An Added Advantage/Bonus From Our Kitchen Renovations

I blogged yesterday about how much I'm enjoying our new kitchen, there's something I left out. Renovating the kitchen required going through all sorts of things, sorting, throwing them out, giving them away and also finding items we're happy to use but forgot we had.

No doubt we're not the only people who just let possessions pile up until the mess is overwhelming just to think about. We aren't great at clearing out stuff. Our stuff increases like yeast dough on a hot day. Or you can say that "clutter is our middle name."

One of the things I found when taking apart, emptying closets etc of the old kitchen was this Havdala candle. Tonight we finally used it, about three years after we got it.

My New Kitchen, Am I Happy With It? Is It Worth The Expense?

For those who have followed the saga of my new kitchen and those who are wondering if it's worth going through all the hassle and expense, I must say that I'm really glad that we did it.

We moved in this house over thirty years ago, and although it was custom designed from head to toe in every way, I must admit that there were elements in the kitchen that were problematic from day one. I did have some really good things which I enjoyed from day one until the very last day.

We have a strictly kosher kitchen, so two sinks on two different walls were a necessity for me. Yes, there are people who manage with side-by-side sinks and double sinks, which I had until then. And when we were living in London on shlichut (doing Jewish Zionist youth work) we only had one sink, for which I needed bowls and had to be more organized.

Another really good thing I had in the old kitchen was a "table" jutting out of the wall, large enough for all the kids to sit around. In the middle of it was a raised section with heat-proof tiles, the same as we had on the walls. And instead of table legs, there was a closet where I kept tablecloths and other kitchen items. Today, that's my heat-proof cabinet for candlesticks. We just had the "table" part sawed off. This piece was my design, so I'm really glad that it could be transitioned and used even now.

In addition, we had plenty of closet space. Another of my demands/requirements/designs was a wall of closets, not very deep, with bookshelves on the side. And that remains in use to this day. The only change is that I got rid of all my cookbooks and sundry books that had been gathering dust. Now, I have mugs and coffee accessories on the shelves.

There were some basic, serious design/planning mistakes in the old kitchen. The refrigerator is on the far left, while refrigerator doors open to the left.  Decades ago, it wasn't a problem, because one could easily have the door switched. Nowadays, unless you have plenty of space and money for a four-door model, it's extremely hard to find one that can have the door switched. Ours is now over ten years old, and it was almost impossible to find one. Our refrigerator is now on the right side of a wall.

One really bad mistake our contractor did was to order the kitchen cabinets to fit our old appliances, the ones we had when building the house. I caught the mistake before the kitchen cabinets were brought to the house, and we gave the refrigerator more space. That's because I had already bought a new wider one. But we ended up with the super small niche for the stove/oven, which was awful. First of all, by the time we had to replace the old one, they don't last forever, there were very few that size still on the market. And in all honesty, I was getting very frustrated baking in super tiny ovens. My dream was to have two full-size (by Israeli standards obviously) ovens, one for meat and one for parve/dairy. BTW, the meat oven hasn't had any chametz, so kashering it for Passover isn't problematic. And the second oven has never had dairy baked in it, so it's really parve.

In addition, the original kitchen was designed for a young family with five children and lots of visiting kids and family. Today, we have an "empty nest" and entertain mostly for Shabbat meals.

Luckily I was able to save a bit of money by not paying a professional kitchen planner. My son-in-law and I planned it, with one little tweak by the guy I found to "do," or more accurately be in charge of all aspects of the renovations.

The old kitchen had upper cabinets to the ceiling on all the walls. Now we have almost none, and amazingly we have more storage space. The lower cabinets are drawers, except for the "island." And instead of an awful impossible to easily access corner cabinet, we have the meat sink there.  And under the sink there's space for the large meat oven trays and the "platta," the large electric food warmer used on Shabbat, plus the covers for it.

