Update with photos: What you can fit into a small kitchen

I am re-posting this, but with photos of the ‘innards’ of the kitchen.  Scroll to the bottom if you want to skip it.

Here is my stunningly gorgeous kitchen (yes, I am in LOVE). This post is on what I have behind my six cabinet doors.

 

I cook every day, we prepare three meals a day, albeit simple meals, but prepared nonetheless. We also have company almost every weekend, and I cook for them as well. I have prepared meals for up to 70 people in this small kitchen! For me, I have my favorite items that I use daily, like this vegetable chopper (click images to find one for you – incidentally, I am not being reimbursed in any way for providing any of this information):

CANNOT do without this.

I also have:

• six skillets, four cast iron, and two Teflon coated.
• two large soup pots
• two different sized crock pots (one large, one small).
• A large casserole dish I recently acquired from my mother-in-law (all stained and very used, I love thinking how she made meals in it for her family).
• a Jack LaLanne juicer – enormous, but I use it every day
• about thirty pieces of Tupperware – I love their Modular Mates for sugar, flour, cornmeal, oatmeal and beans. These are essential to my having an organized kitchen (again, I am not being reimbursed, but I provided a link if you click on the photo, I love these)

• We have two different sized sauce pans
• AND, an absolute MUST for me….. two Mirrow pressure cookers like this:

I learned to use these in South America, they are the Ecuadoran woman's equivalent to a microwave, only MUCH better.

Back to the bullets…..

• I have a basket full of strange gadgets that I never use, like egg slicers and weird peelers, but I can't part with them.
• a cutting board
• a small drawer full of ladles, spoons, and knives. I actually have four good knives
• Three good mixing bowls of different sizes.
• a citrus juicer

My splurge? TWO sets of beautiful dishes! I know! it is crazy! My Mother-in-law gave me her Franciscan Apple Dishes that she had collecting from the '40's, There are 12 place settings plus bowls and other beautiful matching pieces, I use them every day.

My mother gave me her set of beautiful blue and white china. I can't get rid of either! This set is used on special occasions, there are only 8 settings, along with the matching tureens, cake stand, and other pieces.

I just keep them very well organized, and make sure the cabinet is attached very securely to the wall :)

• Also I have a blender, and a mixer. I use them rarely, well, maybe once or twice a month.
• I have FOUR glass baking dishes – I forgot I recently added two more for Natto making : )
• two cookie pans
• two cupcake pans - I cannot remember the word for these.

Here it is, in all it’s glory!  These pictures have not been photoshopped, they are pure, untouched reality – if you look closely you may see crumbs in the silverware organizer (ok – how do they get there?  It is not like I rake the food off the table and PUT them there).

A close-up of that basket in the pantry:

Under the sink – I am not that organized, I just get my exercise by stacking and un-stacking.

Over the kitchen sink.  These cabinets must weigh a hundred lbs.……..very securely screwed to the wall : )

My spices and baking goods, above the stove.  I am still trying to figure out a system for this area….any suggestions?

And lastly, I have these two baskets I use as ‘overflow storage for the serving bowls, platters, bone dishes, and other items that match my mother-in-law’s dishes (they will always be hers, I am just taking care of them).  It may not be the best way to DISPLAY them, but it gets the job done.

Oh, that is funny.  The cheese grater looks like it has cheese hanging off of it.  Those are particles of soap – I use it for soap grating when I make laundry detergent : )

So, there you have it. I love knowing what I own. Every piece is special.