THE KITCHEN MEME

This "KITCHEN MEME" was created by Cenzina from Rome, Italy. I find such questionnaires highly interesting as we're all a little curious and inquisitive when it comes to seeing how other people live... And since you are food lovers, this meme should help you envision this very special room that is MY kitchen. Yes, that's where are those yummy dishes are cooked!

1. Show us your kitchen ( a picture) and tell us what is it about this place that reflects your own personnality.

My kitchen with it's minuscule table and the great view on Mount Salève in France.

The kitchen seen when turning your back against the window.

My kitchen doesn't entirely reflect my personality, because it is not exactly as I'd wish it to be; it's veeeery small! While cooking, I always feel like in a "sardine tin" and I have to cope with the lack of working surface, so generally I use my vitroceramic cooker or sink as extra space on which I can work! It is a big source of stress for me as any small meal transforms this tiny kitchen into a battlefield!!!

But, otherwise, it looks quite cute and tidy; my kitchen is the only room I like to keep free from any parasiting object.

Maybe it's, in fact, like me: simple, but effective; warm and welcoming, but without using artificial artefacts; not perfect, but without being limited by those imperfections...

2. Open a cupboard (the one you feel to open), take a picture and tell us what we see.

My Spice shelf.

That's my spice collection which I'm very proud and fond of. Without it, I could not feel comfortable as it gives me liberties concerning the directions I want to take while cooking: exotic, oriental, Asian, South-American, European, etc...

I wish to extend my collection and be the happy owner of an immense spice "museum"!

3. Present us your favorite kitchen-based electrodomestic tool.

My SIEMENS mixer.

I guess that it's my mixer as it's very useful and it takes not much space in my cupboard. The only functions I refuse to use are the bread and cake ones as I still believe in the "magical powers" of the hands and arms (call me a snob......)!

4. Take out the ingredients you like the most, the ones you always keep stored.

My immense stock of useful and favorite ingredients.

I always stock the following ingredients: yeast, baking powder, powdered almonds and hazelnuts, coconut powder, flours (plain, glutinous rice, rice, tapioca, corn, tortilla), chilli sauces (Tabasco, Thai sweet chilli sauce and garlic chilli sauce, Harissa, Sambal Oelek), onions, garlic, shallots, lemons, curry and spices (Garam Massala, Ras El Hanout, Madras Curry, paprika, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, coriender, curry leaves, etc...), Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla), sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, oils (sesame, olive, sunflower, peanut, walnut), Asian noodles (Japanese Udon, glass noodles, chinese egg noodles, etc...), pastas (tagliatele, spaghettis, macaronis, etc...), coconut milk, runny honey, couscous, rices (Vialone risotto, Sri Lankan red rice, Basmati, glutinous rice, Thai jasmine rice, parboiled rice, Creole rice), dry lentils/pulses (red kidney beans, brown lentils, chickpeas, etc...), eggs, sugar (white and brown), milk, butter, salt, tomatoe puree, Ketchup, vinegars (balsamic, wine and apple vinegar), ginger, mustard (old-fashioned and mild mustard), Tahini, kaffir lime leaves, frozen coriander/chillies/lemongrass, chicken stock, cranberry jam, kitchen chocolate, Worcestershire sauce, tamarind concentrate, black bean sauce, fine semolina and herbs (Italian, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, etc...).

5. My little steel friend: present us to your favorite cooking/baking receipient.

My LE CREUSET saucepan.

"LE CREUSET" saucepans are always very handy and of very good quality. Being a cast-iron pan, one doesn't need to use much heat as it amplifies it and keeps warm for a long time...

It's the ideal saucepan for "FONDUE".

My frying pan.

I use my frying pan nearly every day and not only for frying things with lots of oil. I cook light things like my spiced Basmati rice in it, but also make pancakes, tortillas, stir-fry meat and vegetables, make sauces and curries...