Decisions, decisions: Leaving behind my kitchen

For someone who very lovingly and painstakingly composes a kitchen in which the culinary muses are not thwarted in their inspiration, leaving behind that kitchen is an exercise in extreme self-control.  This post is about my preparation to leave behind my kitchen for a few months, and how I decided what to bring with me.

Step 1)  Denial:  Nope.  I'm not leaving my kitchen.  Asking me to choose which pan to bring is like asking me which sibling is my favorite.  Not gonna happen.  I will bring everything with me if it kills me.

Step 2)  Sadness:  I have to leave things, there's just not enough room in my car.  I just...I need to hug my KitchenAid mixer one more time.  Just, you know....because I won't see it for awhile.  And no, those aren't tears...the sunlight glinting off of my stockpot is just making my eyes water.

Step 3)  Resentment/Indignation:  Why do I have to choose?  They should be giving me cookware where I'm going!  I shouldn't have to stand for this, deciding between all of my cooking things which gets to come with me and which has to stay here, lonely!  I'm not going to bring anything, and then I'll just starve! <angry toddler-esque pout>

Step 4)  Rationality:  Ok, so this is just how the world works, and no, you cannot starve yourself.  Just go through each piece methodically, one-by-one.  Determine it's usefulness and make sure everything is multifunctional to the extreme.  Pack everything in that big plastic tub you have set aside for kitchen and dining stuff, and move on.  You have other stuff to worry about, too, you know.

This is what my rational brain decided to bring:
1)  Enameled cast-iron Dutch Oven:  Useful for boiling pasta, making soups, baking casseroles in the oven, boiling eggs, making corned beef, making pasta sauce....essentially, anything liquid will work beautifully here.

2)  4 pieces from my cookware set with their lids.  All of my cookware is oven-safe to 500 degrees F, so anything involving the oven can be done in these!

• Piece 1: 4-quart saute pan;  Nice high sides, could be useful for dishes with some liquids (like jambalaya) or even for baking a round cake, cornbread, brownies, etc. (due to the flat sides)
• Piece 2: 8-inch skillet;  Perfect for eggs in the morning
• Piece 3: 12-inch skillet;  I already said that this was the one piece I used most from my cookware set...It wouldn't make much sense if I left it behind, would it?
• Piece 4: 3-quart saucepan; Just in case the dutch oven is already in use.  Bonus: It's perfect for packing in a couple of glasses so that they don't accidentally get crushed! (The same goes fro the dutch oven, too!)

3)  Gadget Drawer:  It's just a drawer of things, and these bits and bobs can fit into the nooks and crannies in between pots and pans.  This also includes spatulas, and cooking utensils.

4)  Immersion Blender:  Makes it easy to make soups, smoothies, guacamole, hummus....you get the idea.  But it's much easier to bring along than any other type of blender or food processor.

5)  Cutlery:  Chef's knife, paring knife, serrated paring knife, utility knife, 2 steak knives.  All you need for everything from slicing bread to dicing tomatoes.

6)  Mini glass cutting board:  Actually, I didn't bring this with me.  My wooden cutting boards are too big and bulky to bring.  I found a 6" diameter cutting board at the dollar store when I arrived at my destination!  Another alternative option would be the cutting "mats" that are about the thickness of a couple of sheets of paper.

Any other baking dishes are really unnecessary.  Why?  Because all you have to do is get a disposable baking dish/roasting pan/etc. from the dollar store or grocery store.  If you're careful, you can wash and reuse.  Then, when you're done, just recycle it, and there's no need to bring it home!

So far, my planning strategy doesn't seem to have left me high and dry, or wishing I hadn't brought something with me.  Hopefully, it can carry me through until I make it back to my own kitchen!