Cooking/Food Preparation -
Purpose: Consistent location for food preparation including items needed for food prep/storage/serving. Place to store items that are used for food prep.
Comments: A person or household could get by without all of these items, but for one that sees the value in home-cooked meals, these are needed. When cooking, it is best to only prepare enough food for the current meal and have no left-overs therefore, you will always be eating fresh foods. Although it may be more time effective to prepare foods in bulk ahead of time, it is not as healthy. Going back to the “simple” goal, spending time for self-care tasks such as meal preparation is actually more balanced and allows your mind and body time to wind down from the stresses of the day. By the way, if you are dedicated to living minimally, you can research how to live without refrigeration however we will assume a refrigerator is a necessity. We will also assume that there is a source of running water.
Items:
Plates, bowls, cups, utensils, every person in the household should have one of each. You may want extra place servings for guests unless you request guests bring their own. I remember attending a dinner party in college where guests needed to bring their own place setting. Understandable in that setting where people are just starting out on their own but probably not acceptable after you have been established awhile.
Pans – 2 baking sheets with rim with sides, pie, loaf, and muffin square baking dish
Pots – saucepan, frying, soup
Cooking utensils – Stirring spoon, ladle, spatula, tongs, vegetable peeler.
Measuring spoons and cups
Knives – chef’s, serrated, paring (sharpening steel for knives)
Strainer/sieve
Mortar and pestle
Rolling pin
Grinder – hand crank is sufficient
Bowl – mixing/serving (3 of different sizes)
Swiss army knife with can opener
Funnel
Cutting board
Potato masher
Grater 2 gloves for hot items
Stove/oven – fire source
This post is the third of a 10 part series.
