Can you make perfect food in a less-than perfect kitchen?

Mark Bittman, the prolific food writer for the New York Times, posted on his blog a picture of himself cooking turket breasts in his kitchen. The first thing that popped out was the tiny, Manhattan kitchen he was standing in and the lack of many expensive kitchen tools.

The interview itself was very revealing of the excuses that keep those with small spaces and less money out of the kitchen. As a college student, those are the concerns that most resonate with my situation. These are parts of the interview that I found to be most applicable:

"Q: So why do so many people think a nice kitchen will solve their cooking woes?


A: Maybe it’s like what you said. You use your crummy kitchen as an excuse not to cook. Maybe it’s like saying, “I can’t exercise in the winter because I don’t have an elliptical trainer.” I once cooked for six months in what amounted to a basement with a hot plate, microwave and a refrigerator and sink. Not only did I cook for six months, but I wrote the column for six months. It was funny. People like to cook when they’re camping and in other places where the situation is less than adequate. For some reason they think they have to have a great kitchen to cook at home, but it’s not true."

Q: So what are your must-haves in a kitchen, and what can you live without?


A: One of the things I hate about my stove is you can’t put four pots on it at the same time, so you cook with two pots and use the oven more. A functioning oven, the best possible stove… I think a big refrigerator is not that helpful. Stuff that’s in the refrigerator shouldn’t be in there all that long anyway. You need a couple of sauce pans, a couple saute pans, you need some knives, and then you need to pick up what you need on an as-needed basis. If you’re going to roast a turkey you need something big to put it in. When you need it you’ll know you’ll need it. Some things you’re going to find yourselves repeatedly wishing you had. Those are the things you need."


Having less-than-adequate kitchen space, or only having the most basic of kitchen tools, should not be an excuse to take responsibility for cooking. If anything, it is a constraint that makes sure that you have only the essentials, and that is all you really need to make great food.



The Bitten Blog has since been combined into the New York Times' Diner's Diner's Journal, but it's definitely worth a peek, if not a very critical once over.