I agree with Doug and Luc - crockpot / Insta is key. One of my favorite cooking methods is braising, and I'll even share a favorite: pot roast three ways. Braise a hunk o' chuck big enough to have leftovers, portion and freeze. Make three gravies: German sauerbraten (sweet & sour), Italian brasato (red wine), and good ol' Yankee pot roast (standard brown gravy), and freeze. Then depending on your mood, pick one and serve with appropriate sides. Variety couldn't be simpler!
A small crock pot is a must. The only appliance you can turn on, throw stuff in and forget about for most of the day. Hint- they make liners for them you toss when done with minimal clean up.
The SMALL crockpot is great bc I don't have as much food to put in containers to freeze. (If you don't fill up big crock pot it doesnt work/cook right.)
That picture IS MY KITCHEN! Everything you've described (minus air fryer) is ME. I cook for one mostly and two years ago I changed my (tiny) kitchen. I saw I didn't need a normal size family oven etc. Now I use what you call a toaster oven. I've got two,the other one is on the window sill in the living room. I use a countertop hotplate. I use a microwave for defrosting and melting chocolate mostly. It's a prep aid. I never cook in it. Luckily my Mum taught me basic cooking but then I " refined" my (limited) ability from watching my favourite tv chef RICK STEIN 💛💛💛,I urge you,learn how to make bread. It's deliberately kept mystified,to keep us in thrall to industrial life,not that I want to put bakers small or large scale out of business but it's so liberating to know that all you need at most basic level is a spoonful of flour,a dash of olive oil and some water,not even yeast at most basic. It's a secret they don't want us to know. Find the cooking videos of Poonam Chawla on YouTube in particular the one on how to make chapattis (one of the many forms of bread),it will change your life!
Oh my, Jane - I had not even considered taking on bread, did not realize it was so easy to do. Will file away your ideas for future cooking (um, 'baking') adventures.
It's awesome to hear from someone who has embraced the 'minimalist kitchen' idea as well! I am really enjoying it :-)
Thing is try to forget our ingrained idea that bread has to be a big brick shaped thing that you have to saw slices off with a big knife and it goes stale before you get through it. If you can bake trad style loaves that's nice but it's actually quick + easy to bake a few small bread buns that you'll eat that same day. But like (I think) the pioneers in their covered wagons rolling West used to do). Bread is a universal food all over the world and takes many forms. It's because of the Industrial Revolution that made us all work in factories 12 hours a day,six days a week (in Victorian Britain) so no one had time to bake bread so had to buy it,so it's entrenched in our minds that bread has to be that shape. I recommend Mrs Chawlas video because she shows how utterly simple and quick it is to make the most basic simple form of bread. If we all knew then probably the economy would collapse!
It's been somewhat challenging for me but I have a few recipes that I can make in my 4QT Electric Pressure Cooker that make enough portions for me to freeze. I live alone.
I also like my small Crock Pot so I can make simple soup with real broth and vegs/ /barley / blk beans.
As mentioned in comments below, I cook some grd turkey/ beef with onion and basic spices, maybe mushrm/green pepper. Then split it into 3 batches add more spices One is Mex spices, one Indian, one Italian. I make my own spice mixes. (A great way to extend your inner chef. Do you like spicy Mex? Do you like just a few Indian spices? Make some mixes for YOUR palate.)
Good on ya brother Stone. Hell I can dirty half the dang pots and pans—have both the gas grill inside and the one outside on the deck going at the same time. And there’s only two of us. Well that’s not entirely true—I do grill meat for the canines every night. Spoiled rotten are they. Hence part of my—ahem—prepping is to have lots of backup propane on hand. 💥😳
Well, now if I had awesome doggos like yours? I might have an different cooking perspective ;-) And you'll note I didn't say anything about 'outdoor grilling' - that is a whole other animal LOL
Thanks, brother - I admit I am having fun with this, and considering my culinary background? It's refreshing :-)
A crock pot is a great thing to have! Also I have an ice maker ( which takes up precious space) I have since bought ice cube trays (which takes up freezer space). I live in a small camper ( pull type). It sounds great what you are doing! And when you live in a smaller place, one thing can do the job of many!
