posted by Gloria on Jul 27
Regular pot - These are just your standard cooking pots of various sizes. One can use them to cook a variety of things within such as rice, pasta, vegetables, meat, and more. One of the many important pieces to have in any kitchen.
Stockpot- A larger form of the regular pots and usually comes with a lid. One can use these types of pots for certain recipes including stews, soups, meat stock, other large pieces of food needing to be cooked down, and more. At least one of these is a necessity in any kitchen.
Skillet- There isn’t really any reason to get a small skillet, at least a medium sized one of these will fit any task that you may need it for. This is one of my favorite pieces of cookware because it gives you the option of frying, sautee’ing, and more used in many delicious recipes. This is yet another necessity for the kitchen.
Wok- Woks are a large asian version of the skillet. One may find a wok in a cook’s kitchen in a Chinese restaurant or in various other kitchens. A wok is very useful in cooking large Asian dishes such as fried rice, stir fry, lo mein, and more.
Cutting board- A cutting board is basically a thick plank that makes the job of cutting anything a little simpler. A must for someone who enjoys cooking fresh foods.
Food processor- a machine that speeds up the process of cutting, allowing you to specify how finely chopped you want what it is you are chopping. Useful for many reasons, but it requires investing a few dollars. I do recommend buying one, and there is no need to buy the most expensive one out there. A cheap one will do just as well as an expensive one.
Blender- similar to a food processor, this is a machine that finely blends foods. This is more specifically used for making things into a liquid where a food processor is used for harder foods that do not need to be turned into liquid. One can use this for making shakes, malts, pudding, mixed drinks, fruit slushes, and more.
Minature oven- Most every home kitchen comes equipped these days with its own oven. These are sort of a novelty and unnecessary in my opinion, but if you find one that can handle various tasks such as oven cooking, grilling, broiling, and toasting, then by all means get one.
Rice cooker- Another Asian cookware piece, this is sort of a small pot that is only supposed to be used for cooking rice in. Honestly, I really like these because I have never messed up cooking rice with it and it is unbelievably simple to use, not to mention the rice that comes out of it always tastes delicious. If you can afford it, a good piece to have.
Scale- This is used to measure the weight of foods and ingredients. This is helpful when you are trying to follow serving size directions and/or you have to be mindful of your intake of certain foods if you were on a diet of some kind. Important to have if you are on such a diet.
Measuring cups- This is used to measure food in amounts. Similar to the scale, this is helpful when you are trying to follow serving size directions and/or you have to be mindful of your intake of certain foods if you were on a diet of some kind. Also important to have if you are on such a diet.
Potato peeler- Potato peelers are by no means a necessity for the kitchen, but to some it makes the task of peeling potatoes much simpler. I find that they make peeling potatoes easier for me. For others that do not agree, a kitchen fairly sharp kitchen knife would do just fine.
Kitchen Knives- These are sharp knives used specifically for cooking. They have different types of edges and blades for cutting different foods/ingredients you may want to cut. Very useful, fairly all purpose, and I recommend having these around for the many tasks you can use them for.
Utensils- This category consists of spoons, forks, butter knives, spatulas, wooden spoon, and more. What I have listed here are the necessities to have in the kitchen, but you may find more and more useful cookware/utensils so be ready to get them as needed.
Drinking glasses - Everyone drinks, therefore, we need drinking glasses in our kitchen. You can get fancy with the types if you like to spend a few more dollars, or if you feel like throwing dinner parties. Be creative.
Pressure cooker- Pressure cookers are large pots with lids that hold the pressure inside the pot. It cooks the food a different kind of way, and when you first use it, it may take a while to get used to cooking with it. I find that food cooks really thoroughly and has a delicious taste if done properly in a pressure cooker. If you are interested you may want one of these, but not necessary to have in the kitchen.
Casserole dish- A large glass dish, usually oven safe, and is ,of course, used to cook casseroles in. I find myself experimenting with lots of different kinds of casseroles. If casseroles are your thing, then this could be a necessity for you, but regardless they are handy to cook things in the oven with.
Roasting pans- Here is something that I’m willing to bet many people use. A roasting pan is a large metal pan that people may use to cook things in the oven with. The reason I say many people may be familiar with this piece is the fact that you can cook just about anything in the oven that you need to with it: frozen fries, fishsticks, baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, roasts, other meats in bags, and more.
Lids- This is a very important piece to have in ones kitchen. They go on most pots and are used for steaming, slow cooking, pressure cooking, and other various important tasks. Do not neglect its use, because using one of these and cooking at a moderate to slow heat can have your food coming out tasting better than you could have imagined.
Remember when purchasing cookware, use what you know about them and don’t spend beyond your means. As you can afford some of the more expensive cookware purchase it, but just starting out only requires a few choice pieces with which one can begin learning how to cook with.
Specifically, I recommend: regular pots, a stockpot, measuring cups, a scale, a casserole dish, a skillet, a roasting pan, knives, and kitchen utensils to begin learning how to cook.