My parents had a million und a gadget in their Cabinets. Stuff that they hardly ever used, things that they probably do not know how to use any more. I will not fall into this trap. What are the basics? I love to cook and I’m learning all the time, but I will not / can not afford a bunch of white Schrott.Ich I come here knives, cutlery and plates – which next to no about things like citrus fruit peeler and specialties?
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Gadgets are only good if you have the space for them and you use them frequently. Buy the basics first, and if you think of a gadget later that you just can’t do without, then go get it.
Buy quality. If you have a used restaurant supply store near you, you can pick up pots, pans and utensils which will last a life time for just a little more than the garbage they peddle at Stuff-Mart.
Yes you will need a Peeler, you can peel most anything with that. Potatoes, apples, etc.
Another thing you might wanna get is a blender. To blend whatever and instead of using a “Chopper” or a “Food Processor” you can use the blender instead.
You will have to have a microwave, maybe a hot plate too. Do you have a stove? If so then get a 2 Sided Griddle/Grill. The ones that you can turn over and use one side or another.
If there is a Wal-Mart, HEB or Target they sell a “Basic” kitchen set which includes pots and pans with lids, measuring cups, measuring spoons, utensils, etc. This would be your best bet and it’s not very expensive for the entire set.
Sticking to the basics is a great way to not only to reduce clutter and wasting money but also for challenging your creativity in the kitchen as you often need to think out side the box if you find you don’t have the ‘correct’ utensil for a certain job. It also helps to improve your knife skills.
I find I absolutely CANNOT get by without these things:
Good cheese grater
Slotted spoon
Wooden spoon
Potato masher
Strainer/Sieve
Ladle
Measuring cups/spoons
Cutting boards
I find I can pretty much get away with just those things. Other items such as garlic crushers, tongs, fruit/vege peelers are also useful however they aren’t necessary.
I agree with Bryon, a good knife, saute pan, stockpot. It really depends on what you cook. The number one tool, and not a gadget, is a high end 8″ (or greater) French knife also called a chef knife.
Appliances are also critically important, but as a college student, you may not have much control over your large appliances. Here are my top five (most used) small appliances and gadgets.
Food Processor (basic KA or Cuisinart)
Blender
Wok
Pasta Maker
Rolling Pin (french or traditional; or just use a 2″ dowel cut down to 2 feet)
Peeler
paring knife
microplane (use for grating and zesting)
Japanese mandolin
Tongs
Don’t feel you need a ton of gadgets as rarely do a professional chef use gadgets day to day.
Think about what you use every day.
If after a couple weeks you really miss a gadget, then go ahead and buy it. In the mean time you can start with –
One good big kitchen knife.
One sharp serrated knife.
A grater, one sieve,
a set of chopping boards,
one all purpose peeler (the cheap plastic ones are great) a wooden spoon or spatula.
An egg flip,
a can opener,
a waiters friend (or bottle opener),
a whisk, and set of measuring cups, jugs and spoons.
A couple of big all purpose mixing/serving bowls,
a really large pot, a small pot and a large fry pan.
And a handheld mixer.
There are very few dishes you couldn’t make with the above.
eg, you can grate the citrus or peel it off with the serrated knife and chop it with the kitchen knife. You can crush garlic under the flat of the big knife. Between a serrated knife and a cheap peeler, you can peel anything. You can squeeze juice the old fashioned, with your hands.
Don’t get hung up on a bunch of single use items / specialty items. Once you’ve gotten a good set of knives, a pair of kitchen shears a couple of whisks, a spatula or two, ( Make sure you get a round edged spatula as they are the best) a bread knife and a hand held Wok type strainer screen, Then focus on the occasional use stuff like your graters, strainers and cooling screens.
Remember buy the best you can afford and you’ll only have to buy it once.
I worked as an assistant Chef for years and found myself using the same few knives, and one potato peeler for about 90% of the work I was doing.
A good potato peeler will beat a zester or anything else, remember the skill is in your head and doesn’t come from a gadget.
Don’t forget a decent knife sharpener as a dull knife is a dangerous knife. A sharp knife is a pleasure to use. Excellent sharpeners can be had from Sporting Goods stores in the Camping section for a few bucks and are worth their weight in gold.
