A new house....a new kitchen

[rainbowgirl]

I want to make my kitchen more accomodating to raw, but still have access to the other stuff.

Basically, it's not gonna be an ALL raw kitchen, the dh and kids will be eating cooked.

But, I want to make it at least a 50/50 deal, not a 80/20 with me as a loser!

Sue

[luckitri]

I took the two front burners off our electric stove. I can chop and dump stuff in a bowl in the hole and have the other hole with a bowl for the stuff I want to keep. Just wish I was composting now.

[Blazin'Jane]

I love my hanging 3-tiered fruit basket. Crate and Barrel has a nidce one. And I love my square jars like the ones in Alissa's video. I store all my nuts and seeds in them. They're all lined up on my counter and make the place look really healthy. And they're easy to get to!

[StarFire]

I loove designing new kitchens! You're gunna have a blast putting it together! oooo.. post a pic when you're done so we can see!!! :D

[River Mom]

Blazen Jane could you post a photo of that kitchen. I've never seen the video and would love to see what a healthy kitchen looks like. I love that.

River MOM

[exurb]

My kitchen has a shortage of counter space, due to lots of windows. There's a big island to make up for it, but I don't like using it because it doesn't face outside and I don't like putting appliances on it like Vitamix, etc. I have a stove with a ceramic glass cooktop, so no raised burners. I like it because it becomes more counter space for me. Its oven also functions as a proper dehydrator. If you have a stove that has a "proof" feature (which is the temperature for raising yeast) and convection, it may function as the perfect low temperature dehydrator! So there's an example of sad and raw living side by side.

[casperlynn]

I cover my stove with a huge 22X26 cutting board which serves as much needed extra counter space and hides the gas grates. I keep Alissa's LOLF book there, plus a few baskets of fruit and whatever else happens to land on it. When there's SAD cooking to be done, off it goes until the task is complete. I really wish I had an extra fridge all to myself so I could store all of my raw goodies, including nuts, in it and so I wouldn't have to "compete" with SAD items that require cold storage. :rolleyes: Right now, nuts & seeds are stored in mason jars in the pantry.

[rainbowgirl]

And it has two windows (on a corner)......and it would be an eat in kitchen, with a bathroom inside too.

I would be switching the galley open kitchen that is too small for my needs, into a laundry room/family closet.

I am going to look at crate and barrel now. I used to collect their catalogs, lol.

Rainbowgirl!

[Green Life]

wow, congrats on getting a new kitchen. I am happy for you.
All the ideas here are great! You are all so creative.
We have an island, too. However, I hate to put things on it because it's dividing the living area and the kitchen, and it looks too sloppy or something.
So, I made another counter space for all my raw food appliances by getting an old wooden sewing machine table, then covering it with a piece of board the size i wanted for my counter. I nailed the board onto the table, which served as the base. Then I added some legs and some counter top tiles. Now, I have a very good size extra counter. I made some country curtains for the front to cover the table and stuff under it like my bulk bins, ect. I use the big popcorn tins you get at Christmas time filled with popcorn, ect. for my nuts and seeds, ect. Those get stored underneat the table, as well as above my counter on shelves. The tins are quite huge and very decorative, so I don't mind them on my shelves.

[baltochef]

rainbowgirl

Below are my thoughts for a combination SAD / RAW kitchen:

1. Electric induction cooktop w/ ceramic glass heating elements..

The MOST efficient way to heat food..Has been for decades..Is WAY more popular & accepted in Europe where utility costs are much higher than in the USA..Will possibly neccessitate purchasing some new cookware that has magnetic bottoms, as it works by creating a magnetic current that agitates the molecules of the cookware's bottom, thus creating heat..A MAJOR advantage, in addition to cost efficiency in operation, is that ONLY the pans get hot, not the heating surface!!..Traditional cast iron, porcelain covered cast iron (Le Creuset), All-Clad, & others are examples of cookware needed to work with induction..

As exurb has mentioned, you can use the cooktops space to carefully store things as the cooktop only projects a short distance above the countertop..

