Serious Eats: Essential Kitchen Tools

[minoanmiss]

https://www.seriouseats.com/basic-starter-kitchen-equipment

What do you think?

Comments

[gloss]

Lists like that always make me feel crappy and broke. I would *love* a cast-iron skillet and instant read thermometer, for instance.

It's a pretty solid list, all things considered, if one has room in the budget.

[minoanmiss]

Yeah, one of my several reactions to this is the framing. An article about "here are some things we think might be useful" would be both more adaptable and more encouraging than a potentially-extravagant shopping list.

Also I wish I could give you my cast iron pan.

[conuly]

If you're lucky and have the time to hit up estate sales, you can get the best cast iron that way for cheap.

[lilysea]

I think it's WAY more stuff and $$$$ than most people starting out can afford...

[minoanmiss]

Certainly lots more than I had in my first apartment!

[princessofgeeks]

I don't think a beginner chef needs a cast iron skillet, a salad spinner or an immersion blender. Also I have gotten along fine with just one thermometer.

Something not on this list that I can't live without is tongs.

Also I use my food processor all the time but I got along without one for a long time.

[minoanmiss]

I totally second and third tongs. So useful.

I agree with much, and I also have thoughts.

[ororo]

--Wooden cutting boards aren't essential, though I do like mine. Plastic is more convenient with the drainage rim and the dishwasher

--Some people will take away my chef descriptor for this (they can fuck off) I think cast-iron is overrated and a lot of unnecessary fuss. I despise black crust on my meat, it completely ruins it for me. Since I do sous vide a lot, a a brown sear are a nice thing, I did get a cast-iron grill pan (it's actually the lid of my Dutch Oven).

--I survived for years with one large mixing bowl.

--Salad spinners are nice, but they take up too much space. If I ate salads daily, maybe I'd rethink that.

--I hate pie crust, so I have no reason to own a pie plate.

--A bench scraper is a nice-to-have, I suppose, but I've never had one

--the scales they advertise are too expensive

I prefer silicone whisks

--Thermometers for pastry projects are a touch too specialized for a starter kitchen unless that's a favorite thing to make

Re: I agree with much, and I also have thoughts.

[minoanmiss]

As someone who grew up cooking in cast iron I also think it's overrated, especially when one compares results against difficulty of care. I get good heat retention with the nice solid clad-bottomed pans Wolf bought some time ago.

Re: I agree with much, and I also have thoughts.

[lunabee34]

I agree re: cutting boards. I prefer plastic that can go in the dishwasher.

I guess I was reading the list as a you need a cutting board and not you need a wooden one.

This is what I get for skimming after a day of student conferences.

*headdesk*

[clevermanka]

I would never curse gift a beginning cook with a cast iron skillet, especially Lodge, which I found difficult to season and keep seasoned. Ceramic non-stick all the way for beginner cooks. Also I've been cooking for more than 40 years and have never in my life needed or used a saucier. Echoing the why so many thermometers question.

If I were helping someone outfit a starter kitchen I would recommend:
Chef's knife and smaller utility or paring knife*
Bamboo cutting board set
A ceramic non-stick skillet and saucepan with lids
Stainless steel soup pot with lid
A large and small mixing bowl set
Measuring cups and spoons
Silicone-covered slotted spoon
Silicone spatulas (at least two)
Serving spatula
Soup ladle
9x9 and 9x13 ceramic baking pans
Cookie sheets and cooling racks
Kitchen shears
NICE POTHOLDERS

*with sleeves or a small knife-holder--start those good habits early!

Most everything else they can pick up as they're learning to cook and determining what style of cooking they're going to do. I feel like not many people are gonna need a whisk right off the bat? If you're beating eggs or something just use a fork or chopsticks. I'd also nix the rolling pin, loaf pan, and any electronics.

Also for a beginner cook I wouldn't recommend wooden utensils. Give them stuff they can throw in the dishwasher.

