Most foodies I know are not scared of using their kitchens. They’re not shy about dressing it up either. Invite them inside a home store and I’d bet top dollar they’ll head straight to the kitchen section. Even if they planned on buying bathroom curtains that day, they’ll come home with new pans, casserole dishes, even spatulas that they don’t really need. If there’s a name for this affliction, whatever it is, I’m suffering from it too!
So deciding to take control of it, I sat down one afternoon and made myself a list. I divided it into three categories:
1 Must-Have
2 Lust-After
3 Gotta-Get-These-Coz-They’ll-Soon-Be-Gone-Forever
The ones that you absolutely need in the kitchen fall under the Must-Have’s. Tools like the Microplane zester, the immersion blender, the heavy-duty stand mixer. You’ll use them over and over. If you attach a particular high-end brand to the item even if there’s a cheaper alternative, move that to the middle category.
The second group contains kitchen items that are great to have but not essential for everyday cooking or food preps. Examples are the ice cream maker, Staub cast iron cocottes, copper cookware. I noticed that I tend to put in this list those that I think will prettify my kitchen counter or are pricier cousins of the must-have’s. I figured without help from anyone, it’ll probably take me a while before I finish crossing out all the items here. Also, I’m aiming to consider buying one from this section only as a reward for getting myself at least five of the essentials.
The last group includes pieces from the first or second category but with restricted availability. The limited edition’s. Since they’re only available for a period of time, you won’t snag them anywhere once the season is over. Like the sauce dishes above.
They belong to the Pistahan Collection at Gourdo’s, one of my favorite kitchen stores here in Manila. They’re made to look like sapin-sapin, the multi-layered, multi-flavored rice sweet native to our shores. The dishes look fabulous on top of a banana leaf-covered buffet table. Definitely cries, ‘Fiesta!’ Today, they take on a different mood atop a charcoal hot mat, since I’m feeling a wee bit like Picasso. I’ll fill them up later with different compound butters.
With a huge grin painted on my face, I reached for the list I’ve made to cross out the sauce dishes. Did the third category really help control my affliction or did it just worsen it? As it turns out, contrary to my initial assumptions, the Pistahan Collection is a permanent feature in the store so it’s not going away soon.
Hi. My name is Karima and I’m an addict.
xxx
