Kitchen of the Week
Sea Change: A Recipe Writer’s Beachside Kitchen
A move from the city to the beach resulted in a more relaxed Australian lifestyle and the creation of a food blog
Nagi Maehashi says the birth of her food website, RecipeTin Eats, was spurred by a midlife crisis brought on by her demanding corporate job. On a rare Sunday off, she passed a run-down beach shack on Australia’s Mona Vale headland, with views over Bungan Beach. “I knew instantly I had to have this place,” Maehashi says. Four years later, she still lives there. “It was the single most irrational major decision I have made in my life, to go from a house I own that took me five minutes to drive into the city to renting a run-down beach shack that took me 1½ hours to drive into the city,” she says. She went on to create RecipeTin Eats, a blog full of her fresh, fast and creative recipes. The kitchen is the heart of Maehashi’s home — the place where she creates delicious meals and videos for her website.
Maehashi has put a lot of thought into the kitchen tools and appliances she uses. “Quality is important, of course,” she says. She uses good-quality small appliances and knives and loves cooking in cast iron skillets and pots. “Yes, they are heavy, but you can’t beat the heat retention and distribution,” she says. Maehashi’s philosophy is to spend money where it counts and not where it doesn’t. For example, she’ll pay a small fortune for a leak-proof oil pourer but $3 for a spatula.
“My kitchen isn’t fancy, but it’s set up so that the things I use the most are within reaching distance from my work area,” Maehashi says. She shoots video in the kitchen often. “My setup revolves around the best light position,” she says. The old wooden table seen here is used as a shooting surface.
“When it comes to decorating, I am all about comfort and practicality,” Maehashi says. An item’s ability to withstand salty air is also important to her. In terms of decor, she mainly opts for travel-related items.
Moving to the beaches north of Sydney changed Maehashi’s outlook on life. She wanted to do something for herself, something she was truly passionate about. “Being able to work from home and be my own boss was the icing on the cake,” she says.
Maehashi has loved cooking since she was young. “Even when I worked 15-hour days in corporate, I’d walk in the house, kick off my heels, pour myself a wine and cook something from scratch. That’s how I wind down. Not in front of the TV,” she says.
Maehashi has loved cooking since she was young. “Even when I worked 15-hour days in corporate, I’d walk in the house, kick off my heels, pour myself a wine and cook something from scratch. That’s how I wind down. Not in front of the TV,” she says.
The cook’s entire home is set up to revolve around her lifestyle, both work and leisure. “I’ve managed to cram in a dedicated area for my photography equipment and props and arrange my living-dining-kitchen area in the open-plan part of the house with the best views,” she says.
Maehashi’s cultural background has had a strong influence on her cooking. “Coming from a Japanese background, migrating to Australia when I was a child, meant I started out with a more ‘exotic’ food experience than the typical Aussie kid,” she says. “I was sent to school with bento boxes when all I wanted was a Vegemite sandwich. My parents just didn’t get the classic Aussie meat-and-three-veg dinners.”
She loves how food brings family and friends together. Her outdoor dining table can accommodate up to six people.
She loves how food brings family and friends together. Her outdoor dining table can accommodate up to six people.
Reducing food waste is important to Maehashi. Her biggest cooking tip is to have an arsenal of “fridge forage” recipes up your sleeve. “Whatever you have in the fridge and pantry right now, you can make a really tasty pasta, fritter or frittata,” she says. “One of the best pastas in this world is spaghetti aglio e olio, which is made with just pasta, garlic and olive oil,” she says. “You don’t need tons of fancy ingredients to make incredible food — you just need to know how to make it right.”
The oversized deck is perfect for entertaining and relaxing.
Maehashi purchased this artwork from an Aboriginal during a camping trip with friends. It brings back memories of sleeping along the creek, fishing and an unidentified animal that tried to eat their catch in the morning.
Shelves hold miniature pots, a monkey figurine, cutting boards and other treasures.
Tell us: How do you set up your kitchen for cooking? Let us know in the Comments.
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Who lives here: Nagi Maehashi, creator of RecipeTin Eats, and her golden retriever, Dozer
Location: Mona Vale area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
The purpose of RecipeTin Eats is to give Maehashi’s readers the confidence to cook delicious dishes that are easy to achieve with the right instructions. “One of my biggest gripes is food that looks pretty in photos but tastes blah in real life. It’s all about taste!” she says.
Maehashi loves cooking dishes that have big, punchy flavors. “A big pot of Texas chili, Mexican, spicy Thai, Indian curries, Chinese stir-fries — I hold no bias. I love food from everywhere,” she says. She’s also partial to South American, classic British, Italian, French, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. “I just realized I pretty much covered most of the world there,” she says, laughing.