View Full Version : Outfit an empty kitchen
Gentlemen, I returned from my most recent deployment to an apartment devoid of half my stuff (join the club right?) and have NOTHING in the kitchen, not even a fork. So I am looking for some guidelines on what to get, I don't have endless amounts of money but I'm willing to buy good shit that will last a long time.
What do I look for/recommendations for,
Pots/Pans
Knives/Cutting Boards
Flatwear
Cookwear stuff like measuring cups or baking sheets
Misc. Kitchen supplies/gadgets
If you have an Ikea then I would hit it for flat ware, plates etc..
The other option is to raid your local Walmart and go to town. 15 years after our marriage and we are still using the same everything and it is going strong. The only thing I would look hard for would be kitchen knives.
Another option is a local Goodwill or Salvation Army store. Uber cheap. Stuff wont match, but some good buys can be had.
Sorry you had to deal with this man. It sucks.
I cook a lot. Some people even think I am pretty good at it.
Your question is sort of like when a new shooter asks "what gun should I buy?"
What do you like to cook? How often do you cook your own meals? How much time do you have?
For pots and pans, three ply stainless-aluminum-stainless is a good way to go for general use. For some foods, cast iron is the only way to go. Calphalon makes a great series of teflon cast iron the cleans up easily. It all really depends on what you are trying to do.
Belmont31R
11-25-11, 12:02
Oneida is a decent brand for forks/spoons, ect. They sell many sets of various prices. I would just get one within your budget that appeals to you and appears decently made. We are currently using Henckels flatware, though. Don't buy the cheapest stuff because you'll notice fork tines start bending easily and spoons will fold up like a leaf.
Knives are one thing I would spend some money on. Lots of good brands like Henckels, Wustof, Global, Shun, ect. I would not go buy a huge kit unless you find one on sale. I have a big "set", and honestly could get away with 3 knives for half of what I spent. I would put the most money into a good 8-10" slicer, and thats what most people use the most. I bought a $200 Ken Onion Shun, and love it. I cook almost everyday so its worth it to me to have good stuff. I would buy all this stuff from an actual restaurant supply store or dedicated kitchen ware retailer. Don't buy stuff at Wal Mart because they are not the same grade of stuff but they charge a premium. Amazon works, too.
For pots and pans All Clad is good, and will last many years.
For measuring cups we get Pyrex. I just bought one that has measurements on the inside so you just look down when you pour out stuff into the measuring cup instead of looking through the outside as you pour.
I cook a lot. Some people even think I am pretty good at it.
Your question is sort of like when a new shooter asks "what gun should I buy?"
What do you like to cook? How often do you cook your own meals? How much time do you have?
For pots and pans, three ply stainless-aluminum-stainless is a good way to go for general use. For some foods, cast iron is the only way to go. Calphalon makes a great series of teflon cast iron the cleans up easily. It all really depends on what you are trying to do.
Thats why I asked, I had a feeling there was much more to it than go to Target with a credit card.
I don't get into it really, I'll most likely be cooking a weeks worth of meat and vegetables on weekends and maybe get adventurous once in a while, so I don't really need anything fancy, but I would like to have stuff that will last and be good because I'm sure some day baking 20 pounds of chicken won't the standard. Basically buy once cry once.
A lot of it depends on what you like to cook, your budget, and skill level.
Cast iron is GREAT to cook on. It lasts forever, it's easy to clean, it makes food taste great. It's also a bit on the expensive side (sometimes) and there's some skill involved in using it (mostly cleaning, but also regulating heat).
I shy away from cheap aluminum or stainless pots and pans. The good stainless ones aren't too bad. I'm also a big fan of copper cookware if you're up for the extra work, again typically hand cleaning and you have to polish them sometimes.
For kitchen knives I like Henckel. They're not too expensive but they hold a nice edge and are made well. I've tried plenty of more expensive knives that are VERY nice (many of my friends are chefs), but I can't justify the cost since I don't do it professionally. They have a wide array of products and pricing, get whichever fits for you. Some research into each may do you good...at some point you may be paying more for features you don't need.
For preparing and general 'cooking' get an 8" chef's knife, or something like a Santoku (my preferred). It'll do 90% of whatever you'll need, especially if you don't get too advanced.
Also don't skimp on measuring devices. I like having a 2-4 cup measuring cup along with a set of small measuring cups for 1/4c-1c. I've used plenty of cheap ones and they all ended up in the trash within a couple months. I like stainless steel with the measurements etched or engraved or otherwise permanently placed on the device.
A Kitchenaid stand mixer is also very valuable if you do some more complicated meals. I've heard the new ones aren't very good and are underpowered and not of good quality...try and score an old one if you can. I've got a somewhat older model that works great. You can also use it to grind meat for smaller jobs. The newer ones don't have the horsepower for anything but the simplest grinding jobs...my old one does OK with most I through at it. If you want to do something like process a whole deer or something you may want to look for a dedicated unit. But in any event, a good stand mixer is very valuable in the kitchen.
A lot of it depends on what you like to cook, your budget, and skill level.
Cast iron is GREAT to cook on. It lasts forever, it's easy to clean, it makes food taste great. It's also a bit on the expensive side (sometimes) and there's some skill involved in using it (mostly cleaning, but also regulating heat).
I shy away from cheap aluminum or stainless pots and pans. The good stainless ones aren't too bad. I'm also a big fan of copper cookware if you're up for the extra work, again typically hand cleaning and you have to polish them sometimes.
For kitchen knives I like Henckel. They're not too expensive but they hold a nice edge and are made well. I've tried plenty of more expensive knives that are VERY nice (many of my friends are chefs), but I can't justify the cost since I don't do it professionally. They have a wide array of products and pricing, get whichever fits for you. Some research into each may do you good...at some point you may be paying more for features you don't need.
