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boilingwater2009-04-08 07:03 pm
damned_colonial) wrote in boilingwater2009-04-08 07:03 pm
Entry tags:
Kitchen gear for a newbie cook
This is a hypothetical question -- not for me, but for some theoretical newbie cook. Imagine said person asks you, "What kitchen equipment should I buy to learn to cook?" What would you suggest?
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* chef's knife
* small sharp knife
* cutting board
* large pot (for boiling pasta etc)
* small pot (about 1L)
* large non-stick skillet/frying pan
* baking tray - large, with low sides
* large strainer
* wooden spoon
* spatula
* measuring cups
* measuring spoons
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2- two cookie sheets
3- 1 9x12 pan, glass or metal
4- 1 9x9 pan, glass or metal
5- wooden spoons of assorted types: slotted, flat, curved
6- one plastic spatula flipper thing
7- can opener
8- measuring cups and spoons (1/4-1 cup, 1tsp-1tbl)
9- cutting board
10- good, sharp paring knife (3 inch blade or so)
11- How to Cook Everything: The Basics
ETA: A box grater, kind of like this one.
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* 4-quart teflon pot, with lid
* baking sheet
* 9x6 glass baking pan
* 14" teflon frying pan, with lid
* plastic spatula
* chef's knife
* a strainer
* two-cup liquid measuring cup
My second-order of priority:
* Dutch oven
* Sauté pan
* Measuring spoons
* Measuring cups (dry goods)
* Vegetable peeler (on the second order because I can peel things with a chef's knife)
* One of those guillotine-like chop-things-up things
* cutting board (I'm totally willing to just use the counter until then)
* glass bread pans (I like baking bread, and they're useful for certain oven-based side dishes)
* mixing bowl (I will use the saucepans for mixing bowls until i really really need one and can't stop putting it off)
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measuring spoons
chef's knife
cutting board
cast iron frying pan
non stick frying pan
whisk
crock pot
at least one big mixing bowl
storage bowls in various sizes
cooking pots
kitchen scissors
cookie sheet
9 x 13 baking dish
*toaster in order to make easy grilled cheese sandwiches when you burn dinner :)
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If you do tea, a kettle (electric or stovetop) is nicer than the microwave.
A big knife and a small knife.
Cutting board.
Nonstick frying pan. (Cast-iron can come later.) Ideally with lid.
a pot of reasonable size, with lid. It should only be 1/2 to 2/3 full when you're cooking in most cases, to allow room for stirring and bubbling.
a stirring spoon (if it's deep enough, it can double as a serving spoon; if not, get a separate serving spoon)
a flipper (non-metal, to not damage your poor frying pan)
a scraper (flexible, to get stuff out of jars and bowls and pots)
an oven-worthy pan with sides (can be used as baking sheet, but if you're going to do pizza or cookies, I recommend a pizza stone or insulated baking sheet respectively) (and yes, the non-insulated baking sheets are cheaper, but it makes a world of difference the first time you leave the cookies in a bit too long, omg)
POT HOLDERS.
Wet measuring cup (usually glass with the marks on the side), usually 2 cups.
Dry measuring cups (in sets from sometimes 1/8 cup, more often 1/4 cup, up to 1 cup)
Measuring spoons.
a can opener.
a kitchen timer. Your microwave (or stove, if it's fancy) may already have one.
If you're going to want nice sliced stuff, I highly recommend a finger-slicer. Most models come with a finger guard. Some of the good ones have alternate blades for fancier slices/grating. I prefer this over a food processor for slicing vegetables quickly. You can make do with a knife or a grater, but oh, how I love the finger-slicer.
...and how could I forget a crock pot? Technically, yes, you can slow-cook things in a pot on the stovetop. That takes regular consistent attention. A crock pot, not quite so much, as in you can leave the house with one on for a full workday (though I would not recommend over 10 hours unattended).
