A Basic Kitchen or "How to maintain a civilised lifestyle while living on your own." I've noticed that a lot of fen seem to be on the younger end of the spectrum, and are therefore perhaps not long before going out and living alone for the first time. Since I'd like this part of the site to be actually useful, I thought I'd put up a little document containing advice on how to set up a first kitchen. This is heavily prejudiced towards my weird Irish-Scandinavian-Creole-grew-up- around-Asians foodways and eating habits, but should be of some use to anyone from any background. It's based on things I did that worked, things I did that didn't, and things I figured out later that would have been better if I'd figured them out sooner. It's more focused towards life in the States, but has a fair bit of relevance to other places as well. I won't put too much about stoves or other appliances, because most people's first apartments are already supplied with such, and while these are usually on the edge of inadequacy there isn't much that can be done about them. For the sake of argument, we'll figure you have an electric stove, simply because most of the places I've lived had them. Gas is different, but won't affect these instructions much. I also won't assume you have a microwave. I got along fine without one in all my student flats. They're good for reheating and defrosting, but other than that are rather overrated, to my way of thinking. Pots and Pans: If you have only two, these should be a large saucepan (with a cover) and a wok. With these you can manage virtually anything. The wok can be used to make stirfries, omelettes, scrambled eggs, grilled sandwiches, and anything else that one fries or sautes. The saucepan can be used for steaming vegetables or rice and making smaller quantities of soup or pasta. It's better to have a few more things, but not essential. If you have an electric stove, the wok should have a flat section (just the size of a large burner) at the very bottom, just enough to keep it on an even keel. For gas, a classic completely round bottom is said to be better. One's wok should be carbon steel or the ultra-traditional cast iron-- these may seem like a little more work, but are better in the end. Non-stick coatings scratch and are thought by some authorities to be unsafe at high temperatures (which are _vital_ for stirfrying-- there are westerners who have got the idea that this is simply sauteing (frying over medium heat) under a different name, but this is a complete misconception). Stainless steel doesn't season and things stick easily to it. Seasoned woks become as stickless as non-stick, and if the coating does become badly scraped it can be restored with oil and heat, unlike non-stick coatings which are wrecked beyond repair when scratched. To season the wok, follow the directions that it comes with. Never ever use soap or detergent on a seasoned wok-- instead, wipe it out with hot water and a clean rag or paper towel. If something is stuck to it, scrub when _dry_ (wet scrubbing will destroy the seasoning) with kosher salt or a plastic or bamboo brush (not too hard!). Dry it after cleaning with an half-minute or so on a hot burner, then lightly oil the inside before putting it away. If you have three (and this is much better), they ought to be a wok, a small saucepan, and a stockpot (preferably with a pasta insert). The small saucepan is better for making normal one-or- two-person quantities of rice, grits, steamed vegetables, etc, while the stockpot is excellent for making soups, stews, stocks and so-on (home-made soups and stews are an important part of the diet-- these may be made in quantity on a weekend and reheated for several meals during the week, and are generally peasant foods, based on cheaper ingredients like beans and tough, bony cuts of meat. Besides, they taste good and are very homelike and comforting.). The stockpot is also a better choice for pasta, as it allows more space and, with a pasta insert, easier and more effective draining (pasta should be well drained to keep from going soggy and diluting sauces). One can also use the pasta insert as a basket for steaming things, and to retain the bones and bits when making stock. A good heavy omelette pan is not essential, but useful. This can be non-stick, as long as one is scrupulously careful about not using metal implements with it, either in cooking or cleaning. Omelettes are easy to make once one gets the hang of it, and function as a quick meal at any time of the day. A well-made omelette (especially one with sexy ingredients like herbed goat-cheese and a few morsels of smoked salmon) is an excellent way to impress a member of the appropriate gender, especially as a late supper or breakfast:-). An omelette pan is also easier than a wok for scrambling eggs, making grilled sandwiches or pancakes, and so on. If you eat steak and the like, a cast-iron skillet