I recently told a friend of mine that I would put together a list of what I believe are the essential bits of kitchen gear you need to be able to cook at home regularly, reliably, and enjoyably. Sure you can get by with a sharp stick, a pot and a bit of fire, but that’s just going to be frustrating and annoying in the long run.
The list totals out to around $2200 which seems like a lot, but it includes a lot of decent quality gear you’ll only ever have to buy once. Most of it is spent on cookware (pots and pans) because good cookware really does make a huge difference in the end. Oh, and knives. High quality razor sharp knives are your friend. They’re not cheap, but you only need two anyhow. This isn’t everything you will ever need ever, just most of it. Pick up other bits and pieces when you need them.
Ok, here’s the list. Feel free to leave comments if you think I’ve included something silly or forgotten something essential. I will amend the list if need be…
Knives and knife-related items ($185)
- 4″ utility knife ($50)
- 8″ chef’s knife ($91)
- Bread knife ($10)
- Knife sharpener ($34)
Cookware ($935)
- 8″ non-stick fry pan ($70)
- 10″ non-stick fry pan ($110)
- 10″ stainless steel fry pan ($116)
- 4 qt stainless steel straight-sided saute pan ($88)
- Dutch oven – largish ($260)
- 2 qt saucepan ($63)
- 4 qt stainless steel saucepan ($55)
- Stock pot – 8-9 qt ($93)
- Lids for all of these (4 @ ~$20ea = $80)
Bakeware ($203)
Do not get non-stick bakeware except for muffin tins and pizza pans. You will just end up scratching the crap out of it and wasting your money. Never cut pizzas on the pizza pans — slide them off on to a cutting board first.
- 8 x 8 pan ($14)
- 9 x 13 pan ($24)
- Baking pans (2) ($17 ea)
- Cooling rack ($12)
- Glass pie plate ($8)
- Loaf pan ($14)
- Pizza pan (or two, non-stick are preferred) ($5)
- Pizza stone ($40)
- Roasting pan ($33)
- Roasting rack that fits in roasting pan ($19)
Electric gadgets ($157)
- Digital meat thermometer ($19)
- Digital scale ($50)
- Spice grinder ($25)
- Stick blender ($54)
Tools and fiddly bits ($610)
- Box grater ($15)
- Can opener ($20)
- Citrus juicer (just get the orange one, lemons and limes will fit too) ($15)
- Colander ($29, but you can get cheaper)
- Corkscrew ($20)
- Cutting boards – at least 3, plastic, var sizes, colour coded if you like ($12 ea, $36)
- Dish towels (many – get six to start, wash them all the time) ($16)
- Food storage containers, square, many (leftovers + storage)
- Glass liquid measuring cup (large, pyrex) ($32)
- Heat-resistant plastic spoons, spatulas, etc. ($3.50 ea, ~$12)
- Heat-resistant silicon scraper ($18)
- Heavy-duty utility scissors/shears ($32)
- Mason jars, 125 ml ($12/doz), 250 ml ($13/doz), 500ml ($17/doz), 1 litre ($15/doz)
- Measuring cups ($16)
- Measuring spoons ($20)
- Microplane grater ($12)
- Mixing bowls (glass and/or stainless steel – large, med, small) ($30)
- Oven mitts (not silicon) ($11)
- Pastry brush or silicon brush ($8)
- Pepper mill (the best you can afford) ($55+)
- Potato masher ($10)
- Salad spinner ($30)
- Small spray bottle for water ($4)
- Stainless steel ladle ($9)
- Stainless steel serving spoon ($7)
- Tongs (2 pair) ($10 ea, $20)
- Vegetable peeler ($8)
- Vegetable steamer insert ($5)
- Whisk ($14)
- Wire sieve ($20)
- Wooden spoons (at least 3) ($9)
Non-permanent
- Baking paper
- Paper towels
- Plastic wrap
- Tin foil
- Ziploc freezer bags (lg, and md size)
Essential references ($79)
- How to Cook Everything ($20)
- The Bread Bible ($24)
- Cook’s Illustrated website subscription ($35/a)
Things not to get
- Silicon oven mitts – they’re terrible. Get regular cloth mitts.
- Almost anything “single purpose”. For example: garlic press, grapefruit knife, cherry pitter, citrus zester, nutmeg grater, cheese plane, melon baller, corn stripper, etc. Notable exceptions: citrus juicer, pizza wheel.
Recent Comments