The Basic Kitchen for Beginners

You don’t have to have a great kitchen to be a great cook and you won’t be a great cook just because you have a great kitchen. But it always helps to have the basics to make cooking a little easier for anyone. It’s tough to boil water in a paper cup and you can’t fry eggs in a Micky D’s wrapper so go to the store and at least get your kitchen equipped right from the very beginning.

It helps if your first kitchen as a youngster or for a college student has plenty of things handed down from Mom and Dad, but  some people just have to wing it. Not everyone has folks with plenty of gadgets to give away so let’s get started. Don’t look for the latest and greatest because this list is one that anyone can learn to use and every kitchen in the past 100 years has probably used.

Let’s make the assumption that your kitchen already has the same stuff every kitchen has such as a stove with oven and a refrigerator and of course a sink along with a little bit of counter space. Let’s further assume that the rest of your first kitchen has nothing else in it except a floor and empty cabinets so with that in mind lets build a kitchen from scratch. You’re on your own for food. I have not included any food items nor have I included plates, spoons nor glasses.

Let’s start with the real basics, a set of mixing bowls. You don’t need many, but with anything in life the better quality you can get the better of you’ll be so if you can afford it get a small set of stainless steel bowls. They don’t have to be a set of 20, but a set of 3 will do just fine. You have to have bowls to make pancakes, bake a cake or even just mix almost anything. Get some bowls.

Next you’ll need something to cook with. You could get a microwave and ‘nuke’ everything in a paper plate, but why? If you can afford it get your hands on at least one good quality cast iron skillet. Never get one with a wooden handle because it will eventually burn off. A one piece will do the best and last forever. A ten inch skillet is the best and make sure you either get one pre-seasoned or learn how to season it yourself. Seasoning a skillet basically entails burning some grease on the surface to make it a very nonstick surface. Here are a couple of links that teach this time tested method: http://www.kitchenemporium.com/info/castiron.html and http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CastIronPans.htm Both are good ways to go about it, but I do it a little different. I build a fire out in my back yard, wipe a thin layer of grease such as shortening on the surface then let the skillet sit on the hot coals till the oil or grease is well burned into the surface. i keep repeating it several time then allow it to cool completely and you’ll soon have a perfect, nonstick skillet that should last the rest of your life.

OK, now you have the one item every kitchen on the planet should have, let’s move on. You’ll also need a few pots and pans aside from a skillet. I like stainless steel and the heavier the better, but there are some good quality cast aluminum pans available as well, but if you do buy aluminum avoid the thin, cheap models at all cost. they never heat evenly and you’ll end up burning most everything you put in them.

Some people like the non-stick surfaced stuff sold in most stores now and if you can eternally resist the urge to stir things with a fork they might last a good while, but if you’re like every person I have ever meet you’ll end up ruining that nonstick surface at some point. Avoid it if you can and stick with a pan you can always scour with steel wool if need be. You should get at least one small sauce pan, about a quart, a two or three quart pan and of course a dutch oven which is not really an oven at all. A dutch oven is just a larger pan with two handles on either side and a lid. So you grab a few regular pans with handles and a dutch oven and most sets will also have another skillet with it which is fine and can come in handy too. A saute′ pan is also very handy and I wouldn’t live without one.

Now, once you have something to mix in and something to cook it in you might want to get something to stir with. Your finger works as long as it’s cold liquids, but when you’re cooking things they tend to get really hot and your finger isn’t much use at that point so lets get some mixing spoons. I keep repeating this and won’t quit, but get the best quality you can afford. Heavy spoons and scrappers always work better than cheap, thin ones. Also, while you’re at it get a nice assortment of good quality wooden spoons and spatulas. Wood spoons are the best for mixing things like batters like cakes and breads plus a good wood spoon or spatula will also NOT scratch those nonstick surfaces. You might want a nice large combination mixing and serving spoon along with one just like it except with slots cut into it to let liquids drain.

Thinking of draining, while you’re buying kitchen stuff get your hands on a good metal colander. A colander is just a big bowl full of holes so you can drain things like pasta’s, clean vegetables, etc. Sometimes they look like a big metal screen. Both work good, but stay with metal if you can because it’s just to easy to leave the plastic model sitting on a hot surface where it will melt and thus become absolutely useless, not to mention a fire hazard. While I’m at it while plastics can come in very handy in your kitchen try to avoid plastic whenever possible. It’s just to easy to ruin it and ruin dinner.