is useful (this may be found at many hardware stores, often for a better price than in a cooking supply shop). A skillet is also the best thing in the world for baking cornbread (stoneground meal, sour milk, and no sugar-- sweet yankee cornbread is dreadful. I do have a southron root or two, and must express them _somewhere_:-). A crockpot is very handy. With it, one can leave soups and the like (it's especially good for bean soup and chili) to cook all day while one is out doing something else. It also frees up a burner on the stove, which can be nice if one entertains. Knives: If you have only one knife, it should be a Chinese cleaver. This is the most versatile kitchen knife in the world and can be used to do virtually anything. It saves considerable effort when chopping, as the weight of the blade does most of the work. Don't use it to chop through bones, though-- this will spoil the edge. Get a steel, and dress the edge regularly. Using a steel is not that difficult, but hard to explain without pictures. Ask someone at the store, or look for a cookbook that describes the process. If you have a second knife, get a bread knife. This is one of the few tasks a cleaver won't do. Unsliced bread is generally better quality and lasts longer than sliced. If you don't eat bread, you can ignore this. A bread knife can also be used to carve roasted meat or fowl if you don't have anything else (although a carving knife is much better). Needless to say, you should wash it very thoroughly (With soap!) before using it again to cut bread! A third knife should probably be a small paring knife, which is easier to manage for peeling, boning, etc. An eight inch chef's knife is also nice to have-- it isn't nearly as good for chopping as the cleaver, but it's better for slicing. It's another tool that can do for carving in a pinch. Some makers sell a serrated or partially serrated blade with the overall shape (blade projecting beyond the knuckles, wide heavy blade, edge gently curving to the tip) of a chef's knife. Don't get one, as it's quite useless, inadequate for the traditional uses of a chef's knife and not much good for anything else. If you really eat enough roasts and chickens and the like to justify a carving knife you should have a proper carving knife, not some strange multi-functional gadget that tries to be too many things. That's a good rule for choosing all your cooking tools: versatility comes from simplicity, not weird attempts to glom dissimilar features into a single package. There's a reason why the spork is a joke rather than a revolution in eating utensils. If you must chop through bones, as when disjointing poultry, get a meat cleaver. This has a duller edge than the kitchen cleaver, and won't turn on the hard material. Be careful, and don't get flashy, as this is a good way to hurt yourself. Raising the blade up high like John Belushi in a Samurai Deli sketch looks cool, but takes a huge amount more practice than you probably have, considering as you're reading this. Keep your fingers well away, and let the weight of the blade do the work for you. Professional chefs often damage their hands over the course of their training-- there's no reason for you to emulate them in this. Important to remember with knives is to _wash_ well (not just rinse) after cutting meat, poultry, or fish and before cutting vegetables. This is why two knives with somewhat similar capacities (cleaver and chef's knife are my choices) are good to have. Cutting boards must be treated the same way. Using wood for animal products is a bad idea-- I like moderately soft plastic (better for the edges, but scrub any nicks or dents well) for all purposes. Treat your knives carefully-- they are as important a tool as the wok. Keep them sharp, and don't bang them together. Hand- cleaning with a plastic brush and plenty of soap, followed by rubbing off excess water with a towel and a few hours in the air to finish drying, is better than a dishwasher. Carbon-steel blades should be lightly oiled before being put away-- don't put them in a drawer with crumbs or dirt that might stick. Serrated blades are overrated and frequently sold for things they shouldn't be. They're very good for carving things like bread and cooked meat, but otherwise not too much use, as they leave a ragged edge. Avoid "never needs sharpening" knives-- they do get dull eventually and are then nearly impossible to sharpen. It's better to have one or two good (not necessarily professional-- these are designed to deal with much more use than most people will exert) knives than five flimsy cheaper ones that don't work as well and need to be replaced soon. Good dependable knives are not automatically expensive-- look in Chinese hardware stores or groceries for cleavers, watch for sales, and concentrate on weight, balance, and feel, not looks or fancy handles-- some brands sell the same blade in a better-looking, but