Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

I've started cooking fairly regularly but am pretty inexperienced. I'm some what limited because I go to school in a small town and there aren't really any luxury grocery stores. Anyways I've started reading the What's cooking El D/Iron Chef threads for advice and good recipes but reading the recipes I feel like I'm missing a lot of the ingredients. So for cooks what are some key items I need in my kitchen?

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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missing a lot of the ingredients. So for cooks what are some key items I need in my kitchen?

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Are you asking aobut ingredients or tools? I think for ingredients, you just end-up building a pantry as you go. I make bread a lot, so I buy more bread flour. You might not, so you don't. On the other hand, if you make more pastry, you buy cake flour. I don't, so I don't.

As for kitchen tools, there was a thread in this forum pretty recently about what you should take to CulinarySchool. I think they called it a "toolkit", for search.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

Salt
Pepper
Flour
Sugar
Paprika
Garlic or Garlic Powder
Onions or Onion Powder
Cooking Oil (Crisco)
Virgin Olive Oil
Cooking Wine
Vanilla
Mrs. Dash

That's what I can think of right now, or also known as what's in my cabinets...LOL

T

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

If you're into cooking ethnic food, one thing that I've found helpful is to eat at a nice restaurant that serves that particular cuisine and ask someone there for advice on where you can find some of the obscure ingredients. In my experience they're usually flattered at your interest and they're more than happy to help you.

For non-perishable ingredients like spices, mail order grocery stores may be your best bet, depending on how small your town is.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

SamIam,
Both utensils and ingredients, more so ingredients though.
Billy,
The town is pretty big acutally it just doesn't have any high end grocery stores like whole foods, trader joes etc

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

[ QUOTE ]
Salt
Pepper
Flour
Sugar
Paprika
Garlic or Garlic Powder
Onions or Onion Powder
Cooking Oil (Crisco)
Virgin Olive Oil
Cooking Wine
Vanilla
Mrs. Dash

That's what I can think of right now, or also known as what's in my cabinets...LOL

T

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this list is a good start....

I would also add some fridge necessities

Lemon Juice
Soy sauce
worchestershire sauce
sour cream
Italian dressing
vinegar

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

Get a decent set of knives.... beleive it or not, my father in law got me a set of the popiel infomercial knives for xmas last year, and they are actually very good quality for the $$$.

At least one decent frying pan

rubber scraper (must have for any mix in a bowl type stuff) cleans all the mix off the sides of the bowl without scraping over it with a spoon a million times.

wisk

tongs

spatula

all absolutly needed

add any other stuff as you go

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Salt
Pepper
Flour
Sugar
Paprika
Garlic or Garlic Powder
Onions or Onion Powder
Cooking Oil (Crisco)
Virgin Olive Oil
Cooking Wine
Vanilla
Mrs. Dash

That's what I can think of right now, or also known as what's in my cabinets...LOL

T

[/ QUOTE ]

this list is a good start....

I would also add some fridge necessities

Lemon Juice
Soy sauce
worchestershire sauce
sour cream
Italian dressing
vinegar

[/ QUOTE ]

Let me add:

Ketchup
Butter/Margerine or both!
Eggs (they keep for quite some time, actually)
A1 Sauce (if you like it, I don't)
Parmesean Cheese (fake or real, up to you)

Pretty basic, but um yeah!!

T

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Salt
Pepper
Flour
Sugar
Paprika
Garlic or Garlic Powder
Onions or Onion Powder
Cooking Oil (Crisco)
Virgin Olive Oil
Cooking Wine
Vanilla
Mrs. Dash

That's what I can think of right now, or also known as what's in my cabinets...LOL

T

[/ QUOTE ]

this list is a good start....

I would also add some fridge necessities

Lemon Juice
Soy sauce
worchestershire sauce
sour cream
Italian dressing
vinegar

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll throw in
balsamic vinegar
dried chillies
ginger root
Loads of tinned tomatoes.

Make sure you have a variety of starch foods in, rice, potatoes, pasta and noodles. I also keep a selection of frozen veggies in, broccoli, spinach, peas, carrots for when I've none fresh. I'd say that you'll need to always have onions in stock, relying on onion powder would be quite bad.

Herb wise other than what's already been mentioned I'd suggest (dried) Basil, Thyme, Oregano and maybe rosemary.

All that stuff will happily sit in your house for weeks/months and when you add some meat you'll be able to make a lot of flavorful dishes. Obviously pick up little bits here and there as you need them and some fresh produce when you can.

A lot of it is down to personal taste and I'm sure my cupboard wouldn't suit many people.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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Make sure you have a variety of starch foods in, rice, potatoes, pasta and noodles.

