A Kitchen To Enjoy

[melmedrano]

^ mas madali  kasi to put the photo in a FB account ... Kahit na receptionst ko can spend time on that -- kesa link, lol, kita! -lahat  ng sharing dito... Ooooz!   ganun pala si Sir? Ganun pla si Maam?  Lol.  Any phoo or patingin! Request -- FB na lang. 

oo nga eh... kaya lang ang pinaka malaki kong problem... wala ko FB account! hehe

[melmedrano]

Hahaha.  --  we hope you all can help us too!  .

check! :-)

[momentum]

mga sis pashare naman that FB so i can get tips to organize our kitchen 

[aquacharly]

^hindi pa kami nag FB on kitchen.  Inumpisahan lang natin yung crystals di ba?
Maybe we can start on the kitchen, certain features we want to look at. 

[momentum]

yes that would be great 

[yukishih]

Sis aquacharly, thank you very much! I was waiting for your email. Hahaha. Akala ko you ignored me andito na pala. Thank you talaga. Nagpost ako last time wala naman pala laman.   

[patriciaheart]

Sis aquacharly, pwede po humingi ng 2 week menu nyo? Newlywed po ako at gusto ko interesting ang menu namin.. Kaysa now na boring ang foods.

[m_lim]

i love this thread. planning to build my dream kitchen soon. exciting!

[aquacharly]

^ SHOBE:  In the Philippines, I advice you maintain a service kitchen. Nothing grand, but functional. Doon mo pagawa  the messy or long-term cooking. Fish frying, adobo/stews, and the wok cooking that require high heat = lots of hot steam. 

If you cook, spare yourself heartbreak by maintaining your own set of cooking utensils and pots & pans.  The helpers do not care if your knife is SM or Henkle's --  ma grrrr  ka lang. Why deprive yourself of good equipment that  contributes to your joy of cooking? 

[m_lim]

^true!!! sa bahay kasi ng father ko 1 lang ang kitchen. naku, palagi ako tumatakbo pag nag gigisa/prito dahil nangangamoy ang hair at damit! nakakainis lalo na pag paalis ka na ng bahay at abutan ka ng amoy.

wala rin kwenta mga binili mamahalin gamit. ayun, mga helper wala pakialam que mahal pa yan. mukha ng kawawa mga gamit. waste of money!

kaya importante talaga ang service kitchen.

thanks Achi!

[quennna]

thanks everyone esp aquacharly for all the tips...
nakakaencourage mag luto... lol

[aquacharly]

1 important thing I learned, basta do  not buy equipment/stuff  you will not use, or do not really need. 
Clutter will add to unnecessary maintenance & tension.
That's why I never buy anything in "sets".  Most of what's there, you don't need. 

Another lesson: in planning/setting up your kitchen -- think of how you will maintain cleanliness. 

Most important:  a kitchen should always be a safe place to move in.

[rics]

i dream of having a chef's kitchen, but hangang dream muna for now. i have a small working kitchen that is very functional and fits the needs of my family. the feature i like the most in my kitchen is the center island which im using right now as i type this and which also doubles as a pantry. i just had to buy under cabinet wire storage organizer  para hindi patong patong yung pagkain/grocery items.actually its a multi-purpose wire storage system that i find very useful (bottom left of picture): http://www.solutions-stores.ca/ecommerce/control/product/~category_id=020004001/~product_id=CW011)

since we live abroad and i have a compact house, the number 1 rule in the kitchen is hindi pwede mag prito ng isda. so kahit winter and i wanted to eat pritong isda, i do it outside. kasi ang hirap tanggalin ng amoy sa loob ng bahay kahit i open all the air vents.

when i cook, i make sure i open the vents and light candles. if the weather is not too cold, i open the window also to circulate air.

i wash dishes 2x a week only using a dishwasher but i have to wash pots and pans by hand. the soap and scrubs, i put under sink. i have a small drying rack on the other half of the sink for drying whatever i wash by hand. pag natuyo na, tago agad since i dont like na maraming bagay nakalagay sa counter. also other gadgets that i need like blender, waffle maker, chopper etc. are stored inside the cabinets and i get it out only when i need it.

