The ultimate kitchen checklist for the new grad
Making the move from a dorm or your parents’ house to your first solo place can seem intimidating, especially when it comes to outfitting the kitchen. Yes, you’ll have to put some money into it — although maybe not as much as you think. In fact, if you spend wisely, you’ll save money on eating out and have kitchen equipment that will last for years — and maybe even someday end up in your future offspring’s first kitchen.
Pro tip: Check out yard sales for kitchen equipment — you can find amazing bargains on everything from dishware and cutlery to skillets, blenders and handmade rolling pins.
UTENSILS
Good tools in the kitchen can mean the difference between success and failure, so start with the essentials, and then add more items as your skills grow and you’re ready to tackle new recipes and techniques.
THE ESSENTIALS: $150
Dry measuring cup set, preferably ■ stainless steel
16-ounce liquid measuring cup ■
1/4 cup plastic measuring cup ■
(our favourite is the Mini Angled Measuring Cup by OXO, $4.99)
Measuring spoon set, preferably ■ stainless steel
Stainless steel mixing bowls ■
(three graduated sizes)
Large colander
■
9-inch metal tongs (locking) Wooden spoon (any kind) Silicone spatula (good for mixing ■ batters or to use in a non-stick pan)
Thin metal spatula
■
Peppermill (try the chef ’s favourite, ■ Unicorn’s 6-inch Magnum Peppermill, $31)
Antibacterial cutting board or ■ mats
SHARPS
Every cook needs a few good knives, like a basic eight-inch chef ’s knife and a small paring knife. A set of kitchen shears is handy for breaking down a chicken, snipping herbs and cutting off those pesky heavy-duty rubber bands binding the broccoli.
THE ESSENTIALS: $75
8-inch chef’s knife Serrated paring knife (Victorinox’s four-inch Swiss Classic Paring Knife, $7.69)
Corkscrew (the winged corkscrew is practically foolproof for a novice, but a waiter’s corkscrew is a classic)
POTS AND PANS
Pots and pans can be a big expense, but most cooking can be handled with a skillet, a stock pot and a sheet pan. Yard sales are a
great place to look for cast iron or enamel skillets and Dutch ovens, which can often be easily reconditioned at home at a small fraction of the cost of purchasing new.
THE ESSENTIALS: $100
6-inch cast iron or non-stick skillet (ovenproof )
12-inch cast iron skillet 9-by-13-inch baking glass baking dish (a half-sheet-pan-size stainless steel hotel pan can also be a good budget option)
Rimmed baking sheet
6- to 8-quart stock pot
ELECTRICS: $175
There is a dizzying array of appliances that could easily fill up an entire kitchen, but there are a handful that can be useful on an almost daily basis. Use an immersion blender for everything from smoothies to soup; a scaleddown food processor frees up counter space and speeds up chopping veggies or whipping up hummus.
Immersion (stick) blender
■
Mini food processor
Rice cooker (dish up rice and ■ steamed vegetables for a quick meal in 20 minutes; try Black & Decker’s 6-cup cooker, $19.99)
Slow cooker (come home to ready-to-eat chili and stews; try the KitchenAid 6-quart slow cooker with standard lid, $89)
BAKING ESSENTIALS: $80
Once you get bitten by the baking bug, it’s easy to obsess over handmade French porcelain pie pans and high-end stand mixers — which someday may be worth investing in. Until then, a simple rolling pin — if it’s not tapered, it’ll be easier to roll out dough evenly — is a must-have, and a bench scraper is useful for other tasks besides baking, like scooping up chopped ingredients to throw into a hot pan.
9-inch round cake pan
■
8 ½-inch loaf pan ■
9-inch pie glass plate ■ Rolling pin (Ateco’s 19-inch ■ maple wood rolling pin, $7.99 at webstaurantstore.com)
Bench scraper
■
Kitchen scale (baking requires ■ some precision, so invest in an Escali’s Primo Digital Kitchen Scale, $24.89)
Hand-held mixer
■