Our Kitchens

[GotGarlic]

Well, that feels like a smack in the face. Nice work.

 

[roadfix]

Well, that feels like a smack in the face. Nice work.

Well, I'm guilty as well.....

 

[Steve Kroll]

Do you know how many owners the house has had Steve? With a house like this, I'm always thinking if only the walls could talk and the story they could tell. You're Mission style furniture will do justice to the house for sure! Thank goodness nobody ever painted over that beautiful woodwork and it can be restored where needed.

I was completely shocked when I walked in and saw all the original floors and woodwork, and that it hadn't been painted over. The only exception is a bathroom where I will probably want to go back at some point and strip the trim down to the wood.

One of my favorite features is the cellar. I won't post pics, because there is nothing pretty about it at all. It's stone and concrete, and is as damp, dark, and cold as you might expect. More cave-like than modern basements. But as you know, I'm a wine lover, and this cellar maintains a perfect temperature and humidity for storage year round. The home inspector measured 60 degrees in the cellar on a 92 degree day. One of the first things I've budgeted for after moving in are 10 stainless steel wine racks that will hold up to 1200 bottles, in addition to my barrels.

Would you believe we're the third owners of our 1910 house? The family that built it lived here for about 50 years, the second family for 32 years, and we bought it in 1992.

I'm the fourth owner of the house, as far as I can tell. The previous owner was only there for about 6 years, though.

If you don't mind me asking, how much does a home like that cost?

I won't say exactly, but I'll tell you this much. This house is in an area that lies about 30 minutes from Minneapolis/St.Paul. It's in what many refer to as a "bedroom community," meaning that most of the residents tend to be younger professional types (not that I'm young or particularly professional) that live here and commute into the Twin Cities for work and play. A little further out than what would normally be considered a suburb. The house prices here are about 40% of what I would've paid in the city. I bought this house for a song. It was about half what I had budgeted for.

Funny meme, by the way. I promise, back to kitchen talk.

 

[roadfix]

Funny meme, by the way. I promise, back to kitchen talk.

Thanks for that info on the house.

And just to get back on topic I'll post my kitchen pics in a day or two after I clean up all the mess....

 

[Cheryl J]

RR....I so enjoyed seeing the pics of your kitchenette and agree with Kayelle - you've done wonders with creating storage space! It's neat as a pin and I would love to have dinner in your beautiful little kitchen any day of the week. It's just as charming as can be.

Steve...OMGosh...thank you for sharing pics of your new home. I hope you'll start a new thread as you move in, so we can see the progress. The original woodwork, open floor plans, the wrap around deck....just beautiful. And when you said you have a cellar my first thought was "OH! His winemaking."

Kay...LOVE your kitchen!

 

[Dawgluver]

I agree 100%, Cheryl! Great looking kitchens! (And the rest of Steve's house too, what a find!)

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My kitchen is a "work in progress" until further notice. I currently have the floors torn up and half the counter laminate pulled off.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

rr, you have such a cute little kitchen! Everything is so organized, I'm jealous. I could never live in one of those "Tiny Houses" that have become so popular, but you look like you would nail it. Your pot stand would be perfect for my way-too-large mixing bowl "collection". I'm sure you'll find a use for it if you say goodbye to your copper pots.

SLoB, that's a heck of a way to start a kitchen remodel!

Steve, your new home makes me swoon. Mom and Dad's home, where I grew up, was A&C circa 1928, 1 1/2 story "Western Bungalow". And like Cheryl said, it would be nice to see progress in a thread of your own.

Your kitchen is just as welcoming as the first time I saw your pics, Kayelle. Sure would like to plop on one of the counter stools and have a cuppa with you.

GG, my folks were only the second owners when they bought it in 1958. I became the 3rd when I inherited it in 2000, but I don't really count since we never lived there. Wish we had, though. We might have never left OH...

Like roadfix, I'll post a few photos later. First I have to clean off the horizontal surfaces...

 

[Bigjim68]

I found Barkeeper's Friend in liquid form. I have to admit, it does a good job. The problem with the copper pots though, is I don't really know how to cook with them. If I put the heat on anything over #3 on my stove, the pots start discoloring on the bottom and up the sides.

Someone on eBay is selling these same copper pots (they're all about 40 years old) and he says he sends an instruction manual to everyone who buys a pot, plus he sells a cleaner specifically for copper. I want to write him one of these days and see if he'll sell an instruction manual to me. I may be cooking on too high a heat or not waiting long enough for the pans to heat up and that's why they're discoloring all the time.

But I find mine hard to keep clean, too. That's why I'd like to sell the set and get something in stainless steel. I have heard that if you aren't going to use your copper pans to cook in, you can coat them in something and they will retain the copper look for a very long time.

I'd look into that if I could afford to keep these pots and pans as decorations, especially as I also have 6 copper measuring cups I never plan to use - don't ask why I bought those because I don't know. All I know is one day I'm going to shine those up and put them on eBay, too.

I believe those pots are Revere Signature Brand. Stainless clad with copper. IMO very good cookware. Just clean with Wrights or BKF as you are doing. There's no need to purchase the expensive copper cleaner. The interior is SS and may be cleaned with standard SS methods including using abrasive pads. Be sure yours are Revere, I could be wrong. If the interior is tin you will destroy the lining with abrasives. They will be etched on the bottom. These pans originally came with a lacquer finish and many were used as decoration only and the lacquer was never removed. If you want to display only just respray with lacquer. Otherwise you cannot cook with lacquered pots.

Copper requires less heat. Just turn the heat down.

