Stocking up and a How'd'ya do
Lil' livin is my book of recipes and tips for those who find themselves with limited tools and space. I understand that we've already given up luxury, and making food can be hard after a long day's work (including all that overtime we put in), but I also know that ordering takeout can be stressful and break the bank as well (and sometimes not taste as good). Goodbye 5:30pm dinners made by our stay-at-home mothers, hello 7pm "I can work and cook too" meals.
I live in San Francisco, where I paid over $1k a month for a single room with no bathroom, no kitchen, and no sunlight. I didn't have to, sure, but it was one of the only places available near my boyfriend's work that would accept couples. It's bizarre, and every city you move to will have its own quirks. (Tip: apply as roommates, never as a couple). When we moved into our Dogpatch apartment, my boyfriend and I were still new at living together, and we were millenials with negative money. Moving to the Bay was a step in his research career and it was an opportunity for change that I couldn't pass up in my career.
After finding and acquiring my job, we thought we might be able to find something better. Time wound down, everything was still way too expensive, and we had to settle with our little living space. I was sad to accept I would not have a stove, oven, or counterspace to work with and impress my future husband (that's who I like to envision him as).
Instead, we had a hotel bar sink, a minifridge, and a microwave. That being said, I've had to get creative with my cooking. It seemed almost impossible, and I was crying for a little while with my lack of resources. However, throughout the year we lived in the city, I discovered what I'm capable of, and it's made me an even better chef. I know it seems intimidating, especially if you are starting out with little to no culinary experience, but I want to get you comfortable with making your own food, even if you have no idea what you're doing. Leave the creativity up to me, and then, once you have some tools in your back pocket, let your taste buds wander!
PANTRY
First and foremost, your spice cabinet. I know what you're thinking...you only know how to use ketchup and mustard (Americans, we love our condiments). But your minifridge can't hold all those condiments plus your prepped meals for the week! We have to be conservative, so you must learn how to flavor your food using spices and room temp sauces. You don't need that many either. I'll give you a few of my favorites, plus others I've found useful.
I live in San Francisco, where I paid over $1k a month for a single room with no bathroom, no kitchen, and no sunlight. I didn't have to, sure, but it was one of the only places available near my boyfriend's work that would accept couples. It's bizarre, and every city you move to will have its own quirks. (Tip: apply as roommates, never as a couple). When we moved into our Dogpatch apartment, my boyfriend and I were still new at living together, and we were millenials with negative money. Moving to the Bay was a step in his research career and it was an opportunity for change that I couldn't pass up in my career.
After finding and acquiring my job, we thought we might be able to find something better. Time wound down, everything was still way too expensive, and we had to settle with our little living space. I was sad to accept I would not have a stove, oven, or counterspace to work with and impress my future husband (that's who I like to envision him as).
Instead, we had a hotel bar sink, a minifridge, and a microwave. That being said, I've had to get creative with my cooking. It seemed almost impossible, and I was crying for a little while with my lack of resources. However, throughout the year we lived in the city, I discovered what I'm capable of, and it's made me an even better chef. I know it seems intimidating, especially if you are starting out with little to no culinary experience, but I want to get you comfortable with making your own food, even if you have no idea what you're doing. Leave the creativity up to me, and then, once you have some tools in your back pocket, let your taste buds wander!
PANTRY
First and foremost, your spice cabinet. I know what you're thinking...you only know how to use ketchup and mustard (Americans, we love our condiments). But your minifridge can't hold all those condiments plus your prepped meals for the week! We have to be conservative, so you must learn how to flavor your food using spices and room temp sauces. You don't need that many either. I'll give you a few of my favorites, plus others I've found useful.
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cumin or Taco Seasoning (they taste similar)
- Chili pepper flakes
- Italian seasoning (use in place of oregano, thyme, etc.)
- Garlic salt and/or powder
- Parsley
- Paprika
- Sesame Oil
- Soy Sauce
- Olive oil
- Sesame seeds
These are some flavors I can't live without. You will see in future recipes that I incorporate other spices as well, so stay tuned for more, but these 12 are your basics. Eventually you will build your own palette and find flavors you want to fill your spice cabinet with. I will admit, I still keep a whole bottle of ketchup in my fridge, despite the lack of space.
I think some other things to keep handy in your cupboard are unsweetened almond milk, bouillon cubes, yeast, sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and any canned foods you like. These are easy to store and keep well at room temp. The boxed almond milk has saved me so much money on milk because I can buy a lot in one store visit, it lasts forever even in the fridge when opened, and works for most baking recipes. I particularly like AlmondBreeze Unsweetened Almond Milk for the taste. Other off-brands taste like cardboard to me.
EQUIPMENT
Now, I found a way around having a stovetop and oven. We bought an electric double burner, which comes with large-pot and small-pot burner sizes. In retrospect, two large-pot sized burners would've been better for even heating of your pots and pans. We also bought an electric kettle for when we need boiling water (it's much faster than boiling water on the burners, but you can also just nuke the water in the microwave if you have one).
One more fancy gadget we acquired was a NuWave oven. It was rather large for that situation, but to give you perspective, it sat nicely on top of the microwave...which sat nicely on top of our minifridge...below is a demonstrative image (featuring our cute lil' Christmas tree).
Some tools I found useful were a toaster, salad spinner, rubber spatula, regular spatula, big stir spoons, a grater, a vegetable peeler, a large knife, thin and plastic cutting boards, aluminum foil, parchment paper, and whatever pots and pans (with lids!) you can fit in your lil' cupboard. Also, if you can, get an electric whisk/hand mixer. It's ok if you can't...I thought I had left mine at my parents' house for like 3/4 of the year, so I just mixed things by hand with my eating utensils, but then recently found out it was under my bed in a packing box the entire time. Oy, carpel tunnel for nothing.
Okay, the scene is set. The spice shelf is full, the pantry is stocked, and all of the gadgets are nestled in their beds. Now, what would you say if I told you that you can make homemade bread rolls, French omelets, tacos, sushi, and any other gourmet dish you can think of in your lil' kitchen which is conveniently next to your bed for when you need to roll away from eating such delicious foods? Ok, fine, I'll prove it 😉
Comments
Post a Comment