2. Modern wall oven with fan & extra-low temperature settings that can be used, in a pinch, as a 110 degree Fahrenheit dehydrator if needed..

3. Stainless steel vent hood that is easy to service & clean..

Vent hood, cooktop & oven installed in outside wall of kitchen to efficiently vent moisture & grease to the outdoors..

4. 24 in. wide X 36 in. long X 16 in. deep traditional butcher block to open coconuts on..

These can be purchased well used for a fraction of their new cost, steam cleaned multiple times to remove old meat residue, & re-oiled to moisturize the wood..The dished cutting surface can be leveled by craftsman equipped to do so with a special rail system that clamps around the block, allowing a large router to pass back & forth in an X-Y axis..Enough wood can be removed to expose clean wood free from animal residue..

5. Ample counter space & or a large island..

Plan on 3-4 times what you think you would like, because there is almost NEVER enough space to work in kitchens..This is especially true if you have a large family that will be working together to do prep..

This is perhaps the single most important thing in ANY kitchen, & is in my opinion as a professional chef, even MORE important in a raw kitchen..

6. Single large custom-configurable Sub-Zero, or similar refridgerator for the SAD side of things..

7. Second large commercial-style refridgerator to store nuts & seeds high in perishable oils in..Need a fridge big enough to be able to take advantage of local nuts (if available), & to be able to mail-order sufficient quantities so as to minimize shipping costs..

8. Multiple refridgerated produce drawers with adjustable humidity controls, located under the counter space, & or island top..

Now most people are going to think that produce drawers in any but the most expensive dream kitchens are nothing but a luxury..Here is where I will disagree with you..Properly installed, properly INSULATED produce drawers will be NO less efficient to operate than a stand alone refridgerator..

It is a little known fact that refridgerated spaces are MORE efficient to operate if the compressor & coolant system is seperate from the actual refridgerated space..

By having multiple produce drawers you will be able to control the humidity so as to REALLY prolong the storage life of your fruits & vegetables..Before the advent of refridgeration people had to use root cellars to extend the life of picked veggies & fruits..Proper humidity is the MOST essential element, other than a consistant temperature unique to the particular produce in question..

By being able to seperate your produce according to it's individual needs you will maximise your purchases, with the least amount of waste..If you are composting, then you are not really wasting, but the idea is to consume our produce, not compost it before consumption..

Since so much of the fruits & veggies we eat (especially in the wintertime) comes from so far away from where we actually live, it's life span is reduced compared to if locally purchased..I would submit that INVESTING in the individually controlled produce drawers is more in tune with a raw, vegan, holistic approach to life, than is throwing all your produce into a single refridgerated space where some of it will ALWAYS spoil unneccessarily quickly..

9. A seperate pantry room, also located on the same outside wall as the oven & cooktop..On this outside wall of the pantry room I would have counter space for multiple dehydrators, along with a second vent hood to rid the room of the moisture & grease from the foods as they dehydrate..

My reason for locating the dehydrator(s) away from the main kitchen space is NOISE POLLUTION..Other than blenders (noisiest), spice grinders (second noisiest)& food processors (third noisiest), dehydrators are the noisiest tools in the raw kitchen..Whereas the other three are usually on for only short periods of time; dehydrators are usually on for no less than 3-4 hours at the minimum, and as much as several days at the maximum..

I want a pantry in my next kitchen, so I would be very willing to pay for a second vent hood in a pantry to seperate myself from the constant noise..I want my next kitchen to be as tranquil as possible as I believe that this is in keeping with a holistic, raw lifestyle..

10.Countertops, floors, & cabinets that make sense..

I will be the first to admit that the look & feel of the traditional "Country" kitchen that is so very, very popular in the USA has a deep, intrinsic, almost visceral appeal to it..However, I don't think that it is a good choice in a kitchen that is going to be used heavily..

If modern wood cabinets were manufactured from solid wood, I wouldn't mind the use of wood as a cabinet material..However, virtually all cabinets being made today have wood composites for everything but the cabinet doors..Even the best of the low-VOC (volitile organic compound) building materials still outgas things that I don't particularly want in my lungs..

