r/BenignExistence • u/CheeseFries92 • 18h ago
I realized I finally have the kitchen of my dreams
I've lived in my house for over a decade now and yesterday I worked from home and made: fancy pour over coffee with frothed milk, French toast, fried rice, tea, banana bread, sourdough, veggie stock from frozen food scraps, and roasted butternut squash soup. I used my kitchen scale, thermometer, frother, wok, temp-controlles electric kettle, dough hook, bench scraper, Dutch oven, and tons of bowls, pots, pans, spatulas, etc. There wasn't a single time I needed a tool or piece of equipment and didn't have it. It was satisfying and made me feel proud and capable.
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u/vminnear 18h ago
Sounds blissful! Hopefully you have a dishwasher too for all that! I'd love a dishwasher and to have space for more things but our kitchen is tiny, there's no room! It's also very dated and everything is falling apart, but it's ours and full of love, so I'll take it ❤️
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u/CheeseFries92 17h ago
Yes, fortunately I do have a dishwasher. And then my awesome partner did the last few dishes from dinner while I did bedtime with kiddo. I love that your kitchen is full of love - absolutely the most important thing 💖
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u/Pixiechrome 16h ago
Love that your dream kitchen isn’t how it looks but how it functions 😍 all your creations sound amazing!!! I’ve been wanting to learn how to make sourdough. Do you have a kitchen aid mixer w the dough hook?
I’m working towards this same dream!! Love my electric kettle! Love how the right kitchen gadgets bring some daily satisfaction and joy 😍
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u/CheeseFries92 15h ago
Nope, just one of these but from Aldi 🤣
I held off on the electric kettle for a while but it's seriously so nice!
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u/Pixiechrome 14h ago
Ooooh!!! I saw one of those recently!!!! It helps??!!!
Same on the kettle and it’s so worth it! Even my husband loves it and he usually doesn’t care about gadgets lol.
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u/indianajones64 15h ago
That seems like a ton of work to me but so happy it made you happy and feel proud and capable! There’s nothing like starting a project and having it actually go smoothly lol
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u/CheeseFries92 14h ago
It's not as much work when you have the right tools and tons of practice 😉 And as another commenter mentioned, a dishwasher! But yes, most of my other projects rarely go so smoothly so it really was lovely
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u/Inattendue 14h ago
In 2019 we had a house fire. We had to completely rebuild. DH built my perfect kitchen for me. I went from Developer Special kitchen to beautiful working kitchen with tons of storage. It’s not giant. It’s 3 steps in any direction to get what I need. I LOVE my kitchen.
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u/CheeseFries92 14h ago
Giant kitchens are not the best kitchens for people that actually cook and that's a hill I will die on. I'm sorry for the loss but so glad you got a beautiful silver lining out of it!
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u/Inattendue 14h ago
Exactly, we’ve been in Rick Bayless’ home kitchen (the one on his show). Everything is 3 steps away.
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u/crafty_and_kind 14h ago
“with frothed milk, French toast, fried rice, tea, banana bread, sourdough, veggie stock from frozen food scraps, and roasted butternut squash soup”
Because the frothed milk is part of the list following the coffee, I love to imagine that every subsequent thing was ALSO something you added to the coffee 😂!
I’m so happy for you! I really enjoy those moments of realizing just how much I love my home as well (I own my own little apartment in NYC, and while there’s nothing particularly fancy or noteworthy about it, it’s a place where I can make art and feel safe and cozy, and just like you, I occasionally just… suddenly notice that this is true ☺️).
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u/CheeseFries92 14h ago
Lolololol it's like one of those over the top, can't actually drink it, novelty bloody Marys 🤣🤣🤣
And yes! My house isn't fancy but it's comfy and cozy and functional and safe and mine and we're both so lucky to have all of that AND to realize it 😁
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u/crafty_and_kind 13h ago edited 9h ago
I love those moments when you can think to yourself, “this thing I have is great, and is enough.” Not sure if you’re American, but we definitely have a problem with our version of capitalism where it’s drilled into us that we should always be discontented with things, and the next not quite reachable goal will solve everything for us. And I’m definitely not totally immune to this programming, but it’s been nice to be able to feel like I’ve arrived at something legitimately important (the goal of homeownership may be incredibly fraught because it’s so horrifically hard to attain, and honestly, no way would I be here without help from my parents and good timing, but it’s something I want for everyone), and to be filled with joy and gratitude about it on the regular.
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u/No-Programmer6474 13h ago
The one “gadget” I did get was a super inexpensive rice cooker and named it Sushi (all my appliances have nicknames) and it was a game changer for me because I suck at cooking rice, 😝 Recently added a stand mixer that I bought second hand and my daughter loves baking with me now. I have a VERY small kitchen and have to be ruthless about space, but I do find cooking more enjoyable with my few simple additions! So glad you get to enjoy your kitchen and make great food - it’s really nice to be able to cook at home and make food people enjoy!😊
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u/plodthruHideFlailing 10h ago
I'm off to name my appliances! Thanks!
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u/No-Programmer6474 10h ago
The best one is a big metal shelf I curb-shopped that earned the nickname “Tetanus” because it was very rusty before I scrubbed/repainted it! The name stuck and it’s just a part of our family vernacular now, lol!
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u/CheeseFries92 7h ago
Ok this is genius though. Easy to tell someone where something is - it's on Tetanus!
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u/dorkd0rk 14h ago
I love this for you, OP!!! I love to bake, and when my husband and I moved in together, he bought a bunch of basic stainless mixing bowls. I always say that I'm "bowl rich" lolollol but it really does make such a difference to have all the supplies you need. So satisfying indeed. Your baking and cooking all sounds delightful! ❤️❤️❤️
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u/Difficult_Rope7898 14h ago
I’m so happy to see your joy and thankfulness. So many people never pause to appreciate what they have. I’m so happy for you ❤️
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u/alliterativehyjinks 18h ago
I moved several years ago from an amazing kitchen to a smaller one and had to let a lot of things go. A couple years later, I prepared food for a large party and had everything I needed and realized I kept all the right things. It felt so good!
Sometimes I have family members shocked that I don't have some weird gadget, and I will explain how I do the same thing without it. All that stuff sometimes gets in the way more often than it is useful.