In Good Taste #003: Kitchen Essentials
10 things to get you started
I think the biggest misconception about cooking is the idea that you need special equipment for food to taste good. Annually, there seems to be a new “gadget of the year”—air fryers, deep fryers, waffle makers, rice cookers, slow cookers, bread mixers, pasta machines—the question of what to buy for your kitchen is a daunting one, and the search for its answer has given rise to a $200 billion dollar a year industry.
In Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking, she starts one chapter by criticizing the often contrived lists that authors share at the beginning of their cookbooks for the necessary equipment one needs to execute the recipes that follow. Then, Colwin proceeds by writing her own list. Because it’s true, there are certain things one needs in one’s kitchen to cook. Soup, after all, doesn’t simmer well in the palm of one’s hand. But people were cooking for generations with nothing more than sticks and stones before we invented the Crockpot.
I’ve been wanting to write this list for a while. I think it’s a crucial jumping off point for any evolving home cook. And as I’ve spent this year in many different kitchens, many of which weren’t my own, I feel like I have a particular sense of what is actually necessary, what is the minimum I can cook well with. These are the things I’ve found myself missing, things I have bought and actually used. It’s a list born from patterns of practice, from trial and error—I too have fallen victim to the kitchen gadget industrial complex. But as most New Yorkers know, if I’m asking you to fill your limited kitchen space with anything at all, it has to be worth it.
The 6qt Dutch Oven from Goldilocks
Perhaps the most most used thing in my kitchen, and something I actually think everyone needs, is a 6qt dutch oven. It can be used just as well for boiling pasta water as it can for baking sourdough. And especially between the months of October and April, when most things I eat are simmered or stewed, I use it pretty much every day. More specifically, I use the 6qt dutch oven from Goldilocks. It’s significantly cheaper than other, leading models at $85, but just as durable and even slightly lighter weight. If you literally buy nothing else for your kitchen (it can double as a mixing bowl, if you are okay eating directly out of it like I often do, also a plate and, on occasion, as an ice bucket), then I encourage you to buy this.
dare i say, perfection Okay I know I just told you that you can use your dutch oven as a mixing bowl and I was being serious but also, like, mixing bowls are their own crucial part of a complete kitchen. I opt for two sets of metal mixing bowls, half with shallow walls and the other with high walls. I recommend buying in sets of three—small, medium, large—which stack easily and take up actually minimal space in your cabinet. I typically buy mine from my local restaurant supply store (these are a great resource for kitchen supplies, although they are completely overwhelming so I would go in with a game plan).
You don’t need freshly grated parmesan on your pasta. And in most cases pre-ground nutmeg is just as good as its fresh-ground counterpart. But believe me when I tell you there are so many things a microplane gives us that enhance our lives: lemon zest, minced garlic, minced ginger, shaved chocolate, shredded cheese. Flavor. A microplane gives us the flavor of freshness. And I use mine every day. (A note: some people here might opt instead for a box grater. I find them quite cumbersome, and their inability to produce a fine mince frustrating).
A KitchenAid 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer
Another misconception to stocking one’s kitchen is that everything is very expensive, or perhaps, things need to be expensive for them to be good. A KitchenAid Hand Mixer runs about $60, or, at times, on sale at Target, for as little as $45 (somewhere, there is a sale on kitchen appliances happening, so just keep your eye out). The hand mixer is (obviously) more compact than a stand mixer but it achieves the same result and comes in an (almost) equally fun range of colors) It is one of two* electric kitchen gadgets I think you absolutely need. (However, if you feel like this is perhaps extraneous, a sturdy whisk will do).
*The other kitchen gadget I urge you to buy
I have had the same Ninja Bullet since my freshman year of college. It was perhaps the single best gift I’ve ever received. It has moved with me 7 times, and has endured as many years of daily use. I use it in the morning for smoothies, in the evenings for soups and sauces, at midday to chop nuts for salads or make gremolata that is perfect on top of a bed of endive. I use it so much that it is has earned a coveted place on my counter. Add this to your collection, you will not regret it.
Non-stick skillet (preferably 10inch)
Again, the Goldilocks non-stick skillet is without a doubt the best thing I own. Not only does it cook things beautifully, it cleans exceptionally well which is crucial for those of us without a dishwasher. It’s as good for frying eggs as it is for layering lasagna or searing chicken, and it’s oven proof which is literally so important because I hate transferring things from dish to dish, especially since I am among those without a dishwasher. And it hangs! Vertical storage has been so important in my small kitchens (don’t sleep on a cork board, I got mine for $12 at my local hardware store). Also, at only $45 (about the same in New York as two glasses of wine), it truly doesn’t get any better.
Flat edge rubber spatula and a (very) thin silicone spatula
Absolutely crucial. Even if the only thing you’re making is scrambled eggs or flipping pancakes, you literally can’t do that without a spatula.
Very good knives, preferably a set of 3: paring, serrated, chef’s knife
A dull knife is more dangerous than it’s sharpened counterpart. And using the wrong knife is perhaps worst of all.
Pairing: peeling apples and potatoes, mincing small amounts of garlic and onions, julienning herbs
Serrated (aka bread knife): slicing bread, tomatoes, and fruit without crushing them
Kitchen: Almost everything else, chopping veggies, nuts, slicing onion, carving meat, the list is quite literally, almost, infinite.
Baking
I love baking breads and although a bread dish would be ideal, if you only invest in one ovenproof baking dish, a square one will suffice because let’s face it, a square piece of pumpkin bread tastes the same as a slice from a loaf (although be mindful of adjusting bake times). It’s as good for savory—think roast chicken thighs or salmon—as it is for sweet—loaf cakes, normal cakes, I’ve even had luck with cookies. It’s versatility is endlessly worth it.
can you tell i gravitate toward red kitchen accents Cookie Sheet (optional but encouraged)
I understand that this is cheating. That these are 2 different things and I said 10 things and this technically brings this to 11. However, this is optional and only encouraged for thinks like 1 pan meals or baking cookies. It just makes cooking easier. That being said, I myself have gone long periods without a cookie sheet and have faired just fine.
Recipes are written for a reason. There is a difference between a teaspoon of cumin and a tablespoon of cumin and I urge you, especially in the early goings, to measure correctly. If you plan on baking at all, which I hope you do, this is a non-negotiable. The wrong amount of baking soda or baking powder is the difference between a good cake and a bad cake, flat and crisp cookies and soft and chewy cookies.
For links to the above, see HERE
Kitchenaid and rubber spatula are truly god tier kitchen essentials