Solid wood cabinets are so expensive as to be affordable only to the very wealthy..

I would choose modern stainless steel cabinetry, solid & glass doored, with a powdered-coated finish in the color of my choice..

The floor surface would be durable & easy to clean, perhaps poured concrete with ground glass in it..I still cannot decide exactly what floor surface I would choose..In my opinion kitchen floors should be swept & mopped every day, something I currently don't do,but am working towards accomplishing in my life..

For countertops I an leaning towards one of the ground glass composites that are attractive, durable, easy to clean, and less costly than solid stone..

Anyway, these are my thoughts for now..

I'm sure that I'll have others, but I want to sign off here for now..

Good luck, Bruce

[rainbowgirl]

Please come back Bruce!

This is what I'm looking for. I have a very high use kitchen.

I have four kids, and we all use the kitchen.

I will talk to dh about this when he's in a good mood, lol.

And start planning.

I was thinking already of checking out restaurant supply store "seconds" or left overs.

So, is an island a good idea? Or not?

This is a square room, and I'll measure next time I go. It is on a corner with windows on both sides, and the sink will probably be in front of the right side window as that's where the piping is.

I'd also like to have good storage as we buy in bulk, and easy access to most items because it saves the kids from climbing the step ladder.

Rainbowgirl

[exurb]

awesome advice from Bruce again! It's so great to have a professional chef around who knows how to set up a WORKspace.

Bruce, do you mind me asking about those countertops, as we're doing our reno now.

When we were looking, granite came out cheaper than the "QUARTZ" composite types. Is this ground glass a whole other animal I haven't heard about, or is it like the "quartz" or "corian" or something I already might have seen.

Another thing with countertops I am considering.... We have a huge veggie garden, and my husband is always bringing in huge quantities of veggies, and we compost. A lot of the time our kitchen cupboards and floors get dirty transferring all the trimmings into the compost bucket. We're contemplating between one of these two things #1) putting a hole in the island counter (cut on the diagonal, so you can re-plug it with the missing cut out piece, so you can swipe stuff directly into the compost bucket in the cupboard below) OR #2, making the overhang (the distance the countertop sticks out from the cabinets) wider than standard, so you can really get the compost bucket underneath before you swipe the produce refuse into the composter. With all the fruits and veggies we deal with, clearing out compostables is a big part of our kitchen daily work, so we want a good way to deal with that.

If you went with a butcher block, you could have a hole in that too.

Do you have a Vitamix - plan a good location for that. I prefer the VitaMix to the BlendTec, but it doesn't fit between upper and lower cabinets with the jar on it, so plan a location that works for that (or buy the small jar for the VitaMix). I have mine near the sink which is handy.

Think of your "work triangle" which is slightly different for rawbies! Also put the DW near the sink IMO so you can rinse stuff out, and get it into the DW without having to drip across the kitchen floor.

[trinity082482]

I always keep my cutting board close by.. usually in the dish rack or on top of the counter.. no sense keep putting it away it gets used so often each day! I also keep my coffee grinder close by and my blender's home is on top of my kitchen island and it never gets put away either. I personally use my stove as extra counter space lol.. I just store everything on it.. why do I even have one? :D

[Dr. White]

My dh is a wood worker. Are you saying that stainless steel cabinets are a better deal than him building from birds eye maple?