Something to store leftovers in. It's not necessary to buy these things separately, always, depending on what you're storing and what's already in the kitchen. If you get plastic tubs with a good seal, or glass jars, these work just fine.
I personally like the "disposable" plastic containers, since they're very durable and yet aren't expensive enough to cause alarm when one gets melted or shattered after falling out of the freezer.
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I would want, at very minimum:
saucepan with lid,
frying pan with lid,
liquid measuring cup;
mixing bowl;
baking pan;
kettle;
potholders,
whisk, slotted spoon, pancake flipper, at least one good knife.
And at least one each of teacup, glass, plate, saucer, bowl, table knife, fork, spoon, serving spoon.
With those, a stove, an oven, and water, pretty much anything is technically possible.
Oh, and you still probably need a can opener, and kitchen scissors, and some twist ties or clips.
The next things I'd get are measuring spoons & cups, a cookie sheet, a cutting board, a microwave, more saucepans, and some corel casseroles and tupperware for leftovers and storage.
I still can't do hard-boiled eggs, though, so maybe you shouldn't listen to me.
Okay here goes:)
Basic tools for those learning to cook:) Of course this also depends on what you want to cook. I cook everything, LOL, so I'm making a list going by what I could have used when I first started cooking;) And if you get a good basic cookbook, like Betty Crocker's basics cookbook, you can look through it and make your own list. I highly recommend obtaining the book first.
1. Graduated measuring cups for liquids.. Small, medium, and large. Pyrex preferably with nice readable measurements written on both sides.. You'll have to be able to read the measurements. I prefer pyrex because you can see the contents of the cup from outside the cup.
2. Dry measuring cups.. I prefer stainless... Graduated in size.. There are usually 4 or 5 together in the set...
3. Graduated measuring spoons... clearly marked, and easy to read.. Stainless steel is my preference, because acidic things can mark aluminum.. plastic can stain and wear out, and stainless will last you a lifetime...
4. A sifter.. A good 4 cup size at least.. again stainless is my preference, with interior measurement markings. You should test any you buy to make sure the sifter fits your hands comfortably, and you can turn the sifting handle well. Everyone has different sized hands.
5. A set of nested mixing bowls.. 1 quart in size and up. I have a great set I bought for 5.00 at a Dollar General store that has 7 graduated sizes from 1 qt all the way up to 2 gallons:) They're plastic with lids, and they double as storage bowls.
6. A mixer of some sort.. You might want to get just a cheapy at first then research until you find one you want to spend more money on. It's easier to do cake batters, stiffer sauces, and mashed potatoes than with a wire wisk..
7. A rolling pin.. If you plan on making pies, biscuits,dumplings, and other stuff of that type, a rolling pin is a necessity.
8. A regular straight Spatula.. silicone is great... You can use this to mix just about anything.. And can be used to apply icing and fillings and other neato stuff..
9. The pancake flipping style spatula... this is for, burgers, pancakes, anything that needs to be flipped,,
10. A wire wisk...used for beating creams, sauces, gravies, eggs, whipping cream, and etc..that you won't use a mixer for.
11. Knives..at least three good ones.. An all purpose chef's knife, a serrated knife, and a paring knife...And truly I'd add a fourth..a utility knife.. And maybe some kitchen shears.
12.. A vegetable scrubber with nice stiff bristles.. for cleaning veggies.
13. A cutting board that can be easily cleaned and disinfected..
14..Heat resistant pot holders of some type..silicone is your best bet..
15. A small chopper or food processor is not a must have but it certainly makes things easier. If you don't have time to chop nuts or veggies. And whole nuts generally cost less than chopped nuts of any kind.. The same with veggies.
16. A Blender..It's not a must have, but it's very convenient for bunches of things.. In a pinch a food processor can be used depending on the size of your processor and what your recipe calls for:)
17. A good Apron to protect your clothing from spatters:) And your skin from hot splashes and etc...
18. A potato peeler..It's quicker than using a knife and save more of the flesh..And it can be used on cucumbers, carrots, potatoes etc...
