ‘feng shui’ to have many exposed sharp edges in the house.
You can see some photos of magnetic knife holders there :
http://www.chefdepot.net/racks.htm
I don’t like the type that is placed on walls but I like the magnetic block. :)
aline’s last blog post..Prata and mixed veggies for lunch
May 26th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I agree with Aline. These wall-hugging knife blades make me shiver whenever I come across them.
Eddy.
Eddy Young’s last blog post..Two brains
May 26th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
@ Aline
I’ve never seen the magnetic knife holder before. After taking a look at the link, I’m with you. I don’t think I will buy a wall magnetic one… Looks dangerous. And my cat may jump up to it!
“Sharp edges” is reminding me of not having plants with sharp leaves, at home because of bad ‘feng shui’ :P I read this somwhere hehe
May 27th, 2009 at 5:43 am
I’m not into “Feng Shui” but it is more scary in the picture than in a kitchen or the store. I will probably never have one of these, at least not until my daughter has gown up quite a bit. Access to knives would be easy otherwise.
Patrick Ng’s last blog post..Angelica à 5 mois