Ann Marie Michaels of Cheeseslave put out a request for bloggers to photograph their kitchens for a series she has running on her blog. I submitted my photos today and thought I’d post them here as well, with a bit more explanation, in the hopes it will be of value! Below are some highlights. I will publish another series of the contents of the fridge, freezer and pantry in another post!
Welcome!
First stop on our kitchen tour is the menu board.
Nourishing Our Children. While we don’t have children, I have these words on my menu board as daily inspiration. My vision for the next generation is forefront on my mind day in and day out! “We cannot simply think of our survival; each new generation is responsible to ensure the survival of the seventh generation. The prophecy given to us, tells us that what we do today will affect the seventh generation and because of this we must bear in mind our responsibility to them today and always.”
Soy-free, pasture-rasied eggs. Learn about why I recommend soy-free. Please note that “pasture-raised” is not the same as free range, cage free or organic. Ideally, chickens are outdoors, on pasture, foraging for worms and insects. Read more. We order 10 to 12 dozen pasture-raised, soy-free eggs every 2 weeks, for 2 adults! We receive them at room temperature and leave them out. I find they are much easier to peel that way when soft boiled and I rarely encounter a rotten egg.
Lead-free plates. If it isn’t labeled, find out from the manufacturer if the plates are lead free! Read more in this article.
Spice Drawer. What to keep in mind: store spieces in glass, preferrably with lids free of Bisphenol A . Organic, non-irradiated spices are ideal.
Herbs. I purchase my herbs fresh from the farmer’s market or health food store. I then air dry them on racks and store them in mason jars. If the herbs are close to the mason jar lid, as is the thyme pictured above, I use a piece of parchment or wax paper to line the lid, because mason jar lids have Bisphenol A in them.
Slow Cooker. For broth, stews, soups. Mine is in constant use. What to keep in mind: many slow cookers have lead in them. The Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker does not, which I recommend via our Amazon affiliation.
Stainless Steel. I have a fair amount of stainless steel in my kitchen – the fridge, dishwasher, drawers, oven are all stainless steel. I use, and highly recommend, Howard Naturals Stainless Steel Cleaner to clean it recommended via our Amazon affiliation, as an alternative to chemical filled products. Pictured are local, soy-free pastured eggs delivered to my home, organic oranges and tomatoes stored in glass. I am a big fan of glass.
Harsch Fermenting Crock. I purchased this in 2004 from Radiant Life. I have successfully fermented countless batches of sauerkraut with various fermenting “buddies” over the years! It does take about 6 weeks to be ready to harvest with such a large container but, you’ll have ferments for some time thereafter! Radiant Life has offered Nourishing Our Children 10% of all sales made by our referrals, in addition you will be entered to win a $25.00 gift certificate when placing your order!
Beeswax Candles. Several years ago I discovered the dangers of the ubiquitous paraffin candles and wrote a blog post about it. Beeswax is a popular alternative to paraffin candles. The benefits of beeswax candles have stood for centuries: they don’t drip; they burn longer, as well as cleaner than their paraffin and soy counterparts. Beeswax is less likely to trigger allergies and does not produce toxins or soot when burned. It is generally more expensive than paraffin but burns longer. However, some candles labeled as beeswax may also contain paraffin. Look for 100% beeswax candles, which I recommend via our Amazon affiliation.
Kitchen Tools: amongst my favorites is our hand blender, Wusthof Chef’s Knife, Cleaver and Shears, recommended via our Amazon affiliation. I use the cleaver to cut fresh Thai coconuts, and the shears to cut a chicken in half before I cook it, in order for the entire skin to be browned. Then I cut the chicken into pieces with the shears once cooked. Look for a hand blender made of stainless steel rather than plastic.
Cookware: I recommend cast iron, or cast iron/porcelain enamel such as Le Creuset. I also use high quality stainless steel.
A good use of a microwave oven: storage space! I have also used mine, which came with the loft, to ferment various items as is pictured in this album. Read more about the dangers of microwave ovens.
