December 1, 2020

Cooking, Getting Started

Start Cooking Today

If you want to get started with cooking, you need gear to cook with. Where to start and what to buy? There is a never-ending rabbit hole of what you should get. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the choices.

It doesn’t have to be daunting.

The Basics Of Cooking

Let’s start with just the basic things to get going. You need plates, bowls, cutlery, and pots/pans. Most everyone has that stuff, but if you don’t… god help you.

Knives

We stress the importance of having good knifes. Don’t cheap out here and assume that a knife is a knife. They’re not! A good sharp knife is the difference between prep work getting done simply or becoming a chore. Cheap and dull knifes also cause accidents. So, getting a quality knife or knife set should be number one on your list.

Measuring Equipment

Next, no matter you’re planning to make, you will need some measuring equipment. The bare minimum would be a teaspoon, tablespoon, and measuring cup. Don’t try measuring by eye. It will never close.

Pots & Pans

After that, if you’re using subpar aluminum pots, you should seriously consider upgrading to stainless steel.

All The Rest

Finally, you need to have enough tools in your chef’s arsenal to get most cooking jobs done. These include things like ladles, large stirring spoons, whisks, spatulas, etc. These are the kind of tools that will get through most everyday dishes. We heavily favor woods utensils, as they don’t impart chemicals when heated up, like plastics. They also won’t scratch or damage metal pots/pans, unlike metal utensils.

Where to go from there

What's Cookin Good Lookin - Homemade Food — Metallic kitchen appliances; blender, toaster, coffee machine, meat grinder and kettle. (envato.com)

It’s not easy to figure out what you should invest in after the basics. Everyone is different. What do you enjoy cooking or want to cook? What equipment is right for you to get that done? If you’re interested in baking, than you should invest things that will your life easier. If you’re interested in grilling, you should be moving in a completely different direction.

The takeaway lesson here is; it doesn’t matter if a piece of equipment is $5 or $500. If you don’t use it, then it’s a waste of money and space. So, before you buy anything think long and hard about it. Don’t make an impulse buy.

Take a few days and think about the following:

Will you use it?

How often will you use it?

Do I have space for it my kitchen? (If you have to pack something away in the closet, it’s doubtful you will use it.)

Is it easy to use?

Is it easy to clean?

Will it break easily?

What are the reviews like for this particular product?

Is this the best deal out there?

Would I be better off downgrading/upgrading?

Worthwhile Cooking Tools

Digital Scale: It’s faster, easier, and far more accurate to measure quantity weight than by tablespoons or cups. Scales are essential if you want to bake. Further, they are very inexpensive and don’t take up much space.

Funnel: Everyone agrees that funnels are a great tool to have in the kitchen, yet few people make the effort. They are useful when moving liquids between containers, of course. They also save a lot of time if you need move spices into other containers, which few people consider. If you’ve got a pepper miller, a funnel makes refilling it a 30 second job, rather than 5 minute exercise in futility.

Sifter: A very simple, but often overlooked tool. If you going to make things with powdered sugar, like whipped cream, this becomes a necessary piece of equipment. It’s not something we pull out every day, but it’s used enough. It’s especially useful during the holiday season.

What's Cookin Good Lookin - Homemade — Food processor (envato.com)

Salad Spinner: You probably didn’t see that coming. Soggy lettuce leaves water down your salad, dilute your dressing, and generally make salads a sloppy mess. You can get the job done without a spinner, but they just make salad life a million times easier. They do take up a lot of space, but it’s certainly worth it if you make salads daily, or even a few times a week. If you want to promote a healthy lifestyle, you need tools to make that a reality.

Food Processor: They dice, slice, shred, whisk, grind, and so on. If you want to get serious about making food, this is a one stop solution for your needs. They don’t come cheap, unfortunately. Expect to drop a few bills on a quality food processor, but this is one of those pieces that should aim for quality with. A good food processor should be very versatile. It should allow you to attach whisks paddles, and dough hooks for baking. They should also have blades for vegetables, grinders for meat, shredders for cheese, and so on. Some food processors even have attachments for making pasta.

Good Cooking Means Good Food

Lastly, you need to invest in good quality food to cook with. Your dishes will only be as good as what you put in them.

Keeping a good variety of quality herbs and spices is important for any kitchen. Don’t opt for the cheapest spices you can find. Invest in something that will taste better. Don’t ignore basics, like sourcing a quality salt and/or pepper. You will taste a big difference if you pay a little more for the good stuff.

Use fruits and vegetables that are is season. Seems like a no-brainer, but many home cooks are ridged with what they use. Foods that are in season will taste better and be much cheaper.