A version of this post was originally sent to our email subscribers on September 28. To receive Sara Kate's weekly email, sign up in the column to the left or click here. Something tasty will arrive in your inbox every Thursday.
Yesterday I went to a press demonstration of some kitchen gadgets and it got me thinking about the sense of necessity we have about stocking our kitchens and our lives with stuff. When I got back to the office and told the team about the stuff I'd just seen, someone asked me 'okay, so what do you truly really need in a kitchen to cook well?'
That's easy.
- A good knife. If you only have one, make it an 8-10" chef's knife.
- A good pan. If you only have one, make it a deep 10" cast iron skillet.
- A wooden spoon. Here's an brief post from Faith.
Sure, you may want other things, and most people probably have much more. And I'd be a liar if I told you I didn't get a thrill from a new spatula or chopping board now and then, not to mention fantasies of extra counter tops. You know that here on The Kitchn we test products and run reviews because there are kitchen tools that we think truly are helpful to some cooks. But the question of what you actually need is a good one to explore now and then because it gets you closer to your food.
The point we try to make with everything we present to you on The Kitchn is that food is life, and the more stuff we put between us and our food, the further away we travel from the vital aspect of it. Too much stuff kills it. Touch your food, it won't bite. Use a fork to whisk your eggs, I dare you.
Think about your ancestors: they probably didn't have cupboards full of rarely used appliances and cooking toys. Go back many generations and most of those kitchens had a good knife, a good pan and a well-used wooden spoon. And they probably ate really well.
As I step down from my soapbox, I ask you to take this as a meditation. Let it rumble around in your mind. Then, this weekend, see what bounty you can cook up using less stuff.
Cheers,
Sara Kate
A pot to boil water/make rice/make pasta would be nice...
view charnuska's profile
I would put a good dutch oven above a cast iron skillet because it can do stove to oven like the skillet but also has that whole boiling water for pasta ability.
view sally599's profile
Ooh, I agree on the dutch oven, and I also couldn't live without a good cutting board. So I would say four things I couldn't live without. All the other stuff is nice though, I have to admit.
view Anne (in Reno)'s profile
A general use pot with a lid is crucial, as is a spatula.
view Plaid Ninja's profile
Lovely post.
view EasilyAmused's profile
i'd say two pots and a pan is all you really need, add a paring knife and you're set
view apmc's profile
I prefer to cook rice in a skillet, so I wholeheartedly agree with the requirements! These three things are what I bought first for my first kitchen, although for a while I was using my pocketknife as a kitchen knife.
Sometimes I wonder if what I really want isn't a cast-iron wok, though. Woks are very handy if you want to steam something while frying something, or especially if you want to saute vegetables for soup. A dutch oven can sort of do this, but it holds the steam in more than a wok.
view matchbookhymnal's profile
I'd take a pair of tongs over a wooden spoon any day. I can stir something with a pair of tongs, but I can't flip a steak with wooden spoon...
view michelleb's profile
yes, tongs are a nice tool. i guess your bare-bones kitchen would depend on what you cook often.
i worked in a professional kitchen for years, and when i started stocking up my own kitchen, during a move, all it took was a carbon steel wok with a lid, saucepan with a lid (for cooking rice), wooden spoon/spatula, tongs, cutting board and a very good knife. i've had these for years and still use them every day.
i love cast iron cookware too. a dutch oven can be used for pretty much anything, and it will last as long as you take care of it. i do love some of those pricier brands, but you can't beat cast iron, and you realize those expensive brands are really just a luxury.
view antoi's profile