The New Kitchen Project

There isn’t much in this world that I actually want. That’s a good thing.

I’m happy with what I’ve got. In fact, our family probably has too much. Especially when it comes to kitchen gear. Which isn’t to say we have everything. We don’t. There are quite a lot of gadgets I might enjoy. But when taking a cold hard eye to how much I would use them in everyday life, they neither justify the expense or the space they would take up in our kitchen.

A great example is one of those super high speed and high power blenders. Those are sexy AF. However, I’m unthrilled that they only come with plastic mixing containers. I want glass or stainless steel, because I hate plastic in my kitchen. And while I dream of crushing ice like a champ, how many times would I make brambles over the course of a summer. Twice? Maybe.

I think I would be better off with a heavy wood mallet and a sturdy canvas bag. Actually, I have my eye on a set of those items. However, there isn’t a place in our kitchen to store more accessories. Our drawers and utensil caddies are overflowing.

Which brings us to the new kitchen project.

Just this week, I had a serious kitchen pegboard installed on a wall that was really not working very hard in the kitchen. There was no art. No cabinets. That wall was simply the backdrop for a storage cart and an art corner for Little Miss Fussy.

Putting in the pegboard didn’t cost us any space. It has only added about 18 square feet of open storage space. And as soon as I figure out the best kind of hardware to hang pots and pans, the stainless steel All-Clad that I use all the time will have a new home on the wall of the kitchen.

Not only will it be more convenient to grab a pot or pan, but it will also look nice.

Mrs. Fussy’s big concern was that the items displayed on the pegboard would collect dust in this open storage situation. However, I assured her that the only items that would score a spot on the wall would be both attractive and frequently used.

That eliminates things like the food mill, or the pastry cutter. And that’s fine. They all have homes in other cabinets.

My dirty little secret is that there has been one thing I’ve wanted, but I’ve just never had a place to put it. And that’s a french steel omelet pan. Don’t tell Mrs. Fussy, but now that we’ve got some place to put it, I just picked up this hot little number from Sur La Table.

The pegboard thing is still new to me. Does anyone have any experience with them? I’m looking at all kinds of hooks and hardware for attaching kitchen items, and I’m at a loss of which ones to choose. There seem to be all kinds of creative crafty things you can do beyond the basics as well.

I’m not that crafty. I couldn’t even install this DIY project on my own. So any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Now I’ve got just a few hours to make sure the family is prepared for the first day of school and the high holy days. Because I’ll be traveling six of the next ten days. Egads! But on the upside, most of that will be in Chicago!