[Blazin'Jane]

River Girl, I will figure out how to post a photo of the healthy part of my kitchen. The funny thing is, it is all a cut and paste job. It's not very big and before I got into RAW, my husband did most of the food preparation in it. What's comical now is all the negotiating we have to do over space, after 46 years of marriage. When I started moving in all my RAW-fixin' toys and good looking ingredients (seeds and nuts and a few grains, etc.), I needed more space than was available. After 9 mos. of my RAW diet, we now have one cabinet for all his cooking things: pots, pans, slow cookers (how gross!), etc., and I have co-opted another one the same size for my blender, food processors, mandoline, coffee grinder, teflex sheets for the dehydrator, etc. Everytime he comes into the kitchen, I've moved some of his stuff (and he's a pack rat of the first order, as well). Then there are the blender and dehydrator which permanently live on the counter.....I just keep bringing in stuff. He's taking it all fairly well, for the most part, but he does feel "displaced!" I'll post a picture when I get it figured out. It's not that great a deal, but I do think it looks rich and healthy! Hanging fruit basket and all!
BTW --are you from Omaha---we lived there for 18 years before coming to central MO in 2000. I'm wondering if McFoster's, which used to have good vegetarian foods, is into RAW at all.

[baltochef]

Dr. White- If your hubby is a talented wood worker, then no, he can probably make your new cabinets for less than, or the same cost as new S.S. cabinets..It's just that the S.S. cabinetry is SOOOO much easier to clean & keep clean..Wood will always have a warmer, friendlier feel to it!!..Birds-eye & curly maple have to be two of my all time favorite American hardwoods, & will make gourgeous cabinets..

exurb-The ground glass countertop material I read about in a book (and also saw on TV) I think by Sarah Susanka, the author of The Not So Big House..The program on cable was about "green" home construction, & I don't recall manufacturers being mentioned..If I recall where exactly I heard / read about it I'll post the source..I do recall that it was supposedly much less exspensive than granite..The material I saw on cable was whitish with all different colors of glass imbedded in the matrix..Is this what you are referring to??..

trinity082482-When I purchase new cutting boards to replace my current ones, I intend to get the end grain bamboo ones..They will be stored on end in a S.S. wire rack that will hold them vertically long edge facing up..they will dry more quickly this way & will always be readilly available for use on the countertop..

rainbowgirl-I happen to like islands a lot as they give you a lot of room to allow multiple people to work in the kitchen at the same time without getting in each others way..They can also be handy if a single person has multiple tasks going on at more or less the same time that overlap..You can work on several tasks without having to clean up a single space, as you would in a small kitchen (my current one)..Restaurant supply stores, auctions, etc. can net you VERY good bargins if you have someplace to store equipment until a new kitchen is ready..

P.S.--Those of you that have read some of my other posts have seen me mention the Vac Sy vacumn sealing containers manufactured by Zepter International..As far as I'm concerned these containers should be in every kitchen, RAW or SAD..They are incredibly expensive when compared on a piece-by-piece, volume-by-volume basis to Rubbermaid containers; even Tupperware..

But, they will save the average household SOOOO much money on a yearly basis that they will pay for themselves in short order..They do this by doubling, sometimes tripling the time that you can keep produce in the fridge..

I've had corn-on-the-cob, husked & wrapped in a paper towel, still be edible, with NO browning 16 days after I put it on the bottom shelf, shoved it to the back, & forgot about it..

I know that as raw foodists we often consume massive quantities of fruits & veggies compared to the average SAD eater..Even so, there will always be times where you need to extend the time in the fridge beyond that of which you had intended..Other times you will buy produce that for whatever reasons starts to deteriorate before you expected it to..

Thats when the Vac Sy's come in so handy..By substantially reducing the amount of oxygen touching the produce, it will have better taste & greater nutritive value, even if you are not specifically trying to extend it's shelf life..


I have only found two websites in the USA to check them out at..There is a place in Florida that I have not dealt with, but which you can find by Googling Zepter International, or Vac Sy..

The place that I have dealt with is www.myzepter.com & they are in Michigan..

BTW, I'm not affiliated with these people in any way..I just think that Vac Sy is an incredible product that works extroardinarily well, & I wan't people to be aware of it..

Bruce

[mulch]

what about the vacuum systems that they sell at target or walmart?

[baltochef]

mulch

I've only used the bottle sealers from the less expensive systems that you can find at Wal-Mart, Target, QVC, etc..

My personal experience is that they only work, at best, about one fourth as well as the equivalent bottle stopper from Vac Sy..

