So, I am using a kitchenette... err.. pantry area of sorts, available with a service apartment to cook. First of all, from an architect's perspective, the use of space is brilliant. One would imagine that a pantry located in a corridor, that serves as an entry to the service apartment and also as an access way to a toilet and a bathroom would be congested to work in. To be honest... it has been a lot of fun!
So what I have is a 2' X 2' of counter space, which has an electric stove in the middle, and a little sink adjoining this multi-utility work station. Oh and before I forget I also have a washing machine occupying the space beneath my counter. So all in all I have a tight space and just about sufficient storage to stock my basic necessities. I only pray that I don't need to somehow access all the facilities at once at any given point of time!
Kitchen tools? Well, I have one knife, a sauce pan (which also serves as makeshift 'tawa' to toast bread), a giant vessel to steam veggies (don't know what it's called), basic cutlery and plates, etc. for 2 people and my 3 little electronic monsters- a microwave, a rice cooker and a kettle.Voila!
So, with these restrictions, both in terms of space and equipment I set to work. So, I learnt that the key is to literally organize every step that needs to be done in a sequential order and replay it in your mind before you actually begin. I also had to make sure that I execute it smoothly without creating a lot of mess. I really do not want to vacuum the floor on a daily basis, so that part of it had to be included in the cooking methodology as well.
My basic objective is to cook healthy food everyday to avoid eating out at all times, and since rice is available in plenty here (and it tastes quite good too)... one part of my objective is met. My rice cooker- a.k.a little monster no.1 - takes an hour to cook, which gives me enough time to work on my veggies.
For someone who loves cooking, this little 2'X4' space (which I forgot to mention is the only space I am allowed to move in while I cook!) has presented an interesting set of challenges and even cooking with just vegetables and basic ingredients has still given me tremendous satisfaction.
For now, I am enjoying my cooking adventures and I am really working on improving my efficiency in terms of time and work processes in the kitchen. I know I am making it sound complicated, when my final end products are just plain steamed vegetables and simple curries, but you will understand what I mean, when you step into a tight space like this.
I'll probably move on to a more challenging task next time....perhaps i'll blog about how to tackle a dirt devil (a.k.a the vaccum cleaner!) Naaah.... I'm just enjoying my simple life for now, will move on to something really challenging once this becomes a mundane task. So far, so good!
So what I have is a 2' X 2' of counter space, which has an electric stove in the middle, and a little sink adjoining this multi-utility work station. Oh and before I forget I also have a washing machine occupying the space beneath my counter. So all in all I have a tight space and just about sufficient storage to stock my basic necessities. I only pray that I don't need to somehow access all the facilities at once at any given point of time!
Kitchen tools? Well, I have one knife, a sauce pan (which also serves as makeshift 'tawa' to toast bread), a giant vessel to steam veggies (don't know what it's called), basic cutlery and plates, etc. for 2 people and my 3 little electronic monsters- a microwave, a rice cooker and a kettle.Voila!
So, with these restrictions, both in terms of space and equipment I set to work. So, I learnt that the key is to literally organize every step that needs to be done in a sequential order and replay it in your mind before you actually begin. I also had to make sure that I execute it smoothly without creating a lot of mess. I really do not want to vacuum the floor on a daily basis, so that part of it had to be included in the cooking methodology as well.
My basic objective is to cook healthy food everyday to avoid eating out at all times, and since rice is available in plenty here (and it tastes quite good too)... one part of my objective is met. My rice cooker- a.k.a little monster no.1 - takes an hour to cook, which gives me enough time to work on my veggies.
For someone who loves cooking, this little 2'X4' space (which I forgot to mention is the only space I am allowed to move in while I cook!) has presented an interesting set of challenges and even cooking with just vegetables and basic ingredients has still given me tremendous satisfaction.
For now, I am enjoying my cooking adventures and I am really working on improving my efficiency in terms of time and work processes in the kitchen. I know I am making it sound complicated, when my final end products are just plain steamed vegetables and simple curries, but you will understand what I mean, when you step into a tight space like this.
I'll probably move on to a more challenging task next time....perhaps i'll blog about how to tackle a dirt devil (a.k.a the vaccum cleaner!) Naaah.... I'm just enjoying my simple life for now, will move on to something really challenging once this becomes a mundane task. So far, so good!
