we have the spice but we’re still not cooking
Written on June 30, 2008 by steph
this weekend i finished my little spice shelf project that i started the previous weekend while eric was toiling away on the front steps…
and i celebrated by unpacking the standing mixer that inspired our kitchen wall color! the wall color is really quite nice in person, a bit less bright than it appears in flash photography. interestingly (perhaps only to me) the dark grout lines on the counter top are where the grout is missing. where grout exists, it should be white. i’ve managed to scrub much of the remaining grout to a decent approximation of white-ish…and i’m considering re-grouting the entire counter with super-white grout left over from the shower surround.
alas, having the mixer out and ready for action is a painful reminder that we have not made a decision concerning our oven conundrum. on the 21st we had a service call for someone from apple stoves to try and fix the oven in our 1930s era wedgewood stove’s oven, however, the heating mechanism predates thermocouples and is not something that is reproduced (that we know of). assuming that is correct, and i haven’t found any indications otherwise, we are looking at one of three options (1) replace the mechanism with a thermocouple with safety, (2) buy a different vintage stove with all working components, (3) buy a new/modern stove.
getting a bottom of the line new stove or a used stove that is relatively modern is the least expensive choice, but probably not much less than option (1). however, repairing our existing existing stove or buying “cheap” modern stove is a waste of money if we plan to replace it when we remodel the kitchen “in a couple years.” buying a different vintage stove is only worth the additional cost (over and above what it would cost to repair the one we have) if it has additional amenities (more oven capacity) and is in equal or better condition. to achieve that, we’re looking at spending 3x (or more) the not insignificant repair cost. making that kind of an investment in a different vintage stove will also drive the aesthetic of the entire future kitchen remodel…but so would buying a new non-temporary stove (such as the ge cafe series gas range that i’ve been drooling over).
until we decide what to do, we are going ovenless. fortunately, the wedgewood’s burners work great, it’s grilling season, and i’ve been amusing myself with creations such as not-really-chili in my hand-me-down crock pot. thanks for the crock pot, erica!
Filed in: Uncategorized.
There are some really good toaster-ovens you can get as an interim measure. Even a cheap toaster-oven can bake all sorts of stuff. The best, which are essentially oven replacements, can be $200, pretty good ones in the $50-75 range, the cheapest I know of is probably $35.
With the mixer next to it, the wall looks great.
Looking good - I love the spice rack! Although personally I’d need a second rack above it to hold the countless number of spices I’ve bought that sound good and I might even use one day! (ha!).
The oven conundrum - well - I sympathize. Our oven works after a fashion (it takes about a half hour to light on a good day.) We’ve been toying with the idea of upgrading our microwave to a microwave/convection oven.
With what ever choice you make, good luck.
thanks for the compliments and suggestions!
we have a toaster oven, but it’s so small that two slices of toast side by side often overlap. i did find a small loaf pan that i can fit in there and i even made baked apples (with apples from the back yard!) in the toaster oven last night. unfortunately, after 40 min. they still weren’t quite done, so i don’t have high hopes for the toaster oven…the kitchen smelled wonderfully like cinnamon, however!
so far, i’m enjoying experimenting with the crock pot. i always associated crock pots with pot roast (ick) so crock pot cooking is new territory for me. furthermore, the temperature dropped last week from the 90s to the 60s, so i’ve been making soups! so far i’ve made potato-cheddar soup, vegetarian not-quite-chili over rice, and a creamy cauliflower soup…all using the crock pot! plus, it amuses me to know that dinner is simmering away while i’m at work.
the spice shelf doesn’t come anywhere close to accommodating all of our spices, but it goes a long way towards making up for the deficiencies of my spice rack. the spice rack has smaller shaker jars that really only work well for powders, therefore, i still had a basket of mismatched jars of leaf and pod spices. then, i found (and purchased) these jars with easy screw tops and a choice of three shaker hole sizes. so now the powders are in the small jars and the larger spices (plus a few powders that i use in larger quantities) are in uniform jars on the shelf. there are only a few infrequently used or bulky spices left in the basket (such as cinnamon sticks that don’t fit well in jars and old bay which i think i only have because you didn’t used to be able to get it out here…)
anyway, enough babble from me. erin, if you get the microwave/convection oven, i’d love to hear how it works out for you!
LOL - will do Steph. May be a while, though. Our heatpump officially bit the big one this week, and the new one comes with a hefty price tag. Will be a while until we get back around to toying with the oven, I imagine.
erin,
oh no! good luck with the heat pump…after all, it’s getting to be the time of year there where you can bake things just by leaving them on the front porch, no oven required…heh