every van leaves the garage with the same kit in the kitchen drawer. we've changed the list maybe four times in seven years. each change came after one of us — usually charlie — got back from a week with one of the vans and said: i didn't use that thing, take it out.
the drawer is small. the rule is: if it doesn't earn its space, it doesn't go in. nothing here is single-purpose.
the list.
- an opinel no. 8 paring knife. beech handle, carbon-steel blade, folds. about £12. takes a stone if it goes dull. doesn't rattle.
- a victorinox 4-inch serrated knife. does bread, tomatoes, halloumi, salami, cucumbers. doesn't need sharpening for a year.
- a small ash chopping board, 25 by 18 cm. doubles as a serving plate.
- a 24cm cast iron pan. lodge or netherton. heavy, but it cooks better than anything else and it'll outlive us.
- one stainless saucepan with a lid. 1.5 litres. the lid doubles as a small frying pan.
- a stovetop kettle. enamel, whistle. the noise is the point. no plug.
- a bialetti moka express, 3-cup. for the espresso enjoyers (boris and graham — the induction-only kitchens in debbie need the special induction model and we keep one of those in there).
- one beech wooden spoon. long handle.
- one silicone spatula. high-temperature, scrapes the cast iron without scratching it.
- a pair of locking spring-loaded tongs. fish flipper, salad lifter, bread tongs.
- a microplane fine grater. garlic, ginger, lemon zest, parmesan, nutmeg. replaces three other tools.
- a collapsible silicone strainer. sits flat, holds a pan of pasta.
- two falcon-style enamel mugs. coffee, tea, soup, wine in a pinch.
- two enamel plates and two enamel bowls.
- two duralex picardie tumblers. the stackable bistro glass. unkillable.
- one dishcloth, one tea towel, one j-cloth. swapped weekly.
- salt in a small kilner jar. pepper in a grinder. one bottle of olive oil. one bottle of soy sauce.
what we don't put in.
no microwave. they cook badly, eat power, take a cupboard. you don't need one.
no blender or nutribullet. it's loud and it's electric and the cast iron and a fork do most of what it does.
no toaster. bread under the grill or in the cast iron is better.
no garlic press. the microplane does the same job, cleaner, in less drawer space.
no specialist gadgets. no avocado slicer, no banana cutter, no egg slicer. we know what's in your kitchen at home. we're not packing yours.
what to bring yourself.
tea or coffee. you have strong opinions, we don't want to argue with them. cooking oil if you're picky — we provide olive but some of you don't fry in it. butter, milk, eggs. anything you'd buy on the way out of town.
and a knife if you absolutely need a chef's knife. ours is small on purpose — every cut you'd do in a van fits into the opinel. but if you're a proper cook, bring the one you trust.