My father just moved into a small, rent-controlled apartment. My uncle gave us a quick video tour of it, and though it’s inexpensive, I think it’s quite nice. The kitchen is what impressed me the most: storage cabinets lined the walls above and below. There was also a refrigerator, stove with an oven, a microwave, and a nice, deep double-basin sink.
I bet you can regulate hot and cold water, and that the pressure is great, too.
My dad, of course, will not occupy even a fourth of the kitchen storage space; like a sizable number of people in the US, he does not cook.
Pan the camera down a few hundred miles, and you’ll find some very different looking kitchens. Though they might be sparsely occupied by on the furniture and storage front — I’ve seen plenty with a single sink and nothing else — there’s a lot going on in them.
So, what will you find in a Mexican kitchen?
A blender (licuadora). The blender is used for pretty much everything around here. Want a creamy soup? Blender. Salsa? Blender. Chocolate milk? Blender. Pancake batter? You guessed it.
Break someone’s blender, and you might be facing an actual death sentence. Be careful: it’s a sacred item!
A pressure cooker (olla exprés). A pressure cooker is a pretty great little tool. In most of the homes I’ve been in, it’s used to make a really, really delicious pot of beans. Hearing this, I went out and bought one myself!
But then, I read the instructions: “To prevent the pot from exploding…”
I’m sorry, what? Explosion, you say? My own olla exprés stayed in the box.
Tortilla press (prensa de tortilla). This little contraption is great if you want to make your own fresh tortillas from masa (cornmeal dough). Can you get by without one? Sure. Plenty of people simply keep a couple of round cut-outs of plastic and use them to form the masa however they like. But the press is fun, and faster, and makes them pretty even.
I’ve seen wooden ones, but the metal round ones are the real stars!
Mortar (molcajete). Ever notice those heavy stone bowls with the pestle in them? They look cool, yes, but they’re not just for show: they’re a popular choice for making salsa and guacamole. And really, anything that needs crushed up or pulverized, I guess.
The tough part of the molcajete comes later: I’ve never figured out a really good way to clean them without them still smelling like whatever was last crushed!
An oven (horno) not used as an oven. Among my friends, I am one of the only people I know who actually uses her oven. I hate to cook, but love to bake sweet treats. My waist is sad, but my guests are happy!
So what will you find when you open the average person’s oven around here? Mostly pots and pans, given the general lack of storage in most simpler kitchens. Another friend of mine keeps her extra plastic bags there, and my host family actually kept books in there!
Yogurt and cream containers, washed out mayonnaise jars. Why buy expensive Tupperware when you can simply recycle the sturdy containers that your food comes in?
Look in the average person’s yogurt containers and you’ll find plenty of things besides yogurt! Beans and salsas if you’re lucky, old veggies if you’re not. What’s certain is that each one contains a surprise [Editors note: Sarah, are you advocating going to people’s houses and robbing their kitchens?].
All of the above are givens, but there’s plenty more! Lots of houses are built without a “cocina integral” (kitchen cabinets and drawers), so some people get creative. You might find a hodgepodge of tables and shelving, depending on the need. And since appliances don’t typically come with rentals, fridges, stoves, and microwaves are pretty much always resident-owned.
The best thing about a Mexican kitchen, of course, is the food. There may not be a bunch of fancy storage or matching plates, but man. You can sure get a good meal.
Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com.