[clevermanka]

Just realized I focused on the action of cooking and not much on stuff like dishcloths, hand towels, a spoon rest, and a drying rack--all of which I'd prioritize over a salad spinner.

[misbegotten]

I've lived this long without a Dutch oven. Will continue to do so. Ditto a salad spinner. I would like an instant-read thermometer, but honestly I don't really need one.

[minoanmiss]

I do find my salad spinner pretty useful about once a month, but I got by without it before I bought it on sale. Also I love your rainbow carrot icon!

[cmcmck]

I think it misses that those of us who are life long cooks gathered together top quality kit over a long time frame not all at once.

I'm also left handed so my knife collection wouldn't suit everyone!

[minoanmiss]

*nod* I think this is a very important critique.

[amaebi]

Have you ever read James Barber's Fear of Frying?

[minoanmiss]

I haven't as yet! Does it effectively balance cooking and puns?

[totient]

As someone who cooks a lot, I like this list, and I mostly like the particular choices on it.

I would add a microplane grater. And not only do I disagree with the choice to skip a colander and make do with a mesh strainer, but if I had to choose one or the other as a starting-out cook I'd skip the mesh strainer and make do with a micro-perforated colander. Colanders and strainers are cheap, though, so I don't see why this has to be a choice.

I would want either a slotted spoon or a spider, or possibly both depending on what I liked to cook.

I would probably want more spatulas. The article talks about getting a turner, and I 100% agree, but they don't actually list it.

I don't see the point of having two 12" skillets. And I'd get a 6" nonstick skillet before I got an 8". I do agree that a 12" cast iron and a 10" teflon are the core skillets. Cast iron is cheaper than teflon, so this is a money saving move, in addition to the utility of having one of your skillets be oven-safe.

These guys have expensive taste in knives, especially since a starting-out cook probably doesn't know what they want in a knife yet.

Likewise, $34 is a whole lot of money for one spoon. And how is $100 a "budget" Dutch oven? You can get a perfectly good one for $50 at Target.

All this said, though: even at the "budget" level, this is an equipment list for someone who takes joy in cooking. That's not going to be a whole lot of recent college grads, and maybe not too many transplants from far-off lands either.

[clevermanka]

even at the "budget" level, this is an equipment list for someone who takes joy in cooking. That's not going to be a whole lot of recent college grads, and maybe not too many transplants from far-off lands either
Yes, this.

[eller]

Ehhh... My boyfriend is quite serious about cooking, and he doesn't own half this stuff. Like, I've never even seen measuring spoons or a salad spinner (LOLWUT), and who needs an oven thermometer? And cast iron skillets are something kitchen snobs use to show off, but they're actually quite useless if you don't cook on the open flame of a gas stove. It will just perform like any other skillet but waste enormous amounts of energy by taking forever to heat... XD
A really essential thing that's missing is an egg timer. Also, rice cooker, please...

[gloss]

idk, cast iron skillets are also great because they can go into the oven.

I don't think one can bake (or make a curry from scratch) without measuring spoons.

[sabotabby]

I feel like this is correct but also I'm not enough of a grownup to have all this.

[minoanmiss]

ahahhahaha bwee :)

[lunabee34]

I use almost everything on that list; I don't use the scales, the thermometer for baking or the rolling pin or the scraper thingy. Everything else is pretty much in constant rotation and heavy use in my house.

[lunabee34]

I do not care for the silicone coated tongs, though. I love me some tongs, but boy are the silicone ones slippery.

I love my salad spinner; so excellent for washing herbs.

I love cast iron. I grew up with a gas stove and my parents cooking in cast iron that had been lovingly cared for for decades. Everybody cried when my mom and I were diagnosed with celiac and those skillets had to go to new homes.

I do like mesh strainers, but I only have one, and I think you need a real colander, too.

[libitina]

For $30-70 (depending on sales) you can get a set of pots that includes a 1quart saucepan, 2 quart saucepan, 5 quart soup pot, a skillet, some lids, and maybe even some plastic spoons and spatulas if they are trying to boost their listing for price per item.

