Kitchen Essentials: Cooking Equipment – TKC 20

by RogerFebruary 28, 2015

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Kitchen Essentials: Cooking Equipment

There is a lot of debate on what kind of gear you should have to be a well-equipped home cooking kitchen. The truth is you don’t need much equipment to cook a huge variety of dishes. Much of what we have in our kitchens, while we like to have gadgets (and there is nothing wrong with having a ton of stuff in your kitchen), isn’t all necessary to be a successful home cook. I certainly wouldn’t want you to avoid getting in the kitchen because you feel like you don’t have the right gear to be successful.

For this episode, I want to talk about what I think is essential gear to get started with home cooking. Your ideas of essential gear may be different than mine and this probably isn’t a comprehensive list, but its a start. And if you are already a seasoned home cook then you can see if you are missing any of these essential pieces. To clarify, this isn’t a list that will include things like spoons, cheese graters, or other gadgets, but the basics you need for home cooking.

Below are some examples of the types of items I talk about in the episode. These are Amazon affiliate links, and while you could certainly purchase any of these that way (and I’d get a little commission to support the podcast) I would prefer you find these at local retailers where you could check them out in person. Buying knives and cookware is a very personal decision so you want to know how they will feel in your hand, how heavy they are, how they look, etc.

A word about buying sets vs. piece by piece (open stock). Often buying open stock items (or each item individually) rather than in a set is a more economical way to go, especially if you are buying quality pieces over a long period of time (because they are expensive).

The Basics:

Kitchen knife (cook/chef knife)

Wusthof Classic 6-Inch Cook’s Knife
Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Cook’s Knife

A note about pots and pans: materials

There are several types of materials for cookware, but the most common you’ll come across are stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum, and enameled cookware. There are pros and cons to each. In the episode I talk a little bit about each. Williams-Sonoma has a nice online breakdown of these types.

Next Steps:

Aside from collecting different sizes of the equipment mentioned before, you may want to look at these other pieces.

Dutch Oven

Lodge Color EC6D43 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, Island Spice Red, 6-Quart
Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 5-1/2-Quart Round French Oven, Red

Non-Stick Frying Pan

Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick Dishwasher Safe Omelette Frying Pan Combo, 10-Inch/12-Inch

Casserole Dish

Pyrex Bakeware 4.8 Quart Oblong Baking Dish, Clear

Loaf Pan

Farberware Nonstick Bakeware 9-by-5-Inch Loaf Pan

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