I replaced the old "children's table" with another custom designed piece. The new island has the dairy sink and facing the dining room table is a cabinet full of Passover dishes. That island also has a spot to sit and countertop space for dish-drainer and food preparations. 

Of course I now have two full-sized ovens. They are on the left, where the refrigerator used to be. And the fridge is where the old stove used to be. I feel like there's tons more counter space than before, although it may just be an illusion.

The color scheme, wall tiles, formica etc are attractive, as far as I'm concerned. I haven't seen this combination anyplace else. But since aesthetics are very individual, that's not important. I also liked the old kitchen, and the wall of closets that remain blend in all right. There's an option to replace the doors, but I decided that the expense wasn't worthwhile.

Two things my husband kept asking people before we got started was:

How long did you have to suffer without a kitchen?
And did you have to move out of your house while the renovations were going on?

So to answer those questions, it took two weeks until we could begin using the new kitchen, and we never had to move out of the house.

During the two weeks we didn't have a kitchen, we managed without really cooking in the house. I prepared more sandwiches than I had for a long time. We ate out and at neighbors. I also heated and cooked a bit at neighbors and brought the food home. I also used the electric "hot plate," which had been my "stove" for two years. Since it was precarious when mounted on the laundry room sink, I used it only when very desperate. Two weeks aren't forever.

Now cooking is such a pleasure. And I love baking in my new ovens.

Yes, getting a new kitchen was certainly worth the expense and the hassle. 

Following are a variety of photos taken in my new kitchen.

The plug/wire for the light has been fixed since then.

Here's my recycled closet

Baked Vegetable Omelet

On Friday I had a Baked Vegetable Omelet. Since I had the oven going it seemed like a good idea to bake lunch, instead of using the stove top.

It's one of those things I couldn't even imagine doing before having my kitchen redone/renovated. I had spent the previous year without a functioning oven. Now, thank Gd, I have two turbo ovens, one for meat and the other parve, in which I can bake more than one thing at a time. Having two ovens makes a kosher kitchen very easy to cook in. We hardly eat anything dairy, so the second oven has remained parve, meaning neither meat nor dairy. I make lots of side dishes, fish, cakes and challot in it.

While vegetables for Shabbat were baking in the oven I took a smaller oven pan, covered it with baking paper, and then cut onion, squash, pumpkin, cabbage, tomato and two eggs. I topped it with a bit of vegetable oil, and then into the oven it went. Once I could see that the eggs looked cooked, I checked the vegetables with a fork, to see if they were soft. I don't pretime my cooking, since there are too many variables.

My lunch, Baked Vegetable Omelet, was delicious, and the pan didn't even get dirty.

Simple Kitchen "Repair"

From the very beginning of my new kitchen, there was no water pressure from the dairy sink. And it went from bad to worse. I called in the kitchen guy and told him that he must have made a real mistake and had to fix it.

He couldn't understand why only drops were coming out. So he did what I should have done immediately and/or what my kids could have done when they visited. He got a tool to unscrew the little filter at the opening of the faucet.

Without that little filter the water flowed nice and strong. Simple cleaning didn't clean the filter, so he put it in a cup with vinegar and told me to rinse and screw it back on in the morning. That's what I did. Now I can easily wash the dishes, and the hot water comes out quickly, too.



PS In all honesty, I had been thinking of it, but the filter didn't unscrew easily. I should have tried harder, but I never would have thought of using vinegar to clean it.

Easy Recipes and Enjoying The New Kitchen

Yesterday we had guests for a Succot lunch. They had been great fans of my new kitchen during the years I just talked and complained. I got a lot of support from them, so it was very exciting to host them. I served a fish meal, mujadarra, eggplant, baked vegetables, salad and salmon.

Mujadarrah:
1 cup brown rice
1 cup lentils
small/medium onion cut
a bit of cooking oil of your choice
4 1/2 cups boiling water

Put all but water in pot, saute a bit, then add boiling water, cover, bring to boil, lower to a simmer until you can't see any water. Leave covered at least another 10 minutes. Serve.