19. A good strainer..In a pinch you can use a steamer basket if you have one.. It's needed for washing veggies and draining pasta and etc...
20. A good set of pots and pans..I'm going to recommend cast iron..They're my favorite, and can be bought pre seasoned. So you don't have to know how to season them.. Just follow the directions that come with a set or find instructions on how to care for them online... They cook evenly, hold heat, and give breads an excellent crust.. And they're the best non stick ever if you take care of them properly..They last a lifetime.. So you'll need: A couple of frying pans..And one or two sauce pans sized depending on the number of people you're cooking for.. A dutch oven, for stews, soups, chili and that sort of thing..A roaster, for whole roasts, chickens, turkeys and etc....A baking sheet, for cookies, pizzas, and whatever..A 9 X 13 baking dish for other miscellaneous stuff.. (If you want to do cakes and pies, then two cake pans, and a pie pan)
21. At least one BIG spoon for stirring your soups and chili and stuff, it can also be used for transferring into serving dishes.....
22. At least one BIG slotted spoon, for draining anything in liquid as you remove it from your pot, it can also be used for stirring..
23. A ladle..for essentially the same things as the spoons.. But it works great for basting and ladling liquids into serving dishes..
24. A meat thermometer, and a candy thermometer...One cannot be substituted for the other.. If you want to make candies you need the candy thermometer, and it can be used for other foods (except meat) you have to melt, and for checking the temps of yeast mixtures..You kill your yeast if the mixture is too hot, and the yeast won't multiply properly if the mixture is too cold... A meat thermometer is necessary for safety..different meats have different internal temps when they're fully cooked..
25. A timer of some sort:) A timer that you can hear can be your best friend;) Just make sure you get a timer that has enough time on it for anything you might want to try:) I prefer the old fashioned wind up timers:) Suggestion: you can get an old fashioned wind up Big Ben or something and set the alarm as needed:) That works just as well, and may be more reasonably priced than a fancy schmancy timer;)
26. A food scale if you're trying a diet, or if you're cooking for someone with special dietary needs.
27. A great beginner's cookbook. I recommend Betty Crocker's basic cookbook. It has everything, definitions and pics. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. It has pics of all the equipment you'd find in a kitchen to cook with, and tells you what they're used for. It has pics of cuts of meat, and where they come from on the cow, pig, and sheep. It even shows you how to cut up a chicken and fillet fish, with directions and pics! It tells you which cooking method usually works best for which cut, and what the grades of meat are. It defines cooking methods. Heck it even has pics and directions for making pie crusts. It also has direction for and pics of folding, whipping, mixing, and etc. It covers everything someone just learning to cook would want or need to know. It's the most helpful cookbook I have ever owned. And it was my very first cookbook when I was learning to cook nearly 30 years ago:)
Okay, that's all I can think of right at the moment..These tools ought to have you set up to try out anything you want to experiment with. You can pick and choose whatever fits your situation.. Leave out some things if you don't plan on baking much.. But I consider these the basics for cooking beginners. And it's awful when you're learning to cook and you don't have the right basic tools.
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+ A 6, a 3 and a 1 quart pot. Lids. (Interchangeable is good.)
+ A 12- and a 6- inch pan. At least one should be nonstick.
+ One wooden cutting board (vegetable matter) and one plastic cutting board (animal matter). Never ever let your knives near ceramic, it ruins the edge. Beware of bamboo; it splinters like nobody's business.
+ A set of wooden spoons.
+ A set of utensils (spatula, slotted spoon, big spoon, ladel, pasta fishing fork/foon)
+ Measuring cups & spoons (plastic is better than cheap bendy metal)
+ A cooling rack and a cookie sheet.
+ A medium casserole dish (if you're baking for one/few) or a large casserole dish (if you're baking for many/doing bulk cooking).
I'd say save the baking pans of all shapes and sizes for when/if you decide you want/need to do a lot of baking.
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