Joy Fellows

I have moved house twice in the last 12 years and I've pared down my kitchen equipment each time although only of rusting 'back-of-the-cupboard' aged baking tins or the odd chipped bowl. My kitchen storage is quite limited, so I don't buy equipment unless I know I'm going to use it, as I don't have enough room for stuff that I don't use. Incidentally, I have had my Mezzaluna for about 20 years. It is quite possibly my favourite piece of equipment! I use it all the time to chop fresh herbs which are grown in our garden. I don't have one of those curved boards, but just use it on my trusty old chopping board. I love to use it. My rolling pin is also very old and is made of wood - although it has no handles - they must have come off years ago. My parents had a restaurant and the rolling pin belonged to my mother who was a superb pastry cook, besides preparing all the food served in the restaurant. When she retired, we had to employ two chefs to do the work she had done alone. I often think it may be something of a health hazard being wooden and so very old - but hey - it's only used for home baking and we are all thriving! Using it certainly stirs up the memory bank! jodda.x

Oh my Lord! I think I could run a restaurant for a month with all the food I have in stock! I do buy my fruit and vegetables fresh, although having said that, we're mostly using home-grown at this time of the year. Although we have a lot of 'stuff', I'm always aware of what needs eating when and we have very little wastage. I have every type of rice, pasta, bean, flour, nut, dried fruit so I can fix whatever, whenever without having to rush to the shops! My cooking is often fairly spontaneous so I like to be ready for any gastronomic urges, so to speak! I love to make chutney and preserves - we are lucky enough to have an ancient Medlar tree in our garden, so I make Medlar Jelly every year. It seems we can't eat the preserves quickly enough though and I always have a lot of jars in stock. I don't know what causes the 'disease', but if we ever become houseband for any length of time - well we won't starve, that's for sure! And hey - you're all welcome any time you like if you ever get real hungry with nowhere to go - I can always fix you up with something to eat! jodda.x

Hello all! Loved the article and love this thread. Having read through most of the replies I think my own views are closest to those of Alchemist. Lets not get too precious about this stuff that we eat. As Nigel Slater writes at the beginning of one of his wonderful books- "There is too much talk of cooking being an art or a science - we are only making ourselves something to eat" Now before you object to this quote, it needs to be taken in context - he is writing this merely about the keen home cook. It is all about balance. One thing I must say though is I care passionately about the provenance of the food that I eat. I try and eat seasonally and locally as far as possible. I abhor the abuse of animals that takes place in the name of Commercial Farming, always buying from a trusted source, namely my local butcher. He seems to be something of a rarity nowadays in that his small slaughterhouse is in a building directly behind the shop and the farms where the animals are raised are within a 5 mile radius of that. They advertise 'home killed meat' - it is so good and ethical. With regard to the comments made by Jeff - have you thought of keeping some chickens yourself Jeff? They are relatively inexpensive and easy to keep and you haven't lived until you have eaten an egg that is cooked whilst still warm from laying! They are also great fun and nowhere near as stupid as I once thought! My husband claims his stress just melts away when he has spent some time with them after his return from the office! jodda.x

"3 bottles of Simi Cabernet Savaugnon instead of dinner~ " Well Doc, I'm with you in that your choices sound suitably weird, although some of the gear you eat is unknown to a humble Englishwoman like me. However, nothing wrong with 3 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon instead of dinner - where's the 'odd' in that? Keep 'em coming - I'm loving reading these! jodda.x

Hello all you food loving people out there, and greetings from England! I'm new to this site and I've thought of a question I'd like to ask all of you. I love to eat and I love to cook and don't often replicate the same dish, as I love to experiment with recipes. However...... I also have this shameful little secret that I am prepared to share with you providing you all share your own........... What junk do you fix just for yourselves when no one else is around? OK here are mine. Just occasionally, the only thing that will satisfy my appetite is Dairylea (a white processed cheese - a bit like Velveeta) spread on white toast and then put under a grill until the top starts to blacken and the cheese underneath is melting- hot enough to burn your mouth. Another time I may cook Rigatoni and then coat it with butter before placing in a heatproof bowl and topping with shop bought breadcrumbs. Under the grill again until the top is toasty and crunchy THEN cover with instant gravy made up really thick. Please tell me that I'm not the only who enjoys eating utter rubbish like this just occasionally? I look forward to reading your replies - if you dare! jodda.x PS, Just in case anyone was wondering, although female, I am not pregnant- I used to drink homemade french dressing then!!!!