Cooking Essentials

[LRCooks]

Well, I think so? I must say I have enjoyed this site tremendously. My daughter origannly wanted this perfectly matched set - you know mom's always had this hodge podge. Well she told me this morning that she doesn't want a matching set anylonger - that I should just give her advice on what to get. Well, that will obviously be based to a great extent on your suggestions.

I have been looking for items that she can use for serving as well. Ordered a 2 qt staub from amazon for 39.00. I think it may be a good size (and price for me) to begin learning the differences in materials. We are still in to "making a faxhion statement." At least it was on a real sale.

I'm amazed at how much time I have taken on this. Of course, she is not. She says "Mom, it's just a pot." Wait until she finds out.

I'm still open to any other suggestions and even good, quick, easy, nutritious recipes.

I thank you all so much.

 

[Katie H]

I have been looking for items that she can use for serving as well. Ordered a 2 qt staub from amazon for 39.00. I think it may be a good size (and price for me) to begin learning the differences in materials. We are still in to "making a faxhion statement." At least it was on a real sale.

I thank you all so much.

Since today's Thursday, LR, you might want to check Amazon's "Friday Sale." There are often very good bargains to be found there. Just go to Amazon's site and scroll down until you see the "Friday Sale" section on the left. Happy shopping!

 

[Caine]

Before you buy any of these "friday specials", check the price elsewhere. I know for a fact that the Senseo coffeemaker can be had at most stores for $59.95 USD, and Target's every day price for the Hamilton Beach 12 cup brew station is $49.99.

 

[LRCooks]

OK. Here we are now. 8" cast iron skillet, 12 " cast iron skillet - they are as smooth as silk - 2nd hand, 2.5 sauce pan, 5 qt cast iron cast iron dutch oven, non stick skillet, 1 qt "try me AC pan" (I can't beleive how much I use this little pan ( a gift ).

I thank you so much and we are watching for further suggestions and ideas!

 

[YT2095]

Essentials 1`st, an electric Kettle and a toaster

 

[Caine]

In an Men's Health article titled "The Minimalist Kitchen," Alton Brown (someone in here's favorite, that's why I mention the name), the self-professed king of multitasking kitchen gadgets, proposed these items:

8- or 10-inch chef's knife (Shun Classic 10-inch shown)
a stainless steel saute pan (2 quart All-Clad shown)
Cast iron skillet (12-inch Lodge shown)
Stainless steel stock pot (6 quart Calphalon shown)
A hand blender, a.k.a boat motor (Toastmaster model 1740 shown)

That's it. He went on to say "I'd rather have one good knife and a few quality pans, than a bunch of crap! I can set up a really good guy's kitchen for under $500.00, soup to nuts."

To tell you the truth, I disagree with his assessment, if it's a single person or a young couple just starting out. I also don't agree that you should spend big bucks on a few long lasting items rather than spending a minimal amount on some servicable pieces that will wear out in a few years. In a few years the couple will either be gone their separate ways (currently, 2 out of 3 marriages end in divorce!) or they will be well enough off financially to afford the good stuff themselves, if they really have an interest in cooking. When my son and his girl friend (now his wife) first moved in to their own little one bedroom apartment, I bought them The Chef Mark Kitchen Essentails Set from Fingerhut. I bought them the combined set at the bottom of the page because they had absolutely nothing to start with.

Now (according to them), she doesn't know how to cook, and he knows how but doesn't usually have the time, so I am glad I didn't waste $400 to $600 on kitchenware for them to use for display. These pieces will see them through until they can afford really good cookware if one or both of them decide to start doing some serious cooking, and my 401k is still intact if they don't.

 

[LRCooks]

Thanks for the new ideas. YT, I'm curious about the electric kettle. Why do you prefer an electric.

Caine, it looks like Alton Brown's suggestions are much in line with what everyone has been suggesting. I think for her it will be a good choice to invest a bit more in the essentials. She has cooked from scratch since she was little and she does enjoy cooking. It is quite a pleasure for her and I don't think that will change.

This is what we have put together so far. After pawning off on her some knives my husband bought a couple of years ago - she called and said "Mom, I've got to get a real knife.

I found a KichenAid 8" chef's knife at Tuesday Morning for $9.49. The knife is great.

We found a nicely seasoned 12" cast iron Griswold skillet at an estate sale for $9.00. (I had never seen any regular cast iron other than Lodge and was amazed at the silky smooth pan surface).

Cooks Illustrated rated the Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick 2 1/2 qt sauce pan with lid as a winner. Ordered it from Amazon for $29.99.

I think she needs a pot big enough for pasta. Do you think that one of those multi-pot set ups would be a good choice?

Also, would the choice of the 10" Calphalon 10" ns everyday pan with glass lid $39.99 at Amazon be a reasonable substitute for a 10 " Cuisinart Chef's Classic Hard Anodized ns skillet?


I gave her the airbake cookie sheet that she likes and a muffin pan and bread pan from my kitchen.

It has been a lot more hectic than she had expected to do that juggling act on her own. But she's a worker.

RealSimple Meals Made Easy is a great little cookbook I found. The recipes have six or fewer ingredients. She has cooked several of the recipes over the last two weeks and has loved them. She also has a Better Homes and Garden cookbook .

So, she's off to a good start with not much money spent. However, I think she has begun to than a slow cooker would be a good addition so that on the really hard days she can come home, open the door and smell the aroma of a dinner ready to eat!

I have a three pots and a big bag of potting soil on the deck that she brought over. We are going to put together herb planters today. One with mint and the other two will contaain thyme, chives, basil, parsly and one bay tree.

Thanks for all the great help.