Minimum Equipment for a Kitchen, Part Deux

April 11, 2008

I got some great advice on Wednesday about what equipment I need for my kitchen, and I wanted to share some of the advice along with my reactions.

Richard:

Definitely keep the serrated knife…nothing beats a loaf of unsliced bread for different flavor & texture. Get rid of the non-stick. In addition to avoiding it for the health aspects, it’s non-stick properties aren’t that much better than some oil in a good stainless fry pan or the cast iron.

I think Richard is right, I’ll leave the serrated knife. The health effects of non-stick are something I need to look into more.

Amy:

I keep going back and forth on getting a food processor. I recently started baking bread (and found myself needing to buy a serrated knife), but am using Bittman’s no-knead/no-food processor recipe so maybe I can still go a while without it. Unfortunately, it means I can’t make homemade pesto, pureed soups, and many other yummy sounding recipes.

I have been considering trying that no-knead recipe; it would solve my bread-baking problem. But Amy makes a good point about missing all sorts of pureed things. I love pesto, so some sort of food processing device might be useful. She also recommends a vegetable peeler. I considered this, as peeling is able to be done with a paring knife, but it is much easier and faster with a peeler, which is a cheap piece of equipment. I think at this point I’ll leave it off, as it isn’t required for cooking, but it will be at the top of my second list.

Lydia:

I love my cast iron skillet! I use it for almost every meal. Once you get it good and seasoned there isn’t really much maintenance needed… I would also add cooking shears to your list.

I like the cast iron support. It’s so cheap and still works well. I think it is because of what I normally cook, but I don’t find myself wishing for cooking shears much (and we don’t have any where I live now, so that might be part of it). I think they would have been helpful though when I was roasting a whole chicken.

Mrs. W.:

I, too, think nonstick is not worth it. A good stainless skillet does the trick for me–plus you can scrub it with steel wool if you need to without ruining it. I have cast iron and never use them, though they’re wonderful for stove-to-oven use.

What about a slow cooker for fall/winter soups and stews? I consider mine essential kitchen equipment. As well as my hand-blender kit–it has attachments for a drink blender, regular immersion blender and whisk–perfect for pureeing, drinks, and making stovetop custards and puddings. It has rendered my food processor useless and relegated to the basement.

Anti-cast iron. I think I’ll stick with it though since I can’t afford nice stainless, and I’d work with the maintenance and weight for better heat retention. The slow-cooker is a good idea, I might add that. I like the hand-blender idea though. It is much cheaper than a food processor and would accomplish quite a few tasks. I think that is what I’m looking for.

Steve has the frugal mind that I like:

The other day, I happened to be in a local thrift store. There, on the shelf, in its original box, was a Black and Decker food processor. Now this is not the food processor I would buy if money were not an issue, but it was only $10.00.

NTSC:

I would keep the non-stick, we use those in three different sizes, stainless in three different sizes and cast iron in several.

I would add a hand mixer, they aren’t too dear and it is a lot easier to use the electric than a spoon for whipped cream as example.

You need a knife steel. A kitchen scale is useful as many things need to be weighed.

NTSC likes all materials of skillets. I need to do more research on this and will hopefully have a post on what I find in the next week or so. He also seconds the hand mixer - this is going on the list. A knife steel is a good idea I think. It is tough to add it to the absolute necessity list, but I think it might be worth it. A well honed knife is pretty important.

The final, revised list will come tomorrow. Thanks again for all the advice.

Also tomorrow, in place of normal links, I will have memes and awards out the wazoo.

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