Essential pots and pans

[fabrisse]

I'll start by saying that this is different for everyone, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Having said that, here are the pieces I consider to be the essential basics.

Stovetop items:

1 large silicone lid. I finally bought one when I moved down here and got a couple of items to cook for one person until I could collect my real cookware which is in storage. I've been very impressed. The seal is usually air tight.

1 skillet at least ten inches wide and two inches deep. Ideally, this comes with a tight fitting lid, but if your silicone lid is wide enough, you should be fine. This can have either straight or slanted sides as long as the lid fits.

1 stockpot or dutch oven that holds at least 5 quarts of liquid. Must have an oven proof tight fitting lid. If it has a collander liner and/or a steamer insert, all to the good.

A 1 quart covered saucepan.

Baking items:

1 cookie sheet. Yes, two is more practical, but we're talking bare minimums here. I like the larger size.

1 rack suitable for either broiling (by putting it on the cookie sheet) or cooling cakes.

2 cake pans. I don't care whether they're round or square. Most people who make cakes make layer cakes, so two pans required.

1 pie pan (if you make your own crust).

1 casserole dish. Alton Brown explained to me why round is better if you make souffles.

Other essentials:

2 (1 large and 1 medium) mixing bowls
1 whisk with a large ballon
1 wooden spoon
1 mesh strainer
1 collander (Yes, if you have a large enough strainer, the collander could be considered optional. Right up to the point where you have to strain multiple things at the same time. If your 5 quart stockpot has one built in, there's no need to buy a duplicate.)
1 pancake turner type spatula.
1 rubber (or silicone) spatula.
1 microplane grater. If you want to have a box grater too, that's fine. But my microplane is nearly constantly in use.
1 mortar and pestle (you may not consider it essential, but I do. Whole spices can often be found cheaply at health food or other specialty stores. Whole spices need to be made into ground spices somehow and a mortar and pestle is usually cheaper than a grinder and, unlike electric grinders, doesn't change the volatile oils with heat.)
1 ladle or serving spoon
1 pierced serving spoon

Now, let's talk about materials. For stove top, I like enameled or cast iron. My absolute favorites are Le Creuset, which is enameled cast iron, but even on sale they can be expensive.
Stainless is fine.

I don't like aluminum much for various reasons. Teflon and other nonstick surfaces are also non-starters for me. Once the nonstick surface is broken or cracked, it is no longer safe to use. Ultrahigh temperatures render it unsafe to use, too, but they are virtually impossible to achieve on a conventional stove top.

In every case, I prefer not to have plastic handles. There are times when a skillet needs to go under the broiler. That's impossible if the handles are going to melt into the food or give off noxious gases.

Wooden handles, which don't conduct heat are fine for saucepans, but again, not for skillets or anything else that may need to go in the oven. Still, I should mention that I've managed to singe, and in one case destroy, all my wooden handles.

Any suggestions? Any essential that I missed?

Comments

[riverfox.livejournal.com]

Wow, I actually have most of those items. Go figure. *g* The ones I don't have are crock pot, wire rack, a pie pan, 2 cake pans.

The only problem is that I don't have lids for any of the pans and had to buy some cheap ones to use. My frying pan is a 10" cast iron. I have one of those non-stick pans that my roomies have scratched to shit, but it's a flat fryer for things like pancakes and my roomie prefers to use it instead of throwing it out. I gave it to him.

I'd love to have a silicone spatula. I'd also love to have a flexible cutting board. Those ones Alton has on his show are so cool. :) I'd also love those other items he has like probe thermometers and flute-shaped measuring cups. Nice. One day. :)

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

Of course you do, they're essentials *G*

Flexible cutting boards are cool. I usually buy a couple of cheap ones for camping or events.

[riverfox.livejournal.com]

I actually lost most of them when I lost my storage unit. I brought some kitchenware with me when I moved in here 8 years ago, but I had no room to put things where I wanted them and lived out of boxes half the time. The two male roommates I had when I moved in were guys who simply did not know how to properly stock a kitchen. They didn't think they needed lids for pots and pans, thought that shoving everything under the stove or in a single cupboard shelf was okay. I had to actually encourage them to buy casserole pans/bowls and square glass pans, to get proper utensils and whisks. Steve seemed to like the idea but he let Louis run the kitchen and Louis was a mess. He'd toss every utensil that wasn't flatware into one drawer. That crap drove me batshit. There was one drawer with built in dividers, but he had it filled with junk. When I suggested that things should be sorted and make the catch-all drawer more manageable, he didn't see why. When Louis left, I redid the damn drawers. I like my kitchen orderly and sorted and when it's not, it's not a happy, comfortable place to cook.

I've always brought my homemade wooden boards out camping since those were all I had. ;)

[gileswench.livejournal.com]

I counted the other day and suddenly realized I have five round cake pans, one bundt, and a springform. Guess I'm covered on the cake pans front. In light of how seldom I bake cakes, I find it interesting that I have a total of seven cake pans, but only four pie pans. I make a lot more pies.

And I know it's not stovetop or oven equipment, but I've decided I really do need at least one more bowl for my stand mixer, and possibly a second set of beaters. It would make this whole 'baking shitloads of cakes, pies and cookies for peoples' parties thing a hell of a lot easier.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

You bake. I can tell. *G*

I can't wait to read about the feast of sweets you're preparing.

[gileswench.livejournal.com]

You bake. I can tell. *G*

Darn. I thought I hid it so well.

One set of cake layers down, two more sets to go...and the frosting to go with, and two pies, a summer pudding, and at least four batches of cookies. And I may yet do the chocolate-dipped apricots. Tomorrow I can probably get an earlier start and get more done.

[snopes-faith.livejournal.com]

I find that I now consider my vegetable steamer an essntial and use it every day. Cooks vegetables beautifully and apparently means that they retain a much higher proportion of their vitamins and minerals.

Oh and Le Cruset rocks. I adore my huge, lavender coloured casserole dish. The only downside is the fact it all weighs an absolute ton - I struggle to lift my giant frying pan.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

I like the way cast iron or cast iron/enamel works on the stove. The fact that I get a rigorous upper body workout is icing on the cake.

Steamers are great. I don't have one at the moment, but it should change soonish.