Iska's Kitchen

My Kitchen

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You may wonder how I could prepare and cook what I blog with such a small, compact kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I do complain and dream of a larger one someday but the size of my present kitchen doesn’t stop me from doing what I love best. After all, when it comes to kitchens, it is still the passion for cooking that matters most.

I have used big kitchens before and with long counter space, I tend to use every bit of it. Kung anu-anong nakapatong sa counter. Funny how your cooking habit changes when you’re working on a small one.

This kitchen may be small but I keep it very efficient. With a less than modest space for preparation, I always keep the benchtop clear of unnecessary clutter. Rubbish bin and incinerator underneath the sink. Gadgets and appliances neatly tucked away when not in use. My microwave is permanently inside the cupboard.

Overall, I am liking it. High-pressure benchtops, sleek, minimalist, user-friendly and easy maintenance. Everything is built-in. Under the electric 2-zone ceramic hob is the oven. To its right is a moderate-size dishwasher which I find very, very useful. Saves water, saves time, good to your working hands. Drawers of varying sizes for cutlery, dinnerware, utensils and crockery.

This post is for Lasang Pinoy, Sundays. My Kitchen.
Lasang Pinoy, Sundays

Below is a photo of my first kitchen in New Zealand. It is just a wee bit larger and I love its cozy breakfast counter. But with my present living and dining area overlooking the Auckland Harbour and Rangitoto Island, I wouldn’t trade my compact kitchen for the world!

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Iska
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.

13 thoughts on “My Kitchen

  1. its a killer kitchen! love that you built in mostly everything. love your incinerator and dish washer. don’t have them. they still remain my dream appliances, especially now that the children are grown and we have stopped the services of a household helper.

  2. ‘It’s not about the size, but it’s how you use it’ that’s what I learned when I moved to Europe. Kaya I like your kitchen, Iska! Well organized and just right for a small family. I love love the built-ins too.

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