Food Network Kitchens vs. Reality



I don't know about you, but my kitchen doesn't look like the kitchens of Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman), Ina Garten, Trisha Yearwood, Damaris Phillips, and my other favorite Food Network personalities.

On any given day, my kitchen looks something like this:



It's messy. We can never keep up with the amount of dishes that need to go in the dishwasher, and pots and pans that need to be washed by hand. We have ugly kitchen cabinets that hang too low over the countertops. I have one oven and one regular-sized fridge. Our flat-top stove is NOT the wisest choice for messy cooks. I don't have all the kitchen tools I probably should have. And the organization system among all the paperwork on our fridge is non-existent.

But it's not just the way my kitchen looks that differs from the Food Network kitchens. It's also the way I look when I'm cooking.


No make-up. Hair pulled back. Wearing pajamas. No wedding ring or jewelry. (Seriously, how can you bake or handle raw meat/poultry while wearing your rings??)

All this is to say that this is what a real kitchen looks like. Perhaps the Food Network personalities let their kitchens get out of control when they're not on TV. Or maybe they're just filming in a studio kitchen.

But you don't have to have a Food Network kitchen to cook delicious food and nourish your family and friends. (Although, I really would like new cabinets and countertops.) You don't need multiple ovens, a separate lodge with full kitchen, a cooktop grill, or all the other fancy stuff that you see on TV.

I'd love to start a movement. A real kitchen movement. Share photos of you in your kitchen or just your kitchen, and let's forget our Food Network fantasies and embrace our #kitchenreality.

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