The heart of the home: The Kitchen

Sarape · Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 8:48 pm Post subject:

The kitchen had no stove, so I found the O'Keefe and Merritt on the web.

The green cabinets are original and that wouldn't have been my choice of colors, but now that I've lived with it, I like the historic feel.

I also look out for vintage kitchens in films. Radio Days is a good one, also Meet Me in Saint Louis, The Manchurian Candidate, Woman of the Year (Tracy & Hepburn), The Godfather, Diner (a diner not a kitchen), and if you can call it a kitchen, A Streetcar Named Desire.
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' She says, 'I am the glamorous type.' I said, 'So what?'

JustMe · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 213 Location: Ontario, Canada

I finally got my kitchen clean enough to take more photos.

Okay...the computer expert Embarassed

here can't seem to get this photo uploaded right onto the site...so here's a link...

http://photos9.flickr.com/11946941_08070c9357_m.jpg

http://photos9.flickr.com/11947046_a3d9ce987f_m.jpg

I've been fighting with computers all day today....now I have given up.
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Life is too short to drink cheap wine.

Sarape · Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 8:32 pm Post subject:

That's a nice kitchen JustMe.

What kind of refrigerator?

Is that blue paint on the bottom of the island? Looks good.
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' She says, 'I am the glamorous type.' I said, 'So what?'

Erin · Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 9:47 pm Post subject:

Madame, They are ants in my pants !! That made me smile!

Barbara, I only store a few bottles in my kitchen and the rest goes in my basement. when I have my dream kitchen I will also have my dream wine cellar complete with a tasting bar and Reidel tasting glasses! I am getting the feeling that you are our resident Wine Yoda. I think a few of us that want to learn a bit more would benefit from an Ask Barbara thread. I know I have a ton of questions.
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"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

JustMe · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 213 Location: Ontario, Canada

Barbara

Erin. I worked in the wine industry for 7 years and there is so much to learn it would take me many more years to know it all. Swiss Chef (who has been very quiet lately) impresses me with his knowledge. ...but where has he gone?
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Barbara

LauraB · Joined: 28 Apr 2005 Posts: 5 Location: Paris

I love the photos of the vintage kitchens! Beautiful and cozy!

Sadly my house in Seattle was built in the 80's, so not enough time had gone by to find anything charming about broken oak cabinets and faux-wood formica. I remodelled last summer and went with alder cabinets, a greenish granite, and some limestone tile in the backsplash. And yes I even have some stainless appliances, but I swear I use my kitchen so I hope that makes it okay. Smile

Things I love about the remodel:
* Amana bottom freezer refrigerator. I love being able to put wide trays in the fridge without having to re-arrange stuff so much.
* Gas range. My first, and I'm never going back to electric if I can help it!
* Linen cabinet. On the dining room side of a peninsula I have access to a cabinet that would otherwise be "dead" space (can't access it from the inside of the L in the kitchen, if that makes sense). This layout existed previously but in the remodel I made this cabinet a linen cabinet with roll out drawers. It almost satisfies my weakness for table linens, but as the weakness continues it may have to only be for frequenly used linens!

My favorite tools/gadgets that I couldn't do without:
* Microplane grater.
* Good chef's knife.
* My all clad pans. Although they have spoiled me so much that I have to be really careful not to burn things when cooking at friends' houses.
* My fritatta-friendly frying pan that can go in the oven.
* Cookie press. Ok, this one I could live without for 11 months of the year, but come holiday season things just wouldn't feel right if I couldn't make my childhood favorite Spritz cookies.
* Little ramekins/bowls. So simple, yet so practical for prepped ingredients. But my real love of them stems from their ability to make me feel like a TV chef when they are filled with prepped ingredients! Laughing

I too enjoy wandering in kitchen stores and finding gadgets I've never seen before. I love playing the what is the heck is this used for?!? game.

Thanks for the fun thread!
--Laura

Sarape · Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 10:46 pm Post subject:

Gas is really the only thing which works well. I've lived with 2 electrics and 2 gasers. And though you can get by with electric, by all means go for gas.
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' She says, 'I am the glamorous type.' I said, 'So what?'

JustMe · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 213 Location: Ontario, Canada

Dairy_Queen · Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 4:42 am Post subject:

Me too! Me too! I always feel like I have my own foodie show when I have all the wee bowls lined up with chopped morels, chives, peppers, etc. Friends that don't cook say, "But you have ALL those bowls to wash!", to which I say, with a smile, "Yes! Yes I do!" Laughing

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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
Groucho Marx

tea leaves · Posted: Tue May 03, 2005 2:48 pm Post subject: It's all in how you see it

My husband and I live in a 2 bdroom apt outside Boston, and those of you in this part of the world know what our housing prices are. But it's close for our commute together ( a commitment to one car, less gas, insurance etc). Anyway, about 6 years ago my husband surprised me when I was working one weekend and painted the kitchen a cool "harbor shadow" (Behr paints, home depot). He said it was the same as the dining room at George Washington's Mount Vernon and it would keep us cool. The following weekend he surprised me by painting Yeats on the soffit. A famous quote from the "isle of innisfree", ( we remain obsessed with Ireland and France). It's the room I like most in the house. I have a century old chopping block from my father, a pot rack, our wine refrigerator, the hutch my husband bought me for our first anniversary, lots of pottery, a prized christmas cactus on the sink window that was grown from my Nana's (who I still miss after 20 years) and white lace curtains.
I can't live without a gas stove, my cast iron skillet, my kitchenaid stand mixer, and believe it or not the king of informercials, my tabletop rotisserie oven. "Set it and forget it". makes the best roast chicken, turkey, roasted veggies etc. It's amazing how often I use it. I bake everything in my cast iron skillet from steaks to fresh shoulder to Irish bread.
Kitchens are very personal spaces. What makes it special to you is the same thing that makes the perfume you wear special. Only you can feel that way in it!
Thanks for sharing your kitchens!
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"Nobody can teach you how to make the perfect cup of tea. It just happens over time. Wearing cashmere helps of course."

Tammy · Joined: 26 Feb 2005 Posts: 27 Location: Toronto, Canada