5 Nigerians Share Their Essential Lockdown Kitchen Purchases
During the lockdown, we were all forced to get familiar with our kitchens, and for some, this period marked the first interaction with the contents of their kitchen cabinets.
We wanted to know which kitchen purchases people found irreplaceable in their homes during this period, from knives to blenders. And so, we spoke to Nigerians on the internet and got some really interesting answers.
Abel - My Vegetable Peeler
During the lockdown, we had to cook a lot more at home and let me tell you: it was no easy task. Some of the foods that gave me difficulty were Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and even ginger. 65 per cent of the times I was peeling these things, I ended up with a cut somewhere on my hands or peeled off half of the food.
Luckily, a friend introduced me to vegetable peelers and I can now comfortably sleep well at night now that this seemingly small invention has changed my life. It made peeling everything so much easier, I started to wonder why I hadn’t heard of it before. Well, safe to say I have two now just in case I lose one. And don’t tell my mum but I might actually be addicted to using the peeler, send help!
Ortiz - A Kitchen Scale
Stuck at home during the lockdown, I decided to improve my cooking skills and practice everything that can be cooked—from quick snacks to continental dishes. The first step was to go on YouTube and try out a few recipes. Of course, these meals didn’t turn out well because I kept mixing up the measurements. I finally succumbed and bought a scale to help with my measurements. Well, this didn’t make the food any better but it definitely made the cooking a bit easier. Well, now I know that with cooking, the utensils don’t matter too much if you can’t cook. And in my case, I cannot cook to save my life.
Thelma - My Spatula
Before the lockdown, I never really knew what a spatula was made for and never had to. While on lockdown, I started making pancakes and let’s just say it was a huge mess because I used a serving spoon to flip pancakes - yes, I know how that sounds.
Eventually, I found out spatulas were great for flipping pancakes and my life changed. Please, note that my pancakes still weren't perfect but I’m grateful for decent homemade pancakes this period.
Chimkasi - John Wick’s Knives
I was stuck with a blunt knife during the first few weeks of the lockdown and it was so frustrating because I needed to use a knife for every meal. I still cannot forget how my neighbour looked at me when I asked to borrow his sharp knives (I need to find a way to let him know I’m not a serial killer). After the mandatory lockdown was over, I went and got a full set, along with a sharpener, because never to be ‘cut’ unfresh. Sorry, LOL.
Gloria - A Chef
Before the days of COVID-19, I rarely cooked my meals and dined out most of the time. However, during quarantine, things got so bad that I actually googled how to survive off eating corn flakes and apples. So when you ask my most useful utensil, it’ll have to be my chef who I discovered around the third week of lockdown. He’s not really a utensil but he has been my lifesaver this period.
Editor’s note: All responses have been edited for clarity.
Stephanie is a British-born Nigerian novelist, poet, journalist, editor, essayist, and activist who obtained her first degree in Mass Communication, majoring in Broadcast Journalism at Covenant University. Stephanie writes fiction and non-fiction, enjoys performing arts and exotic food, as should all people with impeccable taste. Her debut novel—Deafening Silence—is the 2019 1st runner up of the Association of Nigerian Authors Prize for Fiction.