The Obvious. D'uh!
Knives to slice & dice. Just buy a non-serrated paring knife and a chef knife. Chef knives are typically long and huge so it can be intimidating. Thankfully it comes in different sizes. There are two types of knives: Japanese or European. If you hate maintenance I suggest you buy European. Japanese knives sure are awesome especially when you see those sushi chefs slicing a paper-thin fluke sashimi, but it's harder to sharpen. Their edges are not the engineered to be equally balanced so it can be a problem for a lefty. Make sure you don't randomly buy your knives in IKEA so it lasts a tad longer. 5 bucks for a set of knives sounds like the deal of the year, I know. Ceramic knives are fine. They look like the ones in your little sister's plastic kitchen set but they are pretty damn sharp (and they won't break if you drop 'em).
Pot & pan, or a several of them to cook, preferrably nonstick for hassle-free cleanup (shut up y'all crazy conservative chefs. I know you hate nonstick!). Avoid cast iron pans unless you know how to season them or you really intend to use them in the future. These pans are complicated to clean, to cook with, and to store. I personally don't really use them unless I make steaks. It's porous so it easily rusts, fucking heavy, and it's a reactive material so you can't really use them for general cooking (things turn to black, reactive to acid, bla bla bla).
You'll need about two skillets. One small, and one large. The smaller ones will be used for quickies and the large one is for some serious searing.
Then a small and a large saucepot. This type of pan is utilized to make stocks, boil pasta, reduce sauces, cook stews, etc. You don't have to buy nonstick for these pots. Stainless steel is fine. Just make sure that after every hard use (for stews or such), you fill 'em up with hot water so the cleaning is easier. These pots should have their individual covers, and when they do, make sure that the cover handles are steel, not plastic. Otherwise, it has the tendency to melt when you are simmering a delicious Beef Bourguignon in the oven.
Cutting boards, one strictly for raw fish & meat, the other one for general chopping. Why the segregation? To avoid bacterial cross-contamination. Ever had food poisoning? Yeah, it's not very pleasant. Sometimes scrubbing the boards off with palmolive isn't enough to completely sanitize the boards. I don't want to make an effort of soaking my boards in Clorox after each usage so I just keep 'em separate.
There are many types of boards these days. Wood or plastic? Up to you, but I'd like to have me some wood (who doesn't? ohhh snapp!!). Many, many reasons to choose wood over plastic. Plastic is generally cheaper and cool cause it comes in various colors such as pink (yayy) but it doesn't last that long. Even the dullest knife can scrape off the surface of plastic boards. Also, plastic boards are porous so after a while the board will smell. Wooden board is a more expensive option and it is heavy, making it difficult to clean or store. But in today's time you can buy bamboo boards. They are much cheaper from the traditional wooden chopping blocks and is resistant to bacteria and easier to clean.
Utensils. I'll just list it out.
- Wooden spoon
- Spatula or a flipper
- Tongs
- Kitchen Scissors
- Ladle
- Slotted spoon
- Spoon
- Strainer
- Measuring spoons/cups/glass. I won't really use them in my blog but it's helpful for following recipes in general.
The not-so-necessary, but are pretty darn useful.
Food processor. Hate chopping up some garlics? OMG me too!! I just throw a gajillion cloves of garlic into the food processor and give it a rough dice by pulsing it 4-7 times. A food processor is not only for that. It can also make wonderful homemade salad dressings, chop things that are annoying to chop like peanuts, and even making pastry doughs. Awesome? Totally.
Peeler. I should move this above. This is an essential for me. I can peel a carrot in 5 seconds with a peeler and 30 minutes without.
Grater. Save $3 in grocery stores by buying chunks of cheese instead of the store-grated ones. You save money and you retain freshness. Grate & shred if you don't want to finely chop.
Rice cooker. I hope you still don't cook rice the old-school way 'cause it's a bitch. Rice cooker will save your life and money 'cause it can keep cooked rice edible for up to three days. It can also be used as a steamer and a slow cooker depending on the model of the rice cooker, of course. You don't have to buy the most advanced one, but don't buy the shittier versions too since it tends to burn or create crusts at the bottom.
Hand-held blender. A mobile version of the typical blender. Similar usage to food processor/blenders, but just easier to clean. I love making soups and sauces with this. Whenever I'm bored of the typical beef soup with chunks of veggies and meat, I just dip my hand-held blender in the pot and puree 'em all together. It somehow adds sophistication to the dish. This kitchen tool can also take over the use of whisks since a lot of them comes with all sorts of attachment. Instead of whisking sauces or pancake batter, I just blend 'em. Saves so much time!
Spider. Asian version of the skimmer. Hate pouring out boiling water once your pasta is al dente? I just use my spider to pick them macaronis out! Very useful for deep frying or skimming stews or stocks.
Meat Thermometer. It looks similar to the typical thermometers that doctors stick in kids' butts when they have fevers. Only this time is to take the temperature of the meat/fish/poultry or even a cooking liquid (except oil & sugar, they have their own special ones). Taking temperature of a protein determines its' doneness. So whether you wan't a medium rare steak, instead of guessing or cutting the meat to see how cooked it is, you stick a meat thermometer. Otherwise, if you want to keep a boiling water at a certain temperature, let's say to poach, you can also use this.
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. My ultimate dream. Never had 'em but this is just the perfect kitchen gadget. Baking is so much easier with this. There are also all sorts of attachments that they sell. Pasta machine, ice cream maker, meat processor, shredder and many more! Though it takes space and money, if you are serious about cooking this mixer is a must!
Note: I didn't take these images myself so I am not taking any credit for it. Thank you.
