Filling the apartment is a slow proces. I'm typing this on our couch- the one piece of furniture in the living-room other than a cardboard box standing in as a coffee table. My duffle bag is still full of clothes and I have no idea where I'm supposed to put all of the towels. Does your apartment's bathroom have a closet? Can they just live on the back of the door? I don't know when this place will start feeling like home, probably after a couple pay-checks and Ikea runs, but until then I'll hangout in the kitchen.
Our kitchen has felt complete since before we even signed a lease. A mixture of obsessive research, gift giving mothers, and the fear of ordering out every night has created a pretty good arsenal of kitchen tools. We threw away all of our "College '08" collection cookware and started with nothing. Here is a list of some of the tools we have and some of things I'm still coveting:
1. Pots and pans. Shopping for pots and pans isn't exactly adrenaline inducing but it's necessary- so let's get it out of the way. My only requirement here was that they be stainless steel. I scratch non-stick pans constantly and the telflon coating freaks me out. My mother ending up buying us these. So far they are great, and were on sale. I also liked this carbon neutral set but they were more expensive and I would guess are of similar quality. Make sure your set has a soup pot. They are great for soup, sauces, pasta and probably a hundred other things I haven't learned to make yet.
2. A cast iron skillet. If you listened to me about #1, you should probably keep listening now. A cast iron skillet is great for a non-stick option, and I love that you don't have to scrub them clean. Pinterest is also full of cast iron recipes- which I can now make. You can buy them here and learn to use them here. Ours is pre-seasoned which seems easier than doing it yourself.
3. Dishes. For obvious reasons, you need dishes. We decided on Fiestaware. I wanted something colorful and easy to add to in the future. We only bought a four place setting of dishes because our dishes would never get done if we had back-ups. Each of our settings are a different color, so it will be easy to add another color into the mix when we decide to host a dinner party or be responsible adults who do their dishes before every single one is dirty.
4. Barware. It may be time to stop buying solo cup and stealing pint glasses from bars (you did that too, right?). You'll probably have guests and they will probably BYOB so you should be ready for anything. We have wine glasses, martini glasses, high/ lowball glasses and legally obtained pint glasses (okay, maybe a few from the aforementioned college days). We also have a corkscrew and a bottle opener. I bought this bottle opener for Adam's 21st at a small shop in Massachusetts, but as it turns out you can buy the exact same one on Amazon. I'm coveting a cocktail shaker like this ball jar version from West Elm.
5. A cookbook. I'm learning to cook... slowly. I like to use my iPad for recipes but that would be ridiculous to put on this list and nothing really compares to a new cookbook anyway. My mom just got us this cookbook by the Beekman boys who won the amazing race. I had no idea who they were, but she went to a book signing and got a personalized book for all of my siblings. The recipes are categorized by the season and focus on local fresh ingredients.
6. Immersion blender. Trust me on this one. The immersion blender is my favorite thing in the kitchen. I would love a stand- mixer, but I'm not adult enough or immature enough to spend hundreds of dollars on one. The immersion blender works right in the bowl or pot you are using. It makes everything from soups to smoothies and is much cheaper than buying a mixer and food processor.
7. Cloth napkins. Save the environment and make your kitchen look adorable with cloth napkins- I should get paid for that pitch. I bought these at Pier one with these pretty wooden napkin rings. I bought four so we have enough for guests and have extras between washing for everyday use.
8. Cutlery and cooking utensils. Let's lump these together. You are less likely to cut yourself with a really sharp knife, so make sure your knives are nice. My college roommate and I had the world's dullest knives. Adam was always forced to bring his own, and look like the craziest person on the bus, when we did dinner at my place. We got this set as a gift and they are SHARP. We also got these matching Joseph Joseph cooking utensils. I love them because they nest and look nice behind our stove.
9. French press and coffee grinder. I love coffee. Love. We use a Bodum french press and grind our own freshly roasted beans in a Cuisinart Burr Mill grinder. We bought the grinder with a giftcard or we would have gone with a cheaper version like this one. I loved my roommates Keurig last year, but seriously it dosen't even compare. Also, a french press doesn't use filters so it's cheaper in the long run and doesn't produce useless trash.
10. An herb garden. I can run around the corner for beer, liquor, potato chips and the occasional gallon of milk- but going out for fresh ingredients is a process. An herb garden keeps everything on hand and fresh. My mom bought us this Mackenzie-Childs one, but she works there and gets a serious discount. I found cheaper and cute chalkboard option on Etsy.