These will be thin, nonstick, and with heavy use you will have to replace the skillet in about 5 years. But they nest for storage (because they all fit in a box set), are lightweight for moving around until you find stability, and work perfectly well for everything but extreme high heat and fanciness.

For another $40-60 you can get a starter set of bakeware - a 9"x13" casserole, an 8"x8" casserole, and a pie plate.

If you are patient and live near an Aldi's and are very aggressive about going on the first day of weekly sales, you can buy enameled cast iron for $10-30/piece. Another friend bought all of hers at a thrift store, but I've never seen that work for anyone else.

I don't think you should buy chef's knives until you have a plan for how to keep them sharp. If you aren't comfortable there, then a set of microserrated steak knives will work for almost all of your cutting needs (except for winter squash or watermelons). DO NOT BUY the Ikea basic knife kit - it is crap. You can do better with random things from the supermarket. When they are ready for their first chef's knife, then the $5-10 one from an asian market utensil aisle will be fine.

Yes, you need a cutting board. I find though that people get comfortable with a certain style and it's best to let them buy their own. But the thin plastic color coded cutting mats, which you can use over a board or alone are nice, and they encourage a new cook to be mindful about cross-contamination.

[minoanmiss]

saves this to advise people with

[hitchhiker]

it's a good list for "stuff to collect over time", i.e. if you're getting something new prioritise stuff from the list. definitely not a list of must-haves, especially for a beginner!

[musesfool]

This seems more like a bridal registry list than a beginner cook list (or a list of potential gifts a parent might give an adult child who is moving out). I do own a lot of it, though, accumulated over the years. I might not have been paying close enough attention though, because though I saw a pie plate (which I would say is nice to have but not necessary to start, though you can make seven-layer dip in it even if you don't make pies), I didn't see any cake pans (other than the loaf pan). I'd skip the pie plate personally, and go for 2 8" round layer cake pans and 1 8x8" square pan for brownies, and maybe a 9x9" square that is good for cinnamon buns (and other types of buns) - you can get them pretty cheap on like, everydaykitchens.com. everythingkitchens.com.

I'd skip the salad spinner and replace it with a regular colander (possibly because I drain pasta way more often than I wash and dry salad). I didn't buy a digital scale until a couple years ago, and I still have shitty knives for the most part (I use my kitchen shears for a lot of things other people use knives for). I also don't think you need 2 12" frying pans - especially if you have an apartment-size stove, like I do. One 12" stainless with high sides for risotto, 1 10" cast iron (the workhorse for me - I have an enameled one), and 1 8" cast iron works for me (that's what she said), and then I have a square non-stick frying pan that is probably 8" diagonally - it's great for meatballs and chicken cutlets, which I find do not do well in cast iron (or perhaps it's that I find them more difficult to clean up after in cast iron), though I use my cast iron pans a lot, especially for dishes that go from stovetop to oven. I also finally got a grill pan last summer, which is pretty nice but not necessary.

I love my Dutch oven, but if you have a slow cooker or Instant Pot, you can skip it, imo. I also didn't buy a "saucier" until a couple years ago - my 2qt and 3qt saucepans from the Revereware set my mom bought me when I moved out in 1994 have worked perfectly well for that.

I would say more silicon spatulas and a bunch of cheaper wooden spoons than are on that list, along with a spaghetti spider, and a sturdier spatula for flipping pancakes and burgers, and fewer pricey thermometers. I'd also hold off on the immersion blender unless they also make a lot of smoothies or mixed drinks (though I now own two by mistake, in addition to the regular blender I bought when I moved into this apartment). I'd also ditch the pepper mill.

The list needs some oven mitts, a couple of trivets or pot holders, a draining rack, and some storage containers - both for leftovers and for sugar/flour etc. to keep out any local wildlife.

