Kitchen Tour



Jen from Use Real Butter has been doing a great series of kitchen tours on her blog.
She has been showing photos of blogger's kitchens and where it all happens.

Since I do so much cooking, people always assume that I have a large gourmet kitchen equipped with a Wolf range, Bosch dishwasher and Subzero fridge. It ain't so.

You don't have to have a big kitchen to produce great meals. This is proven by
Debra from Smitten Kitchen who shows her small NYC apartment kitchen as well as Mark Bittman's "bad" kitchen in his small NY apartment, and they both seem to be doing just fine with their cooking!

Some of these kitchens I have seen are gorgeous, to die for!
I especially love the California kitchens, where you can see the fruit trees and all the blooming plants outside the windows. Some of these people have professional photo equipment, and special areas where all food styling is done and photos are taken, complete with darkroom!

Jealousy.

I have a small kitchen, and after many arguments, have learned to make friends with it.
Since my house was built in 1928, a small Dutch colonial, there are limitations to how tricked out you can make a kitchen.



I updated the existing horrible cabinetry by spending money on good quality drawer pulls, a good dual fuel oven (now 9 years old), a granite island, & a stainless steel fridge. Other than that, it is what it is.



I have made food for 40 people (catering jobs) in this tiny kitchen, and am used to the ease of just turning around in one motion and being from stove to sink.
I use the island for buffet service and everyone likes to gather in this small space.



It's a bright and sunny kitchen with fresh white walls and nice windows.
I have antique paintings all over the walls and an old wooden sign above the sink that says ANTIQUES.

For a small kitchen, there is decent storage space. There are slide out drawers for pantry items and pots & pans so it is easy to find things. I keep my cookie sheets in the oven!





I have many collections, about 30 cookbooks, a large collection of 18th century English utilitarian pottery and 19th century French pate terrines (pictured with the rabbit and bird heads!). These figural earthenware vessels go in the oven for making game or pork terrines, though I have yet to try one out! (I am afraid of breaking them!).





It's a quirky kitchen for sure, and won't be featured in Architectural Digest magazine anytime soon, but it's mine, and I have come to like it. Hell, I spend half my day with antiques, the other half with food.

Like my grandmother used to say "If there is room in your heart, there is room in your home".

Comments

Ciao Chow Linda said…
Stacey - I love your kitchen, with that great window over the stove, the good-looking granite counters, the pull-out shelves, the TV (I'd love to be able to watch the news while I'm preparing dinner), the terrines, the antiques sign. It's quirky yes, but that's what makes it so warm and interesting. Thanks for sharing your kitchen. I'm sitting in mine right now watching a deer in my backyard chomp some more of our shrubs to bits. urghh. nature!
Anonymous said…
It's not the size - it's what's produced... starting with the warmth (not the temperature of the room, either).
mil
kat said…
I think your kitchen is really cute & I'm jealous of the island! We have a 1930's bungalow so I know what it takes to get used to a small kitchen, we have dreams of bumping out the back of the house a few feet.
Anonymous said…
what is all that pretty pottery called? and how old is it?
i love antiques!
Stacey Snacks said…
Most of the pieces in the cabinet are "mocha-ware", a colorful utilitarian English pottery made in the late 1700's, early 1800's.

The plates are called "Whieldon Ware" and are from the 1770's and are English creamware, very light (also known as tortoise shell ware).
The poodle was made in Vermont in 1860 and is called Bennington Pottery.

Thanks for asking!
Stacey
Thanks for sharing. You have a lot of interesting stuff in your kitchen. Mine is only 8'x8' so decorative touches of any kind are out of the question.
LaDue & Crew said…
Stacey, I love it!! It's funny how a few pics like these can take the mystery out of a blogger and make them more a friend. I felt like I was sharing a cup of coffee with you this morning! I adore your kitchen, and all of your amazing antiques. My fav is that window- wow! When I stare out of mine I see the block wall fence and the neighbors wall- ugh! I am envious of your corner cabinet, and the pull-outs. Now, is the pic of the house, below your profile, the outside of your place?
noble pig said…
I love the corner cabinets! And the windows are beautiful! I think its a great kitchen, you are doing well.
Giff said…
nice to get a peek into where the magic happens :)
SarahB said…
Thanks for the tour Sta! I love it!
Karen said…
Nice tour... what a fun thing to do! Love those pate terrines, they're gorgeous!
Patsyk said…
I love your kitchen! From the pictures, it looks like it is set up perfectly for preparing large meals. very nice!
So this is where all the magic happens! I have a TV in my kitchen too, and it looks like we have the same coffee maker. Your window is beautiful, love the view.
I would die for those pull out drawers! Your kitchens perfect! Same question. Is that your cute house in the pic below??
Foodiewife said…
Stace, thanks so much for inviting us into your kitchen. It's lovely and I wish I had an island! Funny, I've been watching Jen's blog and have been so impressed with the different kitchens I've been able to see.

This morning, I shot photos of mine, wanting to upload them and to share my tiny work space. Now, I see you did the same!

It's fun to see how food bloggers function in the kitchen. Yours is lovely. Thanks!

Deb
Dewi said…
Wow Stacey, I really enjoy your kitchen tour. It's so neat, I like how your sink facing the out side. Your plate stacks so neatly too, love you antique collection of that ceramics terrines. They are so beautiful
Cheers,
elra
Anonymous said…
I like your kitchen! It's very homey and personable.
I think the kitchen is the most important place in a home, esp since I spend the majority of my time there!
Chefectomy said…
Good cooks will make it happen in a small kitchen. You are obviously a pro...

--Marc
Culinary Cory said…
I love the granite island! My kitchen is too small for an island. Which is why I have decided my next kitchen will be large enough for people to gather and talk to me while I cook.

My kitchen is still a work in progress. I need a new counter to accommodate the dishwasher I added when I bought the place. My big luxury purchase for the year was new appliances. French door fridge and five burner stove.
Maris said…
You are SO organized! Your kitchen may be modest in size but I wouldn't call it small, you have plenty of space! My kitchen is a little smaller than yours and I'm not half as organized as you!
Dana said…
I think light is a true key to a great kitchen. I have a nice big one, but it is very dark and I find that that really gets to me after a while. I love all the personal touches in yours. It looks like a room where it is a pleasure to spend lots of time!
RecipeGirl said…
I love your kitchen! Lucky you having those slide out shelves in your cupboards too! I've wanted those for so long!
Randi Lynne said…
Thanks for sharing your kitchen!
Chef E said…
I wish my kitchen was this 'small'!

We can barely accommodate ten people if I entertain, unless we move to the common grounds out back and make it a picnic...
Jen Yu said…
That's a great tour, Stacey. Thanks for sharing!
Melissa said…
There is nothing about your kitchen I don't love (though I admit to perking up even more when I saw your island).

I really dig this, thanks for sharing!!
The Food Hunter said…
Cute kitchen. I've been out of touch for so long, but NY was awesome.
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