MSN Shopping, May 30th, 2007
When I rented my first apartment the summer I graduated from college I didn’t really give much thought to the kitchen. Having mastered all of about five recipes that required little more than opening cans and boxes, stirring and heating, my cooking equipment needs were modest in the extreme. However, there comes a watershed moment in everyone’s life when the charms of Hamburger Helper begin to fade and we’re faced with the daunting task of putting together a working kitchen for the first time. I remember being so overwhelmed on my first trip to a kitchen store that I left without buying a single thing. Hopefully, a little advice about the basics and a few shopping links can help you avoid similar paralysis.
Cutlery
Before you buy anything else, find yourself a good set of knives. You’ll be using these with every meal you make, so it’s worth spending as much as you can afford to get some quality steel. You can save yourself a little change by ignoring all those 24-piece sets and just buying what you’ll really need – one large chef’s knife, a serrated slicing knife (a bread knife works fine with tomatoes, too) and one paring knife. Forged or sintered knives in high carbon steel with flat ground blades are ideal. A vegetable peeler will come in handy, too, and pick up a good cutting board while you’re at it. Plastic is fine.
Cookware
Again, it’s best to buy individual pots and pans rather than an expensive set. You can always fill your collection in with other sizes along the way. At the minimum, you’ll need a 6-8 quart stockpot for stews, soups and cooking pasta, a 10-12 inch skillet (cast iron or non-stick, but oven-proof either way), a medium sauce pan and two casserole dishes – 9x13 inches. My advice would be to skip the baking gear (cake pans, bread pans and the like) the first time around. Baking can be tricky and it’s best to master a few kitchen skills first before graduating to cakes, pies and bread. If you still miss freshly-baked foods you could buy a cookie sheet and a 9x13 baking pan and stick to packaged mixes until you feel more adventurous.
Find yourself 2-3 stainless steel mixing bowls in different sizes and a large ceramic salad bowl, too. Although it’s not absolutely crucial, a long-handled chef’s pan is great for everything from browning meat to stir-frying vegetables. Its round bottom and high sides makes it ideal for any type of stovetop cooking.
Appliances
Don’t get too carried away in this department. Appliances are expensive and the more specialized they are, the less you’ll actually use them. Save the food processor and stand mixer for your wish list. They’re nice to have, but you can make do without them. Ditto for the bread machine, blender, juicer and ice cream maker.
Instead, start with a good coffee maker and a toaster oven (the latter is more versatile than a toaster, but if you’d rather not have to keep a weather eye on your toast, get the toaster). An electric hand mixer is worth having for beating eggs and stirring sauces (and your baking mixes).
Finally, spring for a slow cooker. They’re easy to use and have the advantage of letting you get your prep done in the morning or the night before and have dinner ready to eat by the time you get home from work.
Tools and Gadgets
Visit any kitchen store and you’ll be presented with hundreds of odds and ends that promise to save you time and effort in the kitchen. But like appliances, many of them are so specific in function that they’ll just end up migrating to the back of your kitchen drawers and gathering dust. Here’s what you do need:
- Measuring cups (metal for dry ingredients and a two-cup Pyrex one for liquids.
- Bottle opener
- Corkscrew
- Can opener
- Whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Metal spatula
- Metal tongs
- Ladle
- Meat fork
- Large spoon
- Large slotted spoon
- Wooden spoons
- Oven mitts
- Colander
- Cheese grater
- Meat thermometer
- Potato masher
- Lemon zester
You’ll be surprised how far you can get with just these basics and you’ll have years to collect any other tools and timesavers that strike your fancy.
Shopping
Equipping your first kitchen can quickly become an expensive proposition, but it’s a one time investment that will pay off in the years to come. Shop for sales whenever you can, opt for quality when it really counts and don’t overspend on the small stuff. Remember, kitchen boutiques are generally more expensive. For major shopping orgies like this, it’s smart to start online.
