A Kitchen Wears Many Hats

Natalie Wood by Martha Holmes, 1944.

In quarantine time the kitchen will serve as dining room, office, playroom, classroom, homework station, living room, winery, even penal colony. It’s a room that is integral to family life no matter the size of the family, one to a dozen. 

Exploit all its advantages. First off:

Order in the Kitchen!

Kitchens crave order. Having multiple people hanging out in the house day and night is a recipe for maximum mess and stress. Coats, backpacks, mail, needs to be put away. After classwork time the countertops need to be cleared to start the nightly dinner. And after dinner — we all know that dirty dishes do not improve with age, so get them done! The silver lining is NOW is the perfect time to reboot the responsibilities of all residents, from tiny to teetering on how to properly wash the dishes, fill and empty the dishwasher, sweep a kitchen floor and mop one too. Keeping the kitchen tidy is vital for mental stability. 

Kitchen Therapy  (Tackling the Frustration of Focusing) 

Your mind may may be all over the place, way worse than usual. It’s hard not to spin our wheels. One way to tame the wildness of the brain is to focus on skills. Bake biscuits, or a pie. These foods, while not slimming, make anyone everywhere feel better. The smell of a baking project perfumes a house and makes inhabitants feel comfortable and loved. And the recipes require attention. 

Another way of occupying your time is by organizing one pantry at a time, or even your cookbook shelf…

Kitchen Gym

Install an iron bar from one short wall to another, or in a corner near the ceiling. Use the bar to do pull ups. Even one, a half one, a fourth of one, will make you strong. And the time commitment? Two seconds. Unless you are superman and can do multiple. 

3 of the "4 Things You Should Never Store Under Your Kitchen Sink -- and 5 You Should" for REAL SIMPLE

“While convenient, [kitchen towels and paper bags] don’t belong under the sink, says Suzanne Pollak. (A leak would ruin them.) Stash them in a nearby closet or another cabinet instead for easy access….

If you want to keep things even simpler, get a few plastic containers or tubs to hold your supplies together, Pollak says. “With containers, you can take out the unit as a whole and easily clean underneath,” she says. Be sure to run the containers through the dishwasher a few times a year. Using clear containers also allows you to easily see what items are nearly used up, so you can stock up before you run out….

There are a few [essential cleaning products'] that you should always have on hand. These include distilled vinegar, Dawn dish soap (in addition to washing pots and pans, you can also use it directly on cabinets to remove built-up grease), and Bar Keepers Friend, says Pollak. Under the kitchen sink is obviously also a convenient place to store sponges, cleaning brushes, and scrubbers. Just be sure to replace them often, as they’re one of the germiest things in your kitchen (gross)—yes, cleaning your sponge is a thing.”

Read the rest of the article by Kelsey Ogletree via Real Simple HERE!

The Right Tools for the Job

Angles matter. Whether cutting garlic cloves to release the most flavor, testing the doneness of steamed cauliflower, or simply choosing a spatula -- it’s all about esthetics & practicality.

Tony Hendra, Charleston Academy's Dean of Wit, likes to thinly slice his garlic because "the large combined surface area of the garlic means it releases its flavor faster and more fully when it hits the oil. Also crispy sautéed garlic slices are one of the great toppings for pasta, fish, and veggies (e.g. haricots verts.) In fact they're up there with 'amandine' or crispy sautéed almond slices. Sometimes I mix them to make my own special amandine.

I rarely mince unless I'm in high heels.  I only chop wood and suey."

We often use the term "Goodfellas thin" in reference to the famous scene in which lead character Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) describes how mob boss Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino) prepared dinner while they were doing time: “In prison, dinner was always a big thing. We had a pasta course, then we had a meat or a fish. Paulie was doing a year for contempt and had a wonderful system for garlic. He used a razor and sliced it so thin it would liquify in the pan with a little oil. It’s a very good system.”

When testing the readiness of steamed vegetables, people often use the tip of a knife. The Dean has learned that sometimes a knife tip is wrong for the gig. Using the tines of a fork with cauliflower is better. Three or four prongs provide greater surface area for poking and give a more accurate decision of doneness. 

Finally, the almighty spatula. The angle of the spatula makes the utensil more, or less, useful. In the photo, the top spatula, by Oneida, will enable the cook to slide food from the pan without having to tilt a screaming hot object.

In the kitchen, you're only as good as your tools. And remember, it's never the oven's fault...

No Time for Foolishness

Recently the Dean heard news she cannot like; in fact, it has her recoiling in horror. Say it ain’t so! That people the Dean knows, and knows of (with children no less) have not turned their stoves on for over six months -- told like a brag, even with pride! This is foolishness beyond belief. These people are missing out on some of life’s greatest pleasures: relaxation, creativity, bonding, feasting at home.

Here’s what else these fools are missing:

• eating healthier meals,
• making the kitchen (instead of TV) the heartbeat of the house,
• teaching children manners, healthy eating habits, patience, focus and concentration by simply sitting at the dining table, 
• and one of the most joyous daily occurrences, spending time together with people you love eating food you love.

The Academy cannot help these folks. Is there an Academy out there for common sense?

GIFT GUIDE: Zen Kitchen

Consider a candy-colored stand mixer (Kitchenaid or bust), source of all homemade goodness and a spot of brightness in any kitchen...

Stand Mixer by Kitchenaid

...or simple equipment, brilliantly designed to last a lifetime: a Peugeot Pepper Mill, a miniature Cuisinart, or an Alessi teapot...

"Mignognette" Pepper Mill by Peugeot

Mini Processor by Cuisinart

Teapot by Alessi

...(or any of these other handy kitchen tools spotted whilst browsing the Alessi Shop)...

Mortar & Pestle,

Grater,

Colander, all in AlessiShop

...or a well-made knife (perhaps a set of 3) and an invincible cutting board...

Trio of Knives by Messermeister 

Cutting Board by John Boos & Co.

...or even just the most luxurious candle in the world, to calm a holiday-harried cook. 

Candle by Taffin

May all your kitchens be Zen this season.  

XO, the Academy