Kitchen « miss minimalist

Minimalist Food: One Bowl Eating

By miss minimalist | 58 comments

I’m intrigued by the idea of eating all of my meals out of a single bowl. Not only would it reduce the tableware in my cabinets; I think it would make me more mindful, and more appreciative, of what I put in my body.

My ideal one bowl menu would look something like the following:

Breakfast: oatmeal. I don’t think there’s a more perfect minimalist food than oatmeal (or porridge, as they say here in the UK). It’s simple, it’s satisfying, and best of all, it has so much potential. Oatmeal is like a blank slate: simply add what you like according to the season or your mood. Some of my favorite “embellishments” include brown sugar, cinnamon, honey, blueberries, and cranberries (not all at once, of course!).

Lunch: hiyayakko. I discovered this simple, delicious dish a few years ago in Tokyo. It consists of a cold block of tofu, topped with green onions, dried tuna flakes (optional if vegetarian) and soy sauce. See this site for some (mouth-watering) photos and more details.

Snack: yogurt. I eat this every afternoon to keep healthy bacteria in my digestive system. I’ve been buying it at the store, but would someday like to make my own.

Dinner: steamed vegetables over rice. I’m happy to eat this perfectly plain, as I love to savor the individual taste of each vegetable. DH, however, has a more sophisticated palette than I do—so we usually add a sauce like Thai green curry, or ginger and garlic. Other dinner options would be a hearty soup, or a bowl of pasta.

I don’t think one bowl eating would be too difficult, and am hard-pressed to think of any favorite meals that require a plate. I also like the connection to Zen philosophy; itinerant monks used to carry one bowl to satisfy their need for sustenance while pursuing their spiritual path.

I imagine that eating from a single bowl would focus my attention on the contents—to contemplate it, celebrate it, and be thankful for it (instead of taking it for granted).

I would also have to wash it directly after each use, so that it would be ready for the next meal. No more dirty dishes piling up in the sink!

I’d love to hear about your favorite minimalist meals, and your thoughts on one bowl eating!

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What’s in a Minimalist Kitchen?

By miss minimalist | 20 comments

(Photo: JasonRogersFotographie)

When we sold our house and purged almost everything we had (see My Minimalist Story, Part 1: A Clean Slate), we discovered that the majority of our “stuff” came out of the kitchen. We had never realized just how many plates, pots, pans, glasses, utensils, and other cooking implements we had accumulated over the years.

After ridding ourselves of all the excess, we thoroughly enjoyed having an ultra-minimalist “kitchen” during our six weeks of transition from the US to the UK: nothing more than our sporks, titanium cups, and a tea kettle (and the occasional hotel microwave). Of course, we relied heavily upon restaurants and prepared foods from grocery stores—not exactly a long-term solution.

Now that we’re “rebuilding” our kitchen, we’re determined to keep things to a minimum. We only want to own those culinary items we use on a regular basis.

Sure, we could have a super-minimalist kitchen if we didn’t cook very often (or ate mostly frozen dinners or convenience foods). However, my husband and I enjoy preparing meals together, and try to base our (vegetarian + fish) diet on whole, unprocessed foods. Therefore, we’ve deemed a functional kitchen one of our necessities.

After an initial run to Ikea for the absolute basics, we’ve been taking it slow when it comes to culinary apparatus—and acquiring things strictly on an as-needed basis. Our main criteria: we must use something at least once a week for it to earn a place in our kitchen. So far, we’ve been getting by quite nicely with the following items:

Pots and pans: large skillet, saucepan, pasta pot, baking pan

Small appliances: tea kettle, rice cooker, French press (instead of coffee maker)

Other: chef’s knife, bread knife, paring knife, colander, steamer, cutting board, measuring cup, spatula, serving spoon, whisk, can opener, corkscrew, stainless steel mixing bowl, water filtration pitcher

For utensils, we purchased an inexpensive, four-place setting (after looking high and low for open stock or single settings, to no avail). It seems excessive to have extra forks and spoons on an everyday basis, but I suppose they’ll come in handy if we have guests for dinner. We also bought four plates, two bowls, two coffee mugs, and a set of four small glasses (to be used for all liquids other than coffee and tea).

[In general, I’m not a fan of owning extra stuff for the handful of times we entertain; when we hosted Thanksgiving dinner last year, I had no problem borrowing extra plates and utensils for the evening. That might be a bit harder here in the UK, though, without friends and family who understand our minimalist lifestyle!]

Plenty of websites and cookbooks offer lists of kitchen essentials; more than a few, however, seem intent on making sure you’ll be able to cook anything at any time. In that sense, having a minimalist kitchen requires some minor adjustments in priorities and lifestyle. I wouldn’t be able to bake cupcakes tonight on a whim, for example—but I’m okay with that. In fact, we’ve decided to forego bakeware almost entirely; instead of making our own sweets, we save those calories for when we travel—and sample the baked goods of the countries we visit.

Of course, everyone’s list of essentials will be different; ours simply suits what we like to cook, and eat (mainly pasta, rice, soups, salads, and sautéed and steamed vegetables).

I’d love to hear what everyone else finds necessary… Leave a comment, and let me know what’s in your minimalist kitchen!