Some may have noticed of late that posts have been a little less frequent than usual. There is a reason to everything, and this is certainly no exception! In a couple of weeks I have to give a best man’s speech at my baby brothers wedding in Holland. I say baby, we are actually twins, but heck I am five minutes older, and never let him forget it! I wonder when that age is where it is better to be younger. We are in our early thirties, and certainly not there yet!

He gave a great best man’s speech at my wedding a couple of years ago. It included A/V equipment, which is always a worry. Embarrassing photos of me were dug up (of which there is a lot), and much hilarity was had. We are competitive brothers, so obviously mine has to be better than his. The biggest problem is that I have procrastinated on this a little too long, and am now rushing. Doh. 

This is also going to be our first long haul flight with Drake, who just turned 8 months. Should be entertaining!

And the kitchen. We are working on getting it renovated. It hasn’t been updated since the early 80s (or so the manufacturing date on the appliances say..), and it is well due for one. For some reason the bloke that put this kitchen in didn’t do a very good job, so there are problems. Countertops aren’t level, so things roll. The stove isn’t level, so fats and liquids build up in one corner of a pan. The fridge is terrible, and the freezer is worse. The dishwasher sounds like a jet engine.

Oddly enough though I have had so much fun cooking in this kitchen. Most of Wrightfood has been written using this kitchen, and I have to say if the food from my book can be cooked here, it can be cooked in any kitchen!! It is just time for a change. Update things. Clean things up, and do things properly. Get a fridge where the door shelves don’t fall out. Get a freezer that can hold more than a couple of items. New countertops that are level, and a gas stove. Which actually brings me on to my next point. Stoves, or ranges as you call them here in the US of A. I always heard that electric were terrible, but I have to say the last two ranges I had were full electric, and they have been fine to cook on, once you know their drawbacks… Sure, the temperature change isn’t instant, and they hold heat for way too long. But they can get really pretty hot. In fact, boiling a pot of water on a mid-range electric stove is generally faster than on a mid-range gas stove.

So what kind of range am I looking at. Gas of course More controllability would certainly be nice. I imagine it is also better for resale too (something to always consider when doing a remodel). I will definitely be sad in a strange way to see this kitchen go though. Some of my most memorable food has been cooked here. This is the kitchen where I would be standing at 2am, 4am and 6am in the morning, defrosting some breast milk for Drake when we had to bottle feed him when he was tiny. So tired I could hardly focus. It is definitely more the memories than the appliances though!! Ohh, and don’t get me started on the ridiculously inefficient cabinets. So the range. I am looking at a BlueStar Pro style range. I want something that is made for a serious cook. It doesn’t have bells and whistles, and isn’t all tarted up to look pretty and nice. No red knobs and dials here. Check them out online. Cheaper than your standard Wolf and Viking, and better cooking performance, just not as pretty to some (personally to me, the more industrial look is cooler, but hey).

So, the research. The endless meetings with different contractors. The pony and trap of dealing with applaince salesmen that would be better suited to selling used cars. We are finally getting close to finding the right contractor and vendor though. We have found some awesome people, and are looking forward to the months ahead.

 Wanna see what the kitchen looks like, before we tear it up? Click on the image below.