[libitina]

Immersion blender is definitely a 2-5 years later gift, when they'll really appreciate that there are models that separate to go in the dishwasher

[acelightning73]

This has some overlap with what to give to a newlywed couple starting their first home, including all the kitchen stuff nobody things to get them. Someone gave me a set of canisters (flour, sugar, coffee, pasta, tea bags, and a matching set of kitchen towels. Useful things which pleased me more than the blender somone else gave me. I often give new households things like baking pans, a rolling pin, wire whisks, and a copy of Fanny Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cookbook (the one I was raised on) The best gift I ever got was my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, and that's why when I couldn't get parts for my mother's old mixer (which I had promised my son), Kitchen Aid said they'd give me a brand new factory-refurbished mixer to replace the ancient one, which they wanted for their museum. So I'm now using the one they gave me, and i gave the one it replaced to my son. Now, I'm not in any financial position to give anyone a brand-new Kitchen Aid, but I'd recommend that all the relatives chip in and get one for any set of newlyweds.

I wish I had a way to take my head full of 70 years of accumulated cooking skills and give it to anyone starting a household. My son became a serious foodie by learning from me, and learning from my mother the stuff she had taught me. Now he holds yearly feasts for all his friends, and his holiday gift to them is his creative cooking skill. One of his friends was a young woman from India, and she was vegan (HIndu). In order to accommodate her at his Yule feast, he got a bright yellow squash, and stuffed it with red lentil curry (seasoned with red wine to intensify the color) and cubes of the squash flesh and lots of other vegetables and spices. He took one of his braised brussels sprouts and set it on top of the whole squash, creating a beautiful holiday color display - red, gold, green. She was impressed, and so were the other guests. (He always invites me to his feasts, so I can make my butter-dipped dinner rolls and also the Yule log cake. And he always roasts a plain chicken or a turkey breast for me, instead of my having to eat lentils or roast boar or goose or brussels sprouts. He knows all my food sensitivities and advises me what I should order or avoid in any restaurant I'm not familiar with.)

[mdlbear]

My standard wedding gift is a home-made wooden cutting board -- single slab of maple, suitably finished, and with a sheet of instructions in the package. Usually we would have given the couple a copy of Joy of Cooking as a housewarming gift.

[anna_wing]

This is roughly what I started with when I first lived on my own after university :

Microwave oven, ideally with conventional oven function

Chef's knife (if you can already use a Chinese chopper you're not a beginner)
Small fruit/vegetable knife
Bread-knife
Knife-sharpener

Crock-pot/Rice-cooker/pressure cooker

Small stainless steel saucepan with lid
Large stainless steel saucepan with lid
Large stainless steel saute pan with lid
Stainless steel roasting/baking pan
Teflon baking sheet
Pyrex casserole pan with lid
Wok (cast iron, ideally already seasoned by your mother, grandmother or family cook, but doing it yourself isn't hard)
Steel or pyrex mixing bowls
Pyrex measuring jug
Kitchen scale

Wooden spoons
Turners, both steel and plastic
Cooking chopsticks
Tongs
Two chopping boards (meat and non-meat)
Colander
Rolling pin

Spice-grinder (for nuts)
Heavy stone mortar and pestle (for spices)
Citrus juicer
Egg separator

A set of cheap Chinese rice bowls to prepare ingredients for stir-frying

New things that someone starting out now might find useful:

HappyCall double frying pan/grill
One of those Japanese cook-anything pots that has evnough processing-power to fly you to Mars.

[ceo]

I'm not a fan of cast iron skillets and I'm really not a fan of nonstick (I'm never convinced they're not going to slowly poison me). But I am very very fond of my carbon steel skillet; it handles everything you might want a nonstick skillet for beautifully, and you can use metal tools on it (like my fish spatula). Otherwise this is a fine list of things to collect over time.

[minoanmiss]

The old Teflon nonstick, yeah. If it kills birds what does it do to us? There is now much-more-expensive ceramic nonstick, though. I'm willing to trust that. But that said I lust after carbon steel. I kept out of the kitchen on my recent visit so I wouldn't be tempted to put one of your pans in my purse. ;)