Location: firmly planted in the postmodern pastoral economy
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Great article. I love his stuff. Make the No Knead Bread he published in the Times allll the time! Thanks for posting this. I sent it to my college-aged, aspiring-cook brother.
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That's nearly my kitchen. I don't have several of the things on his list.
Have:
Paring knife
Chef's knife
Two bread knives... hmm
Thermometer (not instant read)
Stainless steel bowls (have three)
Tongs
Wood cutting board
Can opener
sm & Lg skillet (cast iron)
sm, Med, leg saucepans + one very large- all four have lids that are used every time the pot is used (cast iron)
steamer pot (used a few times a week, sometimes daily!)
An array of wooden cooking utensils from DH as well as a SS: spatula, dipper and whisk
grater
vitamix (food processor/blender)
Don't have:
Sheet pan (have two glass casserole pans I use)
Mandoline
mixer (mix by hand)
vegetable peeler (do veggies have to be peeled?)
colander (use one of the two strainers from my steamer pot)
slotted spoon
skimmer
salad spinner
coffee and spice grinder
knife sharpener (use 1" belt sander with fine paper)
I've been working to better organize my tiny kitchen. I've rearranged it so that the things I cook with, including foods, are arms reach from the stove/oven. I'm still working on it.
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I love him... he gives good advice... although everyone is still different. I use my mixer and pressure cooker nearly daily all winter long for example, (and I NEVER use my veggie peeler). lol... which are two nonessential items. But honestly, I 'could' live without them... but using them daily, I wouldn't want to. lol... that is a lot of cook power that I would have to put out to double what they do, not to mention a lot of time. lol
Also it depends on who you are cooking for. I have two in my house that eat like grown working men (one is a grown working man and one is a preteen boy) and there for I usually cook for 5 or 6. This requires a bit more room in each pot. I have learned this the hard way when I sold my pots last year and am regreting it. But I need one large skillet, and one large sauce pan now. I have everything else in cast iron. LOVE that stuff!
I do agree about resturant supply. I get all my glasses, and most of my spoons and spatulas from a store like that here. I WISH they had pots. I need a med sized pot right now.
Val
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Val; Living the dream we have been working towards for over 5 years.
Mama to Alex, Cyan, and Logan. Wife to my very best friend.
Location: firmly planted in the postmodern pastoral economy
Posts: 12,991
Val, check IKEA. When I was just starting out on my own, I went to IKEA and bought their starter kit of pots and pans, you know the "365" brand, I think it is? It's been um, thirteen years and those pots only just gave up the ghost. (One got too hot on the stove once, and now the plastic handles smell bad whenever you heat it, so it's gone into service as a dog water bowl.) I actually still use the small saucepan from that set every day; the screw just needs tightening a little more frequently now.