smallens727
Assistant Cook
I'm truly new to cooking/baking. I'm trying to figure out what is everyone else's go to tools and what do you use them the most for? I have a small kitchen and barely any storage. Thank you!
What is/are your go to tool(s)?
- Thread starter smallens727
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Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Faced with a limited amount of space, I'd have a cast iron skillet, enameled CI pot, chef's knife and cutting board, bamboo spats/spoons.
Electric hand whisk / beater, a really good powerful one, great for whisking stuff but strong enough for bread dough.
You need to be able to stir, chop and turn food, try to go for quality instead of cheap plastic. I prefer wood and metal.
Wooden spoon, a good whisk, turner, a slotted spoon. Good chef knife, pairing knife and bread knife, a knife sharpener.
You need to have something to prepare the food in.
3 bowls, one large enough for dough and two smaller. 1 large and 1 small cutting board. I use the small one for garlic and onion only.
You also need something to cook in:
1 frying pan, a larger pot 5 qt and a smaller pot 2 qt.
2 casserole dishes, one large and one smaller, a cake pan and loaf pan. Yes you can make savory food in a cake pan and you can make lasagna in a loaf pan.
Dont forget thinks like kitchen towels, potholders and trivets, those are important too.
You need to be able to stir, chop and turn food, try to go for quality instead of cheap plastic. I prefer wood and metal.
Wooden spoon, a good whisk, turner, a slotted spoon. Good chef knife, pairing knife and bread knife, a knife sharpener.
You need to have something to prepare the food in.
3 bowls, one large enough for dough and two smaller. 1 large and 1 small cutting board. I use the small one for garlic and onion only.
You also need something to cook in:
1 frying pan, a larger pot 5 qt and a smaller pot 2 qt.
2 casserole dishes, one large and one smaller, a cake pan and loaf pan. Yes you can make savory food in a cake pan and you can make lasagna in a loaf pan.
Dont forget thinks like kitchen towels, potholders and trivets, those are important too.
My three most-often used items in the kitchen include a short pig tail flipper, several silicone scrapers/spatulas, and my all-time champ...a 2-quart batter bowl. In fact, I have 3 of the batter bowls I use them so often, many occasions at the same time.
Another of my buddies in the kitchen is my Salter electronic scale. I can whip up all sorts of things and never have to dirty up a measuring cup. That's especially nice when I'm making a recipe that calls for peanut butter, lard or other challenging messy ingredients.
Another of my buddies in the kitchen is my Salter electronic scale. I can whip up all sorts of things and never have to dirty up a measuring cup. That's especially nice when I'm making a recipe that calls for peanut butter, lard or other challenging messy ingredients.
tenspeed
Executive Chef
It's going to depend upon what and how you like to cook. We eat mostly chicken or seafood, some pork, and not all that much beef. I have a pretty good variety of cookware and no lack of storage, but the most often used pan is a tri-ply skillet with a lid. Second most often used is either a 3 qt. sauce pan or my Zoji rice cooker (used for more than just basic rice). I'm not including the gas Weber, but that gets used year round (unless the snow gets too deep for me to shovel, which happened two winters ago).
I have a cast iron skillet, but haven't used it in years. It's a great pan for making blackened fish outdoors over a propane burner. I have both CI and tri-ply dutch ovens, and if it wasn't for dutch oven bread, the tri-ply DO gets used more than the CI.
I have a cast iron skillet, but haven't used it in years. It's a great pan for making blackened fish outdoors over a propane burner. I have both CI and tri-ply dutch ovens, and if it wasn't for dutch oven bread, the tri-ply DO gets used more than the CI.
A 2 cup measuring cup, bamboo utensils, 2 quart pot with lid and 9 inch frying pan. Those are what I must have to cook. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
beetlejuice
Assistant Cook
I have a Kitchen Aid Multi Cooker and a Zojirushi Bread Machine.
OP is looking for the minimalist kitchen, no room for lots of appliances. She wants to know what to buy as a starter for her small kitchen.
Rocklobster
Master Chef
Corkscrew
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GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
That is a Papa's little helper...
Mama's, too
In fact, I'll need one tonight for the mussels meuniére.
Mama's, too
True, true, but I didn't want to call Roch "Mama"...
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Would have to say a 12 in. cast iron griddle. It sees daily use... often multiple times
blissful
Master Chef
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
- Messages
- 6,356
A kitchen shears, I just love mine, for herbs, for packaging, to cut up poultry, to cut jerky, to cut this or that. I don't know how I cooked for so long without them.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Janet, I have a large batter bowl from the 1920's. It is clear green and has a pouring spout on both sides. Unfortunately, it has become too heavy for me to handle anymore. So now Pirate, who fell in love with it, uses it all the time.
bakechef
Executive Chef
Tongs, silicone spatulas and bowl scrapers, nesting mixing bowls to save space. These things I use daily and I multiples of each. A bench scraper
nesting measuring cups are nice to save space and they are easy to keep together.
nesting measuring cups are nice to save space and they are easy to keep together.
Rocklobster
Master Chef
Helps get the creativity flowing...That is a Papa's little helper...
I lived overseas for a while and had a tiny place with only 6 inches of kitchen counter space and virtually no storage. I learned that what you want and what you have to have are really different. Here's my short list:
1 cutting board
1 10 inch chef knife
1 3 inch paring knife
1 wood spoon for mixing, stirring, etc
1 spatula/flipper
can opener
folding mandoline (can be used to grate cheese, etc)
1 10 inch fry pan and lid, w oven proof handle
1 2-3 qt saucepan and lid, w/ oven proof handle
1 medium size wok w/ lid.
1 casserole / baking dish
optional:
1 med size stock pot
nesting mixing bowls set
immersion blender
wire whip
more pans and baking ware
more spoons, spatulas, etc
I would focus on buying high quality multi-taskers.
As an example a wok can be used as a mixing bowl or steamer, a skillet can be used to bake biscuits, cakes and even bread.
Will you have a microwave? Toaster?
1 cutting board
1 10 inch chef knife
1 3 inch paring knife
1 wood spoon for mixing, stirring, etc
1 spatula/flipper
can opener
folding mandoline (can be used to grate cheese, etc)
1 10 inch fry pan and lid, w oven proof handle
1 2-3 qt saucepan and lid, w/ oven proof handle
1 medium size wok w/ lid.
1 casserole / baking dish
optional:
1 med size stock pot
nesting mixing bowls set
immersion blender
wire whip
more pans and baking ware
more spoons, spatulas, etc
I would focus on buying high quality multi-taskers.
As an example a wok can be used as a mixing bowl or steamer, a skillet can be used to bake biscuits, cakes and even bread.
Will you have a microwave? Toaster?
Yep, same here. Also I'd maybe add a bread knife to that mix.
Yeah the cast iron skillet gets well used here. I beat the crap out of mine by using it twice a day for 2 different meals. And since it's seasoned, cleaning is a simple wipe out with a towel. I don't even have to pick it up and move it which is nice because it's heavy. It lives on the stove 24/7/365.
I even fry fresh cut french fries in it. It's deep enough to fry potatoes for 3 of us -- either fries or hot chips. So I don't have to dig out the Emeril branded deep fryer.
I want to get a CI pot. I just have some stock pans.
