5 of the most versatile items I keep in my kitchen.
Firstly, I do not intend this blog to simply be a compilation of lists. However, in the pre-curser on the home page, I used versatile kitchen items to analogise what a blog post could potentially look like. Ever since the analogy entered my mind, I began to think about the multipurpose products I use in the kitchen. Therefore, with no further ado, these are the five most versatile items I keep in my kitchen:
Chux wipes
This is not a paid advertisement. I genuinely need this product in my household. I am ashamed to admit, I never used to keep Chux in my kitchen. In fact, I had never even heard of them. I used to buy cloths in smaller quantities. However, the cloths I used to buy were of higher quality, there was simply not enough cloth per packet to meet my cleanliness needs. I found I began to reuse clothes, which in all honesty, was doing the kitchen bench more harm than good. I was hopeless in my search for a solution until one afternoon, whilst discussing this 1st world problem with my dad, he began to talk about ‘Chux Wipes,’ and how he used them all the time when he was a 20-something-year-old living in a share house. Little did I know this conversation would change the way I would go cloth shopping for life. I now use Chux for a multitude of different duties, which, believe it or not, expand to most areas of the house. I use Chux to wash up, I use Chux to wipe down, and I have even used Chux to polish my shoes.
Cinnamon Ground
God, I love cinnamon. If you didn’t know, I was overweight in my late teens. I became depressed and ashamed of how I looked, ultimately provoking a weight loss journey. Cinnamon played a huge role in this. Once I discovered how much I enjoyed this heavenly spice, it essentially replaced sugar, becoming the alternative to anything I would like to be a little sweeter. I use it for everything. I add it to my yogurt, I put it on my sliced apple in the morning, I put it in my smoothies, and once I even put it in my cup of tea (I do not recommend this). I understand it is not a product that can be used for anything else other than consumption, however, for me, cinnamon is essentially salt for anything I would like to make sweet. It also smells really good.
When I was a kid mum often made rice, milk, and honey for dessert. It is essentially just a rice pudding. I don’t really know why we referred to the dish by describing its deconstructed form. When I was actively trying to lose weight, this dish evolved into rice, milk, and cinnamon, with cinnamon replacing the honey. A treat I moderately indulge in when craving something sweet, providing both a feeling of nostalgia and the satisfaction I receive from sugar.
Lighters
Notice it is lighters, not lighter, because it is always good to keep more than one in the kitchen. Items this small regularly go missing. Be honest, if you smoke or not, someone’s asked you this question “Do you have a lighter by any chance?” Whoever asked this question probably lent their lighter to someone else in need. Lighters are small and are bound to go missing, so always keep at least two (in the kitchen).
Now, why is this a versatile item? My apartment has an ancient gas stove that doesn’t turn on as it should. You have to turn on the gas with the knob and then light the stove with the lighter. Some may see this as inconvenient, however, there is some odd satisfaction I receive from lighting the stove this way, that I can’t quite explain.
Imagine this. You are in a thunderstorm, the sky's filled with lightning, and it is hailing golf balls. All of sudden, the power goes out. Unfortunately for you, you only managed to cook one side of the steak before this freak accident. What do you do now? You grab your lighter, light your candles because you can’t see for shit, and run to your gas Webber (assuming you own one) and cook the other side of the steak. The problem is solved thanks to this versatile kitchen item.
Finally, there's no need for a bottle opener when you have a lighter.
Xanthan gum
If you know me, you know I have an appetite. If I really wanted to, I could continuously eat all day without stopping. However, for obvious reasons, I do not do this. Unfortunately, my appetite does not disappear, resulting in the quest to find a product to keep me satiated. That’s when I discovered Xanthan Gum.
Xanthan Gum is made from fermented carbohydrates and is used to thicken and expand food. It is generally used to make gluten-free pastries, yogurt, and even salad dressing. However, I generally use it to make protein smoothies/ice cream. This is how you make it:
Ingredients:
150g of ice.
110g of almond milk.
A scoop of protein powder.
100g of greek yogurt (optional).
Half a teaspoon of Xanthum gum.
You can also add artificial sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit if you’ve got the budget for it.
Method:
Just chuck it in a Nutribullet, turn it on, and leave it on until it is a thick and creamy consistency. Enjoy!