For example, I bought some red wine to make mustards with..Made some mustard, drank one glass, & stoppered the remaining half-bottle with the Vac Sy stopper..

Set the wine bottle behind the Berkey water purifier on the rolling cart in the kitchen..More or less forgot about it for 10 days..Opened it up to find the wine still drinkable, deteriorated a little, but still drinkable!!

Re-stoppered it & decided to see how long it would keep, thinking perhaps I'll get red wine vinegar out of the deal..Did not add a "mother" culture, just whatever yeast organisms were trapped in the bottle after vacumn sealing..Finally got tired of waiting for it to turn to vinegar (probably would have taken many, many months), & threw it away after 45 days..Was just starting to acquire a vinegary flavor, & could still be drunk..

I've been told by others, first & second hand, that the less costly vacumn sealing containers don't work all that well..However, my experience is only with the bottle stoppers..

I am very, very pleased with the performance of the Vac Sy system; enough so that I'll be purchasing more of it as soon as I'm able to afford to do so..

One of the advantages of Vac Sy is that most of the lids to the containers have a date tracking system built into the top of the lid surrounding the actual vacumn sealing mechanism..This allows you to set the date that you purchased (created) & originally stored the food in question, as well as the approxomate date that you think the food should be consumed by..

Vac Sy is a very well thought out & executed product..Unfortunately, Zepter International does not seem to be very interested in the American market..From what I can gather, Vac Sy (and the other Zepter products) are being marked similar to the way that Tupperware & Amway products were originally sold..This is too bad, as I think that the Vac Sy would sell very well here in the USA if it was more reasonably priced..

Even so, I think that the Vac Sy items that I have purchased work exactly as advertised..They do an exellent job of removing air from the containers so that the foods stored in them do not deteriorate as quickly from exposure to the oxygen in the air..

I hope that this helps you to better understand the Vac Sy System..

Bruce

[exurb]

exurb-The ground glass countertop material I read about in a book (and also saw on TV) I think by Sarah Susanka, the author of The Not So Big House..The program on cable was about "green" home construction, & I don't recall manufacturers being mentioned..If I recall where exactly I heard / read about it I'll post the source..I do recall that it was supposedly much less exspensive than granite..The material I saw on cable was whitish with all different colors of glass imbedded in the matrix..Is this what you are referring to??..


thanks Bruce, I will look more into this, as it sounds VERY nice. Now you got me thinking about the other toxic materials outgassing from the cabinetry, I wonder what these composites are held together with too, but I will check it out.

[exurb]

When I purchase new cutting boards to replace my current ones, I intend to get the end grain bamboo ones..They will be stored on end in a S.S. wire rack that will hold them vertically long edge facing up..they will dry more quickly this way & will always be readilly available for use on the countertop..


Bruce, we had these because we also loved them, but found that they weren't manufactured well and they started to break apart where the chunks of bamboo were stuck together. We had ours vertical in a stainless rack too LOL! I don't know how to find a good manufacturer for them but three different bamboo cutting boards have come apart, two end grain, one lengthwise grain in stripes.

I know it's BAD but lately we've been using tempered glass cutting boards (poor knives getting sharpened all the time). I throw the glass cutting boards in the dishwasher without fear.

[mulch]

thanks bruce
that was really interesting
i don't eat my stuff as fast as i would
like and i was looking for a good storage solution

i also have the glass cutting board
i have bad serrated knives that i will get rid of
as soon as i can afford one or two "good knives"

[baltochef]

mulch--Don't disregard serrated knives!!

Two of my favorite knives are the 7 in. & 10 in. offset serrated knives manufactured by Ludwig-Schiff in Germany..They are sold in the USA by Ludwig Schiff's daughter who travels up & down the East Coast selling knives out of her station wagon to restaurants, etc..

The Knife Merchant (in California), www.knifemerchant.com also sells them, as well as the MOST comphrensive selection of knives that you will find anyplace..

