Equipment Do's and Don'ts

Last night I was at Cooks of Crocus Hill working with an excellent bunch of foodies. One gentleman in particular had some inspired questions about what equipment I recommend for basic cooking, what basic ingredients I keep in my pantry for last minute meals, and how I time my meals so everything finishes brilliantly at the same time. So let's dig in, I will try to answer each question in it's own blog, so you don't get bleary eyed with all the scrolling.


Equipment Essentials:

1 ½ to 2 ½ quart saucepan with lid
3 ½ to 4 ½ quart saucepan with lid
8 to 10 quart stockpot
8 or 12 inch frying pans
3 or 6 inch sauté pan
1 Dutch Oven
6 or 8 inch Cook’s knife
8 or 10 inch serrated knife
3 ½ inch paring knife
Sharpening steel
Instant read thermometer
Cutting boards, preferably wood
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Liquid measuring cups
Set of mixing bowls
9x13 inch baking pan
Cookie sheets
Colander, hand-held strainer, or something with which to separate water from food
Rubber spatulas
Bread pan/muffin pans (if you plan to bake)
Pepper grinder
4 sided grater or cheese plane
Juice squeezer of any type
Mixing spoons
Stainless steel whisk
Tongs
Peeler
Zester
Metal and plastic spatulas
Can opener
Kitchen towels
Really good kitchen shears
Food processor
BlenderGrill or grill pans
Kitchen Aid or hand mixer
Ramekins
Scale
Skewers

Equipment Niceties:

Salad spinner
Salt container
Cooling rack
Roasting pan
Japanese mandolin
Torch
Mini processor
Emerson blender
Wok
Springform pan

Don't Buys:

Entire knife sets
Pots and pan sets
Double boiler

You can never have too many:

Whisks Spatulas (scrapers)
Stirring spoons
Towels
Cutting boards
Utility Knives
Beautiful Serving Dishes

In my research I stumbled across Mark Bittman's article on equipping your kitchen. Mark thinks you can do it for $300. If you are looking for a restaurant supply store that is open to the public and you live in Minnesota, I recommend Hockenburg's.

So this article is really hard for me to write as I have more kitchen gadgets than anyone I know. I started with a very basic set of tools, but what with working at Cooks of Crocus Hill for several years and being an intern at America's Test Kitchen, I have amassed a huge assortment of items (most of them free) that I haven't even used yet. I am the queen of using whatever is around, so most of the time I completely forget I have exactly the right tool for something, and I end up using a jerry-rigged something or other instead.

A list of random things that barely see the light of day in my house:

Ice cream maker (rarely use)
Bamboo steamer baskets too large for any pan I own
Popsicle maker
Double decker steamer
Apple corer/peeler
Flour mill (yes, I have a flour mill)And many other things in my basement that I can no longer recal

Things I wash the most:

My cuisinart…favorite tool
My knives (all except the sandwich knife that came with a set...)
My way too fancy ergonomically correct pans
My 6 qt. Stoube Dutch Oven
My Asian Spider Skimmer
My Tongs

I know it is a bit crazy, but when I buy items I tend to go top of the line. A lot of people will skimp on good kitchen items, but for me, preparing food is an art and my tools are things I use everyday, so I like them to look pretty but to also hold up. Everyone has a different buying philosophy, but that is mine.

You don't have to run out and buy everything all at once, I recommend using what you have and when you are cooking and realize you really need something, make a list. Buy things one at a time and slowly build your collection. How much you spend and how it looks is a matter of personal preference. So that is me, how about you? Did I forget one of your favorite gadgets or something you consider indispensable?