"Impressive" Eggplant:
eggplant
tomatoes
onion
fresh garlic
vegetable oil

Slice eggplant partially, so it opens like a book.
Fill with sliced tomato. Sprinkle diced onion and garlic, then oil. Bake in medium-high (or whatever is recommended by your oven manufacturer) oven until cooked.

"Fancy" Salmon:
Filet of salmon
lemon slices
fresh garlic
mustard
Decorate your salmon. Wrap in foil, if you're baking it at the same time as the other dishes, so it won't overcook. Otherwise just bake in a medium-high (or whatever is recommended by your oven manufacturer) oven until it seems ready. You can check that the salmon has changed color and is flaky where thickest. Yes, it's that simple.

I enjoyed the meal and hope everyone else did, too.

PS It was so much fun being able to cook so quickly. I could fit all three baked dishes in the oven at the same time. I love my new kitchen!!

Morning Dilemma

Sometimes it's hard to choose just the right mug.

Each one's a story, and I can remember most of them.

The advantage of drinking my coffee from the larger mugs is that I end up using less sugar. And the advantage of the smaller mugs is that it makes my French Press seem larger, as I have more "cups" of coffee.

Do you have a "regular" mug or cup everyday, or do you like variety?  Why? Which is your favorite, and why?

New Stovetop

When I was searching for new kitchen appliances, gas stove top and ovens, I noticed that there's a choice in the arrangements of the four burner stovetop. Although the total size is the same, in terms of how much of the counter it takes up, there's a big difference in pot space between the two.

I chose the stovetop that has the four knobs close together, not spread out in front or on the side. That leaves enough room for one burner to be much larger. And the manufacturer makes it extra strong, two circles of flame.

As you can see in the photo, I can cook in  two large pots, with room to spare. And there's room for two smaller pots, too. That's the most efficient arrangement. I don't have enough counter space for a five or six burner stovetop.

Cooking is so much easier now.

Suddenly Cooking Again

For the past couple of years, I barely cooked and didn't bake at all. When I didn't have a functioning kitchen I became very lazy. A few times I baked at my daughter's in Ofra and at a neighbor's, but that was it. If it couldn't be easily cooked in a pot on an eccentric electric burner or two, it just didn't get cooked at all. That had been my kitchen for the past year. And for quite awhile before that, when my old mini-ovens still worked, even before we retired the old stove top, which smelled of gas, no more than two burners were strong and reliable enough for cooking.

Now, I have a kitchen, bli eyin haraa-not to tempt the evil eye, and I must get used to making real meals again. No doubt that our food bills will go up, and I pray that my weight won't join them.

The first things I made in my new ovens were a supply of cake and challah. I couldn't make a super-sized supply, since we don't have much freezer space, just the fridge's freezer. Last week I also made us moussaka, one for Shabbat lunch and one for the freezer. Remember that we're only two people at home, versus the 7-9 we'd have at ordinary Shabbat meals a few decades ago, and don't do all the entertaining we once did. Nowadays, I'm overwhelmed when there are five to prepare for!

Yesterday I cooked the meat and poultry for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah. I didn't make all that much, but it was more and more varied than I had made for a long time. Take a peek:

Practical Low Tech Kitchen Gadget

For someone like me who eats and cooks lots of fresh fruit and vegetables this little sink hanging insert seems like a great idea.

I found it in the Naaman Outlet, Pisgat Zeev Mall, when I was there to buy a dish-drainer. Instead of having to clutter my counter with a plastic strainer for the wet produce, I can now let it drip into the sink.