no more functional, haft for half again as much as a less sexy one. Steel is better than ceramic-- it's cheaper and doesn't chip or shatter. Develop your knife skills. With more control, you'll be safer, and food cooks better when cut in even pieces. By buying your vegetables whole rather than already chopped or sliced, you'll save money and improve your diet with nutrients and tastes that leach away from exposure to air and moisture. Besides, most packaged vegetables (and meats) are ineptly cut; with a very little practice you will do a much better job. Other tools: Don't use plastic spoons or spatulas for stir-frying. They melt and burn at high temperatures. This is true even for the Calphalon tools that say they can take heat. You don't want to be eating little bits of plastic, do you? Wood is adequate, but the sanitation aspect has always bothered me. I like steel. A good Chinese-style steel spatula and a pierced scoop are all you really need for your wok. However, if you have a non-stick omelette pan (the only place non-stick has any real advantages, in my opinion), a plastic spatula is vital to avoid scratching. Since you shouldn't go any hotter than a gentle medium heat when making an omelette, this is not a problem. A mortar and pestle is more than just a decoration-- spices should be bought whole (preferably at an health food store or other non-supermarket source) and ground as needed. This conserves flavour (ground spices on a shelf are already halfway to stale) and saves money. A coffee grinder can also be used, but the plastic found in most of these takes on flavours while the stone mortar does not. A miniature food processor is not essential, but very nice, especially for pestos, spice pastes, chutneys, and salad dressings. These are whole orders of magnitude better when homemade rather than packaged, and take hardly any more time. A full sized food processor is also nice, but hugely more expensive and much more useful for people who bake and have families to feed. Rice cookers are quite useful, though far from mandatory. While they can't be left all day the way crockpots can, they automate the task of cooking rice and therefore save time and effort. One can vegetate while the rice cooks instead of having to mind the stove. Some days this is a great relief. An electric kettle is another nice thing to have. It boils water faster than a kettle on the stove and frees up a burner for other uses. If you have a small hot water tank that is often empty by the end of the day, an electric kettle can be a lifesaver when washing-up comes round. A drip coffeemaker can heat water nearly as well, of course. I drink quite a bit of tea, and prefer to make my coffee with a french press and a kettle, but that's a matter of personal taste. A steel whisk can be effective, but most of the things it does can be done just as well with a fork (it's better for doing things like beating egg-whites till fluffy and whipping cream, but these take more effort than I usually feel like expending:-). Many people actually prefer the fork for beating eggs for omelettes and the like. Forks are also handy for tossing salads. I probably use them in the kitchen as much as I eat with them, since most of what I make when I'm by myself is eaten with chopsticks. Potato peelers aren't bad. One can do the job with a knife, but the peeler cuts a thinner and more even strip than most of us can manage and is slightly safer for the fingers. They're also nice for ginger and carrots and such. You'll sometimes see them combined with a grater-- don't bother. As with many combination gadgets, it's neither a very good grater nor a very good peeler. Much better to have the two separate tools. Speaking of which, a grater is useful to have, especially if you like to use hard cheeses in things like omelettes. One can get a similar effect with a knife, but the grater saves time and effort. Vegetables and the like can be steamed (better taste and texture than boiling, and fewer nutrients lost) by putting them in a covered pot with a small amount of water, but it's much better to have a steaming basket. One puts the water (not so much as to reach the bottom of the basket) in the bottom of the pot and the food in the steaming basket, then puts the steaming basket in and covers the pot. There are also steamers which work on the principle of a double boiler-- a lower section (which also serves as a small saucepan) within which one boils the water, and a pierced upper section which takes the food to be steamed. The upper section has a handle, which makes it much easier to remove than the steaming basket inside the saucepan. A timer is better than hoping you'll remember to glance at your watch, and will help save you from over-cooked pasta and hard-boiled eggs (assuming you wanted soft-boiled, as for a proper Swedish/Norwegian breakfast). It may not take the heat terribly well-- just in case, put