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I totally, 100%, agree with this. Stores usually sale pasta 10/$10 etc etc and if you're stocked up on rice and pasta, you can whip up a dish in no time at all.

T

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Chives are a good addition to a kitchen. Scallions, also.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

The cooking pros say not to buy cooking wine, but to cook with wine that you would also drink.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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Chives are a good addition to a kitchen.

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Growing a couple herbs (chives, basil, etc) indoors is awesome, takes up very little space and actually looks nice. I always kill mine though. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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The cooking pros say not to buy cooking wine, but to cook with wine that you would also drink.

[/ QUOTE ]On the other hand, buying a big box of Franzia means you'll always have wine around, and it stays good in the vacuum-sealed bag.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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The cooking pros say not to buy cooking wine, but to cook with wine that you would also drink.

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Ahhh, but what if you don't drink wine?? I personally can't stand it. Maybe that means I should just cook with Vodka??

T

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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The cooking pros say not to buy cooking wine, but to cook with wine that you would also drink.

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Ahhh, but what if you don't drink wine?? I personally can't stand it. Maybe that means I should just cook with Vodka??

T

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who doesnt like a good vodka sauce?

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I agree with most everything listed already. I would also add:

FOOD ITEMS
Tabasco or other hot sauce
garlic salt
dry mustard
artichoke hearts (jarred if you like them in oil, canned if not)
breadcrumbs or panko (I prefer panko)

TOOLS
garlic press
wooden spoons

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

I'd add cumin, curry powder, picante sauce or salsa, jarred cut jalapeno peppers, soy sauce, and a variety of jellies to the list of ingredients to have on hand. I'd probably add a variety of canned fruits e.g. mandarin oranges and pineapples, not so much for eating the fruit, but using the juices in marinades. One instrument most people don't think to have is a meat tenderizer, and bamboo skewers. Grilling marinated meat, fruits, and vegetables on a skewer always makes a nice meal.

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my apartment has NO usable chefs knives. No set, nothing big, everything is dull. I'm willing to spring a little. What should I get? (kit should include sharpener)

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I would also add some fridge necessities...
Soy sauce
worchestershire sauce...
vinegar

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you don't actually need to keep these things in the fridge, right?

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

Here is what is found in my kitchen at all times:

cumin
onion powder
garlic powder
worchester sauce
brown sugar
salt
pepper
Kosher Salt
chilli powder
extra virgin olive oil
peccorino romano (in freezer, do not buy that fake parm [censored] as suggested earlier)
butter
eggs
onions
garlic
hot sauce
ketchup
brown mustard
various BBQ sauce
large bottle of Carlo Rossi Sangria (cooking/drinking)
Breadcrumbs (freezer)
Lemon Juice


and most importantly

a good daily routine. This is all I have, no meats, no veggies, etc. Im in a routine where I stop by the market everyday for 5 minutes to p/u whatever Im going to cook.

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starter kitchen

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my apartment has NO usable chefs knives. No set, nothing big, everything is dull. I'm willing to spring a little. What should I get? (kit should include sharpener)

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wet stone is cheapest and most effective. since all your blades are dull, the easiest way is to take your knives to a cutlery store.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

If you add up all the lists in this thread, you're going to have a ridiculously long that will contain plenty of stuff you won't use.

By far the easiest thing to do is simply find recipes you like, then buy the ingredients for it. The way you're doing it is like looking for a question to an answer.

You don't need fancy tools. But over time you'll decide that you really don't want to deal with this dull thingy any more, and spring for a good one. That's better than buying an expensive thingy before you know how much you'll use it or if you'd notice a difference between that and a cheapy, or improvising with something else altogether.

I've chopped enough garlic that I finally realized I wanted a garlic press, because it's so much faster. But there's no reason you have to go out and buy a garlic press when you have a knife. And some say a knife is better anyway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic_press

Anyway, you get the picture.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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I would also add some fridge necessities...
Soy sauce
worchestershire sauce...
vinegar

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you don't actually need to keep these things in the fridge, right?

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I keep soy and worc sauce in the fridge, not vinegar..... growing up my mom never put soy in the fridge... mine just ended up there cause the wife likes it there.

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cayenne pepper makes everything better.

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Gadgets. As others have mentioned the one I tend to use the most is a garlic press. I got the one recommended in the America's Test Kitchen cook book, which brings up my other point. Oh yeah, one more gadget. I like my expensive French made enameled cast iron Dutch oven. I noticed Lodge is now making an enameled cast iron Dutch oven in what looks like a really handy 6 quart size for much less money. I like mine, but I can see saving a bunch of money and getting what I would guess is very good, given how I like my lodge cast iron frying pan.

