The Minimum Equipment for a Kitchen
April 9, 2008
My girlfriend and I found out on Monday that we got the apartment we wanted for next year. We’ll be moving in this July, as she’ll be starting medical school in August. The prospect of moving out has become more real and it got me thinking about stocking my kitchen. What equipment do I absolutely need to cook most things? What would be useful but not essential? What are luxuries? This first post is a hypothetical on what I think I need in the kitchen. We have few things right now, and both of our parents will probably be donating supplies, but what do we need?
This list is what I would like in my kitchen right now if I had to take as little as possible, for as little money as possible:
- Chef’s knife: Used very frequently.
- Paring knife: Used less frequently, but often enough to need it.
- Serrated knife: I don’t actually use this very often, so I was reluctant to put it on the list. I would like to make fresh bread with relative regularity, which would give a use to this knife, but I don’t know if I’ll have a food processor. This one is debatable.
- Two cutting boards: One for meat, one for vegetables. Both medium sized probably.
- 12″ cast iron skillet: I have never actually used cast iron, but most people seem to like it. I chose it because it will do 90% of what you want a skillet to do, and do it really well for a low price. It does require extra maintenance, but it seems worth it for the price and performance.
- 10″ non stick skillet: Having two skillets will be good, and this will be able to handle eggs and other things that require a completely non stick surface. I think I’d look for something just above the bottom in quality.
- Large pot: Either a stock pot or round dutch oven. At this point I would get something inexpensive that can boil pasta and make decent soup. You can correct me if I’m wrong, but I would guess that high quality stock pots are not as important as high quality skillets and pans that have direct contact with food.
- Medium Sauce Pan: For tomato sauces, macaroni, and anything else that doesn’t need a big pot. Again, I would probably go with lower quality stainless steel, maybe 3 or 4 quarts.
- Colander: I eat too much pasta not to have one.
- Tongs: They come in handy pretty frequently, whether for flipping a steak or serving salad.
- Two or three wooden spoons: I use these all the time. Cheap and useful.
- Silicone spatula: Sometimes things need scraping.
- Silicone pancake flipper spatula: The big flat wide ones that will flip pancakes and whatnot. Silicone might be a little more expensive than other materials, but there is no chance of hurting the non stick pan.
- Large cooking ladle/spoon: Could be silicone, but probably not necessary.
- Large slotted spoon: Again, material is flexible.
- Cheese grater: Probably the box style since it can do more than one size.
- Baking Sheet: With a rim, jelly roll style.
- Pyrex baking dish: 9 x 13 probably. It is cheap and supposedly cooks well.
- Mixing bowls: Two or three.
- Measuring cups: 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1 cup sizes. Then mini ones for tablespoon, teaspoon, etc. Maybe this is blasphemy, but I usually measure my liquids in cups for dry goods. I never pull out the liquid measuring cup. Is there any reason I should switch to the special liquid one?
- Tupperware: Leftovers and stuff.
What am I forgetting? Are any appliances really necessary? I would like a food processor, but those are pretty expensive, so I left that off the essentials list.
I’ll update my list with suggestions if I agree, and if I don’t agree…we battle.
Posted in Equipment, Stocking the Kitchen |
content rss
April 9th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Definitely keep the serrated knife. Even if you don’t make your own bread, nothing beats a loaf of unsliced bread for different flavor & texture (as well as a nice thick slice for toast). Also, it works equally well for cutting tomatoes, especially if your chef’s knife isn’t as sharp as it should be.
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.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Recently came across your blog (linked from a comment on the NYT Bittman blog) and I’m really enjoying it!
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. Since I have a very small kitchen, and not a lot of money, my general rule about new cooking supplies is that I have to wish I had something three times before I’ll seriously think about buying it.
Definitely add a vegetable peeler to this list…
April 9th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
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. Just every couple months it starts to look dry, so I rub quite a bit of oil (I use extra virgin olive oil) on it and stick in a preheated 450-500 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
I would also add cooking shears to your list.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
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. I use my stainless for that nowadays. 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.
BTW, liquid and dry measure are different. Compare them and see. (That said, in the past I’ve used dry measure alone and never had a problem with recipes.)
April 9th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I have been in the market for a food processor for quite a while. Unfortunately, I have Mercedes taste on a Ford budget, so I’m still waiting.
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.
I snagged it, and started looking for fresh basil.
It is not as powerful as I’d like, but it does what I need 90% of the time, and the price was certainly right!
April 9th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
BTW, there is an award for you on my blog, here.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:42 am
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.
You don’t need either a food processor or mixer to make bread. Hand kneading works just fine.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Thanks for all the great advice!
May 1st, 2008 at 11:28 am
[...] Commented: The Minimum Equipment for a Kitchen, Part 1 - Thanks for the excellent advice. I am actually using my final list now to start thinking about [...]