In My Kitchen-April 2016
April already?
We’re in the nothing happening, waiting phase of our kitchen renovation, the gap between the flurry of planning activity and the time that work begins.
The most exciting thing that happened In My Kitchen in March is the installation of new overhead lights. We decided there was no point in waiting any longer and after a thorough investigation of numerous options including pendants and a Rolls Royce custom made, mixed fitting, strip pendant, we replaced the single globe low watt light fitting with 4 X LED dimmable spotlights on a track for maximum illumination and flexibility. Stepping out of the shadows is the first step in the creation of a workable kitchen.
Kitchen light, before & after
Hot on the heels of discarding an old and battered commercial frypan with a distorted base, I accidentally dropped my elderly well loved cast iron frypan. I was not happy, at all. The loss of two pans left me in need of a replacement. It wasn’t an easy decision but eventually I decided on a German Woll Diamond Plus pan with scratch resistant non stick finish and a removable handle so that it can be used in the oven to finish off frittatas etc. I’m very impressed with the surface. It’s a long time since I’ve had a new pan and non stick technology has come a long, long way.
Woll Diamond Plus
In My Kitchen the sourdough obsession continues to grow. During March I’ve made many spelt loaves, including green olive bread, fennel and olive oil bread, hot cross buns and Turkish Lamb filled pide pies.
Sourdough Baking with 100% Spelt
My IMK contribution is short and sweet this month, however you can learn what’s happening in other bloggers kitchens by following the link to our wonderful host Maureen the Orgasmic Chef. It’s worth checking out, I always learn something new.
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39 comments on “In My Kitchen-April 2016”
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Creative Commons Copyright Licence
Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
look at all the lovely bread! what a shame about your pan. i hate having to buy new things like that cos i can never decide which is the best to buy. witness me waiting over a year to get a new blender! and then finding the one i did buy was not very good. eek! nice to have good lighting in the kitchen.
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I struggled to choose a new pan Sherry, too many options but so far my choice has proved to be a good one. Bummer about the blender.
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I love Woll pans, I’m such an addict I have three, one shallow frying pan and two deep ones with an interchangeable oven-proof glass lid. They’re years old, still going strong and I cook in them constantly. Wouldn’t be without them. Good to find a fellow aficionado. (Crikey, they should put me on the PR staff.) 🙂
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LOL! It’s easy to be enthusiastic about a high performance quality product. This is my first Woll pan but I’m impressed. Thanks for dropping into my kitchen
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My pleasure, thanks for the follow.
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Love your new frypan Sandra, where did you get it from? I love the difference in lighting in your kitchen, LED’s are amazing aren’t they. I think too cos we’re foodies & love cooking, there’s nothing worse than shadows in the kitchen while cooking! I can’t wait to have my own house one day where I can have as much lighting as possible! And of course, amazing breads Sandra. Take care & hope to see you soon xx #IMK
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You have some lovely things in your kitchen. What happened to the cast iron? Did it break? I have one at the cottage that is over 100 years old, my hubby’s grand parents used it to cook on over an open fire in the late 1800’s!
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The handle broke off the cast iron pan when it fell to the floor. The pan itself is still usable, but now impossible to handle when hot. I have quite a few cast iron pans, I just love to use them, they’re definitely investment pieces.
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Oh wow – those Turkish Lamb filled pide pies look devine!
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Seriously love your new kitchen lighting! What a difference – both the angled fittings and the white light vs the yellowed old light. Much better for nighttime food photography, I would think 😉
As for the saucepans, it’s been ages since I’ve bought a new one also. Nice to read that you’re liking the Diamond pan, I do need a new one myself so maybe I’ll have a look too! Oh, and your sourdough is so beautiful. Seriously excited to try my fledgling little starter from you! xx
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The lights were the beginning of a whole kitchen makeover, can’t wait. I hadn’t baked a successful sourdough loaf until 3 months ago, your turn next….
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What a bummer about losing two pans on the trot, but your new one looks very handsome. Detachable handles are a great idea.
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Detachable pan handles are a genius idea 🙂
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What a difference good lighting makes to the most important room in the home. That new pan looks like a beauty too.
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The lights have made a huge difference but the kitchen still is a major pain.
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I currently have a faulty led light in the ceiling. It’s one of ten but is strategic over the island unit. It drives me mad as it cuts in and out without any pattern. I need to replace the transformer, not the bulb and it’s a difficult job for a klutz.
Your kitchen looks great.
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Kitchen may LOOK okay but it doesn’t do well under close scrutiny, 2 weeks of useful life remain. So how is it cooking under disco lights
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Great looking kitchen. You chose a really good pan there. i am sure it will give you years service
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Haha, the kitchen is being trashed in approx 2 weeks time! I’m loving the pan…
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Your bread looks amazing!!!
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Thanks, I’m one happy baker thanks to all the help IMKers
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Oh my goodness…You are a gorgeous baker, Sandra. Those breads are exquisite!!! And yes, lighting definitely helps in the kitchen…As for your new pan, I’d say your Woll Diamond looks to be a gem of a pan =)
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I’ve taken part in IMK for a few years now, I was always envious of the wonderful sourdough loaves that others baked. My bread is a bucket list achievement, I’m very happy, so I really appreciate your comment. Thanks:-)
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How fun. Can’t wait to see the rest of the remodel!
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A lot of light makes such a wonderful difference and I am in desperate need of new pans – I have 2 which are quite embarrassing. Your kitchen must smell heavenly with all the wonderful baking. Have a super day.
🙂 Mandy xo
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Thanks Mandy I’m loving the updated lighting it’s made an enormous difference
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That new lighting, what an improvement. I will be keen to see how the new frypan goes, non-stick is always such a tricky purchase. (Hot cross buns looks super!)
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I agree about non stick being tricky. The surface of this pan has none of the nasties associated with teflon and it certainly looks robust. Time will tell……
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Good luck with your reno! The new lighting looks wonderful, and your bread looks mouth-watering.
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Your bread is looking sensational Sandra! I like the sound of those lights, what a difference it made. Hope the pan goes well, I haven’t had much joy with the you beaut non-stick ones and think I’ll go back to a well seasoned steel one. Very handy being able to remove the handle though!
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I love cast iron pans too, but I’m beginning struggle with the weight
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Oops trigger finger, also wanted to say thanks for the compliment about the bread, I’m thrilled with it and have to pinch myself sometimes to remind myself I made it 🙂
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Nice change in lighting. I’m sure you look forward to the entire kitchen being done soon too. You’ve been very busy with sourdough, it’s all fantastic looking. I’ve not heard of that pan either, remove able handle sounds great. It’s mostly cast iron for me.
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Very excited about the kitchen renovation. They start in 2 weeks
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Sandra, I like the look of that pan, maybe I need to drop a few of my old ones. What a difference light makes. When you get your new kitchen make sure you get under cupboard lights as well. I love them.
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We have such a light issue in my dark corner kitchen that we’ve probably gone overboard. I’m not having overhead cupboards, but there’ll be down lights in the bulkhead against the wall and in the pantry cupboard. It’s fantastic not to be working in a shadow
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Those old cast iron pans kept going and going. Though I’ve changed to non-stick, I find that no matter how nice they start out, they lose their sticklessness in a year or two and have to be replaced. Sad, isn’t it.
Nice lights!
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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The light has made such a difference in the kitchen, it helps the be able to see! The cast iron pan I broke was at least 20yrs old, very annoyed with myself. Thanks for visiting Mae
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Amazing the difference in lighting in your kitchen- I bet you can not wait for work to begin and finish. Pretty fancy saucepan – didn’t know you could get one and the handles detach – I’m so far behind the times!
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