OK, now we have something to mix in, something to cook in, but not everything will fit in that nice new pan so you might want to get some knives to cut things up. You absolutely want a few good, heavy French knives. French knives are those long, heavy tapered knives. They’re blades about an inch or more at the base and taper down both on the top and bottom to a nice sharp point. Try to avoid knives that are serrated or the ones with little ridges cut into the cutting surface. Try to get the type you can easily sharpen and try to avoid the words : Hollow Ground” when purchasing kitchen knives. they’re harder to sharpen and you want your knives to stay always good and sharp so if you’re buying good quality kitchen knives while you’re at it get a sharpening steel. A steel looks like a big nail with a handle. You slice into it with your knife blade and it shaves off micro little bits of metal to make a nice clean, sharp edge. Nothing beats a good, sharp knife because you will almost always cut yourself with a dull knife and believe me, a dull knife cut hurts a whole lot more than a clean sharp knife cut. Plus a sharp knife is easier to cut with than a dull knife. But I won’t insult your intelligence further by telling you the virtues of a sharp knife. Get a good quality set of kitchen knives. They’ll last forever if you take good care of them.

If you’re going to cut things cut on something like a good cutting board. A cutting board does more than just give you a place to cut. It also helps to keep food from sliding around the plate (If you’re used to using a plate) and it’s a handy way to carry cut up foods and it’s easier to keep clean than the counter top. Also if you live in an apartment your landlord won’t like it to much if you have cut marks all over the counter top.

You’re almost there, but there are a few other things you might want to get your hands on. One thing no kitchen should ever be without is at least one good, glass measuring cup. I like the two cup Pyrex® model, but there are many others on the market. You can also get an assortment of measuring cups and spoons, but if you can avoid it, don’t buy plastic. They’ll melt the first time you set them anywhere near a heat source. if you can find it get a good stainless steel assortment of both cups and spoons.

The only appliance I think every kitchen should have is an electric mixer, but some people will take objection to this. Many people say a food processor is a must, but as long as you have a good set of knives you’re covered. A good electric mixer, or even a good cheap one will do wonders especially if you ever want to bake a cake. Nothing is flatter than a heavy, hand mixed cake, but that’s my own opinion.

A good grater is very handy and I’m only talking about one of those four sided metal deals. It has one side that grates a potato quick, one side slices, though it usually is useless. I really think the one end for grating a potato or cheese is all you really need. Grab one and keep it handy. You’ll use it more than you think.

You’re getting closer, but you still need something to bake in so get a set of cake pans, bread pans, at least one cookie sheet and a rectangular baking pan or lasagna pan or two and, if you want to make your own pies, a pair of pie pans.

The next item is optional or you might want both, but get something to open cans with. I have both an electric and a hand crank can opener, but you will need at least one to open those little metal things full of food.

A tea pot or a coffee pot or both if you drink either or both will be a must have for any kitchen.

Another thing and I can’t give you a definitive list on this, you’ll need storage containers of various types. Try to avoid cheap, plastic junk if you can, but that said, some plastics are better than others so your own preferences will always prevail. Do what feels right for you. Don’t forget that you’ll have to lift things out of pots and pans like a steak off the oven broiler so grab a nice assortment of tongs and others of that line. You’ll know it when you see them in the sores like a meat thermometer, pancake turner and so on. The list could go on and on for pages and pages, but you’ll have to use your imagination in the end and buy whatever you think you’ll need. You might even want to invest in a good, general purpose cook book unless you already have every recipe ever published ingrained in your minds eye.

That pretty much rounds out the basic kitchen. I left out quite a few things that are now commonplace like microwave ovens, etc., because when I grew up many of these things didn’t even exist or weren’t in common usage. But, like any other part of your home you’ll want to build on the basics and in any kitchen you’ll add and add as time goes on. There are literally tons and tons of kitchen gadgets and millions of varieties of cookware made all over the world because every human alive has to eat food. You’re certainly no exception.

You’ll decide with time what other things you want and need in your kitchen and as you’re culinary skills increase you’ll develop your own wants and needs. This is only the very basics of almost any kitchen in the US in my opinion and your opinion may vary by quite a bit and in fact you might think my ideas are all wrong and that’s OK. It’s your kitchen.

Good luck and whatever you do enjoy yourself and experiment. Your cooking and culinary skills will increase if you just try. Nothing teaches better than failure so don’t be afraid to fail. Failure will teach you how to succeed. Bon Apetite!