Pantry Pantings or Duik in Je Kast!
January 24, 2007 at 10:26 AM
by Ashleigh
Who wants to air their dirty laundry in public? Well, not the laundry, but the contents of the kitchen cupboards? Me, me, me, me! Ok, so I'm not supposed to answer myself but I can't help myself.
There's something incredibly fulfilling about looking in other people's storecupboards. That other people collect the same crap as us, have a multitude of similarly useless items, live in a similar amount of mess, buy that item that is supposed to make everything taste better then gets tried once and left in the cupboard because it was so expensive you can't throw it away, but just the idea of eating it turns your stomach.
It's a bit like reality tv (but without Jade Goody!) I think it reassures us that we're human.
Karen at Bake My Day started a blog event for everyone to share the insides of their cupboards. Look on it as a colonoscopy for the pantry. We all want to see what you have hidden in there, don't we? Ok, maybe the colonoscopy metaphor was taking it a bit too far.
First a bit about our household. We live in 75 m3 and we are a family of four. That means space is at a premium. I think I spend most of my day trying to work out how to get more 'space' out of our space. When we designed the kitchen an 'apothekerskast' or pull out cupboard was very high on our list of priorities. If I could have fitted in two of them I would have. I suppose it's good to only have one. It means I have to keep the contents at a minimum. They are a bit Tardis-like, these apothekerskasten, as you will see below.
I have a large kitchen by Dutch standards. We knocked out the walls in our living room to make one big open plan space and the kitchen runs across 3 metres of the one wall. The entire room is 6 metres long, so that' s a lot of kitchen. When I had it installed the installers were shaking their heads about this strange foreign woman, and why she would want such a big kitchen. Our kitchen also houses a dishwasher, oven, washing machine and dryer. This is also apparently peculiar for people who live in flats.
So, here's one side of the apotheker's kast as seen from the living room side:
And from the kitchen side (see, Brad is in his usual pose at his laptop):
Second shelf has my baking stuff, chocolate, dried cranberries, peanut butter, all kinds of little bottles of things like vanilla essence, baking powder, baking soda, cake decorations etc.
See that apple shaped container? That contains appelstroop or in English 'apple syrup'. It's made using apples and sugar until a thick dark jelly remains and is very much an acquired taste, especially if you are a foreigner. Only Sebastian and I like it on our pancakes and I have had that particular bottle for four years now! I keep hoping it will come to an end, but it hasn't. Next time I'll buy a more compact container.
There is also an immense earthenware jar of French mustard on that shelf. One day when it's finished I'll use that jar to hold my kitchen utensils.
The third shelf has things like Maizena, spelt flour, pudding mix for the kids, stock cubes, gum drops, more dried cranberries, etc.
Fourth shelf is filled with Tupperware containers with things like cornmeal, risotto rice and raisins. Plus some pasta for when I'm too lazy to make my own!
The bottom two shelves hold cans and condiments. Cans of things like chopped tomatoes, cat food, sweetcorn, powdered milk (for making my own yoghurt), jam, jelly beans!, mint jelly, mint sauce, curry paste, etc.
That's my apotheker's kast.
Then I have two other cupboards with some food items in them. The first one, pictured below, holds more of the same Tupperware containers with barley, dessicated coconut, poppyseeds, rice, brown sugar, split peas and dried beans, and the kids's sweetie supply. There's a huge bag of sesame seeds in there too. Tahini, anyone?
And finally, the cupboard above the hob that also houses the hose for the extractor. It's a recirculation system so why it needs a hose I have no idea!
Anyway, in here are two big containers for flour and sugar, my boxes of UHT milk for the yoghurt, some leftover Lebkuchen from Christmas - please can someone come over and eat them!?, Weetabix, dried fruit pieces, flax seeds, a jar with two lone gum drops in it (needs to be refilled from the other gum drops bag), some rice crackers, some spelt grissini, more Tupperware containers with oats and muesli in them. A kitchen timer. Some vitamins. Oh, and the top shelf has my fruit mincemeat that I made up before Christmas which will be for next year, plus two huge jars of home-made marmalade. And a packet of 00 flour in a plastic bag because it was leaking. Anyone want some marmalade?
So, I shared my keukenkastengeheimen (kitchen cupboard secrets) - will you share yours too?
Hop on over to Karen's and read the instructions about how to take part in her meme.
*Please excuse the blurry pictures!
Comments
So I take a look on your site like you asked me yesterday.Did you clean up first, before you shoot the picture,or looks it always so nice.
By the way it looks better than the rest.
But i,m not showing my cupboards,I,ve got my own meaning.
I hope you understand my English. I hope so I write it well,otherwise I have to write in Dutch.
Bye bye Winny
I love looking in other peoples cupboards!
You know exactly where everything is and what you have got.
Have no kitchen cupboards to share I am afraid.
Hi ashleigh, indeed your cupboards look very tidy. I guess this Winny is meaning mine, that made her hair stand upright. Well I don't care; mine are full but clean!! And no I do not even want to see hers! Glad everybody else has a sense of humor. Thanks for sharing your 'kastjes' Ash.
I think I spend most of my day trying to work out how to get more 'space' out of our space.
Sounds way too familiar to me. I need a bigger house.
Wow, your shelves are so clean.
And no, there is absolutely no way I'm posting piccies of my (not clean!) cupboards. I live in fear of that guy from the Smaakpolitie showing up at my house....
Ash, you always find the best projects to participate in. I'm going to take some cupboard photos weekend.
I saw your lebkuchen in the kastje!!!! They are one of my German favourites!
xx
Gosh you are soooo organised. I live in the middle of london in about the same square meterage as you do, with husband and baby on the way. However my kitsch is probably (no joke) 1.5m2. The whole kitchen only has one drawer!
You brave woman, you! Showing us pics of your kitchen cupboards, indeed! I must admit, I was thinking exactly the same as Barbara was: I live in mortal fear of the Smaakpolitie materialising on our doorstep...
@Lien:Ik heb nooit namen genoemd Lien maar je voelt je nogal aangevallen.Ik heb nooit gezegd dat jouw kastjes vies zijn dat maak je er zelf van.Humor heb ik echt wel hoor maar duidelijk niet de jouwe.En inderdaad mijn kastjes zal niemand te zien krijgen.Het blijft dus een raadsel of ze nou opgeruimd vies schoon of rommelig zijn.En ik hoop dat hier de kous mee af is.Ik vind het idee belachelijk om je kastjes te showen hoe ze er ook uitzien en misschien is daar nog wel moed voor nodig ook,maar een heleboel mensen vinden het idee geweldig.Nou ga daar lekker mee door dan,veel succes.
Wow you cupboards are both very well organised and well stocked.
Do the kids and Brad get to meddle in them?
I gave up on mine, between Tiny (nanny), Richard and I we were all reorganising all the time ;)
Weetabix, I'd forgotten about. I'll have to get it again!
I'm most impressed you make your own mincemeat!! I once got at far as reading a recipe but decided they have it at the grocery. Wow, I love to try home made.
I'm just really glad Baking Soda didn't ask to see the oven at my house.
Great job.
Oh, I am so impressed. You have managed to take a small space and use ever inch of it! I'll post mine in a day or two.
Thanks for sharing and joining! I see you use the Ikea snap tight things too, love them. I won't come and eat your Lebkuchen...I fell for the exact same bag and we all thought they were horrible!
But marmelade..yum! The jars I make are shared with my parents because we are the only ones eating it in this family.
January 24, 2007 12:37 PM