susaninbmore's Profile

I'm with the gender-neutral vote. I don't think that because a kitchen is functional and minimal makes it masculine per se - rather, these traits makes it utilitarian.

We just completely renovated our kitchen and every design choice between myself and my husband was based on two factors: the purpose it would serve and whether it would look good. The result was something very similar to the kitchens in this post, and it works for both of us, as man and woman.

We're actually making meals out of our makeshift kitchen now while the kitchen is undergoing renovations. Luckily, we have a large laundry room (which was actually the old kitchen in the former in-law suite), so we're doing dishes in the utility sink and have a small dish rack on the washer. We held on to a few cups, mugs bowls and melamine plates to use; small cutting board, a knife and serving spoons. We also have compostable plates, cups and utensils, just in case.

I'd say the most important thing is making sure you have enough of a work surface to cut, mix, prep, etc. Nothing is more frustrating messy food prep.

Grilling almost every night is amazing and you should enjoy it, especially as the weather warms up. We use the microwave quite a bit - maybe you can borrow one? I know the microwave discussion has been hot on thekitchn for some time now. It REALLY helps when we're making a cup of tea, reheating leftovers or making frozen meals. The toaster is nice to have around, but I'll second the toaster oven idea. Cous cous is the easiest and fastest grain to make. We haven't used our rice cooker yet but probably will.

Oh, and most important of all - our coffeemaker. Can't stress that one enough.

I love the cute kitchen in A Woman is a Woman.

I also have been using my Chefmate dutch oven from Target (around $50) for a few years now, and have had no problems. I've had great results with several types of recipes/ingredients, both on the stove and in the oven. My only complaint is the weight, but hey, its cast iron. However, I don't think it is on sale anymore. I recommend checking out America's Test Kitchen - they have reviews dutch ovens that are helpful.

We use a paper bag - usually from Trader Joe's - and fold the bag over to prevent flies. Every few days, we throw the entire bag into the compost bin. If there are leaks, a pan usually works just fine. We haven't had any problems with bad smells or flies with this method, and we're good about getting composting it on a regular basis. The best thing is that it is free and we're repurposing materials (bags) that we get on a weekly basis.