Utensils Necessary for Stocking a Kitchen (hamburgers, skillet, grill, bbq)

[conusmound]

I have been a single parent to a teenaged girl for two years. My ex was the better cook and chef in our family. In the time since she and I parted ways, I have been preparing mostly pasta and microwave dishes, and sometimes Crock-Pot items as well.

I have decided that I want to finally learn cooking from scratch. My ex took most utensils with her when she left, so I would like a list of essential utensils I need for a fully functional kitchen. I would rather have items that are under-used than start preparing a meal and find out I'm missing something I need.

What all should a kitchen to feed two people have in it? (Including how many spoons, forks, knives, etc.)

[Blinx]

Good on you for wanting to learn more about cooking! It can be very satisfying, especially if you're preparing meals for someone else, as well as yourself.

You don't need a lot of fancy gizmos (but they can be fun to try out). Here is a list of basic cooking tools. I'd also recommend getting the book Home Comforts which dedicates a chapter to setting up a kitchen and pantry (as well as caring for the rest of your home).

As to how many dishes, forks, etc., that depends on how you will be washing up. If you wash dishes by hand each night, you really only need a set for each meal. If you will be filling up a dishwasher and running it every few days, then several sets. Cutlery comes in sets of 8 (I think), so that should be fine. Dishes and glasses are 4, 6, or 8, so any of those would do.

Go though some basic recipe books for things you've been dying to make, and see what tools are required for those.

[debzkidz]

I would also suggest a set of mixing bowls. I've got a set of Pyrex ones that have plastic lids, so you can use them for storage also. I also noticed on the list Blinx provided that it mentioned a 3 qt sauce pan. I would really recommend a smaller one as well. I've got a 1.5 qt I use all the time, especially since I'm just cooking for 2 people, but even when my kids were home, I used it constantly. As for bakeware, I would suggest going to someplace like Sam's or Target or someplace and buying a set of Pyrex bakeware. They, like the bowls I mentioned also have lids that fit on them. For instance, I have a 9x9 pan with a lid. I use if for making cornbread, brownies, small casseroles etc. I also use it for marinating meats, so having the plastic lid on it makes it extra nice. You might also want to get a decent mixer. It doesn't have to be a big fancy Kitchenaid or anything, just an electric hand mixer. I've got one of the big stand mixers, but I still pull out the hand mixer occasionally. The big ones can be overkill sometimes.

[Nerys52SoSilver]

a good cookbook to learn from is Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook is a cookbook that has been around many years
I have one from 1978 and I bought a newer edition few years ago. You can view some sample pages over at www.amazon.com
a set of 4 pans is good to have , in different sizes you can boil rice , cook potatoes , make soup , cook stew etc ,
a skillet frying pan for steaks burgers
a small frying pan for fried eggs , crepes
potato peeler , knives 1 to cut meat 1 to cut vegetables , a bread knife for if you slice your own bread
carving boards one for bread one for meats/poultry/fish one for vegetables/fruits
dinnerware buying a setof 4 or just loose mix and match china is sturdier than stoneware
cutlery a set for 4 persons , depends on what it contains you can add extras if you eat lots of fish,
fish cutlery is nice measuring cups set , measuring spoons set , measuring pyrex beaker with handle , simple kitchen scales
colander I think you allready have since you mention making pasta
you don"t say if you have a baking oven if you do a baking dish for casseroles , a pyrex set and a pie dish and a roasting tin with handles
of the baking things pies are nice to make see BHG cookbook for recipes
eggtimer for when you cook eggs if you do that often eggcups & little spoons
cooking spoons that are heatproof
a mixing bowl
a salad bowl or salad plates , then you can make single salads straight onto the plate
a wok is nice to have you can do stir fry in one pan ( beef strips & veggies) and in one of the set pans you cook rice or noodles
a mixing jar for vinaigrettes is nice to make your own salad dressing
if you use Kikkoman soy sauce the small table serving bottle can be recycled into a dressing bottle
extra tea towels useful for many things , salad spinner perhaps if you use it often
some condiments you can learn to make yourself smaller size whisk and small bowl, a blender is useful to have
potato masher if you make mashed potatoes from scratch a sturdy stainless steel one will last a lifetime
steel pans last longer non-stick pans get scratchy with time and have to be replaced
some plastic containers to save leftovers , depends on what you can use those in salads , sandwhiches etc
If you get into homemade soup a soup ladle to serve , the largest pan of the set can be used to make soup , there exist soup pans but those are a bit big for just 2 persons
serving spoons are usually part of the cutlery set if not get them separately , a cooking utensils set , for 2 persons having 4 of items is a minimum more if you do not wash up dishes right away
if you get into special recipes these days there are specialty pans pots for everything imaginable cookery wise
with a 4 set pan you can cook a menu of meat vegetables potatoes sauce/gravy
if you cook recipes that freeze well you can freeze some meals for a busy day , see BHG cookbook has a section on this
Dessert dishes icecream coupes espresso cups . Ice cream scoop. Serving trays. Some serving platters. Carving set if you are into big meats roast beef leg of lamb virginia ham whole chickens etc
Some guys like to use a meat cleaver but a regular chefs meat knife will do. The meat cleaver is handy if you want to hack ribs into smaller pieces.Watch the fingers and work careful.Youtube has lots of videos on cooking. Foodwishes is one of them. For Japanese food CookingWithDog. There are many more seeing others cook is very instructional.
Well I am sure I forgot things will be back with the sequel...... Wishing you success with the cooking.

