Stocking Your First Kitchen
Seasoned chefs know exactly what they need in their kitchen, but people who are considering attending culinary arts school online may not be so sure how to stock their first kitchen. Getting your first home is an intimidating process. Here’s what you need for any recipe you’ll want to make:
A lot goes into stocking your kitchen.Appliances
Your stove can do a lot, but it can’t do everything! The first things you should buy for your new kitchen should be small appliances that do what your stove can’t. These include a toaster (sure, you can toast bread on the griddle, but do you want to do that when you’re in a hurry in the morning?) microwave, blender and coffee maker. If you have the funds to spare, feel free to browse the waffle makers, electric woks and other specialty products, but be sure that you at least have the base items you’ll need to handle simple tasks.
Cookware
For a young person moving out for the first time, a pot, pan and cookie sheet will suffice. However, if you’re enrolling in any culinary online programs, you’ll want to step it up a notch. There’s a variety of styles and sizes that you’ll want to stock up on. There are few things more frustrating than pouring all of your ingredients into a heated pot or pan only to find that it’s too small for your needs. The Kitchn has a basic list of cookware that all beginning chefs need to have in their arsenal. These include:
- A saute pan with a lid.
- A dutch oven.
- A half sheet pan.
- A 9 x 13 baking pan.
Other items that are sure to come in handy for people who will be cooking full meals include a skillet, a large and a small sauce pot, and a cooling rack.
Tools
A kitchen isn’t a kitchen without the tools necessary to cook! Aside from a dining set and eating utensils, though, people forget about how many kitchen tools are necessary to a well-stocked kitchen. A quality knife set should be a the top of any aspiring chef’s list. While you don’t need to break the bank on top-of-the-line, professional-grade cutlery, you don’t want to skimp, either. In addition, you’ll need a cutting board, colander, cheese grater, whisk and can opener.
Many beginning cooks don’t realize that it’s necessary to have both dry and liquid measuring cups. Though the measurements are the same, these tools have different qualities to suit your needs. A spatula, serving spoon, pasta spoon and mixing bowl round out the bare-bones essentials to the beginner’s kitchen. Don’t worry, though! You’ll find yourself picking up odds and ends and slowly building up your kitchen collection.
