Welcome to my Condo: Kitchen Tour

If you know me at all, it's no surprise to hear that I spend hours each day in my kitchen. I cook dinner almost every night, and love making bread, muffins, crackers, and just about anything else you can think of. Our kitchen is far from huge, and not exactly what I would call my 'dream kitchen'... but it has some merit. After a couple small and/or crappy apartments, I love the fact that this kitchen is in a condo that we own, and that I can do anything I want to make it my own. Honestly, there have been very few changes at this point (3 years into home ownership), but at least I know I could change things if I felt like it!

This hanging pot rack is an excellent example of something I couldn't have done before, when we rented an apartment. There are giant screws holding this thing up, and most landlords to not approve of that kind of thing! This rack was a splurge we bought at Crate and Barrel soon after moving in, and I can say we bought it out of necessity. See, our kitchen is small, and has limited storage. Our collection of kitchen equipment is on the larger side, and when we moved in we could only put our pots and pans in the oven. Obviously, this was not a great solution, and after preheating the pans a couple times, I convinced Joe we needed this pot rack. What a good purchase that was!

 

This cabinet is home to a few of my favorite things. First, the pasta roller (1). After assisting with a million pasta making classes at the Chopping Block, I had to have one. Not something I use everyday, but a very important part of my kitchen. Gotta represent my Italian heritage! Next, the plates (2)... not my favorite thing, but they are special because they are so freaking large that they don't fit in normal, above-the-counter cabinets. We mostly just use the top two again and again, because they're also too large for the dishwasher. That's what happens when you get married in a city without Crate and Barrel, and choose goofy (and expensive!) plates from Pottery Barn. Don't say I didn't warn you! The orange Le Creuset buffet/braiser (3) is my favorite kitchen purchase ever, because it's colorful and amazing for cooking almost anything. And my surprise item that is used more than I ever would have predicted... my kitchen scale (4). It's handy for so many kitchen tasks!

The cabinets above the stove and counter are full of all sorts of fun stuff... canning equipment, a meat grinder, sushi making gear, and all your normal baking supplies. Really, not too exciting up this way.

We have 4, yes FOUR, different coffee making devices in our small kitchen. Each has their own purpose. From left to right: The Senseo machine is our weekday go-to, providing coffee at the push of a button. The Bodum french press is great for loose leaf tea or coarsely ground coffee. The Bialetti stove top espresso maker is awesome for a small cup of the good stuff, or for the base of a homemade latte. And the regular coffee maker is a weekend requirement, for when we spent a couple hours bumming around the house, circling back for a second or third cup. We're pretty much constantly caffeinated.

That's pretty much everything. I warned you, this isn't the world's largest kitchen! Now you have a bit of an idea where I spend most of my time. What's your favorite room in your house?