Real Simple’s Kristin Appenbrink’s Bright Brooklyn Kitchen

Elizabeth Passarella
Elizabeth Passarella
Elizabeth Passarella is the author of the essay collection Good Apple and a contributing editor at Southern Living. A former editor at Real Simple and Vogue, she has spent more than 20 years writing about food, travel, home design, and parenting in outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Parents, Martha Stewart Weddings, Coastal Living, Airbnb, and The Kitchn. Elizabeth grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and now lives with her husband and three children in New York City.
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published Dec 13, 2011
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Kristin Appenbrink is one of those funny, welcoming friends with an enviably big kitchen and impressive homemade ice cream skills. She recently threw a little party for the ladies of Pantry Confidential (a great new site we’ll explain below), and while we’re happy to get a sneak peek at her space, we’re a little jealous we didn’t get to go.

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Kristin, who is an editor at RealSimple.com (she’s in charge of the magazine’s blogs as well as its Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts) moved from Harlem to this Boerum Hill apartment a year and a half ago. Her two criteria: A kitchen big enough to actually cook in (unfortunately not the rarest of wishes in this city) with room for her Kitchen-Aid mixer, which she’d been without since moving to New York.

These lovely photos come from Hana Choi and Christine Han, a journalist and photographer who have started a cool new website, Pantry Confidential. They give us glimpses into the kitchens of some wonderful cooks, professional and amateur, with recipes, tips, and secret NYC sources.

• See the full tour of Kristin’s kitchen at Pantry Confidential, including a recipe for the World’s Easiest Falafel and Tzatziki and info on her new small-batch ice cream delivery service.

We also asked Kristin a few questions of our own…

What type of apartment do you live in? Walk-up? Fancy high-rise? My apartment is on the top floor of a building in Boerum Hill. We’re actually over a commercial space, and there’s only one other apartment in the building.

What’s your favorite thing about your kitchen? Definitely the natural sunlight. We have two big, south-facing windows that make photographing what I’m cooking really easy. It helped disguise my amateur photography skills on Real Simple‘s Ice Cream Social blog this summer.

What have you changed or upgraded since you moved in? The biggest change we made was adding storage. When I moved in, we only had the cabinet under the sink, and the two on the wall above the sink. Since then we’ve added the shelves over the sink, the closed pantry, the open shelving for grains and baking supplies, and the pot rack over the stove. I don’t know what we would have done without all the additional storage.

What are you making this week? I made a lot of desserts last weekend for holiday parties— kir royale sorbet and mini blueberry pies. I also spent some time perfecting my peppermint ice cream recipe for the Skillshare class I’m teaching in New York before the holidays. Later in the week I’ll be making this roasted vegetable dish from Shutterbean for my book club’s December meeting.

More about Kristin:
• Real Simple’s Simply Stated blog.
• Belinder, her ice cream company.
• Her Skillshare class on making ice cream without an ice cream maker.

Related: White Marble, Blue Trim: A Brownstone Dream Kitchen

(Images: Christine Han Photography)

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