My Own Pathetically Small Kitchen

Mark Bittman writes books, pens a NY Times food column and appears in PBS shows. When he recently photographed himself at his home readers commented on the size of his pathetically small kitchen. My first thought? I wish my kitchen was so clean!

Here is a photo of my husband Steve making waffles Sydney and Sebastien in our own sorry excuse for a kitchen.

The good news? Cooking rarely requires fancy equipment or large amounts of space. Good ingredients, proper technique and care matter more than expensive pots, gazillion dollar stoves and endless gadgets. I'd say the investment in a good Le Creuset pot, a cast iron pan, a couple of wooden spoons and be done with it. Save your money for fancy olive oil or a bottle of 2000 Bordeaux--or something else equally frivolous and utterly decadent.