You’re living the way I’d love to, Susan - I have done so much research on living mobile, especially teardrop-camper living. Seems like a life for me :-)
And I agree 100% on the crock-pot (that’s the next update I plan to make to my P&P), although I had not considered a stand-alone ice-maker… looks like I have some research to do :-D
Right, Christine? That egger has literally changed my life... and I am not even being melodramatic! Easy-to-make, never-fail egg-snacks... pretty much every day ;-)
Bravo to your minimalist kitchen. I haven't used a microwave since the early 80s as they create corrupted "food". I have an electric kettle, a toaster oven, a toaster and a pressure cooker (for beans). While there is a gas oven, I will always opt for the toaster oven if possible. I do have an electric mixer for whipping cream and egg whites, however, if a recipe doesn't require either of these, I always prepare baked goods using a whisk and good old fashioned elbow grease. Someone once gave me a food processor - I gave it away, then a juicer - I gave it away. Chopping nuts requires only a cutting board and a good knife, juicing citrus fruits requires only a hand-held juicer. All easily cleaned and stored away.
Perhaps these methods are more time consuming but the act of truly engaging in the creative process is part of the joy of consumption.
I'd end up murdering someone if I had to go back to such a small kitchen, but full disclosure on my part - I am not only a good cook, I'm gifted with a high sense of smell and taste, so my food must be sapid, texture perfect and made with as few preprocessed ingredients as possible. 98% of my meals are made from scratch, so the 'tiny kitchen' idea would never cut it. Perhaps as you get older and learn how to cook well, this tiny kitchen/tiny home fad will pass? As a life-long builder, all homes that are forced to comply to Western idiot building codes are mere boxes and a tiny home is just a slightly more high-end camper. However, a spacious passive solar home with abundant light can be made from an existing box, it is really awesome to feel that sun pour in when it is cold. But that's just me.
I'd love to have a big kitchen so I could cook like I used to, make 3 dishes w 4-5 ingred in one afternoon. There's a rhythm to cooking, right? Get in the zone and 3 dishes is a snap.
My pasta sauce is legendary. Used to make one pot veggie, one Italian sausage. I don't have space for that anymore.
So, when's dinner? ((YUM)) I love cooking, there is an energy to it alright. When I eat it is sacred and I give thanks. Many decades ago a young African woman was cooking 'soul food' on the Merv Griffin Show and said, "I cook with vibrations." I never forgot that.
Awhile back I took a class in Sacred Cooking. The idea was to be in gratitude and positive zone from the start of cooking, ie not be stressing when shopping for your food, be mindful of nurturing self and loved ones throughout your process of cooking. We made our own spice mixes with special names, infused cooking oils and vinegars, herbal teas for various ailments and herbal salts.
Altho my pots cooked are smaller, I still have this focus when cooking. Cooking with good vibes.
Great! That's a lot of learning, you have some serious skills now! Somebody once gave me two vessels, both filled with olive oil, with one of them having some kind of hot peppers in it and the other garlic cloves. I don't know how they did it, but the flavor permeated the oil and was a delight to cook with. I used the heck out of those and want to do that for myself but not sure if it was just osmosis by age or if there was some process that caused the garlic/pepper to infuse into the oil. Do you know how it is done?
While traveling I learned to collect and use small appliances. I love them! We never use our oven. In fact that’s where we store all of our grocery bags and extra pots and pans. Lol! We just use our countertop oven. There are only two of us anyway. I would also recommend a small crockpot. And possibly a rice cooker. If you eat rice.
I agree with Doug and Luc - crockpot / Insta is key. One of my favorite cooking methods is braising, and I'll even share a favorite: pot roast three ways. Braise a hunk o' chuck big enough to have leftovers, portion and freeze. Make three gravies: German sauerbraten (sweet & sour), Italian brasato (red wine), and good ol' Yankee pot roast (standard brown gravy), and freeze. Then depending on your mood, pick one and serve with appropriate sides. Variety couldn't be simpler!
Thanks so much, Doc - filing this away for future cooking explorations!
Ok, you like to "layer" flavors so see my comment abt making your own spice blends to add even more flavor.
A small crock pot is a must. The only appliance you can turn on, throw stuff in and forget about for most of the day. Hint- they make liners for them you toss when done with minimal clean up.
Definitely sounds like something I need to get - and I like the whole, 'easy clean-up' idea too! :-) Thanks brother, I appreciate it.
LOVE those liners! No more messy chili cleanup.
The SMALL crockpot is great bc I don't have as much food to put in containers to freeze. (If you don't fill up big crock pot it doesnt work/cook right.)
