My first cooking tools were spares from home and some things I picked up at Wal-Mart and thrift stores. I'm lucky that my mom took good care of her kitchen tools and gradually moved the ones she didn't use to the basement. When I went off to live on my own, it helped her clean up the clutter and she helped me get a leg up.
Tools
Use what you have first. A variety of tools in the kitchen is great but sometimes you can't afford a lot. Here's what I would say are some of the most basic tools to keep in the kitchen to start.
1. Basic Dining utensils - Forks, knives, spoons, plates, bowls and cups. If you live on your own, you might be able to eat certain things right out of the pot you cooked it in, but that's not always practical. Search thrift stores, discount stores or stores like Wal-mart for cheap utensils. Consider using some tools more creatively (a fork can substitute for a whisk on certain occasions), pairing a plate with aluminum foil will substitute for most storage containers in a pinch.
2. 1 paring knife and 1 knife with a serrated blade - In most cases, you don't need more than this. It's great to have a meat cleaver, chef's knife, deveining knife, etc but that requires additional investment. A paring knife will allow you to peel vegetables and cut most meat while a knife with a serrated blade will help you cut through tougher meat and also allow you to cut bread without crushing it.
3. Kitchen towels - Accept that you are not as graceful as you think you are. You will spill things in the kitchen. Moreover, a dry kitchen towel folded a few times will substitute for an oven mitt in a pinch.
4. 2 pans with metal handles - I suggest getting one smaller and one larger pan. Smaller pans heat up more quickly and work best for small quick meals. A second larger pan is helpful when you're cooking larger dishes or for when you need to cook parts of a meal separately. I suggest getting pans that have metal handles because they can easily be transferred into a warm oven, serving dual purpose.
5. 2 pots - Again I suggest getting one smaller and one larger for the same reasons described above. Having a small pot with a handle of more than four inches is very handy for making small dishes that can be eaten right out of the pot if you are living alone (or you know no one will be judging you for it).
6. Spatula, large spoon and tongs - between flipping, stirring, and picking up hot food, these are your basic essential kitchen tools. While you can certainly use a fork to pick up or flip food, I suggest using a tool that will reduce your risk of being burned.
7. Cutting Board - Between wood, glass, marble and plastic, plastic is your best choice for affordability. Hard plastic cutting boards are typically easy to find and will last years. Make sure you keep them clean and spray them with a bleach water solution (1 part bleach for 9 parts water is used in most laboratories to kill fungi and bacteria) after cutting meat.
8. Measuring cups/spoons - Make sure you know which is meant for liquid measurement and which is meant for solids. That mistake can ruin a dish. Plastic versions of both are relatively cheap and easy to find.
9. Containers - Whether you use them to store ingredients you prepared ahead of time or you use them to store leftovers, containers sometimes called "Tupperware" are very useful in the kitchen. Personally, I prefer glass because they tend to be more stain resistant - a problem when you want to store dishes with tomato sauce.
9a. Aluminum foil - I try to keep some around the house at all times. It's a useful material for storing food as well as for baking. Whenever I cook fish, I bake it in aluminum foil. It saves time on cleanup and if you don't think you'll eat all of it, it's very convenient for storage.
There are many more tools to add to your kitchen but I just wanted to cover the basics for those getting started in the kitchen. For most of the tools, dollar stores, thrift stores and discount stores like Wal-Mart will be your best bet. Plastic is typically the cheapest material that your cooking tools will be made out of but as you become more experienced and decide to invest in your kitchen, you will want to upgrade to materials like stainless steel (which does not hold on to odors), glass (which doesn't stain easily), and in some cases silicon (which can help prevent you from scratching surfaces).
Next Tuesday I will drop some more knowledge and advice on cooking for your tooling around in the kitchen.
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