On the topic of storage: I have been on GAPS™ for the last year, so I am not eating grains, however I have some stored here in glass containers from a photo shoot I did. I also captured some coconut flakes I have stored in glass. Next to it is some baking soda, which I like to have on hand for cleaning purposes! I avoid plastic bags, and plastic containers – in favor of glass.
Nourishing Ourselves: during my photo shoot, my husband prepared a grass-fed hanger steak on our cast iron grill, pictured here on a bamboo cutting board, recommended via our Amazon affiliation, which I prefer over other options. We sat to enjoy the meal. Isn’t that the whole point of a kitchen?!
All photographs captured by Sandrine Hahn.
22 Responses to Kitchen Tour
Love it! (I use my microwave to warm my buckwheat pillow.)
Thanks for joining me on the tour, Julie!
I really like your metal shelves! Are they from ikea? They look perfect for storing glass jars.
Yes! Ikea … http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00011428/ – I also use this for the dishes: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70146749/ – it came with the loft so I continued the theme and purchased other shelves to match.
I LOVE your kitchen, Sandrine! and I love glass, too….and now, of course, I am hungry given all those delicious photos I can almost smell the tasty aromas, too!
I’ll look forward to having you see it soon, Callista! Thanks for taking the tour!
I love your kitchen, Sandrine! It’s so open and airy. And good food comes from it.
Thanks, Jenny! I have been honored to host you and your family in it! How blessed I feel to have had this kitchen to host countless meals with people I love and cherish. I am most nourished when I share a meal with people I feel connected to.
Beautiful, functional, inviting kitchen! Thanks for the tour Sandrine!
Thank you for taking a moment to say so, Mary! I would love to see yours if you are willing to capture it?!
I did not know you could leave eggs out like that. I have drawers in my kitchen for some things, but never thought of storing pots & pans as you do. Big, deep drawers are one of my favorite ways of storage. I like your corner for a crock pot & other items. Mine is often in use.
Hi Paula,
Glad to read that this post about my kitchen gave you some new ideas!
Several farmers have shared with me that they never refrigerate their eggs. They collect them and leave them out. I have eggs delivered straight from the farm at room temperature and leave them as is. I find it is easier to peel them once soft boiled, and also we could use the space in our fridge!
If eggs have never been refrigerated you may leave them out. Once they have been refrigerated, however, they need to remain at that cooler temperature!
Cyndi, I have heard that as well, but my experience is that even if they are were in the fridge, and then they are left out at room temperature – all is well. I have not had an issue with this either way since 2004. Perhaps because San Francisco tends to be cooler in the first place.
We don’t refrigerate our eggs, either, until they’re hard-cooked. I do like keeping them in a cooler room, though.
Nice crock Sandrine, and beautiful cast iron pots and pans. Thanks for letting me enjoy the tour of your specious kitchen.
Best regards!
Luiza
Thank you for stopping by, Luiza! Nice to see a familiar person in the comments! I am fairly familiar with your kitchen at this point!
I love all the storage in your kitchen! Where did you find the piece of furniture with all the drawers under your menu board? I would LOVE something like that for our house. I don’t have a huge pantry and would actually love to use more of the pantry for appliances. I was hoping for a walk-in pantry when we moved last summer however I am so happy to have one with wooden shelves (instead of the wire coated shelves) so I’m happy to work with what I have.
Thank you, Reesa – storage unit from Ikea. It is amongst their higher quality furniture – the main parts are all solid birch: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/94631707/
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/08015/
As long as the eggs are not washed, they have a protective coating on them to stay fresh. You probably would not want to keep washed eggs out for too long, but I have the same experience- no problem storing eggs at room temp. It does get a bit hot here in the central valley though, so I usually keep mine in the fridge during the summer. Maybe we just have to eat more faster! Beautiful kitchen by the way!
Hi Sandrine!
I, too, love your kitchen! You have given me some good ideas, thank you! I was wondering about your crock pot. Is this the only one that is lead free? Do they make any bigger that are lead free? I also read that this particular one turns off by its self randomly and for no reason. Something a lot of people complained about. I am sure this is a hit or miss thing with this particular item, but just wondering if you’ve experienced this with yours?
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