My Baking Cupboard

The lovely Jo at What Do You Make of My Cake had a fantastic idea this week. She decided that, as fashion blogs are always full of 'inside my wardrobe' posts, that baking addicts may well be interested in an 'inside my baking cupboard' post. I have to say, that as I frequently indulge in a bit of what I call ' Kitchen P*rn (c'mon, please! I meant compulsive purchasing of 'Beautiful Kitchens' magazine and regular reading of other kitchenware catalogues such as Lakeland), my nosiness in terms of Other People's Kitchens sadly knows no bounds. It's the ideas it generates, you see, in terms of decor and equipment for the room that is, for me, very much the heart of the home. I get a warm, fuzzy feeling when I see a kitchen that is lovely, but more importantly, clearly loved and used well by its owner.

Aaanyways, I don't know if you're interested, so I hope this won't bore you, but in case you are as obsessed (and nosy) as I am, I thought you might like a peek at my kitchen and baking cupboard. The kitchen has been recently fitted - in March - so I am very lucky to have been in the position to decide what I wanted (to a certain extent), and where, in terms of cabinets. We are limited a bit though, by the size and a gallery style layout (so my dreams of a big American style kitchen, complete with mahoosive island unit will have to wait).

One thing I knew I wanted when we designed the kitchen, was to incorporate a specific area for my baking kit. I use large acrylic tubs for my flours (inspired by watching too much Barefoot Contessa), and I'm a great Kilner jar fan, but I was absolutely fed up of having to take things out of cupboards to find the stuff at the back. Having had pan drawers for saucepans in my old kitchen, I decided these were the way to go. Consequently, we had some additional pan drawers put in so I could use them for my baking kit.

The top one I use for odds 'n' ends - cling film, foil, baking papers (I tend to get pre-cut packets from Lakeland for cake tins etc in different diameters), baking beans, rolling pin etc.

The middle drawer I use for flours, sugars, baking chips etc. I love the way I can just pull the drawer out and lift the container I need.

I use the bottom drawer for my mixing bowls, jugs, sieves, hand-mixer, and other items.

I use one smaller drawer for things like spatulas, brushes, etc.

I have one area of a tall larder unit that I use for some of the other baking kit, such as piping kit, sugarcraft items, cupcake cases, cookie cutters, food colourings and paints, sprinkles etc. (I somehow have managed to accumulate a lot of these *mumbled in an embarrassed tone*). I keep these little, fiddly items in plastic containers.

I keep some of the smaller baking ingredients in another wall cupboard. This includes things like baking powder and soda, extracts, dried fruit, nuts, cocoa and my all-important chocolate stash.

I have one other cupboard that I use for baking trays and cake tins. Finally, here's my beloved Kitchen Aid, which is now 9 years old and counting ...

I haven't gone to the extreme of actually naming it (although when the thought has crossed my mind whether I should, 'Barney' seems a possibility - goodness knows why), but it has provided so many hours of enjoyment and resulting eating pleasure, that I love it to bits. It's sadly started to show signs of the dreaded breakdown of the grease in the head (and consequent seepage), so I suppose at some point I should get it serviced. But for now, it keeps on doing what it does best.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into my world. I've linked this post back to Jo's original one, so that you can check out her cupboard. So, now the question. What do you keep in yours?

Susie