Maybe there’s a better thread for this, but oh well. I’m getting ready to close on a house that actually has a decently sized kitchen with proper counter space, and decided I want to learn to cook and actually prepare my own meals rather than relying on takeout and frozen food.
If I were to spend $1,000 on kitchen equipment, what should I get? Assuming a completely clean slate, aside from an electric range and refrigerator/freezer. I don’t care too much (yet) about baking, so that’s not super important. But I don’t want to get hamstrung by cheap equipment.
Are we talking any kind of equipment, or just appliances?
Because one of the most important things you can get is a good set of knives if you don’t have them.
That’s a bit controversial. I don’t like them, they require maintenance, and anything you can do in cast iron you can do in a tri-ply skillet. I get great sears in my all-clad, and it’s easy to clean.
But if you’re in the cult of cast iron then sure, go for it. Just not for me.
Unless you really eat a ton of rice, I’d say you probably don’t need a rice cooker, if you get an instant pot, as it can function as a very good rice cooker. If you regularly eat rice though (like, every day or every few days), enough to have dedicated space on your counter for the cooker, then it’s nice.
I would absolutely recommend the instant pot though. A pressure cooker is extremely useful, and the instant pot is a great one.
Another piece of equipment that I’d recommend is a stick blender… I find it’s more useful and adaptable than a full standup blender.
Ah, also, another piece of equipment which I personally find useful, is my old kitchenaid mixer. I don’t do a lot of baking, but when I make things like pizza, it’s useful for making dough.
Some other pieces of equipment that maybe not everyone would want, but which I use regularly:
enameled cast iron dutch oven… I use this thing for everything. Probably my most used pot.
carbon steel pan - I’ve been using this recently. Kind of like a hyrbid between a cast iron pan and a regular stainless steel pan. There’s some work getting used to maintaining it, but it’s real nice for cooking certain things.
My pizza steel has been a real boon to making pizza. I’d recommend getting the quarter inch one, rather than the half inch one I have. I suspect it will work just as well, but is cheaper and easier to move.
Some of that stuff is cool to have, but I don’t know if it’s really core to building a new kitchen. It’s the sort of stuff you buy later on if you decide you want it. And of course if you’re asian, you already own a rice cooker anyway. It’s the law.
I guess I’d add a wooden spoon, though, even though I just use a metal spoon and the silicone spatula most of the time myself.
Honestly, if you want the bare bones, to me, all you really need is a good set of knives and a decent cutting board, and some pots and pans.
The first set of pots and pans you get honestly don’t need to be super fancy or expensive… at some point you’ll eventually want to replace them.
A good set of knives and a good cuttingboard/butcher’s block though, I think are essential. Having sharp knives makes cooking WAY easier, and good knives will hold an edge much better, and good knives will fit in your hand better.
My primary chef’s knife is an old J.A. Henckel’s 5 star. They stopped making the 5 star line a while back, but I think they may be back now. Be careful with J.A.H. knives though, because while the 5 star knives I have are nice german knives, some of J.A.H.'s stuff is much lower quality chinese made stuff. The 5 star knives today may be chinese made, so you’d want to check that out.
The 5 star line was a great line though, at least for me, as the handles are insanely comfortable. The chef knife fits perfectly in my hand, with good balance. They’re not cheap, but they’re also not thousand dollar knives. I’d recommend it for a reasonably serious home cook.
Good knives are a worthwhile investment, because if you take care of them they’ll last forever. I’ve had my 5 stars for around 25 years now, and they are still in perfect shape.
The pressure cooker is probable a decent buy at this point too though, just because it’ll let you do stuff that you can’t do otherwise.
Victorionox knives are cheap as hell but extremely sharp and can be resharpened. I also really like how they fit my hand. I also have a Global Japanese chef’s knife and prefer the Fibrox. It’s very subjective, for someone starting out IMO the cheaper knives make sense.
Same with the plastic cutting board. It isn’t pretty like a Boos edge-cut maple board, but it requires zero maintenance, is easy to clean, indestructible, and cheap.
I’m looking for any kind of equipment. I just don’t want cheap stuff that will need to be replaced/upgraded later. I’d much rather have fewer high-quality pieces than a scattershot of junk.
Knives are a good example–Instead of a 128 piece set of every conceivable shape or configuration that will just break or fall apart, I’d rather spend more for the two or four that I’d actually use and will last me a lifetime (or near enough) with proper care.
Victorinox has a rep for making good quality knives for the price. It’s a decent recommendation, especially for a beater knife.
Hell, some would consider my 5 star chef’s knife to be a beater knife.
For a cutting board, I like bamboo ones at this point. They’re cheap, but I like them better than the plastic ones. The plastic boards tend to get gouges and scratches in them, and then crap gets into them and I don’t like that.
They do certainly get scratched, but you can just pop em in the dishwasher. Bamboo boards will split and basically self-destruct after a time. That’s fine if you prefer them of course, they’re cheap too.
Ya, I’ve had that issue with past bamboo boards. The current one I’m using though seems to be better made than prior ones, despite also being cheap. It hasn’t suffered any splitting or anything.
Ya, a garbage disposal is a real nice add if you are allowed to have on in your city. Really cuts down on the stuff you put in the garbage that would otherwise smell.
Although nowadays I find I compost a lot of the stuff I would have previously put in the disposal.