it on the counter rather than the stove. A scale is not essential, but makes life easier, especially if you bake or use any non-American cookbooks. Weight is a more accurate measure than volume, and most of the world prefers to use it as a means of measuring solid ingredients. (Some sources say Americans took to using volume because it was easier to carry measuring cups than scales while venturing westward in the name of Manifest Destiny. I don't know if there's any real evidence for this, but it makes a nice story, doesn't it?) A mandoline isn't necessary, but can be handy for making slices and strips finer than once can manage with a knife (especially for cutting things like zucchini the long way). It's really better than a food processor for this, being less to wash and making thinner and more even pieces. Many are quite expensive, but some of the plastic ones aren't so bad, and one should ask round to parents and the like. I have mine because my mother picked it up years ago, just before becoming enchanted with the Cuisinart. Be very careful, and always use the handguard-- those blades could give one a nasty cut. A pasta-server with tines isn't really essential, but is the most effective tool for its job, especially if you ever have guests. Guests are a pleasant thing, once you've practiced cooking a bit-- it can be a lot of fun to show off your skills, and if you play your cards right someone may contribute homebaked bread or dessert or a good bottle of wine or beer. And, of course, it can be a really winning way to get a nice person of the appropriate gender into that _other_ part of your flat. (Do be sure that you know what your guests eat! Offering a vegetarian a blood-rare twenty-ounce porterhouse steak, a squeamish person a whole calf's head, or a confirmed carnivore a leafy salad and a plate of grilled eggplant is not a good way to their heart. Food allergies require even more care and attention than tastes, as they can be _fatal_.) A rotary salad washer (hand cranked or spun with a flywheel and cord) is another labour-saving device which isn't too expensive and really does work. Use it for washing herbs and spinach as well as salad greens. With potholders (quite important), a strainer, a couple of large spoons, a soup ladle, a mixing bowl (or better yet a set of them), a measuring cup (a one-cup and a two-cup is better, but one two-cup will do), a baking pan or two, and measuring spoons, you'll be pretty much set with anything you'll need. And don't worry too much about not having any one piece of equipment-- with a little practice you'll learn to work around the lack, either by using something else for the same function or by avoiding recipes that absolutely require it. People in some countries make marvelous food with only a simple wood-burning stove, a battered pot, a clean stick to stir and toss with, and a knife (even something as apparently awkward as a machete or a Gurkha kukri) to cut with. And in cities like New York and Chicago there are people with designer kitchens and professional-grade equipment who eat out for every meal and can scarcely boil water. You'll do fine. Cookbooks: A good basic cookbook like _The Joy of Cooking_ is an important tool. The older one has many lovely recipes, is written in an appealingly chatty style, and is well worth digging up as a classic and a bit of a curiosity (it includes advice on preparing squirrel, beaver tail, and possum), if nothing else. That said, if you will have only one of them, the newer (post 1998 or so) version is better (if comparatively humourless), as it has a more culturally diverse range of recipes (including a surprisingly good Pad Thai) and is tailored to contemporary tastes and ingredients. Learn to evaluate cookbooks. There are quite a few good ones and even more not-so-good ones available today. Don't be swayed by pretty pictures; while visual aids can be useful in trying to reproduce a dish, and some illustrated cookbooks contain fine recipes, many are more decorative than practical, intended to fuel the fantasies of people who can't or won't actually cook-- a sort of "foodie soft porn." Many cooking shows, particularly those on a certain cable channel, suffer from the same problem. Learning to judge takes time and practice and a fair amount of rummaging around in bookshops and browsing without buying. Eating and talking with people who know food is also important, more than any book. Especially at first, you should try to sample an authentic example of the dish you want to make before attempting the recipe. It may not be exactly the same, but it will give you a clearer idea of what you're trying to do. In the end, one can't expect to simply repeat the steps in any recipe, even one carefully written by an expert cook, and expect a perfect result. Cooking well takes sensitivity and adaptation. These can only be developed through time and practice. Don't give up!