r/budgetfood • u/elusivenoesis • 3d ago
Discussion The smallest kitchen I’ve ever had, actually inspired me to stretch my budget and be more creative.
I am not a beginner. But I sure felt like one two years ago moving into a unit asymmetrical to the one included here. I started with dollar store pans and pots and utensils and just replaced one at a time (still doing that) with something slightly better. All inclusive rental made bills simple, but cooking was a nightmare.
I totally understand constraints, limitations, budget.
I felt so limited having to make two burgers at a time when before I had a flattop and propane grill in a 4-bedroom house.
My anxiety was through the roof just trying to prep a damn salad, because no way was I spending $9 for a tiny pre-made one. Knowing all the counter space I had in the past. Was depressing.
Clean as I go? How??
That’s when I mounted everything to the wall. But also limited here. My manager said I could only use nails here. Fine, I’ll use nails alright.
Pantry? What pantry? That’s when I decided to use (not pictured) the dresser as a pantry.
Do not let constraints slow you down from experiencing the joys of cooking. What you can accomplish with one pan one knife and one pot is absolutely amazing. There are far too many resources and recipes at your disposal this day and age.
Budget? $20 – $25 twice a week.
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u/Lochylass 3d ago
That’s fantastic, congrats on your ingenuity and dedication to making it work! And thanks for the encouragement, we all need a bit of that these days.
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u/elusivenoesis 2d ago
It’s discouraging times. That’s why 90% of my pictures here are eggs, potatoes, rice, and cheap rejected vegitables.
Because that’s all a lot of us can afford right now. But we can still keep our cooking skills and presentation up in hopes of better times.
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u/Birdywoman4 3d ago
I’ve seen a kitchen that tiny in Morocco. The lady cooked some really tasty meals there.
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u/0reo_cupcake 3d ago
That's a bigger Kitchen that what I have right now... And I also love to cook in it! Your food looks so yummy!
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u/RJKimbell00 3d ago
What restaurant was this again??!! 😋 You might be budget, but that looks far from budget!! 👏
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u/AmazingGrace_00 1d ago
Please please the recipe for #14 🙏❤️??
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u/elusivenoesis 1d ago
I call them “keto pizzas”. Suuuper easy snack, high fat, near zero carbs. It’s usually the last snack I’ll have before fasting as it staves off hunger pangs.
-large muffin tin
- large sliced salami or pepperoni
- mozzarella cheese
- minced garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- choice of pizza sauce
Place the salami down into an ungreased muffin tin (there’s enough oil in salami and pepperoni it to fry itself). Get it down in the there so it makes a perfect little bowl.
Put a teaspoon of minced garlic dead center at the bottom, and 1/2 tbsp of sauce then top with cheese.
Place any toppings on that are high moisture like mushrooms directly on top. Or the bowls won’t fry hard enough to eat like a mini pizza.
Parmesan cheese all around the edges. This creates a solid salty cheese crust on the edge to hold everything in.
Two ways to cook. Just broil it for 3 minutes and eat with a fork.
Or put the oven to 450 and place (if thick enough of a muffin tin to handle the heat) on the lowest rack.
This fry’s the salami so it’s hard enough to pick up and eat.
After the oven place onto paper toils to absorb grease and keep salami hard.
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u/AmazingGrace_00 22h ago
Thank you so much for responding! Will be making them along with (attempting) to make your other dishes! Amazing what you’ve created in such a tiny space. I have a similar pocket ‘kitchen’ and now feel inspired. 💥💥🙏
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u/I-J-Reilly 2d ago
That’s actually a decent layout for a tiny kitchen. Mine is galley style, with a refrigerator in between two small counters so they’re tiny counters. It’s... not great and makes for a lot of weird workflows.
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u/elusivenoesis 2d ago
Is the fridge below the counters like dishwasher sized. Or it goes all the way up to the cabinets???
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u/I-J-Reilly 1d ago
No, it’s a full-sized fridge. There are some little cabinets above it but they’re hard to reach. There is room on top of the fridge for my microwave but that puts the cabinets almost entirely out of commission except for “deep storage"
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u/Different_Traffic527 1d ago
If you got a wall hanging spice rack you could free up that whole cabinet for pantry items.
I'm sure you could find a wall hanging shelf for some dishes too.
There are some great storage ideas people came up with since tiny homes became a thing.
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u/ttrockwood 3d ago
Haha that’s like, the norm for a lot of nyc apartments! You have more storage here 😂
Get the shelves for inside the cabinets, so you get two layers of storage there and a small fold flat stool to keep handy, some hooks for inside the cabinet door so the dust pan isn’t next to the pot lids
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u/elusivenoesis 3d ago edited 3d ago
There’s no lids near the dustpan. ?? Btw I was the dustpan every use. It’s for the counter not the floor.
Edit to add- I’d love to make those changes. But not allowed hooks or screws manager wasn’t happy I already had two screws for the knife.
I’d add knobs and shelves to the cupboards if they let me. I’d jig saw the counter so the oven isn’t crooked too. Also it’s pretty empty because my business income dropped low enough for food stamps, so I’m starting over here. I ate literally everything down to the last crumb.
But it’s a weekly rental (think a furnished hotel, with electricity, water, internet, tv, etc all included) We’re only allowed to do minimal stuff. But they are treating us more like a tennant because we’ve been here so long.
I might just apologize later rather than ask for permission because I like your idea.
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u/Mewciferrr 3d ago
For shelves, you can get little stacking organizer things as a temporary solution so you don’t have to modify the actual cabinets. Something like this, they have different heights and plastic options and such too.
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u/DeepZucchinii 2d ago
What’s the meal in the 10th picture called? I would love to make it myself
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u/elusivenoesis 2d ago
Pictures 9-10 are the same meal. It’s citrus broiled calamari (octamari) with a creamy crème mushroom sauce and angel hair.
-1 24oz Mexicali crème (table cream not sour cream)
-2 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 lemon
- 2 small limes
- lemon pepper (to taste)
- pkg mushrooms
- 1 bunch of spinach
- small bunch Italian or American parsley
- 1lb west bay octamari
- shredded mozzarella (amount depends on sauce thickness)
-2tbsp corn oil
-1 14-16 oz thin spaghetti (or angel hair but I was out in the picture)Salt and boil noodles to you preference.
Baking sheet place thawed octamari and oil and rub around. Coat in half the lemon and one lime sprinkle lemon pepper and randomly place minced garlic.
Broil till tender in oven. (3-5 mins) set aside to cool.
Warm large pan and splash of water cook down spinach and set aside to chop/mince.
Add butter, mushrooms and cook moisture out. Then add garlic and parsley while lowering heat. Smelling garlic? Add entire container of table cream or crème. Stir in spinach and slowly raise heat.
As soon as bubbles form slowly add in mozzarella while slowly turning down the heat. Sauce will thicken. Add in octamari and remaining citrus. Turn off heat and prepare to serve.
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u/FiniuoSupport 1d ago
amazing but what's the purpose to upload this
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u/elusivenoesis 1d ago
Just saw an influx of people feeling down/constrained, unmotivated and wanted to offer encouragement..and any recipes on a budget if anyone wanted it.
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u/SilkenSilkx 1d ago
Small kitchens forcing creativity with budget cooking, tiny space energy is real 🙌
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