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Without knowing what your approach to cooking will be, the few things that come to mind that get me 75% of the way there:
- One good chef knife
- A couple good heavy wooden chopping boards
- A few large prep bowls (I prefer stainless steel), plus a bunch of smaller ones of different sizes for mise en place etc
- Some basic utensils (whisk, wooden spoons, spatula, microplane, etc.)
- A few basic pieces of cookware (I prefer carbon steel and cast iron, a mix of saucepans and frying pans of different sizes)
I’m sure I’ve missed a few other essentials, but I really don’t think it needs to be complicated.
I’ve got a ton of other things in addition that I’ve bought over many years, but I am very diligent about asking myself whether I’ll actually use it frequently, and whether it’s a material improvement over whatever closest substitute I have.
I could speak forever about this topic lol. Treat it as something you build up over time as you learn your needs vs. feeling like you need to buy everything at once
I completely agree. You’ll build on it. My kitchen is filled with stuff and I leave alone. I have to think twice before moving to a different home. My kitchen takes a priority in house decision.
https://www.seriouseats.com/basic-starter-kitchen-equipment
Focus on the items, not the brands
You should get some Spatula, Chefs knife, Wire Whisk and Dough Scrapper. Great investment for anything.
Rising Star
Beyond a solid knife set, these are the tools I use the most. The mandoline is great for quick slicing while maintaining even size, and you can additional attachments as you try more recipes. The microplane is good for cheese and zesting, and I use my silicon rubber maid spatulas daily.
That depends. What field of cooking? I do pastry so the equipment I need is different from a sushi chef.
Chefs knife, chefs knife and a chefs knife.
Chefs knife, good cutting board, cast iron and stainless steel pans/pots and a few spatulas. I think that covers most basic stuff, and then fill in as necessary.
Small containers for mise en place are super nice and I consider essential as well.
other things not said already:
meat thermometer
an app called Multi Timer
prep containers
measuring spoons/cups
a phone app or file on your computer to record all the recipes you try. ya want to do this because every website is trying to be THE last place for recipes but ultimately you need to build your own collection
oh and get some kosher salt so you can pinch and sprinkle like a pro 🌨️
Stainless steel chef knife and cutting board. No need to go crazy here, a Victorinox and an IKEA plastic cutting board is perfectly fine. Throw in a cheap paring knife for small stuff so you don't put a hole in your hand trying to cut a small bruise off a potato.
Cheap Y peeler. Worth it for potatoes alone but will also peel pretty much everything else that needs peeling!
Non-stick frying pan, and a nylon spatula for flipping stuff in it (metal will ruin the surface). If you want eggs for breakfast, this is what you want. Also works for pan-frying proteins and vegetables.
Stainless medium sauce pot (3qt ish) and a spoon to stir stuff in it. Essential equipment for pasta, which is the easiest dish you can cook after scrambled eggs. You can cook a full pound of pasta in a pot this size with some care, you don't need a giant pot (despite popular belief that you need giant quantities of water). Also works for any sort of stew or curry.
If you want to eat meat below well-done, an instant-read probe thermometer is invaluable.
Ingredients: salt, pepper, oil/butter are staples you'll break out for most dishes. Rather than trying to build a pantry from scratch up front, I'd recommend starting with some simple recipes, buying what you need for them, and going from there. Eventually you'll have all the core stuff.
If you have an oven and want to make recipes that use it (e.g. oven roasted chicken, casseroles, etc) a "half sheet" rimmed sheet pan is essential (I like the Nordic Ware ones) and an 8x8 glass baking dish (mine is from OXO I think) will cover most of your needs.
If you dare venture into baking for dessert, the sheet pan is what you want for cookies and the 8x8 will work for cobblers/crisps/etc, and even for brownies or lemon bars if you don't mind the edges looking a bit wonky.
In addition to these great suggestions, my question is what else I can use it for? I am not a fan of unitaskers in my kitchen if I can avoid it, especially if you have a smaller kitchen.
About the only unitasker I embrace is a really top notch knife sharpening system.