Recommended kitchen tools

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Pass_the_Grub

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Hey everyone! I've recently gotten my own apartment but I am dangerously low on quality kitchen gear. At the moment I only have one charred skillet from the 50's and a few knives of varying degrees of usefulness. Does anyone have any recommendations for pans or cutlery? Much appreciated!
 
Lets start at the beginning! :D What kind of food do you want to cook? The answer to that question will influence the choice of equipment. For example, do you want to do deep frying? If so, then a deep-fryer would be good. And so on...

Rock bottom (non-electrical) basics:

A good non-stick medium sized frying pan.
A good cook's knife and a knife sharpener (try sharpening the ones you have before buying new).
A non-stick chef's pan which can double as a wok for stews and stir-fries. They look a bit like woks with a flat bottom.
One medium and one large saucepan (I recommend stainless steel) for simmering vegetables, making sauces and cooking pasta/rice.
Some kind of oven proof dish for casseroles baked in the oven.
Wooden spoons for stirring.
A nylon spatula to use in the non-stick frying pan.
 
Thank you! I'm a very novice cook and I'm still learning about what I like to cook and exactly how to do it. That seems like a pretty good starting list of essentials! I appreciate the help.
 
Pass_the_Grub said:
Thank you! I'm a very novice cook and I'm still learning about what I like to cook and exactly how to do it. That seems like a pretty good starting list of essentials! I appreciate the help.
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I'm sure others will offer suggestions. I was just trying to keep it really basic. If I had those things I could easily survive provided I had an oven and hob! If you want to make cakes then add a cake tin and muffin tin! A flat baking sheet might also be useful.
 
Elawin said:
One of the first things I got was a frying-pan with a lid, much more useful than your usual open pan.
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I also have a wok with a lid, ideal for simmering curries.

curry cooking s.jpg


Lid removed for photograph.
 
To add a few items to MG's list:

A tin/can opener
A potato/vegetable peeler
A set of weighing scales
A set of measuring spoons (or cups)
A measuring jug (for liquids)
A pepper mill
A chopping board
 
If you lived here, a rice cooker would be a mandatory requirement. Everyone and his brother has a rice cooker.

A local mail order company has 5255 rice cookers in its listings.
 
morning glory said:
Its a mystery to me. Rice is so easy to cook on the hob or even in the microwave.
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I'm assuming, in @Yorky's case, the rice cookers are used to support the sheer volume of rice that's needed. I make rice only on occasion, and I always use water in a pot with a lid on it. But, if I were making it every day, I'd probably decide to get a rice cooker (since it frees up a burner that you might need for something else).
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I'm assuming, in @Yorky's case, the rice cookers are used to support the sheer volume of rice that's needed. I make rice only on occasion, and I always use water in a pot with a lid on it. But, if I were making it every day, I'd probably decide to get a rice cooker (since it frees up a burner that you might need for something else).
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True.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
(since it frees up a burner that you might need for something else).
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Many rural Thais either cook on a charcoal bbq (see below) or a single gas ring (both outside). Before rice cookers became widely available (and cheap) I understand that the rice was cooked first and then left to cool whilst the other dish(es) were cooked. With a rice cooker it not only frees the bbq/gas ring, it also has the facility to keep the rice warm.

bbq.jpg
 
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