Finally!
I have been putting this off for the longest time, because whenever I do it, and someone has had a bit too much of the fermented fruit, the cabinets are all magically rearranged when I get up the next morning.
Now that less of said fruit is being imbibed, I have had assurances that this will not happen again. So,
I spent 6 hours on a Tuesday, at the end of November, in the kitchen, organizing the cabinets to meet my needs, as I am the chief cook, and bottle washer, as my mother used to say. I need to be able to open a cabinet door and find the items expected behind that door to add to whatever I happen to be cooking at the moment. Not a whole lot more aggravating than spending 10 minutes hunting for the jar of dried chiles that where in that cupboard, but aren’t there now.
I got up, on that Tuesday, had a cup of coffee standing at the counter in the kitchen, trying to get my mental energy up to take everything out of the cupboards, and get going. I started with the cupboards on the left, and worked my way around the 3 cupboards.
Which is it- cupboards, or cabinets? I use them both. If it bothers you, move on.
Did I think to take “before” photos? Nope. This may not seem like much to you folks, but to me, it’s Heaven. Top shelf, left 2/3rds, dried chiles, and chiles en vinagre, escabeche. Then a big jar of dried porcini mushrooms. Bottom left, on the stand that I used to use for the dishes, are small jars of dried spices, and freeze dried spices. The rest is a variety of salts, flour, sugars, vanilla, black beans, and rice.
My least favorite cupboard, as it is the “corner” cupboard, where nothing fits, nothing is easy to get to, or to see, or anything. I do not like it but I deal with it as well as I can. I’ll explain it nonetheless.
Top shelf has a plastic container holding all of our vermicelli, fideo’s, spaghetti’s, macaroni’s. You get it. Pastas.
Second shelf has odds, and ends, quart jars of bread crumbs, pinko, ground chicharrones, cornmeal; that kind of thing.
Third shelf is the baking shelf; baking soda, baking powder, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated mile, almond flour, erythritol, fake (keto) chocolate chips, anything I need for baking.
Bottom shelf are things I use for general cooking; dehydrated Idahoan potato flakes, oils, canned beans, canned peas, lard, canned Hatch chiles, saffron, sugar, cheap canned beer, tomato sauce, canned tuna.
That leads us to the last cupboard in the kitchen; the one next to the stove.
All of the items you can see in this photo are by far some of the most expensive items we consume; the dehydrated gravies, on the top shelf, Jif peanut butter, Bragg’s Nutritional dried yeast. But, they’re all products we have become accustomed to over the years, and find them difficult to live without. So we don’t.
Almost done.
One last cabinet, it’s the one of two, in the pantry, where we store the bulkier items, the containers that fill the smaller containers for kitchen use. Here goes.
I cannot even begin to tell you what a mess this cupboard was. Now, it’s easy to find whatever is needed.
Top shelf: avocado,grape seed, and olive oils, chocolate syrup, raisins, salt, and behind all of that are large bags of almond flour, sweet white rice flour, cocoa powder, erythritol, keto chocolate chips, fenugreek seeds, and not quite white sugar.
Next shelf: baking stuff, vinegars, Asian oils, large refills of peanut butter, almond butter, mayonnaise, honey, ACV, and ancho chile powder, cuz everyone needs a kilo of that.
Third shelf: spices start off at the left, different rices, boxed chicken, and fish stocks, come miscellaneous jars/cans of media crema, (1/2 & 1/2), pickled beets, canned green beans. Nothing too exciting. But organized.
Bottom shelf: left, plastic container of Asian supplies- you name it, it’s in there. Different tea’s for my Kombucha, large jars (new) of Better than Bullion roasted chicken flavor, Bread and butter pickles, and olives.
So, all that done, it took me about 3 hours to organize it. The rest of the day was spent making a beautifully delicious chicken vegetable soup, with fideo. Yum.
I need to rest for a bit. Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.