What to Pack? Kitchen Checklist

Here are a few considerations for kitchen items to bring.

Favorite Recipes: For comfort food, or at least for use until you can figure out some of the local cuisine. You can save room in your suitcase by typing them all up on your computer before you leave. Don't forget to get recipes out of your cookbooks too. I forgot to do so until I'd already packed them up. Now I kick myself every time I want one of those recipes.

Measuring Cups & Spoons: You'll find measurements are different here. Kitchen measurements are done mostly in ml/grams. However, you'll even find differences in measurements that go by the same name, e.g., pint, gallon, ounce. For more info see the chart on British and American variances.

Kitchen Knives: Do you have a favorite kitchen knife or two? If you're picky about your knives, you may want to bring your own along. You never know what quality of knife you will get in a furnished flat.

Anything you really love cooking with: A favorite wooden spoon, rubber spatula, garlic press, a meat thermometer, a particular spice. If it doesn't weigh much and you love it that much, why not just throw it in? You'll be happy for a little connection to home every time you make dinner.

A note on appliances: One of my big packing-splurge items was to bring along my Kitchen Aid immersion blender. The first time I plugged it in (with an adapter, of course) and turned it on, it fried. We heard only a little click and it was dead. Needless to say, I would NOT recommend bringing along kitchen appliances. They may work here, but they very well may not and it doesn't seem worth wasting the space in your luggage without having that certainty (much less, ruining your nice appliance for good! Boohoo!). And, I later found an immersion blender here for under £10.