Before buying it, I had to ascertain that it would be a suitable size.  That was more complicated, since my sink is a bit larger than standard. First I called my husband who was home and asked him to measure the sink. Then I checked all of the labels on the drainer to see who large it is. No dimensions listed, so I asked the young clerk who was manning the shop for a tape measure. He didn't have one. So I looked around at other items of similar sizes to find something with measurements, and I found one. Then I compared the size of the drainer with that item and visually calculated the approximate size. According to my estimate, it should fit, so I bought it. And I also explained to the young clerk what I had done and demonstrated to him. I added that he should request from his boss a tape measure or they may lose sales.

There wasn't a color that really matched my kitchen, so I chose the lilac for fun.

Cooking in New Kitchen, B"H

Yesterday, although it's still a mess in my house, I began cooking for Shabbat. I used both ovens, though not simultaneously. Since they are large and have a turbo setting I could even use more than one tray at a time. That's a timesaver for sure. I bought Electrolux which is larger inside than the Sauter.

Some of the cooking/baking was done in bulk so I won't need to do it weekly. Challot and cakes freeze well for sure. I may have enough challah rolls to get me through most of the fall Jewish Holidays, Rosh Hashanah, pre/post Yom Kippur meals, Succot and Simchat Torah, depending on how many guest we have and meals we're invited out. The cakes will be enough for a few weeks, especially if I make my traditional Rosh Hashanah Applesauce Cake. And I already froze some of the baked chicken breasts.

So, yesterday's cooking/baking was truly a time investment, besides learning how to use the new ovens.

For those wondering about oven temperatures, something I never paid attention to with my old oven,* I sort of followed the guidelines on the inside of the oven doors:

To whet your appetite, here are some photos of my cooking/baking experiments from yesterday:

Challah recipe

Simple Basic Cake**, with blended banana and mango rescued from the freezer

These Chicken Breasts were simply layered over sliced onion and topped with tomatoes, dehydrated basil and coarsely grated pepper. I baked them covered with foil. I could see their cooking progress, since I used a pyrex baking pan. (Recipe)

Oven Baked Chicken, the food my kids consider my specialty

Besides enjoying the ovens, I'm super happy to be finally cooking on gas after almost two years of using an old two burner electric "hot plate."

The kitchen is almost completely organized. I think that all of the chametz dishes and pots are stored, but I will need help with the Passover things which will be on higher shelves. More updates, Gd willing, in future posts.

Bottom Line:

Was the expense and chaos of a new kitchen worth it?
YES!

*The numbers had long been rubbed/cleaned off the old oven, so it was like telling time from a sundial. 

**I made a few small changes, cinnamon instead of vanilla, and the blended banana and mango instead of some of the water. That's the beauty of the recipe; it's very adjustable.

Kitchen Chaos, Almost in Order

Here's just a sneak view of how my kitchen has been progressing. I am not finished setting it up and cleaning up the mess. And there are still a few things for the "kitchen guy" to complete or tweak.

But the great thing is that it already functions. Yes, I have a stove with four burners, including one large one with a double flame. And I have two large, by Israeli standards, ovens. Actually, the outer size is considered standard, needing a 60 centimeter cabinet, but I got Electrolux, because the actual oven capacity is a bit larger than the other lower priced ones. My previous ovens were tiny, like the size of a large microwave. I had always had a small, about 57 centimeter "one piece" stove that had double-ovens.

When we moved into our Jerusalem apartment in 1971 that was standard and considered very modern. Unfortunately, our "old kitchen" was planned around those stove measurements and there was no way to upgrade to a larger stove/oven without redoing the entire kitchen. It took quite a few years of misery on my part until enough of the old kitchen deteriorated to warrant these major renovations.

The sinks are also a teeny bit larger than I had before and much prettier and better quality. I have almost no upper cabinets compared to our previous kitchen, and the lower ones have drawers, except for those in the "island" for Passover.

Before the new kitchen had actually been built and until I started putting things away, I kept vacillating between confidence that there would be plenty of room for everything and fear that there wouldn't be enough room. As a consequence I had decided that if there isn't enough room I'd just give things away or throw them out. In the end, I've discovered that I have tons of extra space, especially the high shelves, which we didn't need to build at all.