we use cotton hand towels, but i use jay cloths na pwede labahan/rinse to wipe lamesa and the kitchen counter. for small spills, we just use paper towels.

i use a mixture of glass and steel kaldero and kawali pero im more inclined to using the glass ones. i have stopped using teflon covered cookware already. meron lang akong lagi ginagamit that i keep sa kitchen then the rest, specially yung medyo malalaki i put at the basement.

since 2x/wk lang kami maghugas ng dishes, meron akong about 1doz glass of diff sizes (but i need to buy more) that we use pero 1 design lang. same with mugs/cups. plates and serving dishes for ulam are white na merong konting design. these are the same plates i use when i have a few guests, otherwise, we just use paper plates. but for serving dishes, i keep the nice ones for special occasions at the basement and lahat naka-kahon. for leftover food storage, i use glass pyrex.

i also use a spoon rest pag nagluluto kasi ayaw ko din kung saan-saan papatong ang ginagamit na sandok. the knives i put inside the under counter cabinets or inside the dishwasher.

yung refuse material, we have a special separate trash can which is mounted under the sink and we use bio-degradable liner that also controls the odor.

[aquacharly]

^ yes, an ISLAND is a standard US kitchen feature that is most helpful.  I have that too in my kitchen na, and the previous one.

The previous 1, I had a hob (complete burners with grilled) put in.    Tapos, on the 3 sides -- ample space for diners. Hopia.  In the Philippines, people do not like to eat where the cooking is done -- kahit naka aircon ka pa.  Lols. It was good only for the cooking lessons our old yaya would force on us sisters. 

So in this house now, the island is just that  -- with drawers and a cabinet built below the granite surface. 

My sister, in a townhouse -- has 1 with wheels. Very nifty.  She got it daw from IKEA. 

PAPER TOWELS - I buy the cheaper ones fom S&R.  Cheaper coz shorter by 1.5inches, ok Lang. When I cook, I wipe spills/splatters with these. better than having kitchen cloths so oily/too stained with tomato sauce washed. Oil in the pan is wiped off with these too before manual washing. 

BACKSPLASH.  If you are still building your kitchen, consider using granite for counter tops & your backspash.  IMO, easiest to maintain & sturdiest material.    My backspash  goes up to 5ft from the floor or totally fills the space between counter & inow bottom or counter to hanging cabinet bottom.  -  it is easy to maintain a clean/hygienic kitchen this way.     

EXHAUST -  study the installation manual very well. Most common mistake here in the Phil's is putting the hood too above the cooking urface.  Hoods are generally at head level.   It took me time to find 1 that could be installed just at my head rim (am 5'3") and still within the installation guide distance between my hob surface & that hood. 

Now, aside from the vertical distance, there is the required horizontal distance between the hood & the air-out hole in your wall.  See your manual.  Look at the manual before you buy.  Because I like to grill steaks on my hob (I use a grilled tray on top of the gas burner) --  Hubby had a certain kind of fan placed between the hood & the air-out hole (hidden in the cabinetry & controlled by a switch)   So, it helps the hood push out the fumes. 

I was gonna install a misono table on my island, but could not locate an appropriate hanging exhaust hood. At 12meters - between hood & a kitchen wall (for the ductworks to release the air outside) -- I could not find a hood priced below commercial hoods. So, passed on that.  But for the mga Sis still planning thir kitchens --  consider the exhaust hoods. A miso no table too would be great -- invite me for lunch. .

DISHWASHER - I have 1 installed here in the Phils.  But this is not a necessity.  I hardly use it nowadays. 

