Kitchen Thoughts

A good friend once pointed out that I keep a lot of my frequently used kitchen items out, close at hand. He likes his things all neatly put away when he's not cooking. There's room in the world for both styles. I think what I have is considered a cook's kitchen. If I'm focused on cooking, I don't like stopping to dig thru a drawer in search of a spatula or a whisk.

I like having things at my fingertips, on the wall, in a utensil crock, on a hook, or on a shelf over the stove. Sure, it gives my kitchen a busy fussy look which will never end up in a magazine, but I can post pictures of it on my blog now, can't I?!

The problem with having a small kitchen and a love of cooking is that the two don't work well together. Above is a photo of my built in spice cupboard. The house was built in 1920 and this was originally a built in ironing board closet. Around the corner, thru the door on the right, I have a big "pantry" of sorts in the back entry, and at the bottom of my basement steps is a rather large shelving system, filled to overflowing with large, occasionally used kitchen appliances.

I keep a set of frequently used measuring cups hanging over the sink. I also keep my dish soap mixed with a little water for quick pouring, in a decanter bottle with a measured pour spout on it, always close at hand. It's pretty, as well as a time saver.

I used to keep my knives in a draw, wrapped safely to protect them. I spent more time going into that drawer and unwrapping them, so I opted for a wall-mounted knife rack. No going back!


Some people cook with passion, and some people merely cook to eat. I think how I cook is obvious. With passion. I love cooking and I especially love to eat my cooking! Sometimes... a little too much! I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a good cook. When I used to date more, my friend Joe used to tell me that if I find a guy I really like, all I had to do was cook for him. When he's met men I've dated, he's said to them, "Has she cooked for you yet? She HAS to cook for you!" So my saying that I'm a good cook isn't just me tooting my own horn. Well, maybe a little.

Well friends, that's my kitchen. I didn't do anything special before taking the photos, so if you stop over, this is how it will look. I would like a new kitchen floor, pretty counter tops, a bigger kitchen, maybe opened up to the living/dining room area... I could go on, but this is the kitchen I have, and I enjoy cooking in it, in spite of its flaws.

What kind of kitchen do you have? Do you think it represents your cooking style?