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If you haven’t cooked much, or at all, or haven’t been near the kitchen for a very long time, there’s no reason you can’t start now. Take this checklist to the kitchenware section of your favorite store and you’ll come home with the basic tools to stock your kitchen and whip up a few simple and delicious meals.
BACHELOR’S BASICS
1. Knives. One small (4–6-inch) paring knife; one 8–12-inch all-purpose knife (sometimes called a chef’s knife); one 13–16-inch serrated (saw-tooth) knife for slicing bread. Don’t waste your time or money buying cheap knives. They are much harder—and more dangerous—to use because they aren’t always sturdy enough for the job (the blade can snap off), and they dull very easily, which increases the risk of slicing something you weren’t aiming at (like your finger). By the time you replace a few cheap knives, you might as well have enjoyed the use of a good one to begin with. If you only buy one, make it a large paring knife.
2. Vegetable peeler. Even if you buy your carrots bagged and precleaned and like to mash your potatoes with the skins on, you’ll need a vegetable peeler sooner or later for something. If you are left-handed, buy one designed for lefties.
3. Cutting boards. At least a small one for mincing garlic, cutting a single piece of fruit, or doing any small job; consider an additional, larger board for bigger jobs and slicing loaves of bread. Buy washable plastic (polyethylene) that you can clean at the sink or put in the dishwasher. Figure on replacing the boards (for health reasons) a couple of times a year, or whenever they’ve accumulated a number of slash marks.
4. Saucepans. A 1-quart pan for heating up a can of soup, making oatmeal for two, or boiling an egg; a 2–4-quart pan for steaming rice or vegetables, boiling potatoes, and so on.
5. Kettle or Dutch oven. Buy a heavy pot that distributes heat well (cast iron with enamel finish or heavy gauge anodized aluminum are two possible choices). Make sure it has a tight fitting lid (check it for wobble). You’ll use this pot for everything from creating homemade soups to boiling pasta or cooking corn on the cob for a crowd.
6. Skillets. An 8-inch nonstick for frying up a couple of eggs and a second 12–14-inch pan for stir-frying and sauteing. When you’re skillet shopping, look for sturdy pans that will distribute heat well and resist warping. You’re usually safe with heavy nonstick aluminum or enameled cast iron; but iron pans are heavy. Heft a few (with one arm) to make sure you’ll be comfortable using them.
7. Toaster or toaster oven. A toaster oven is more versatile, but if all you want are some crispy slices to go with your morning coffee, a wide-slot toaster will do the job quickly and with less attention needed from the cook.
8. Baking pans. Look for metal pans or glass baking dishes. A 9×9 square and a 9×13 oblong will give you a good start on baking anything from cornbread to chicken to lasagna. You may want to consider the nonstick option if you go with metal. If you prefer glass, buy the oven-to-freezer-to-microwave type for maximum versatility. You can buy casserole dishes with covers, if you like; or you can just wrap foil tightly over the top of anything you’re baking that needs to be covered (unless it’s going in the microwave!).
9. Mixing bowls. You may find it convenient to own a nesting set of several bowls. But buy at least two so you’ll be prepared for scrambling one egg or tossing salad for a group.
10. Colander. A must-have if you’re going to be cooking pasta. Metal or plastic is fine; just remember that metal will be hot after you’ve poured boiling water through and plastic will melt if you put it near a stove burner.
11. Grater. You’ll use this for preparing the cheese for your Mexican pizza or for shredding carrots for a salad.
12. Cookie sheet. If you like to bake large batches of cookies, having more than one cookie sheet will make the job go faster. If your baking is minimal, you will still want at least one cookie sheet for baking pizzas or putting under things that may drip. Buy heavy-gauge, nonstick cookie sheets. They’ll last longer, be easier to clean, and burn many fewer cookies than their flimsy counterparts.
13. Can opener. A hand-held opener with a comfortable grip will do nicely. But if you love gizmos or plan to eat an exclusively canned diet, go ahead and get an electric opener. If you do go electric, have a backup in case the power goes out and you need to make tuna sandwiches for dinner.
14. Pepper mill. There are times when nothing but freshly ground pepper will do. You don’t need to buy an expensive or fancy one; just make sure it’s convenient to fill.
15. Dry and liquid measuring cups. All measuring cups are not equal. Cups for dry ingredients usually come in 4-cup plastic sets (1⁄4, 1⁄3, 1⁄2, 1 cup) which make it easy to level off the top with a knife for an exact measurement. Liquid measurers are most often glass, with a pouring spout and a little extra room to prevent spills. A Pyrex 2-cup measure is most convenient.
16. Measuring spoons. Get a set of metal spoons linked together; they are sturdy and can go in the dishwasher.
17. Utensils. Wooden spoons, soup ladle, pasta tongs, pancake turner, rubber spatula.
18. Oven thermometer. You would be amazed at the temperature variations in standard ovens. It’s not uncommon for a household oven to be off by as much as 50 degrees or more. Use the thermometer to get a rough idea of how your oven’s temperature corresponds to its dial setting. That way you can decide whether to have your oven recalibrated or just to compensate for the difference when you set the dial. Keep a thermometer in the oven to continue monitoring its accuracy.
19. Tea kettle. Choose one that whistles and won’t rust inside. You can always boil water in a saucepan, but it’s tacky, takes longer, and wastes energy. Plus, you can leave a tea kettle sitting on the stove and it looks cozy.
20. Plastic containers. You’ll be more likely to save those delicious leftovers if you can just toss the extra mashed potatoes into a plastic bowl with a matching lid. Putting the entire pot in the refrigerator only works until you run out of pots or room in the fridge. Buy a set of plastic bowls with snap-on lids at the grocery or kitchen supply store or wash and save margarine and take-out containers.
21. Potholders. Buy a couple of flat ones and an oven mitt or two. Don’t try to use dishtowels: they don’t provide adequate insulation and a pan’s heat will quickly penetrate a damp towel, creating steam, which can give you an especially nasty burn.
When you’re buying cookware, it makes sense to spend the money for good quality. Cheaply made pots and pans wear out much faster than good ones. Even worse, they’re more likely to warp, leaving you with pans that wobble on the stove. Cheap pans also burn food more easily because they don’t conduct heat well. All around, inferior pots and pans make cooking considerably more difficult and frequently less successful.
NICE, BUT NOT ESSENTIAL
1. Coffee grinder.
2. Coffee maker.
3. Large salad bowl.
4. Meat thermometer. Using a meat thermometer is the only sure way to tell if your roast beef, pork, or turkey is properly cooked. An instant read thermometer is very convenient—and can also be used to check the doneness of burgers or other meats that you’re cooking on the grill or stovetop.
5. Potato masher.
6. Large slotted spoon.
7. Salad spinner.
8. Sharpening steel. This is a long, straight piece of metal used to sharpen knives. You grasp the wooden handle and run the knife along the steel. It’s worth the extra two minutes it takes to sharpen a knife before you use it—or at least right before you carve a roast, slice a tomato, or embark on any job that requires a good sharp edge.
9. Wooden toaster tongs.
10. Whisk. One large and one small in stainless steel would be ideal. It’s great to grab a small one to whisk a couple of eggs together in a small bowl or measuring cup; and a large whisk will help you quickly blend a bowl of pancake or other batter. But if the idea of owning even one whisk makes you nervous, you can get buy on the smaller jobs with a fork.
11. Garlic press. This can be a good shortcut for chopping or mincing garlic.
12. Hand-held electric mixer.
13. Blender.
14. Fine mesh strainer.
15. Vegetable steamer.
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