What tools do you have that you love? What did I miss?
Our kitchen has felt complete since before we even signed a lease. A mixture of obsessive research, gift giving mothers, and the fear of ordering out every night has created a pretty good arsenal of kitchen tools. We threw away all of our "College '08" collection cookware and started with nothing. Here is a list of some of the tools we have and some of things I'm still coveting:
1. Pots and pans. Shopping for pots and pans isn't exactly adrenaline inducing but it's necessary- so let's get it out of the way. My only requirement here was that they be stainless steel. I scratch non-stick pans constantly and the telflon coating freaks me out. My mother ending up buying us these. So far they are great, and were on sale. I also liked this carbon neutral set but they were more expensive and I would guess are of similar quality. Make sure your set has a soup pot. They are great for soup, sauces, pasta and probably a hundred other things I haven't learned to make yet.
2. A cast iron skillet. If you listened to me about #1, you should probably keep listening now. A cast iron skillet is great for a non-stick option, and I love that you don't have to scrub them clean. Pinterest is also full of cast iron recipes- which I can now make. You can buy them here and learn to use them here. Ours is pre-seasoned which seems easier than doing it yourself.
3. Dishes. For obvious reasons, you need dishes. We decided on Fiestaware. I wanted something colorful and easy to add to in the future. We only bought a four place setting of dishes because our dishes would never get done if we had back-ups. Each of our settings are a different color, so it will be easy to add another color into the mix when we decide to host a dinner party or be responsible adults who do their dishes before every single one is dirty.
4. Barware. It may be time to stop buying solo cup and stealing pint glasses from bars (you did that too, right?). You'll probably have guests and they will probably BYOB so you should be ready for anything. We have wine glasses, martini glasses, high/ lowball glasses and legally obtained pint glasses (okay, maybe a few from the aforementioned college days). We also have a corkscrew and a bottle opener. I bought this bottle opener for Adam's 21st at a small shop in Massachusetts, but as it turns out you can buy the exact same one on Amazon. I'm coveting a cocktail shaker like this ball jar version from West Elm.
5. A cookbook. I'm learning to cook... slowly. I like to use my iPad for recipes but that would be ridiculous to put on this list and nothing really compares to a new cookbook anyway. My mom just got us this cookbook by the Beekman boys who won the amazing race. I had no idea who they were, but she went to a book signing and got a personalized book for all of my siblings. The recipes are categorized by the season and focus on local fresh ingredients.
6. Immersion blender. Trust me on this one. The immersion blender is my favorite thing in the kitchen. I would love a stand- mixer, but I'm not adult enough or immature enough to spend hundreds of dollars on one. The immersion blender works right in the bowl or pot you are using. It makes everything from soups to smoothies and is much cheaper than buying a mixer and food processor.
7. Cloth napkins. Save the environment and make your kitchen look adorable with cloth napkins- I should get paid for that pitch. I bought these at Pier one with these pretty wooden napkin rings. I bought four so we have enough for guests and have extras between washing for everyday use.
8. Cutlery and cooking utensils. Let's lump these together. You are less likely to cut yourself with a really sharp knife, so make sure your knives are nice. My college roommate and I had the world's dullest knives. Adam was always forced to bring his own, and look like the craziest person on the bus, when we did dinner at my place. We got this set as a gift and they are SHARP. We also got these matching Joseph Joseph cooking utensils. I love them because they nest and look nice behind our stove.
9. French press and coffee grinder. I love coffee. Love. We use a Bodum french press and grind our own freshly roasted beans in a Cuisinart Burr Mill grinder. We bought the grinder with a giftcard or we would have gone with a cheaper version like this one. I loved my roommates Keurig last year, but seriously it dosen't even compare. Also, a french press doesn't use filters so it's cheaper in the long run and doesn't produce useless trash.
10. An herb garden. I can run around the corner for beer, liquor, potato chips and the occasional gallon of milk- but going out for fresh ingredients is a process. An herb garden keeps everything on hand and fresh. My mom bought us this Mackenzie-Childs one, but she works there and gets a serious discount. I found cheaper and cute chalkboard option on Etsy.
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| Some of our tools in use. |
What tools do you have that you love? What did I miss?
Oh my goodness i LOVE YOUR TEAPOT! I think you've got a great arsenal going, especially that cast-iron skillet (i have three ha!)!
ReplyDeleteEverything else will come with time (and those paychecks/ikea runs) but having a stocked kitchen helps to make it feel more 'home-like' :)