Anyway, I am also in a small town without a high end grocery store. We do have a specialty kitchen store with a few food items, but no big luxury grocery stores. I have found that America's test kitchen cookbook to be pretty good. You can find a recipe with things available most places. They will offer substitutions for hard to find things. They have equipment recommendations, often for things that don't cost huge money. I am starting to try more recipes out of it although I have had it for a while and so far like most of them. One area the book has helped is on sauces and gravy and such. I can botch one of these quickly, but the ideas and instructions in the book help. I am not a great cook but like to try to make something decent. I am not usually willing to start a recipe 4 days in advance. When the first step is to slaughter a calf to get the veal stock going or whatever, I tend to think about making tacos. This cookbook IMO can get you making some pretty good stuff with common things and will give you details to get things right.

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You don't need specialty kitchen shops or high-end groceries to make really good food. Patience and practice makes up for a lot of that.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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large bottle of Carlo Rossi Sangria

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[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

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a good daily routine. This is all I have, no meats, no veggies, etc. Im in a routine where I stop by the market everyday for 5 minutes to p/u whatever Im going to cook.

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Yeah, this is great if you can swing it. It's easier when I'm at my fiancee's, since she lives right by the grocery store, and I tend to operate in that mode when I'm staying out there. And guids is also right that you should spring for the actual cheese, it annihilates the Kraft powder.

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Eagles - here are 2 good EDF threads that address alot of what you're asking about wrt equipment:

Help Me Build a Culinary Toolkit

Cooking Knives Thread

El Sapo:

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You don't need specialty kitchen shops or high-end groceries to make really good food. Patience and practice makes up for a lot of that.

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Definitely agree with you and I think I'm getting to the point where it's true for my own cooking - but what do you think about paying more for "quality" proteins? The thing that leaps to mind is free-range chicken - am I imagining things but to me it tastes alot better...

-Al

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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Definitely agree with you and I think I'm getting to the point where it's true for my own cooking - but what do you think about paying more for "quality" proteins? The thing that leaps to mind is free-range chicken - am I imagining things but to me it tastes alot better...

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In the end, it probably doesn't matter if it's just in your head if it actually does taste a lot better. But yeah, I think it's probably in your head. I've been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma recently (which is a [censored] awesome book) and I'm under the impression that "free-range" just implies meeting some not particularly stringent criteria and doesn't really say much about the chicken at all. For example, the chickens need to have access to the outside, but that doesn't mean they ever leave the factory coop, nor are they even obligated to be allowed outside the entire few weeks of their existence. You only need a pretty small window for it to qualify.

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I didn't see these listed, and they're pretty inexpensive:

- bench scraper
- pepper mill (which allows you to keep peppercorns which come in handy for some recipes, plus the pepper tastes better)

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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I didn't see these listed, and they're pretty inexpensive:

- bench scraper
- pepper mill (which allows you to keep peppercorns which come in handy for some recipes, plus the pepper tastes better)

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Good call on the pepper mill. It tilts me when I'm cooking in somebody else's kitchen and all they have is a giant can of pre-ground black pepper.

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You should get a cheese grater too.

A box grater is probably the most useful, as it can be used for hard cheeses (parmesean reggiano) or semi-soft cheeses (cheddar), and usually has a slicer on one side too

http://images.jupiterimages.com/comm...5/23033514.jpg

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

It still sort of amazes me, the difference in taste between fresh pepper and pre-ground pepper. I don't even have any pre-ground pepper lying around.

-Al

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A wife.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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Herb wise other than what's already been mentioned I'd suggest (dried) Basil, Thyme, Oregano and maybe rosemary.

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Dried basil is worthless. You might as well julienne some newsprint and sprinkle it on your food.

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I would add the following

Red pepper flakes, which add zip to a lot of green vegetables, particularly if you tend to saute your greens in oil and garlic.

Kosher salt (bigger grains, seems less salty tasting)

Fish sauce -- a must if you ever cook thai food and more useful and delicious in general than you would expect.

Lemons and limes if you cook regularly enough to use them before they go bad.

Re: Neccessary Kitchen Items
 

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Herb wise other than what's already been mentioned I'd suggest (dried) Basil, Thyme, Oregano and maybe rosemary.

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Dried basil is worthless. You might as well julienne some newsprint and sprinkle it on your food.

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this is not necessarily true. Dried herbs, especially basil, are usually much better to use when you are cooking something for a long time, such as chili etc. because they release their flavors slower and you get much more depth in the taste. Some herbs dont dry well (parsley for example), basil def does, for a "quick cook" fresh is obv better, but for a long simmer/boil/etc dried is.