Kitchen Tour
After posting about the rental process, some questions came up about the house we’re living in, so I thought I’d give you a tour - bit by bit. There are some unique design features that I like (and some I don’t) but it’s definitely worth exploring!
Open Plan Layout. This was an absolute must for me. People always gathers in the kitchen, and I want room for everyone to fit and for their to be good flow so no one gets stuck in a corner. Many new builds in Auckland have an open layout, but most of the older houses have small, horse-shoe kitchens tucked away in a corner. I was surprised to see so many rehabbed houses that kept the small-kitchen footprint and only made cosmetic updates to an outdated floor plan.
Scullery. We looked at several houses that had full on sculleries - small rooms off the kitchen used for overflow, storage, and keeping the main kitchen neat. One house basically had a full on second kitchen, complete with gas range. The house we ended up in doesn’t have a dedicated room as the scullery, instead it has an incredible storage area hidden behind folding doors that serves much of the same purpose. I can hide away any cooking mess while we’ve got company behind the doors and keep the rest of the kitchen neat and tidy. I love the extra counter space for our appliances, and, strangely enough, there is only one other electrical outlet in the kitchen, so we have to make good use of this space.
Gas Range with Wok. The gas range in our house is wonderful. Electric ovens are more common, but I’ve seen a fair number of gas and induction stove tops as well. I love how big this one is, and there are times when I’ve used all six of the burners in meal prep. One surprise we discovered after move in was that the stove had a removable wok base. I absolutely love this! it heats my wok evenly and fast. I’ve seen these built in woks on other stoves, and I love how the Asian influence here extends into the kitchen.
When we moved from the US to New Zealand, we knew we would have to replace our kitchen appliances with 230v 50 hertz compliant options. It’s been a fun project to research the different small appliances on the market, and I enjoyed the process of paring down to the appliances I actually use. The panini press and two milkshake mixers that sat unused in my cabinets in American are not going to reappear in New Zealand! I ended up only replacing five items, and I’m thrilled with my choices. A word of caution: like everything in New Zealand, wait until these items go on sale, or you will be gouged price-wise.
Breville Smart Kettle Pure. I realize these electric kettles exist in the US, but I feel like they are everywhere here! We’ve put away our stovetop tea kettle completely and switched to this contraption, which heats water in a couple of minutes to the exact temperature needed for a particular beverage. I’ve noticed that these kettles are combined with French presses to make coffee. I’ve never seen a “normal” coffee pot in any home we’ve been in. Yes, there have been fancy cappuccino and espresso machines, but nothing like a countertop drip coffee pot like you see in many American homes. And of course, since New Zealand is part of the Commonwealth, tea is a thing. A very serious thing.
Kenwood Multipro Classic Food Processor. This little device does so much! It comes with multiple attachments for mixing, kneading, shredding, and beating. And it also comes with a blender pitcher attachment. I have two minor complaints. First, it is necessary to be fastidious cleaning the blender as leftover smoothie can get trapped under a gasket. Second, there are so many attachments that it takes up a disproportionately large amount of storage space. With so many uses, though, I’m willing to overlook this second issue. This replaced two Cuisinarts, a juicer, and two blenders.
Breville Smart Oven Pro. I admit, I was not on board with the toaster oven at first, but my husband insisted on this one. He was totally right. We use this toaster oven all the time, from crumpets in the morning (because there’s a crumpet setting!) to baking rolls while we made our expat Thanksgiving dinner and the turkey was in the oven. It’s a keeper, especially since we only have one main oven.
Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer. The kids and I love to bake together. It’s one of our “things” that we do to spend time together and connect. I prefer a stand mixer to a handheld because it lets the kids engage more. They love pouring ingredients in and turning on the beater. I had a black version of this mixer in the US and used it so much that I was determined to replace it as soon as possible. This stand mixer moved into our house before we even moved out of the AirBnb. They’re pricey, but for us, it is worth it.
LG Smart Inverter Microwave. This was a bit of a vanity pick. I loved the clean front of this microwave. There are only three buttons on the front: stop/cancel, start, and a time slide. Inside the front door, there are additional options, but I have never used any of them. The simple time slide is all that is needed. When sliding from left to right, it increases in 10 second increments at first. If you move quickly, it will bump up to 1 minute increments all the way to 90 minutes. If you slide from right to left, it reverses the times and starts with 90 minutes. Honestly, it feels a little Star Trek-y, and I love that. (Don’t worry, it also heats and cooks evenly.)
