On single life and being a mini homemaker

Living alone for the first time is one of the most exciting milestones in a person’s life. It’s this feeling that all this space is yours to do as you wish! I’ll never forget the first time I lived alone as a young student in Paris. My first place was a furnished rental. I threw a crazy party with tons of wine and the next day delighted in cleaning up, getting on my hands and knees scrubbing the grubby liquor and food- stained floors with a huge smile on my face despite my hangover. I said to myself, “This is my very own place.” When I finally moved to an unfurnished apartment the feeling was even more intense. Here I got to decorate how I wanted, choose my own furniture, artwork, décor, appliances… There was nothing. A blank canvas. Even bed sheets and towels had to be bought. I was looking forward to discovering my own style and taste and making it a space I could truly call my own.

 I have always been a mini house maker since I was a child. My father built me a small house for my birthday and I loved going with him to choose the wood, the roofing, the color of the paint, the fabric for the curtains, the mini-furniture… Later on when I was a bit older, I would use my allowance to buy plates, glasses and cutlery… I wanted all my own stuff. So when I finally had my own apartment, filling it up came naturally to me. I do have to say, however, that it’s not always easy, and perhaps the most difficult thing to do is to outfit an empty kitchen.

 With all the choices, gadgets, tools and appliances out there what does one really need? In our last episode of Modern Living TV I gave a list of kitchen tools that are absolutely necessary for someone starting out. Here it is below along with what you may need in terms of basic tableware and dining.

 Essential kitchen tools:

1. Nonstick frying pans in two sizes – take a very small one so that you can fry things like an egg or chicken breast with quick clean up, a medium one where you can fit up to four pieces of meat or fish for cooking for friends or an easy sauté-stirfry.

2. Casserole and saucepan in two sizes — also take a very small one for reheating a can of soup or boiling an egg and a medium-size one for boiling pasta or rice or making a stew for friends.

3. Spoon and spatula set — these are easy to find and make sure you get wooden, plastic or silicone so you don’t scratch your non-stick Teflon surface. The advantage of buying a set is that it comes with a variety and usually a container to store them upright.

4. A santoku or medium chef’s knife and paring knife — all you really need for quick cooking are these two knives. They’re easy to use, versatile and good for all around vegetables, meat etc…

5. Chopping board set — storage in small places is an issue so there is no need for large chopping boards, you need at the very least two so you can use one solely for vegetables and breads and the other for fish and meat. Although it is preferable to have one separate for fish and for meat to avoid the risk of cross contamination.

6. Strainer — this is handy for washing vegetables and of course for draining pasta, which is the best friend of someone living alone!

7. Mixing bowl set — choose one that can stack up easy and consider that if you have a small sink, don’t purchase a very large one that is hard to clean.

8.  Silicon spatula — for scraping every last precious bit of sauce or dressing.

9.  A good grater — I love microplane-style graters because you can use it for lemon zest, ginger, cheese, chocolate… anything to add some good flavor to a dish.

10. Can opener – for the lazy days you don’t want to cook!

 Apart from a stove and a refrigerator there are two inexpensive things you could easily purchase such as an electric kettle for boiling water quickly for coffee, tea and even your cup noodles for the really, really lazy days. I also use it to boil water then pour into a hot casserole to speed up boiling pasta. An oven toaster is also handy. You can make heat up store-bought quiches or lasagnas, keep that crispiness of reheated fried chicken and even make some easy banana bread. I don’t advocate the use of a microwave because it kills the nutrients in the food. It’s not that difficult to reheat food on the stove and it will taste better as well! For dinnerware and serveware a starter set good for four is practical even if you don’t intend to entertain guests because you don’t have to wash the plates each time. Same with the cutlery you can buy a set for six because you may use some for prepping your food — a spoon to taste the sauce or a fork to whisk some dressing. And for serving buy a good salad bowl and two medium sized platters. Again be mindful of the size of your sink so that washing up is not difficult. If you don’t have much space, buy a set of four stem-less wine goblets. You can use them for water, juice and of course wine! I also suggest buying some white cloth napkins that you can throw in the wash, eventually its cheaper and better for the environment and even if you are eating something from a can, it always feels a little posh.

 Now that your kitchen is complete it’s time to put them to use! In this same episode we asked chef Sharwin Tee of Lifestyle Network’s Curiosity Got The Chef for his 10 food essentials for solo living. Watch the segment on YouTube episode 5 segment 3 and learn how to use these versatile ingredients plus his favorite quick recipe when hunger strikes!