Welcome to our new blog. Well, sort of new. We already have another blog that chronicles my life as an urban beekeeper, now turned commercial beekeeper, here in Washington, DC. You can follow that very busy part of my free time here: http://dchoneybees.blogspot.com/.
My vocation is real estate development, a profession in which I have worked with some of the largest developers in this city building thousands of apartment and condominium units.
Development is a long ride from either beekeeping or the kitchen, and that is probably by design. I enjoy the complete incongruity of my professional career and the skills required for my outside activities. But the one thing these avocations have in common is the involvement of my family, particularly my three children, ages 10, 13, and 15. Including them in my day-to-day activities keeps us close and sure beats the heck out of the poor interaction of just chasing them around the city on weekends for basketball games.
But to the kitchen...
Food and cooking grew into a passion for me later in life, but has its seeds in my childhood when my mother decided to take a job outside the home which required some help from me to get dinner started before she arrived home. And in truth, Mom is an excellent cook of mainstream, mid-western style meals. This was the 80's, before America really came into its own, culinary-speaking. But Mom was focused both on our exposure to a variety of foods (like the liver that was thrown surreptitiously out the back door) and healthy eating (still working on the brussels sprouts).
After college my interest in cooking grew with having to cook for myself while at the same time enjoying good food. Rather than eat out, I would research a recipe and try to create it repeatedly until I got it correct. In these days before cable TV, too, PBS would program endless cooking shows, and post-party Saturdays were devoted to lying on the couch taking these in. And I couldn't play guitar (well), but I could eventually hold my own in the kitchen, a skill which did not go unnoticed by my future wife, Catherine.
Today I continue to cook almost every day and remain dedicated to trying new styles and ingredients. Weekends remain programmed with Food Network on the kitchen TV, although (usually) without the hangover.
Our tools
Open any high-end home real estate listing and you are bound to see a picture of a glorious kitchen with a 60 inch Viking stove, one, or even two Sub-Zero refrigerators, and acres of [granite, marble, soapstone, Zodiaq] countertops. These are beautiful kitchens to be sure, and with so many activities focused on this area of the home it is important to focus on their critical role in a home. However, I have found that great food can be prepared with the simplest of kitchen equipment. For cooking, we have a gas-fired, four-burner, free-standing 30-inch range. A powerful, quiet, and outdoor-ventilated range hood is a great addition. We also have a gas grill, a microwave oven (rarely used) and a toaster oven (great for toasting small quantities of spices pine nuts).
Our refrigerator is a 22cf top-mount free standing unit. It is the only refrigeration we have in the house, which for a family of five would seem to push the limits, and we are forced to be disciplined about what we buy, and how often we clean the thing out. It also helps that we make frequent visits to the grocery, generally five trips a week, so the Safeway is our refrigerator.
Pots and pans should be thought of as an investment. As I write this I am looking at my grandmother's cast-iron skillet, hanging from our pot rack. A high-capacity stock pot is inexpensive and can multi-task as a lobster pot, spaghetti pot (for and army) or the largest mixing bowl in your kitchen. Of course you will need a heavy-duty skillet (mine is a 12-inch Calphalon aluminum pan with a non-stick coating), and a cheap cast iron skillet is excellent for high-temperature sears, but also doubles as a roasting pan or a round baking pan (think cornbread). A three-quart saucepan is also a must for sauces, blanching vegetables, and boiling small quantities of pasta or other starches. And wit pans, more seems to always be better, as you will customarily want to reach for a duplicate of a pan that is being used, or in the dishwasher.
Knives. Knives, knives, knives. Very sharp knives.
And now a pitch for our sister company: we offer professional sharpening services for the local area, generally with 24-hour turn around. Check out the website for more information and a crazy video where I demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique by shaving my leg with a chef's knife.
Machines are labor savers, but also take up a lot of real estate on the counter. We have opted for three. First is the tried and true Kitchenaid mixer. There are a number of models of this powerhouse, mine is the 4 1/2 quart tilt head model.
Finally, I have a Waring, two-speed bar blender with a glass carafe.
I view the kitchen as my workshop. It doesn't have to be fancy, but must be able to do the job.
Thank you
Thanks for checking us out, and I welcome your comments and suggestions. Keep coming back as I have a backlog of ideas to share.
And to my kids...this is for you. I know that some of our most resilient memories have taken place in the kitchen and about food. I hope that the thoughts I share here provide inspiration for your own creativity.
Jeff.
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