For preparing and general 'cooking' get an 8" chef's knife, or something like a Santoku (my preferred). It'll do 90% of whatever you'll need, especially if you don't get too advanced.
Also don't skimp on measuring devices. I like having a 2-4 cup measuring cup along with a set of small measuring cups for 1/4c-1c. I've used plenty of cheap ones and they all ended up in the trash within a couple months. I like stainless steel with the measurements etched or engraved or otherwise permanently placed on the device.
A Kitchenaid stand mixer is also very valuable if you do some more complicated meals. I've heard the new ones aren't very good and are underpowered and not of good quality...try and score an old one if you can. I've got a somewhat older model that works great. You can also use it to grind meat for smaller jobs. The newer ones don't have the horsepower for anything but the simplest grinding jobs...my old one does OK with most I through at it. If you want to do something like process a whole deer or something you may want to look for a dedicated unit. But in any event, a good stand mixer is very valuable in the kitchen.
Do your comments on kitchen aid mixers apply to both their bigger and smaller models or just the smaller Artisan model?
Go to Wallyworld for your Pyrex measuring cups, casserole type dishes, etc...
For flatware I would say that Oneida will be just fine. For cooking ware I would look at Calphalon.
Someone had Mr. Coffee coffee machines on sale. We have had ours for like 7 years now and it still does pretty good.
Get good kitchen knives. All knives take a beating and you will know the cheap ones right away.
For dishes take a look at Corningware.
As others already mentioned about what may suit your needs. There's also Target that you may wish to check out for kitchen stuffs.
Hope you find what you're looking for!
If you are going 'the weekly joint' route, do take a look at one of the Pyrex baking dish sets with silicone covers. You can bake it up and store it in the same dish with little fuss. I like to do a tray of thighs or breasts this way.
Learn how to cook rice. Fresh hot rice is awesome with a teriyaki chicken breast and some steamed vegies.
One of my favorite dishes is simple pasta with EVO. Angel hair cooks in less than 4 minutes. Drain in a colander quickly under cold water. While the pot is still hot pour in a few tps of EVO and some garlic salt. Quickly return the pasta to the pot and stir. At this stage it fine just as it is or dress it with a little Parmesan. You can have this dish done in less than 10 minutes beginning to end.
Do your comments on kitchen aid mixers apply to both their bigger and smaller models or just the smaller Artisan model?
I don't even know which one I have...it's pretty old, possibly before any pro or artisan designations. What I've heard with the new ones is that some have plastic parts like gearing, and a reduced output motor. Whatever you buy, do a little research and see if the model you're looking at is able to perform to your needs. For a lot of people a very basic stand mixer is more then enough anyways....or just go old school like I did and get an old one. Like most things in life, they built 'em better back in the day.
cast iron and good stainless like AllClad last a lifetime
non stick a few years before they loose their non stick ability
Tfal pro series is one of the best non stick and a 12 inch only runs you about $30 :) they have a $30 model at target that will also work for a non stick
cast iron is the original non stick but its tougher to take care of but worth having searing meat in cast iron if you cant get out to a BBQ can be very good
12 inch skillet non stick
good size say 8 qt pot or larger for boiling pasta etc.. or cooking larger things :)
a nice 2 qt and 4 qt for making things in sauces etc..
Bed Bath Beyond has good stuff also for cooking tools of course many other places do as well but not sure your budget ?
all clad I have been using for over 15 years still like new
again the non stick I replace every few years when it quits being non stick :) so cheap but good on those
silverware we have oneida but ikea or other places will do
we use corelleware but we have kids :) otherwise Ikea has some cool stuff
things like vegie peeler and strange little things are the things often you dont need till you need it :) and then are thinking OH NO but go light at first think about what you eat how you eat ?
zylis garlic press
swingaway can opener
do you need steak knives ?
do you eat a lot of corn on the cob and like those holders :) or you a greasy finger guy
bamboo skewers I like having for BBQ stuff
measuring devices I like glass corning the best
measuring spoons I like with one piece no mold lines to get gunked up
I like crock pot cooking killer chili and stuff is really easy and they dont need to be expensive
knives what others have said a good chefs a good slicing and paring are the basics and a good wood cutting board and a good poly cutting board
chicken and pork or anything that can get you sick if not cooked goes on poly for sure and a touch of bleach in clean up is good to do
wood I use mostly for breads and other cooked meats
vegies and such I like the bendable boards purely for ease of use
do you use placemats ? do you use tablecloths ?
things like wooden spoons and plastic type spatula and such for your non stick and you can use them on your steel stuff so not bad to have some basic kitchen tools
paper towel holder you can use with grimy hands !!!!! simple is better IMHO :)
sure their is lots more :)
variablebinary
11-26-11, 02:52
One trip to IKEA with the wife was all that was needed when we first got married
We were in and out fairly quick, and they literally had everything. It also wasn't too expensive.
Go to Williams Sonoma when you're shopping for knives. The prices are slightly elevated but you can also try each one out for yourself and find the right handles that are comfortable for you prior to purchasing. I like the Wusthof Ikon and Grand Prix II handles the best out of the mainstream German brands. My personal favorite, like Belmont mentioned, is the Shun Ken Onion.
Also, you don't need the huge giant set that everyone wants on their counter top and instead I'd opt for something like this - http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/wusthof-classic-5-piece-knife-block-set/?pkey=cknife-sets Everything you need and it doesn't take up 1/2 a counter, sometimes less is more. I really like the Epicurean cutting boards and would recommend them to anyone.
All-Clad is nice but if I were to do it again I'd just go with the Calphalon and save a lot of money. The performance is about the same but your wallet will thank you when it comes time to purchase practice ammo later on.
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