 

[Addie]

Well, I'm guilty as well.....

I think we all are guilty at sometime or other. I know I certainly am.

 

[Andy M.]

Some nice looking kitchens here.

Steve congrats on your new home. I've always coveted older homes like that one. They have so much character.

Here is a photo of my kitchen following the remodel we did in 2008. Still looks like this today except for the utensil crocks, the wastebasket and the laptop.

 

[Addie]

Andy, my daughter bought me a black microwave oven for Christmas one year. The last thing I ever wanted was black in my kitchen. Now it is the only color I will consider for the small appliances. What I love is that all fingerprints, dust and any other stain of food shows right up and I can stay on top of it. The kitchen is my domain and I want it spotless and pretty at all times. Love your appliances.

 

[Kayelle]

Steve, I was just looking at your kitchen again.

The first thing I would do is add some open shelving over the sink. It wouldn't be expensive to do well, and so convenient to display dishes and glassware.

 

[rodentraiser]

I realize we should stay on topic on threads, however, unless this is a very strict rule, I couldn't care less how off topic my own threads go. Steve, as far as I'm concerned, and everyone else, too, if you want to post pictures of the rest of your house, and even the spouse and kids here, go for it! After all, kitchens are the heart of the home and that heart sometimes extends beyond the four kitchen walls.

And speaking of thread derailment,

Thank you! Yes, St. Kate's - I know that area well!

I forgot to add, if you go down from St. Kate's a little to the corner of Scheffer and Cleveland, there is a Cecil's store - I think it's a deli now. Cecil's has been there since the 60s - my grandmother used to shop there all the time. I attended kindergarten and first grade at Horace Mann school around the corner.

RR....I so enjoyed seeing the pics of your kitchenette and agree with Kayelle - you've done wonders with creating storage space! It's neat as a pin and I would love to have dinner in your beautiful little kitchen any day of the week. It's just as charming as can be.

Thank you, but dinner would have to be somewhere else. There's no room for a table!

rr, you have such a cute little kitchen! Everything is so organized, I'm jealous. I could never live in one of those "Tiny Houses" that have become so popular, but you look like you would nail it. Your pot stand would be perfect for my way-too-large mixing bowl "collection". I'm sure you'll find a use for it if you say goodbye to your copper pots.

Thank you! Well, if I get the new set of cookware I want, it has way more pieces, so all of those spaces will fill right up again if I sell the copper set. I really do wish I had more counter space, though. And with only 1 drawer for silverware, there's a reason everything is hanging on walls. LOL

I believe those pots are Revere Signature Brand. Stainless clad with copper. IMO very good cookware. Just clean with Wrights or BKF as you are doing. There's no need to purchase the expensive copper cleaner. The interior is SS and may be cleaned with standard SS methods including using abrasive pads. Be sure yours are Revere, I could be wrong. If the interior is tin you will destroy the lining with abrasives. They will be etched on the bottom. These pans originally came with a lacquer finish and many were used as decoration only and the lacquer was never removed. If you want to display only just respray with lacquer. Otherwise you cannot cook with lacquered pots.

Copper requires less heat. Just turn the heat down.

They are Revereware and all but 1 pot is dated 1776-1976, which means they were produced in 1976. They're definitely copper with a stainless steel interior.

I have the three pots with covers, the oval pan, the large round grill pan, and the large fry pan. The problem is, I need a deeper fry pan with a cover and I'd like to get a larger fry pan. The one I have is supposed to be 10", but with the sides curving out, the interior space is no larger than an 8" fry pan. Much as I love these copper pots, they're just not the best fit for my cooking style.

 

[roadfix]

I realize we should stay on topic on threads, however, unless this is a very strict rule, I couldn't care less how off topic my own threads go.

I couldn't care less either.....I've seen my threads derailed numerous times here..... and even more frequently so at other forums I participate in. No big deal... At least they keep the threads alive and interesting.
I often like to throw in the thread derailment meme from time to time just to be funny, nothing serious, really.... But I'm surprised they're rarely used here, for fun, of course... I'm just doing my part... to keep the thread from total destruction...

 

[bethzaring]

Dug up old photos so I didn't have to fool with cleaning

 

[RPCookin]

This was our kitchen in our house in the Bahamas. I wish I could have brought it along when we came back to the States. The only problem with that is that it wouldn't fit in this house.

I'll add a photo of our kitchen here sometime next week, but it's nothing special - functional but could be a lot better with addition of some money.

 

[GotGarlic]

I couldn't care less either.....I've seen my threads derailed numerous times here..... and even more frequently so at other forums I participate in. No big deal... At least they keep the threads alive and interesting.
I often like to throw in the thread derailment meme from time to time just to be funny, nothing serious, really.... But I'm surprised they're rarely used here, for fun, of course... I'm just doing my part... to keep the thread from total destruction...

I guess that's why it bothered me so much - we aren't stickers for that here. Threads are conversations that meander all over the place. So here I was, reading along, smiling and nodding, and suddenly BAM! HEY YOU! YOU'RE THE PROBLEM HERE! It sure didn't seem funny.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

This was our kitchen in our house in the Bahamas. I wish I could have brought it along when we came back to the States. The only problem with that is that it wouldn't fit in this house.

I'll add a photo of our kitchen here sometime next week, but it's nothing special - functional but could be a lot better with addition of some money.

Reminds me, I need to watch "The Money Pit", again.

 

[GotGarlic]

Reminds me, I need to watch "The Money Pit", again.

Me to DH repeatedly during our kitchen renovation: "As long as we're doing all this, we might as well... Do that, too."