My kitchen utensils in the past have mostly been acquired out of necessity and price. Most, even the cheapest of items, have lasted for several years with proper care. Then my niece came to visit. Let's just say that 15-year-olds don't do well with cheap kitchen items. Now I'm in the place of needing to replace some items and while in the process I figure I might as well upgrade.
While all these "winning" items are listed on their website, I find it quite time-consuming to repeatedly search their website and spent a rainy day just cutting and pasting the links of items I'm planning to purchase, would love to own, and some of the "this actually exists?!" items into a file. Now I am sharing my list of links with you. (Most of these links point back to Amazon, with a few to William's Sonoma.)
This is in no way meant to be a complete list and I will occasionally add to this list and repost it as I find new items, new reviews, and, inevitably, realize that I've left off some items.
The Kitchen Essentials
A good non-stick skillet. ATK recommends the 12" OXO Good Grips skillet. When it comes to non-stick skillets, I like to have 2 10" skillets and a 12" with a lid. No matter how much you spend, the non-stick coating wears out, gets scratched up, and destroyed in other various ways. I prefer to buy this type of skillet at the restaurant supply section of Sam's Club or Costco. They end up being about $15 instead of around $40 each for the OXO brand. Also look for one that is also oven safe, so you can quickly melt cheese on top of one-skillet dinners.
A high quality stainless skillet with a lid. The top brand is All-Clad. It also comes with a top of the line price tag that is enough to make the average home cook cry. But after having used lesser brands and then acquiring one of these...WOW, what a difference! It's also almost indestructible, so one will last you a lifetime. (They also have a great warranty if you register your products). If you can't afford over $100 for a skillet, Cuisinart makes a 12-inch skillet comparable in performance. It just won't stand up to the same level of abuse as All-Clad. Or keep an eye on eBay and other online resale sites. I got 2 pieces of All-Clad for under $42 including shipping!
A good 7.25 quart enameled cast iron Dutch Oven. Le Creuset is crazy expensive and on my "Dream" list. If anybody would like to buy me one, I love the Provence color sold at Sur La Table. I will be your best friend if you buy me this! Lodge also makes a nice Dutch Oven for much cheaper. I have a large and small one of these.
A 5 1/2 quart enameled cast iron Dutch Oven. Necessary for certain recipes.
A 3 1/2 quart enameled cast iron Dutch Oven. Necessary for certain recipes.
A 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet. One of the most versatile items you can own! Amazon currently sells this skillet cheaper than any brick-and-mortar store I've ever seen. I personally have 2 of these and reserve one for "sweet" and one for "savory" dishes just because some flavors can tend to linger in the skillet for a bit. I'm not a fan of biting into a blueberry-garlic flavored pancake YUCK!
A 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet. You may ask why you need a 10-inch and a 12-inch...a lot of dishes are size-specific, such as Dutch baby pancakes, one-skillet meals, and baked goods. It's great for stovetop and oven use.
A giant stock pot. This All-Clad one top of the line. There are cheaper options which are satisfactory.
Sauce Pan aka the standard 'pot' or this one. It is good to have at least 2 different sizes. 3.5 or 4 quart is a good size but you may also want a small one for heating canned soup or boiling water for a make-shift double boiler.
Mixing bowls, in several sizes
Muffin Tin. Because cupcakes.
9x13 Inch Broiler Safe Pan. A 9x13 pan is one of the most useful bakeware items. Lasagna, cakes, one pan dinners, and so much more can go into this pan.
1.5 lb loaf pan Works for both 10 x 5-inch ( 1/2 and 2-lb) and 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch (1-lb) pan recipes. The loaves will be shorter and bake faster but a smaller pan is not a necessity.
Angel Food Cake Pan. Nothing else can duplicate this pan, so it is one of the few "single-use" items on this Essentials List.
Bundt Pan Another single-use pan, however there are countless recipes for various bundt cakes, so if Bundt cakes are your thing, you can get excellent use of this item.
Baking Sheet While one of these work, ideally you would want 2 so you can bake multiple trays of cookies at a time. Personally, I prefer to have 4 or 5 cooking sheets like this. One of my favorite things about this pan is that there is also a lid available, which is ideal if you bake bar-style cookies and are too lazy to cut and remove them like I may be.
Cooling Rack You need at least 2 of these. This one fits perfectly inside the NordicWare half-sheet pan baking sheet.
Steamer Basket Great for steaming veggies without the need for a special steamer pot.
Collander (aka strainer) Great for straining pasta & veggies, rinsing fresh fruits and vegetables, and saves you from needing an expensive pasta pot with a built-in strainer.
Kitchen Tongs. Essential for searing meat, grabbing ears of corn from boiling water, and so much more!
Spatulas. Buy 2 or 3. You always seem to need more.
Wood Spoons. Another item you always seem to need at least 2 of.
Spoonula. A mix between a spoon and a spatula. I love mine for mixing cookies and other baked goods.
Vegetable peeler. You wouldn't think the handle shape would make a huge difference, but this peeler is amazing!
Highly Useful Kitchen Items-Unlike the essentials, these are very handy and good to have items but not highly necessarily as you can "make do" with items from above.
Large Roasting Pan with rack. This is great if you have a family and roast a lot of meat. This particular one holds up to a 25lb turkey. I love this rack because it allows for easy removal of the meat to transfer to a board for resting and carving. Most smaller cuts of meat can be roasted in a standard 9x13 baking dish.
Counter Top Griddle. Great for pancakes, multiple grilled cheese sandwiches, or breakfast for a crowd. Many newer griddles have one major drawback...they are slightly domed to help remove excess grease from food, which is not ideal when trying to cook thin batters.
9-inch Round Cake Pan - You need 2 or 3 of these for layer cakes
Square Cake Pan - Ideal for thicker brownies, small cakes, and many other desserts
Glass 9x13 Baking Dish. Great for numerous oven dishes from sweet to savory. I have 3 because they are used frequently in my kitchen.
Rimless Baking Sheet. Handy for baking and allows more air circulation around cookies, which is helpful for some cookies. Nice to have but not a necessity as a rimmed baking sheet will still do a satisfactory job.
1-lb loaf pan Gives smaller loaves the necessary rise so your loaves aren't short and squatty.
Pie Drip Catcher Highly necessary to protect your oven if you bake pies
Pie Server Great for dishing up sliced pie, round cakes, and pizza.
Mandoline. Makes quick work of slicing. Very nice when slicing large quantities of something.
Meat Pounder. I've been known to pound meat thin using my rolling pin, but this ensures more evenly smashed meat.
Nice to Have a few items that are nice to have but by no means irreplaceable in your kitchen. If you have the space and money these can be nice items to have around.
Pie Weight Yes you can use beans, ceramic pie weight beads, and other numerous inventions to keep your empty pie crust in the proper shape. BUT this is just nifty to have.
No comments :
Post a Comment