Gd willing, next week I'll blog more about the kitchen with pictures and explanations.

PS I must say that thank Gd we survived the two weeks sans kitchen pretty well. It was easier than I had thought it would be. The first week I was in shock and had trouble functioning, but after a few days I did better. My neighbors were very helpful and generous. We also spent an entire Shabbat with our daughter and her family in Ofra.

Is There a "Jetlag Special?"

Last night I didn't get enough sleep. That happens a lot after Shabbat, especially in the summer when I've dozed off a bit too much in the long lazy afternoons. My body doesn't need tons of sleep, so my brain just refuses to turn itself off at a normal hour. I then get up in the morning feeling awfully jetlagged.  Think about it, Jetlag sans the expense of a flight abroad.

Last night was one of those nights. As we Gd willing draw to the end of My New Kitchen Saga and all the added stress it involves, falling asleep is even more difficult than usual.

awfully early
didn't sleep enough last night
coffee to rescue
#morningcoffeehaiku

To add to the kitchen renovation stress syndrom, when we arrived home last night I discovered that the freezer door had been left slightly open over at least 30 hours. Thankfully the food was still cold,  B"H. But it took until I woke up in the morning for me to see signs that things were refreezing.

Gd willing I'll be off extra early to the pool, in order to be home for the kitchen workers.

I once requested a "jetlag special."

Kitchen Chaos, First Success, B"H

As you probably know by now, we've been renovating our kitchen. There are lots of ups and downs and even some unpleasant surprises. On the whole it  has been an enjoyable experience, and even the small crises have turned out for the better. We're at the "tail end" I hope, and Gd willing, by the end of the week, I really hope and pray that our kitchen will be not only gorgeous, but fully functioning.

There's lots more to be done, even though the kitchen guy had hoped to be finished by Friday. But the "lots more to be done" are really the smaller jobs, like the electric outlet "frames," tweaking some of the carpentry, installing the ovens and hooking up the gas.

I also have to get a few new kitchen accessories like new dish drainers, stools, step stool etc. I also had to get some sort of basket or tray for the drawer where the onions and potatoes are to be stored.

 On Friday, I found myself with a bit of time in Jerusalem before the stores closed. It may sound a bit crazy, but the first thing I looked for and considered most "urgent" was the "potato basket." I checked out the FOX Home in the Ramot Mall, and I found something nice, but it wasn't on "sale." The full price was too high. Then since I was dropped off in Pisgat Zeev, I went to that mall. Golf and Co. also had something nice, if not nicer, but it was also full price. I almost bought it, since it was better than the one in FOX Home. But I decided to check out a couple more stores. Home Center didn't have anything suitable. Davka in the Naaman Outlet I found a wooden tray that seemed to be the right size, and since it was 80% off making the reduced price less than NS20, I bought it.

The kitchen still isn't ready, but the onions and potatoes and garlic seem very cozy in their new home.

Managing Sans Kitchen, Thank Gd For Friends

We're close to two weeks without a kitchen. Before then, we've been almost two years with a very problematic kitchen including a year without an oven. It took a long time to plan and find a crew to renovate my kitchen, and as of now the work isn't over.

I've been able to have my morning coffee without any real problem, but I can't cook, and during the first week, the dust was so awful I couldn't even cut a vegetable.

I don't need a kitchen for my coffee as you can see, but meals are something else.

As you can see, we moved the fridge into the livingroom and plugged it into the airconditioner socket. We have a fan blowing, which has been fine most of the time.

Thank Gd our wonderful neighbors have invited us for some meals, and I've also heated and cooked food at neighbors. Besides that I've eaten more sandwiches than I've had for decades. And we had a couple of meals at a local restaurant. Normally I'd consider eating out a waste of money, but it's nothing compared to the price of the kitchen.