[eidas]

was electric griddle mentioned?

[Capt. Cave Man]

Dang! I'm a single dad and I don't have much of that stuff.
I use old shirts cut up for washing dishes.
I basically use one knife, chef knife.....but it is nice have'n a serrated blade knife.
I don't peel potatoes, just wash them.
Get a grill if ya can, can be used for a ton of stuff.
My cook book is the internets. Plenty of vids to show how to do stuff
Get plenty of silverware and plates. Set of 8 is nice. guys can have a hard time doing dishes sometimes.
Plenty of bowls to mix, store, hide candy in.
When ya watch vids you'll see what people use. Check out alton brown good eats unitaskers. There is only one......a fire extinguisher.
cutting board has two sides, keep one for raw meat and the other side for cooked. mark them
regular spoons and forks make great stir'rs and wisks.
save pickle jars, mayo jars, and such for mixing stuff and store'n leftovers
Save ketchup bottles for if ya make your own bbq sauce, or for mix'n your own salad dressing(the type from a pkg)
Pizza box's make do for paper plates, the leftover boxes.
baking sheet or 3. for when ya get wild and add too much cheese to a casserole. saves oven clean up.....and can be used as a plate while have'n supper and a movie in the living room.

just use your imagination. it will impress the kids and show them how to save a buck or 2.
Good luck!

[Gerania]

You obviously already have some pots, pans and kitchen utensils. Perhaps you should choose a few recipes that you'd like to try and buy the necessary equipment needed to prepare those.

[in_newengland]

You could get a glass cutting board. They can easily be put in the dishwasher or washed in hot water and soap so that they can be sterilized after being in contact with meat. Then you can also use it for cutting vegetables or you can have a wooden/other cutting board for vegetables. Be really careful of contaminating things with raw meat.

At least 4 place settings (knife fork spoon) of utensils. It's nice to have the smaller dessert forks and the larger table spoons too. Also a few serving spoons of which one is slotted and a serving fork. Buy quality or they'll be falling apart.

Get the best quality pots and pans you can afford. (Buy them on ebay if you have to.) Revere Ware is one. I don't know if they still make it but you can get Corelle Visions pyrex cookware on ebay and they have covers and they can be used stove top, oven, microwave and then go onto the table and into the fridge. You need a few sizes, probably large, medium, and small.

For cooking you need a few large spoons for stirring and a spatula for pancakes and hamburgers.

You should have a set of three pyrex mixing bowls in graduated sizes.

A long rectangular pryex baking dish for lasagna and other foods that require it.

A set of measuring spoons

A set of measuring cups

A good cast iron frying pan is great to have and fun to use and they last forever. The old ones are better then the new ones. Griswold and Wagner are the best brands and maybe you can find one in a second hand shop---you don't even wash them, you just wipe them out!

An electric mixer

Save jars and containers so you don't have to buy them.

You'll need a few knives, like a really good carving knife (big for roasts), serrated knife medium sized, and a small paring knife for sharp cutting of vegetables. A potato peeler (also used for carrots)

Later on you might want cookie sheets, cake pans, pie plates, but those are frills.

You don't need a lot of fancy stuff. Just start off with the basics and wait to buy more as you need them or you think of them. If money is a consideration or you like vintage items, I would recommend thrift stores as they have tons of utensils and kitchen items, very cheap and usually great quality, better than new=made in China.

[Cliffie]

The list in Jane brody's Good Food Book may be just what you're looking for. It also tells you everything a new cook should know about selecting and preparing almost any foodstuff -- meat, veggies, starches -- in a wide variety of ways. She even includes a goodish list of the basic spices and oddments, like baking soda and what sort of canned goods are good to have on hand.

[Nerys52SoSilver]

some useful sites Cooking Basics
Cooking Equipment - Reviews, Recipes, Tips for Kitchenware, Cooking Equipment and Kitchen Appliances
Cooking for Two on About.com - Recipes and Tips
Recipes for Home Cooking
About.com Food