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Kitchen

100 Essentials: One Bowl Eating, Revisited

{This series is based on my latest book, 100 Essentials: Simple Kitchen + Capsule Wardrobe + Minimalist Home. In it, you’ll find the full list of my personal possessions, with detailed explanations and 100 color photos—including my 35-item kitchen, 35-item wardrobe, and more. I hope this series will start some interesting discussions on what you can’t live without!}

Thank you for all your wonderful Comments on the Great Plate Debate! It’s so much fun to trade ideas and experiences as we eliminate the excess and pare down to the essentials. I was particularly glad to hear that Corelle has been a safe, durable, and versatile choice for so many of you.… {Read more}

100 Essentials: The Great Plate Debate

{This series is based on my latest book, 100 Essentials: Simple Kitchen + Capsule Wardrobe + Minimalist Home. In it, you’ll find the full list of my personal possessions, with detailed explanations and 100 color photos—including my 35-item kitchen, 35-item wardrobe, and more. I hope this series will start some interesting discussions on what you can’t live without!}

Everyone’s list of Essentials will be different—the stuff in my 35-item kitchen certainly won’t be the same as yours. But I think almost all of us would include a plate (and if you wouldn’t, do tell!).

The big question is: what kind of plate?… {Read more}

The Joy of One: Pan

My husband and I have had a pretty nomadic life together, and since we were always on the move, we never invested in quality cookware. Pots and pans are heavy and awkward to transport, so we would usually pick them up randomly as needed, then donate the lot before moving on and starting over again.

Well, we’re hoping to stay in our current location for the long haul, so when it comes to kitchenware, it’s time for a change in strategy. And that’s part of the motivation behind my One series: I’m ready to choose quality, versatile items that’ll last forever, instead of a mishmash of “temporary” things that sort of get the job done.… {Read more}

100 Possessions: Glass Plates and Bowls

After I graduated from college, I inherited a beautiful set of china from my grandmother. My fantasy self—the one who planned to throw fabulous dinner parties in her English manor house—was elated to own twelve place settings of vintage tableware. My real self, however—the one who carefully wrapped every dinner plate, salad plate, dessert plate, bowl, cup, and saucer during each move—became decidedly less enthusiastic about it over time.

After going through the painstaking process of packing and unpacking it at least four times (and constantly worrying about breaking an irreplaceable piece), I’d had enough. I finally gave the whole set to a less nomadic family member, and breathed a huge sigh of relief.… {Read more}

Smitten: The Cupboard-Less Kitchen

When my husband and I renovated our former home, we completely gutted the kitchen (not a frivolous endeavor, but a necessity—it was a grungy, wood-paneled, 1970s nightmare). But instead of installing kitchen cupboards in every nook and cranny, we left the overhead space bare. Practically, it worked for us, as we were fortunate enough to have a large pantry and minimal kitchenware. And aesthetically, we loved it—the absence of overhead cabinets gave the space an open, airy, and serene look.

At the end of next month, we’ll be moving into our fifth “home” in less than a year (and another temporary one, at that).… {Read more}

100 Possessions: Glass Tumblers

Once upon a time, my husband and I had a cupboard full of glasses: water glasses, juice glasses, pint glasses, wine glasses, champagne glasses, even whiskey glasses. Name a beverage, and we likely had a special glass for it.

In hindsight, it seems ridiculous – but we hadn’t gone out and purchased them all at once. They just slowly accumulated over the years we lived in our house. Some we bought for daily needs, some we received as gifts, and some we acquired for special occasions.

Some we used every day, and some we used just once or twice a year.… {Read more}

What’s in a Minimalist Kitchen?

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.… {Read more}