The Ludwig-Schiff knives are the most reasonably priced serrated knives for the quality..In my opinion, the performance of a forged serrated knife doesn't justify it's much higher costs..The Ludwig-Schiff's are stamped steel, & work just fine for me..

exurb--I was not aware of the problem with the bamboo cutting boards failing..Are you placing them in the dishwasher??..If so, that is why they are failing!!..

You can sometimes get away with placing wooden cutting boards in a commercial dishwasher without permanently delaminating them..This is possible because the entire wash & rinse cycles only lasts for a total of 3 minutes..Repeated washing in a commercial dishwasher will still permanently damage them..

It's always best to hand wash your wood cutting boards..

In home dishwashers, they are in the machine for far TOO long, & the glue bonds soften, weaken, & fail..

If you feel compelled to wash your boards in the dishwasher, & want the gentleness of a wood board for your knives; check out the Epicurean brand of cutting boards..

These are manufactured from wood sawdust & glues..They are supposed to be dishwasher proof..

Most wood building materials have toxic VOC's in them that they outgas for DECADES..The majority of the outgassing occurs in the first few months to a year, although some outgassing continues for a considerable time into the future..

This is why it is SO unhealthy to live in a newly constructed house..The reality is that homes shouldn't be lived in for the first 6 months to avoid the majority of the outgassing..

Bruce

[exurb]

chef, we were NOT putting the bamboo in the dishwasher. (I mentioned that we put the glass ones in the DW). The sides came off first for some reason. Then after the sides came off, they would split more into the middle. Maybe there's better quality ones out there but it was an issue for us so we said enough of them.

BTW bruce did you see I answered your question about the non stick baking sheets.;)

[mulch]

bruce
they knife merchant only has forged knives from the ludwig family
the 5' one was 25 bucks, what do you think
i just wanted an everyday knife. i don't have big hands just normal woman hands.
thanks

[meancat]

Blazin Jane--

Was just reading your post and I have lived in Omaha all my life. Have moved to Council Bluffs a few years ago.

I just went to McFosters about 4 days ago! They are still primarily vegetarian with only raw veggies and guac for raw foods. I would have expected them to offer raw dishes by now--they do have raw juices to offer with shots of wheatgrass juice too. I'm going to try that soon, since I don't have a grass juicer.

Just thought I'd pipe in there! :D

meancat

[baltochef]

Exurb-- Sounds like poor quality control to me..

If you don't like the idea of the Epicurean boards (sawdust & glue)(I'm undecided just as to where I stand on these myself), then I've always felt that a good end grain maple board is hard to beat..They are, however, the most expensive choice in cutting boards..

I was originally arrtacted to the bamboo boards as they were supposedly manufactured from sustainable plantations of bamboo..However, if they don't hold up then they are obviously not a good buy!!

What brand of board did you have the trouble with??..

mulch--The offset serrated knives by Ludwig-Schiff are stamped, not forged..I just got done looking at the website, & it's the chef's knife that is forged, not the serrated..

The price has gone up some since I last purchased from him, but it's still the least expensive offset serrated knife that has decent steel in it..

Less expensive knives can be had from food service purveyors, but they dull quickly & are HARD to sharpen..

The Ludwig-Schiff's, & other quality serrated knives may be properly sharpened by using round carborundum stones, or diamond hones on the flutes..The less exspensive knives just don't sharpen well, even using this technique..

BTW--Even though I own dozens of knives, I'm seriously considering a switch to ceramic knives..My research tells me that they DO NOT react with foods, so that the least amount of change is occuring to the cut food before consumption..

Bruce

[rawmorenmore]

I love my hanging 3-tiered fruit basket. Crate and Barrel has a nidce one. And I love my square jars like the ones in Alissa's video. I store all my nuts and seeds in them. They're all lined up on my counter and make the place look really healthy. And they're easy to get to!Well thank you for the hanging basket req. Just got mine from Crate and Barrel!

[mulch]

well, thanks for the update, ceramic knives it is then:)
the 5.5'' Pink Santoku looks pretty cool

[Blazin'Jane]

This is an answer to River Girl, finally:
Attached are the pictures of my wonderful jars Alissaesque.