[rics]

no naman, a kitchen island is not a standard feature,  i have seen a lot of new construct houses and older houses in  north america that doesnt have this. its nice to have but not necessarily a standard. on the other hand, a range hood is standard, even mandatory here, i cant imagine cooking without it. the one in my kitchen is just a simple white one that was installed by the builder. i might change it to a better stainless steel one hopefully in the near future so it matches the appliances also.

as with the backsplash, the one in my kitchen is tumbled marble. but i definitely go for the modern look of subway tiles, but even if i like the look, its a very big project to replace it so iwan ko na lang ang backsplash like that. linis lang ng mabuti since medyo mahirap din mag tanggal ng talsik ng mantika and pagkain. so most of the time if i need to fry, i have to do it outside using an electric skillet para iwas sa amoy and talsik ng mantika everywhere. i have also gone to liking using glass pots and pans in cooking. medyo i use this with a bit of precaution nga lang.

i would love to already change the counter i have which is just laminate, maganda naman tignan, maayos pa naman pero gusto ko na lang talaga palitan. we have checked caesar stone and silestone but again its more expensive than granite. hopefully i finish this project by next year.

you can opt to buy bounty paper towels which is more sturdier with spills/cleaning kasi hindi madali mapunit so hindi kailangan madami sheets. it also comes with smaller sheets now para hindi sayang.
i also like using jay cloths instead of cotton hand towels.

 

[aquacharly]

^ really? Hmmm, all kitchens I have seen in the US have islands. But what would I know? I lived there only for a couple of years, and don't live there anymore. .  Though I go every 3months to visit.   But it sure is a useful feature.  But I think for limited areas -- the counterpart is that wider counter accessible at 3 sides where they may put a sink & bar-ht stools.  .

Sa mga Sis here in the Philippines - IMO, the less joined (is that the term?) parts you have on your counters or backsplash - the better to maintain cleanliness. Even if you keep your windows shut - it is just more dusty here. The more seamless/single piece  your counter/backsplash is - the less dirt/dust even oil sumusuksok - so easier, que zero/a batallion of maids.  It is also   good to get tips from commercial kitchens -- which prioritize efficiency, safety & cleanliness.

[jp_jameop]

NICE THREAD!!!

by oct, I have my new kitchen. so small but its ok, lahat ng drawers pinalagyan namin ng organizer. then hanging cabinets, dun ko store malalalking stuff.

hmmmuunti-unti ako bibili ng mga plates, ect uniform in color and dispose the old ones. pag siguro nakabawi na kami sa construction. finishing stage na kasi yung bahay so dami gastos.

[Romina]

I'm pretty happy with my kitchen, but a bigger one would be nice. I don't have a kitchen island though, but i have a long counter to do all my prepping. And lots of cabinets. A walkin pantry and a small laptop space. The space just above my cabinet, I decorated it with milk glassess/ vases and pretty cake stands. All the same colors dapat. White silang lahat. And I also place a dartboard by the wall near my fridge, so i can play while waiting for my scones to bake

[merrykei]

Hi mga sisses! Need some help/advice about kitchens coz I'm planning to have one made.

About range hoods, ano ba ang okay na brand? pa post naman kung ano mga range hood nyo. Kasi I don't know which one to get, kung yung may duct (exhaust) or yung ductless (recirculator). Actually, mas preferred ko yung exhaust kaso I think mas mahal siya and kelangan ko pa ipabutas yung wall, right?

For someone who doesn't cook a lot, just quick cooking/frying/heating in the stove, okay na kaya yung ductless hood range? Or, can I just do without it?

Also, for granite countertops, I'm planning to get from globemaster. Meron na ba silang taga-install and sealed na ba yung granite nila? Or kelangan ko pa ipa-seal?

Please help! thanks :-)

[aquacharly]

^exhaust type is best.  Yes, you only do light cooking now, but still, if you fry -- . And don't cramp your potential -- you can always choose or be inspired to level up your cooking skills. 

Maintenance-wise, ductless means more oil, dirt trapped in that filter thing. Ugh -- hard to clean, attracts pests.

Granite -- buy and require them or their short listed installer install it for you. Check your job order says it all: prep, installation & sealing/waterproofing.