Is it possible to be a good cook without thousands of dollars of equipment?
Cooks don’t need expensive gear to be able to cook good food.
I will assume access to a kitchenette or better: a sink, a stove, an oven and a refrigerator. Ideally, there is some preparation space for getting ready to cook. Fear not, for you are well on the way to impressive food.
If the food is good enough, it’s OK to serve it on mismatched plates with hand-me-down flatware. The fine china and expensive silverware can wait. To make a wide variety of recipes, a well-stocked kitchen can be your best friend.
So what is really necessary? First, every kitchen needs a knife. I have knives that cost more than some of the cars I have bought, but a 6-inch or 8-inch stamped-steel knife will do the job. If the budget allows, get a forged steel chef’s knife; if not, Target or any other big-box store will have an inexpensive knife that will work. Another option is an Asian-style vegetable cleaver.
I also recommend getting a quality paring knife with a 3- or 4-inch blade. Again, forged steel will last forever, but a cheapie will do the job until you can get a really nice one. Avoid micro-serrated knives like the ones seen on TV. We’re not cutting tin cans or plumbing pipe. The only exception is a bread knife. Micro-serrated knives work fine for bread and similar cutting duties, but a scallop-serrated knife will work best and last the longest.
Be sure to get a peeler. A side peeler works fine for most folks, but others swear by the end-peeler style. Since these are often only a few dollars apiece, get one of each.
Splurge and buy a decent can opener. Cooks often find that canned foods are easy and cheap additions to many recipes. Make sure to have a set of measuring spoons and cups. Cooking is both a science and an art, but accurate measuring can ensure consistent results.
Find a good cutting board. Chopping food on the counter is unsanitary and can damage the surface. Real hardwood butcher block cutting boards are cool but are expensive and hard to clean. Bamboo might seem pricy but is a good deal in the long run. Plastic cutting boards are probably the best deal: cheap and easy to sanitize. Go ahead and buy a pack of thin plastic cutting covers. They are often color coded for different types of foods and will fit in the tiniest sink for cleaning.
That’s the minimum gear to prep the food, what about the actual cooking? Do not feel bad about buying some cheap non-stick frying pans. If you can spring for a set, get them. These will work until the non-stick surface starts peeling. Throw them out if the coating starts flaking off.A better option is cast iron.
Like nearly all kitchen equipment, pans can be found at thrift stores, garage sales or handed down from better-equipped friends or family. Rusty cast iron pots and pans can be had for pennies on the dollar. Snap them up. A good scrubbing, oiling and heat-seasoning can bring almost any cast iron back from the dead.
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Another good multi-use pan is the wok. Asian specialty stores will have inexpensive woks, and there are the exotic aromas of spices budding chefs may not have ever even heard of.
The kitchen will need some sauce pans and at least one stock pot. Again, kitchen pots are often found for next to nothing at thrift stores and yard sales. Try to find big pots, even if it is a hassle to store them. The bigger the stock pot, the more stock and soup can be made. Worst case, it may have to be washed in the shower.
To ensure safe foods, buy an instant read thermometer. Analog dial thermometers cost less than $5, and electronic sensors usually cost about $40. One of each is ideal.
A colander or sieve is helpful for draining pasta, boiled foods or just rinsing or holding prepped ingredients. Pierced steel is pretty, but plastic colanders do the job just fine. One large and one small will make life easier.
Now it is time to get into the details of the kitchen. Get some tongs. The more, the better. Spring-loaded tongs (restaurant-style, not scissor-style) are the best. Stirring and serving spoons are another item that can be found for cheap. Make sure to have some slotted and some solid, some wooden, plastic and steel. Again, these are easy yard-sale fodder. Spatulas — whether high-temperature silicone or rubber — are always helpful.
Crock-pots are some of the most versatile and useful of electric kitchen tools — especially in a location with limited space or when you have no time to spend watching a pot. Drop some meat and seasonings in the pot in the morning, set the temp and come home to a meal that is just about ready to serve.
Avoid trendy gadgets that only have one use. They just clutter the kitchen and get rare use.
For roasting, baking and other oven-related cooking, find a roasting pan (a high-sided rectangle) in metal or high-temperature glass. Sheet pans are also very helpful and are very cheap at thrift stores and yard sales.
As far as disposable items, it is always helpful to have rolls of foil and food wrap (Saran or other plastic wrap), cheesecloth, kitchen twine and toothpicks. It is not necessary to purchase small and medium plastic storage containers, as empty plastic containers can be washed and sanitized for re-use.
Kitchen equipment is a case where being a pack rat can actually be a help, as long as there is room to store these treasures. Search out cheap sources for these items and novice cooks will be able to offer great food with the most limited kitchen space and appliances.
So, is all this stuff really necessary? It will help, but for those on a seriously limited budget, a cheap chef’s knife, a good steel wok and a spoon will do the job for simple cooking.
Steve “Mo” Fye is a freelance food writer for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