Hand held can opener-with a bottle opener attatched to it
A couple wooden sppons
2-3 rubber spatulas
1 thin yet sturdy metal spatula
strainer
measuring spoons and cups
1 glass 2 cup measuring cup
tongs
at least 1 whisk
veggie peeler
veggie/potatoe shredder- the small holes work just fine for zesting
blender and or processor
hand held mixer
a couple of sizes of mixing bowls
1 large casserole pan 9×13 and at least 1 smaller one say an 8×8 (or even a brownie pan)
rolling pin
cutting boards at least 2 is very handy
serving spoons-one slotted one not
potato masher
All these are wonderful suggestions! But, I would suggest an electric skillet. You can do so much with them and you don’t need a stove, a microwave or a hot plate. I love that you can regulate the temperature. The other thing that’s really good to have is an electric teapot. You can make hot water in a flash, and lastly, an electric slow cooker(crock pot).
Best wishes with your education, have fun furnishing your kitchen!
here’s what I couldn’t live without….
can opener
cheese grater
good chef knife
strainer
cutting board
ladle
set of wooden spoons
spatula
hand mixer
measuring cups and spoons
10 or 12 inch skillet
2 qt. and 4 qt. pot
I think I could live without anything else
After all these years, I have amassed a fortune in cooking utensils and pots and pans. My house has 2 kitchens, one on each level, so you get the picture. What follows are the things I use most frequently, or could not live with out.
I keep the stuff I use regularly at the front of my utensil drawer, same with the pan drawer, the ones on top are the grab and cook ones. They are dry and wet measuring cups, x2 each so I do not have to keep washing them and wiping them out when I switch from dry to wet from water to oil measuring
2 rings of spice measures,
a big oven safe rounded spatula,
a big egg flipper,
an ice cream scoop, the kind with the moving scoop inside like Alton Brown uses on tv
a timer,
a big wooden spoon and a candy thermometer,
an assortment of metal and plastic bowls of all sizes for mixing
13×9 casserole and cake pans in metal and glass
a round casserole with a lid, I have several sizes, but I only use two of them regularly, and one of them has a fancy serving frame that fits the dish
a small teflon skillet for eggs and a egg flipper in plastic
a dutch oven of very good quality and unlike a crock pot, I can brown the meat in the same pan I cook the rest of the dish in
a big heavy skillet with a lid great for one pot meals and frying bacon
a big pot with its own strainer/steamer for pasta, potatoes
a cheap aluminum pan to cook eggs and tomatoes, one that who
cares if it gets discolored. and a cheap universal lid
assorted other cooking pans with lids, one big heavy deep one for candy
13×9 jelly roll pans x2, one for the oven, the other to get the next batch ready for the oven
cheap long tongs
i rarely use my set of whisks, a fork does most of the jobs just fine.
My cheap peeler does fine for carrots. I do not do fancy veggies, and a paring knife does fine for slicing and peeling.
I bought a grater with 4 sides, rarely used, but it is needed when I need it
I have metal strainers in many sizes, I use just the big one, and I have Mom’s flour sifter
rolling pin for crushing crackers into crumbs
One of the most valuable things I have are little pyrex custard cups. they go from oven to table with custard in them, they receive individual servings of pudding. I serve jello or a dip of ice cream in them, great for holding pre-measured spices until I need them for the dish I’m working ,on great for melting butter or warming syrup for one in the microwave.
another is a small long spatula, great for getting to the bottom of small jars.
a two cup glass measure for boiling water in the microwave
All the other gizmos are there if I need them, the melon ballers, the egg separators, the basters, the pie edge protectors, the wire pie crust maker, the square casseroles that have a glass and a plastic lid, the fancy microwave dishes I inherited, all of them stashed away, just in case.
Buy some cheap storage containers in all sizes, when they get stained, pitch them, or save them for the next time you make too much spaghetti.
And another thing I have is a huge straight sided round tupperware storage dish with lid, the best salad for the potluck thing I have ever seen, I make my 7-layer salad in it.
I love to take deviled eggs to potlucks, and I have Mom’s fancy glass server
Suit yourself about electric appliances, you will know if you need a big Cuisinart, a blender, a fancy stand mixer [I just bought the big fancy stand mixer myself, my old ones all died], a rice cooker. If you buy a crock pot, buy the one with the stand, great for potlucks and movable feasts. I have used my bread baker twice, a waste of money.
But next on my list is an ice cream maker, that I will use!
Good luck on your cooking adventure, if you get good at it, you will have more friends and family visiting than you knew you had, and food is a great thing to sell and make money with. When you get your first job, you can wow co-workers and the boss with your potluck dishes.