Some people are calling the stainless-steel appliance era over. We used stainless in our main kitchen, but decided not to use it for our beach house, so we wanted to share when stainless makes sense and when to skip it. Lately in our kitchen we’ve tried a few new things: hopping on a popular cooking trend, organizing the fridge, and testing a couple of meal-delivery services to see if they live up to the hype.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio — or listen to it below. Use this page to find links, notes, and photos we mentioned. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may need to click through to the post to see the player.
Help for Puerto Rico
We’re humbled and grateful to have raised $12,000 to be donated directly to relief efforts for Puerto Rico. That would not have been possible without the generosity of the companies who joined us in supporting this cause:
Universal Furniture | Delta Faucet | Cardboard Safari | Grove Collaborative | West Elm | DAP Products
Shades of Light | The Annie Selke Co. | HANDy Paint | Wohven T-Shirt Subscription | Sabrina Soto
If you’d like to contribute too, you can donate to United for Puerto Rico.
What’s New
- We tried two vegetarian dinners from meal-delivery boxes and photographed the results (first: HelloFresh; second: Blue Apron). We paid for the boxes to test them ourselves and wanted to report back on how they felt to cook and eat.
- We were able to adapt both meals to be vegan for Sherry. For example, I added feta to my serving of the pasta while Sherry skipped it; she also left the aioli off the paella. We liked the avocado pasta enough to recreate it at home, and the paella is one Blue Apron meal we’d try again.
- Sherry shared some favorite vegan staples and swaps:
- Amy’s Roasted Vegetable Pizza — a go-to frozen pizza option
- Earth Balance Buttery Spread as a butter substitute
- Follow Your Heart Vegenaise instead of mayo
- Silk Unsweetened Coconut Milk for cereal and general use
- Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream as a sour cream alternative
- Wholly Guacamole Avocado Verde for an easy guac option
- Sabra Classic Hummus single-serve packs for snacks
- Extra-firm tofu is our preferred tofu style
- If you have vegan swaps or recipes you love, please share them with us.
- If a meal-delivery service offers more vegetarian options, tell us so we can try it (and maybe not surprise Sherry again).
Updates
- If you missed our earlier chat about my light-temperature neurosis, it’s covered in Episode #57.
- We listed our favorite soft white LED bulbs for reference.
- Episode #63 features our conversation with Dr. Budgets and his recommendation of Mint.com as a free budgeting tool.
- YNAB (You Need A Budget) was highly recommended by listeners, so we’re testing it now. We welcome any tips as we get comfortable with it.
- If you’re near Bristol, Virginia, we’ll be speaking Thursday, November 9th at House Dressing. Tickets are limited.
Listener Question
- Related reading and perspective on the stainless-steel trend include write-ups from design and consumer sites discussing whether stainless is waning and what alternative finishes are emerging.
- For reference, these are the appliances we chose for our kitchen: a counter-depth refrigerator, a Whirlpool gas range, a Whirlpool dishwasher, and a microwave. We shared those choices to show how stainless looked in our space and why we made the selections we did.
- You can also read more about our beach house kitchen plans, where we’re exploring mixed appliance finishes and different looks than those in our main kitchen.
- We evaluated a “White Ice” finish for appliances but decided it wasn’t the right white for our cabinets — it read too bright in renderings.
- Other manufacturers are introducing darker metal finishes like Graphite Gray and Black Stainless for those who want a metal look with more contrast. There are also colorful retro-style options from brands that offer refrigerators and ranges in playful hues if you want to make a bold statement.
We’re Digging
- We’ve been using clear bins in the fridge to corral snack-size guacamole and hummus cups. Before the bins, those items tended to topple and scatter. The pictured fridge is tidier than usual — a reminder to place a grocery order soon.
- The bins come in three sizes; we use the medium size. We also linked another similar option in case these sell out.
- IFTTT (If This, Then That) is an app we’re enjoying. It automates tasks like sending Instagram photos to Twitter and connects web accounts and smart devices through simple, useful recipes. It’s free and versatile.
If you’re looking for something we’ve mentioned in a past episode but can’t remember which show notes to open, check our master list of everything we’ve been digging from previous episodes.
Finally, a big thank you to The Annie Selke Companies for sponsoring this episode. Take a peek at Annie’s bed & breakfast, 33 Main, and use code YHL15 to get 15% off at AnnieSelke.com/YHL on bedding, furniture, rugs, and more.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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