Festivus for the Rest of Us -- Pesach at Home/In my Kitchen

SixOfWands

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:29 pm

I've never been away for Pesach. I almost certainly will never go away for Pesach.

I have a Pesach kitchen ... its my regular everyday kitchen with the counters covered and a lot of foil.

I do all the shopping. Almost all of the cooking. Most of the cleaning.

And yes, I get jealous of people complaining about the difficulties of going away.

So join me, my friends. I know I'm not alone.

Last edited by SixOfWands on Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:36 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Mauve

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:32 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

I've never been away for Pesach. I almost certainly will never go away for Pesach.

I have a Pesach kitchen ... its my regular everyday kitchen with the counters covered and a lot of foil.

I do all the shopping cooking. Almost all of the cooking. Most of the cleaning.

And yes, I get jealous of people complaining about the difficulties of going away.

So join me, my friends. I know I'm not alone.

Having been away for Pesach, I'm telling you that there's NOTHING like being home for yom tov!
But you're 100% entitled to be jealous of those going away. You're a human being working hard to make pesach, you're allowed to feel!

avrahamama

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:32 pm

Lol I have been making pesach since Shana rishona. I'm a BT. I refuse to give away this chag. I love it tooooo much. I want my seders at home. But I'd LOVE to go away for CHol Hamoed and the second days.

amother

Hotpink

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:39 pm

I am home for pesach.
I have a pesach kitchen
It consists of one extra freezer
It’s very helpful as I work like a dog- round the clock - Cooking until it’s full.
It’s very helpful as it’s all cooked pre pesach.
It’s very helpful when it died and all the food died along with it.
Long live my pesach kitchen-
May it RIP

cozyblanket

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:41 pm

Never been to a hotel, etc? Or never even gone to family? Just clarifying what you meant. I assume you meant the former.

We went to family for many years and now we are always home. Our preparation is just how you described. We don't cook til we turn over our own kitchen, we clean and cook everything ourselves (no hired help or takeout).

Hashem will help. How else could it all get done?

When are you turning over this year?

SixOfWands

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:49 pm

cozyblanket wrote:

Never been anywhere. My family isn't religious. My parents came to me until the travel got to be too much for them.

Except for the threads here, I haven't thought about Pesach. I won't until a week after Purim. But I usually turn the kitchen the Sunday before the chag. This year, I'll be making an eruv tavshilin to be able to cook for Shabbat on the second day, because I never really get to cook in advance.

amother

Indigo

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:52 pm

I've been to hotels and it's awful. Much nicer in my own home and the kids can play in their pyjamas and we start and finish the meals when it suits us.

Last year I turned over only with a week before and it was pretty rushed.
Is there any way people start preparing a few weeks before without a pesach kitchen?

The problem is that my kids are very fussy eaters and I need to be able to make chomets (think pasta, breaded shnitsel) till erev pesach.

amother

Mauve

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 3:55 pm

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

I turn over 2 days before yom tov. It's enough. I cook very simple for pesach, no complicated fancy recipes. And one morning meal is usually a crock pot meal.

amother

Wheat

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 4:07 pm

I've been to a hotel as a young adult before I had kids. I saw how squished it is for some families in rooms and how it's hard with no private seder and waiters taking a long time to bring the requirements for the seder.....but this also depends on the type of program....some programs have private seders available with better service and better activities for kids....

But, although hotels have its cons (especially the "simple" programs which are still expensive.......the thought of not having to worry about getting all the cleaning/shopping/ cooking done in addition to working full time until erev pesach is sometimes "worth it" to be in a hotel program...if I didnt work full time and had off a week before pesach or had a pesach kitchen, then yes, I would rather stay home....

So, op, I agree with you. I'm going to be doing everything the last minute bec I have no pesach kitchen and am working til pesach. (I'm going to take off erev pesach).

sky

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 4:45 pm

Yeah.
No pesach kitchen. Working.

But I do have cleaning help.

Will also never go to pesach program because of really weird minhagim (like no chicken) and cost.

But the pesach hotel sounds miserable to me.

However Pesach in a private Florida with all food catered and delivered sounds divine.

amother

Hotpink

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 4:50 pm

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

People do makeshift kitchens: my friend works out of her kids bedroom with crockpots and electric burners and bottled water etc.

amother

Jetblack

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 4:56 pm

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

People do makeshift kitchens: my friend works out of her kids bedroom with crockpots and electric burners and bottled water etc.

My mother does in her laundry room. Her spare fridge and old oven are in there. And there is s laundry sink. She opens a folding table and uses boxes for ingredients.
I love cooking and hate cleaning. So for me a pesach kitchen would be dangerous. I would never clean...

perquacky

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 4:59 pm

Never been away, except to my parents. Never want to go away.
My Pesach kitchen is a closet in the basement.
My cleaning help is my teenage kids schlepping pots and dishes up and down the stairs.
My chef is my husband. Who actually worked as a chef for many years, and I know the way we eat is better than any hotel.
The family comes to us.
I wouldn't have it any other way.

ra_mom

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 5:04 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

I've made pesach myself since I've been married. No pesach kitchen. I do all the cooking and shopping. Most of the cleaning.
I went away twice as a child. But I'm not jealous that others go away for pesach. Pesach is much, much better at home! I do wish I could go away with my family for 2 weeks where everything was taken care of for us. Sigh! I really wish for that. But not over pesach. No way.

Last edited by ra_mom on Thu, Feb 06 2020, 5:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

flowerpower

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 5:04 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

Ditto! I actually love the cleaning part. I am an introvert and hate wearing dressy clothes all day. So I would say going away is hard though snd would complain. I totally am happy for those who choose to go away and hope they enjoy and relax.

saralem

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 5:04 pm

I also have made Pesach for many years at home. no Pesach kitchen, minimal cleaning help (especially when the kids were so little) do all the shopping, and all the cooking. and the serving, setting the table, and cleaning up. then my kids grew up, BH the family has expanded, and still everyone loves to come home to Mama. Dh and I went to one dd's house for Pesach twice, which was incredible. but not all of our minhagim, so there were compromises.
So, yes, there are plenty of us who have never been to a hotel for Pesach. I should add that we are (old) BTs, and live OOT. so challenging.

SixOfWands

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 5:06 pm

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

People do makeshift kitchens: my friend works out of her kids bedroom with crockpots and electric burners and bottled water etc.

I bought an Instant Pot last year, and thought about doing some cooking in advance. But I also don't have a second freezer, so I wouldn't have any place to put it. But, more importantly, where so you wash the pots?

SixOfWands

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 5:09 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Someday, I'd like to find out if Pesach really is better at home! Sad

But I hear you. If I come up with the money to go to Europe (for example), I want to spend every second exploring, not in a hotel.

ra_mom

Thu, Feb 06 2020, 5:16 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

Someday, I'd like to find out if Pesach really is better at home! Sad

But I hear you. If I come up with the money to go to Europe (for example), I want to spend every second exploring, not in a hotel.

I've simplified pesach at home. Maybe you can figure out how to do that too? An extra freezer (I buy all my meats, marinate in Ziploc bags and freeze - this is the one thing I do ahead of time before my kitchen has been koshered), using a crockpot with liners, cooking most things in the oven in disposable pans. Making cutouts for counters that last a few years so no tape, no silver foil. Using self clean for oven and buying some range replacement pieces so no foil needs to be used anywhere in the kitchen. Using liners in refrigerator - again no foil. I made the changes slowly over the years.