That picture IS MY KITCHEN! Everything you've described (minus air fryer) is ME. I cook for one mostly and two years ago I changed my (tiny) kitchen. I saw I didn't need a normal size family oven etc. Now I use what you call a toaster oven. I've got two,the other one is on the window sill in the living room. I use a countertop hotplate. I use a microwave for defrosting and melting chocolate mostly. It's a prep aid. I never cook in it. Luckily my Mum taught me basic cooking but then I " refined" my (limited) ability from watching my favourite tv chef RICK STEIN 💛💛💛,I urge you,learn how to make bread. It's deliberately kept mystified,to keep us in thrall to industrial life,not that I want to put bakers small or large scale out of business but it's so liberating to know that all you need at most basic level is a spoonful of flour,a dash of olive oil and some water,not even yeast at most basic. It's a secret they don't want us to know. Find the cooking videos of Poonam Chawla on YouTube in particular the one on how to make chapattis (one of the many forms of bread),it will change your life!
Great post,loved it.
Oh my, Jane - I had not even considered taking on bread, did not realize it was so easy to do. Will file away your ideas for future cooking (um, 'baking') adventures.
It's awesome to hear from someone who has embraced the 'minimalist kitchen' idea as well! I am really enjoying it :-)
Thanks for the great comment!
Thing is try to forget our ingrained idea that bread has to be a big brick shaped thing that you have to saw slices off with a big knife and it goes stale before you get through it. If you can bake trad style loaves that's nice but it's actually quick + easy to bake a few small bread buns that you'll eat that same day. But like (I think) the pioneers in their covered wagons rolling West used to do). Bread is a universal food all over the world and takes many forms. It's because of the Industrial Revolution that made us all work in factories 12 hours a day,six days a week (in Victorian Britain) so no one had time to bake bread so had to buy it,so it's entrenched in our minds that bread has to be that shape. I recommend Mrs Chawlas video because she shows how utterly simple and quick it is to make the most basic simple form of bread. If we all knew then probably the economy would collapse!
It's been somewhat challenging for me but I have a few recipes that I can make in my 4QT Electric Pressure Cooker that make enough portions for me to freeze. I live alone.
I also like my small Crock Pot so I can make simple soup with real broth and vegs/ /barley / blk beans.
As mentioned in comments below, I cook some grd turkey/ beef with onion and basic spices, maybe mushrm/green pepper. Then split it into 3 batches add more spices One is Mex spices, one Indian, one Italian. I make my own spice mixes. (A great way to extend your inner chef. Do you like spicy Mex? Do you like just a few Indian spices? Make some mixes for YOUR palate.)
Happy smaller cooking!
Oh mercy, Lupa, these ideas sound soooo good. Thanks so much for sharing them, and for the kind, encouraging words!
Simple cooking is usually the best cooking, in my opinion.
I could not agree more, Kerry :-)
Good on ya brother Stone. Hell I can dirty half the dang pots and pans—have both the gas grill inside and the one outside on the deck going at the same time. And there’s only two of us. Well that’s not entirely true—I do grill meat for the canines every night. Spoiled rotten are they. Hence part of my—ahem—prepping is to have lots of backup propane on hand. 💥😳
Well, now if I had awesome doggos like yours? I might have an different cooking perspective ;-) And you'll note I didn't say anything about 'outdoor grilling' - that is a whole other animal LOL
Thanks, brother - I admit I am having fun with this, and considering my culinary background? It's refreshing :-)
💪🏻😎
U R so sweet to fire up grill meat for your dog buddies.
There's special place in afterlife for guys like you.
A crock pot is a great thing to have! Also I have an ice maker ( which takes up precious space) I have since bought ice cube trays (which takes up freezer space). I live in a small camper ( pull type). It sounds great what you are doing! And when you live in a smaller place, one thing can do the job of many!
You’re living the way I’d love to, Susan - I have done so much research on living mobile, especially teardrop-camper living. Seems like a life for me :-)
And I agree 100% on the crock-pot (that’s the next update I plan to make to my P&P), although I had not considered a stand-alone ice-maker… looks like I have some research to do :-D
Thanks for the ideas!
You are welcome, Stone.
Now, teardrop, is Tiny… for sure, Stone!
There are many items that can be used to do the same thing. Like maybe a footstool that can be used for storage as well..
Love your kitchen! 👍
Thanks, Larry - appreciate that!
Thought you might appreciate this.
https://newatlas.com/iocamper-expanding-van-camper/56387/
That... is AWESOME! *salute Thanks for sharing it!
Here’s another one!
https://dornob.com/water-saving-all-in-one-integrated-toilets-of-the-future/#ixzz3KNh0ua4N&i
I like it
Thanks, Cygnus - it's serving me well :-)
Michelin Star ⭐️
I'm glad to see you've added the egg steamer! Total game changer. Good on you for learning to feed yourself well. Simple nourishment is life.