When you make this without adding xantham gum the difference is dramatic. The final product is a kind of weird protein snow cone.
Furthermore, if you do not have a problem with your appetite, I recommend not using this product. As its versatility is actually quite shocking. Outside of the kitchen xanthan gum can be used to treat medical issues. For example, it is used to decrease blood sugar for people with diabetes, it helps with constipation, it is an ingredient in dry eye remedies, and it is used to create the desired texture of toothpaste.
Therefore, personally, xanthan gum is definitely one of the most versatile items I keep in the kitchen, however, a product I recommend only to a minority of people.
Click here to learn more about Xanthan Gum.
Salt & Pepper
Firstly, I know these are two separate products, however, they a generally used in combination, so I have decided to count them as one. And secondly, this was obviously going to be the most versatile item to keep in your kitchen. I honestly put salt and pepper on every meal I have throughout the day. I sprinkle it on my eggs in the morning, mix it through my salad for lunch, and I grind a bit on my chicken for dinner. Apart from adding additional flavor, it is an essential component in baking, preserving the food for a significant period of time.
Apart from making things taste better, humans generally get their daily sodium needs from salt. It helps to relax your muscles. And relaxed muscles make physical tasks like going to the gym, or going for a run a hell of a lot easier, as the body isn't designed to operate like a car.
Furthermore, its versatility can be appreciated when we are feeling feverish. We have all gargled salt water when we are sick, attempting to retrieve the lump in the back of our throats.
In conclusion, mostly due to seasoning reasons, salt and pepper is the most versatile item I keep in the kitchen.
Someone I find inspiring as of late…
Johann Hari
To visit Hari’s Wikipedia page click here.
As a student journalist, Hari is genuinely someone who gets me excited about a career in the industry, delving into and discussing controversial topics, which happen to be topics that I have been affected by. However, I have only read one of his books, Chasing the Scream, it is obvious that he is on a mission to question the way society behaves, and what has made us do things in such a particular way.
Chasing the Scream is a look into the war on drugs. The book aims to discover what the cause of addiction really is and how we can solve it. After reading this I am excited to delve into his other best sellers, Lost Connection’s, and Stolen Focus.
There is one chapter in particular about redemption. It covers the life of Bud Osborne, a heroin addict turned activist, who is the co-founder of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), which advocates that addicts should hold an opinion just as valuable as anyone else’s.
This is an excerpt from that chapter that made me cry. You should know literature doesn’t make me cry very often:
“A few years before he died, Bud went on a reading tour of high schools in British Columbia, and way up north in a town called Smithers, he read out a poem titled “When I Was Fifteen” about the time he tried to kill himself. He didn’t impose any retrospective wisdom. He tried only to describe truthfully what it had been like for him on that day. He didn’t know it yet, but there was a girl in the audience who, a few days before, had taken an overdose, and her parents had responded by telling her she couldn’t be unhappy because they gave her everything. Her teacher suggested she come to the poetry reading to take her mind off things. At the end of the meeting, the girl approached Bud. She insisted that the teacher unlock the office and run off a photocopy of the poem; she wasn’t leaving without it she said. She clutched it as she left, glowing now. And Bud thought to himself - I stayed alive long enough to keep my promise. I wrote my poem.”
204 - Chasing the Scream.
A song I’ve been listening to…
Miracle by Vulfpeck, Vulf.
This is a song, and band, I have only recently discovered. That said, it was only released a couple of weeks ago. A couple of days ago when I was walking to the supermarket and listening to music, this song came on by coincidence. It put a smile on my face and made the walk through suburbia a little nicer. I added it to my playlist and I have been listening to it ever since.
Quote, I’ve been pondering…
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” ~ James Clear
Personally, this sentence is the most useful piece of information I gained after reading James Clear’s best-seller, Atomic Habits. I now design my environment to make better choices easier to make. For example, I don’t buy snacks. And if I did it would only be a servings worth. I know myself too well, and I know I don’t have the self-control to leave a packet of chips in the cupboard for a week. So I don’t buy them in the first place.
Furthermore, the book explains how our environment controls our actions. So now, if I am planning on going for a run in the morning, I set up my running gear so it is the first thing I open my eyes to when I wake up. All there is left to do is change my clothes, and once you do that, trust me, there are no excuses.