This blog is about the intersection between evolutionary biology and food. But also about practical applications, sustainable agriculture, and general tasty things. I originally started eating this way to heal from chronic health problems and...it worked!
Melissa McEwen
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kitchen
02/25/2012 - 12:03
Since late last year, I've been working from home. I live in a studio apartment, which is because I prefer having more money for food and travel, rather than more space I have to clean and pay for. Sometimes I wish I had a big place so I could have supper clubs, but I know I'd only use it about once a month anyway.
Either way, I constructed a standing desk out of random laptop stands, which was pretty easy since I'm about five feet tall. If I were taller I would have to adjust the actual IKEA desk, which the manual informs me that I should not attempt alone
Anyway, I think it's perfect right now because if I do become lazy and want to sit, the stands are pretty easy to adjust.
Yes, if you work from home you can wear a kimono to work!
I have one main screen + I use the laptop for documentation and other things I need to reference occasionally while working. The laptop is on a 3M adjustable riser, which is actually kind of annoying to adjust, but it is cheap and does the job. The Viewsonic monitor itself is really nicely adjustable, but I have it on a Kantek stand for a little help
When anyone complains to me that they don't cook because their kitchen is too small, I snicker because honestly, my kitchen is one of the smallest I've ever seen (except in an RV) and I cook plenty. I have my forever alone teeny tiny crock pot for making braises and stocks. A cool orange Bodum water kettle for making tea. The amazingly efficient Simplehuman compact dishrack (which drains better than any I've ever owned). My mom gave me that over-sink cutting board, which is pretty useful since you can see I have almost no counter space. I'm pretty lucky to have a gas stove. You can see my ceramic and cast iron pans on it. I hate the sink (I wish it had one of those spray nozzle things...because I'm really bad about using too many dishes and end up washing so many every night), but overall I don't feel like my cooking is impaired by the size.
05/08/2011 - 09:59
I thought about getting my mother chocolates or flowers, but instead I got her something much more useful and healthy: kitchen tools! I hope she is enjoying them:
A microplane! If you like flavor you should get one of these. The design maximizes the surface area of the ingredient you are working with. I mostly use mine to grate cheese and zest citrus. I really don't think I could go back to a regular grater, microplanes are much easier to use.
A garlic peeler! Simple, small, and saves me time when working with delicious garlic. I can peel several cloves at once!
A brew basket! Last time I was home I noticed all we had were tea balls, which don't really allow the leaves to unfurl for a flavorful and healthy cup of tea. I also may have stolen the only nice tea steeper we had... Tea pots are OK, but these allow everyone to brew their own favorite tea and are much more portable. I use them both at home and in the office. The awesome thing is once you are done steeping, the lid doubles as a stand!! I wrote about them on cool tools.
Edit: my sister got her another of my favorite tools!
A digital oven-safe meat thermometer. I love cooking with this because I don't have to open the oven to check on meat and lose valuable time by letting heat out! It also decreases the supervision time I spend. I can put it in the roast and just set it to alert me when it's the right temp. When I'm cooking meat in the frying pan and also cooking a side dish, I just stick it in the meat and can focus on the side dish and not worry about the meat too much.
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