Large Appetites, Small Kitchen, Medium Budget

July 16, 2011 - Posted by Ryan MayoTags: Budget, Small Kitchen

Cooking for a food-loving family with big appetites can be a problem if you have a small kitchen and a not-much-bigger food budget.  I had to come up with my own kitchen design ideas to maximize the space that I have, and a creative menu to keep those gastric juices flowing.

Instead of a 4-burner range, I have a two-burner range with a rotisserie/oven.  I have a rice cooker, a microwave I use mostly for defrosting, and I also have a crock pot that is always simmering with a broth from the bones of whatever is the main meat dish for the day.  I always have a lot of fresh vegetables that I can just throw into the pot shortly before mealtimes for a rich and healthy soup.  The burners I use mostly for frying, for sauces, for sautéing and for boiling pasta.  The oven gets the most mileage with roasts, meat loafs, pasta, pies, cakes and pastries.

I use a 13-day menu cycle so the same recipes don’t end up on the same day.  Desserts are usually frozen blends of fresh fruit, cream, honey and yoghurt (home-made).

A large kitchen where the family can gather and chow down would have been ideal but the way things are, with sounds of delight around the dining room table, I’m not complaining.

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