At this point we're in the "home stretch," Gd willing. It shouldn't be too long, if all goes as planned. So, stay tuned.

Kitchen Chaos- Unexpected Delay, But Keep Smiling 😁

I'm glad I'm not doing more than just the kitchen.

OK, after living with a barely functioning kitchen for almost two years, if not longer, and not having a kitchen at all for over a week, do another couple of days really make a difference? I've been working very hard on myself not to get hysterical over things. Not long ago, a close friend died from cancer. A couple of weeks ago was the yartzeit, death anniversary, of neighbors, half a family, three children and the father who had been killed in a horrific car accident almost thirty years ago. So, I'm not going to allow myself to freak out over the kitchen. Fishtande vu?

Yesterday, when I was on the bus to Jerusalem and we had just left Shiloh, while there was still phone reception, I got a phone call from our kitchen guy.

"There's a problem. We need you."
"I'm on my way to Jerusalem."
"Oh, call when you get back."
"Why?"
"The countertop you ordered no longer exists. It's no longer being produced."
"But we double-checked."
"Yes."
"OK, I'll call when I'm on my way back."

Now for the backstory:

When I was choosing the wall tiles, sinks and faucets in a large Jerusalem store, I had with me my formica samples etc and also chose the countertop from samples on display. It was similar to what I had previously chosen, but more interesting. Then I discovered that it didn't appear in all of their "catalogs."
So I called my kitchen guy and had him check if it was really available or no longer being produced. He called the local guy who was doing the carpentry and counters who called his supplier, told him the model number and was told that there still was a supply. So we ordered it.
Then yesterday morning, as the counter guy took the dimensions/model of my new kitchen counters and was about to do my counters, he discovered that he didn't have enough. And then the phone calls were reversed in perfect chiastic structure until I got the call.

That's why yesterday late afternoon, I had to re-choose my countertops. We carefully compared the samples to the formica, sink color and the wall tiles which are to be just over the counter. And surprisingly, ended up with my first choice from a few months ago.  Davka, then I had a slightly different color scheme and very different formica...

That's the wall tile on the "naked" countertop.

I must keep my sense of humor and put all this in proportion. Right?

Kitchen Chaos Meltdown → Happy Ending

Yesterday was "Kitchen Chaos Meltdown Day." I'm pretty sure that almost every renovation project has at least one day for the homeowner when things hit a crisis mode and hysteria reigns. I got there yesterday afternoon when due to a misunderstanding one of the necessary "pieces" of my new kitchen wouldn't be available at all.

The exact details aren't important, but my first reaction was "mild" hysteria and then that I'd have to make an unplanned trip to Jerusalem to buy a replacement. Then all of a sudden I remembered that in the Shiloh Industrial Zone there are two stores that sell the product. OK, maybe not the exact one or the fantastic price I had expected to pay, but if I could buy it here and have much easier delivery logistics, too...  Also, the missing product wasn't something that needed the "wow factor*," so once I had calmed myself a trip to Jerusalem seemed totally unnecessary.

So, I quickly called my "kitchen guy," the one whom I hired to do this daunting project and told him about the unexpected complication and my solution. That solution meant that he had to quickly drive over to my house from whatever/wherever he was, drive me down to the two stores and help me pick out the missing product.

Apparently crises like these are part and parcel of renovation projects like mine, so he wasn't phased by the little emergency. And I was perfectly calm by the time he walked in. He drove me down.

I went through one store's showroom, and although I easily found a perfectly suitable replacement, the prices were too high. So we went to the other store. Again I quickly found something nice, and there the prices there were extremely reasonable. I definitely recommend the large hardware/building supply store in the Shiloh Industrial Zone. There's no need to go to a city to shop. That is one thing I've learned now. The product was ordered, and we're on track, B"H, thank Gd.

Here's how my new kitchen looks as of right now:

*To be honest, if you have a good eye for design and color you can easily "wow" from this simple local store.