Right, Christine? That egger has literally changed my life... and I am not even being melodramatic! Easy-to-make, never-fail egg-snacks... pretty much every day ;-)
Thanks so much for the gracious comment :-)
You may wish to research air fryers and the toxic chemicals they can leach into foods.
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/11/06/safest-air-fryers-sans-toxic-pfas.aspx?ui=25ac5bc343be51c9e290c34ff76a99191b2bbc4c67241c3c789ed1b8786f5d7d&sd=20190815&cid_source=prnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art2ReadMore&cid=20241106_HL2&foDate=false&mid=DM1654881&rid=156775427
Bravo to your minimalist kitchen. I haven't used a microwave since the early 80s as they create corrupted "food". I have an electric kettle, a toaster oven, a toaster and a pressure cooker (for beans). While there is a gas oven, I will always opt for the toaster oven if possible. I do have an electric mixer for whipping cream and egg whites, however, if a recipe doesn't require either of these, I always prepare baked goods using a whisk and good old fashioned elbow grease. Someone once gave me a food processor - I gave it away, then a juicer - I gave it away. Chopping nuts requires only a cutting board and a good knife, juicing citrus fruits requires only a hand-held juicer. All easily cleaned and stored away.
Perhaps these methods are more time consuming but the act of truly engaging in the creative process is part of the joy of consumption.
Thank you very much, Gwyneth, for the info on air-fryers - I honestly had no idea. Now doing more in-depth research.
And I love your ideas on sticking with the basics for food preps, and agree with them 100%. And this line?
"Perhaps these methods are more time consuming but the act of truly engaging in the creative process is part of the joy of consumption."
Outstanding! Thanks so much, for your (always-astute) comment, and the vital info too!
My favorite small appliance is my 3 at Instant Pot. I use it 85% of the time for meals.
I'd end up murdering someone if I had to go back to such a small kitchen, but full disclosure on my part - I am not only a good cook, I'm gifted with a high sense of smell and taste, so my food must be sapid, texture perfect and made with as few preprocessed ingredients as possible. 98% of my meals are made from scratch, so the 'tiny kitchen' idea would never cut it. Perhaps as you get older and learn how to cook well, this tiny kitchen/tiny home fad will pass? As a life-long builder, all homes that are forced to comply to Western idiot building codes are mere boxes and a tiny home is just a slightly more high-end camper. However, a spacious passive solar home with abundant light can be made from an existing box, it is really awesome to feel that sun pour in when it is cold. But that's just me.
I'd love to have a big kitchen so I could cook like I used to, make 3 dishes w 4-5 ingred in one afternoon. There's a rhythm to cooking, right? Get in the zone and 3 dishes is a snap.
My pasta sauce is legendary. Used to make one pot veggie, one Italian sausage. I don't have space for that anymore.
So, when's dinner? ((YUM)) I love cooking, there is an energy to it alright. When I eat it is sacred and I give thanks. Many decades ago a young African woman was cooking 'soul food' on the Merv Griffin Show and said, "I cook with vibrations." I never forgot that.
Awhile back I took a class in Sacred Cooking. The idea was to be in gratitude and positive zone from the start of cooking, ie not be stressing when shopping for your food, be mindful of nurturing self and loved ones throughout your process of cooking. We made our own spice mixes with special names, infused cooking oils and vinegars, herbal teas for various ailments and herbal salts.
Altho my pots cooked are smaller, I still have this focus when cooking. Cooking with good vibes.
Great! That's a lot of learning, you have some serious skills now! Somebody once gave me two vessels, both filled with olive oil, with one of them having some kind of hot peppers in it and the other garlic cloves. I don't know how they did it, but the flavor permeated the oil and was a delight to cook with. I used the heck out of those and want to do that for myself but not sure if it was just osmosis by age or if there was some process that caused the garlic/pepper to infuse into the oil. Do you know how it is done?
Here's one method: GARLIC OIL
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled; smash with side of big knife
Heat together in small saucepan on
low heat 3-5mins STIR.
Remove from heat, cover, sit for 1-2hrs (or longer)
Strain and store in sterile sealed glass jar.
If you want garlic cloves in the glass jar, discard the ones you heated in the oil and smash more to add to jar.
Wonderful, you answered a decades old mystery. I'll have to do this. Is Lupa your name or a pseudonym?
While traveling I learned to collect and use small appliances. I love them! We never use our oven. In fact that’s where we store all of our grocery bags and extra pots and pans. Lol! We just use our countertop oven. There are only two of us anyway. I would also recommend a small crockpot. And possibly a rice cooker. If you eat rice.