MY list of kitchen essentials . . . .

You are welcome to disagree, but here is my list of kitchen essentials (cookware, bakeware, appliances, gadgets, etc.) This list includes what you would need to do basic cooking and baking.  It does not include specialty items needed for making your own dairy, or preserving your own food, etc.

NOTE: I do not currently own all of these items in my own kitchen.  But I'd like to! :)

Next post: Essential Kitchen Staples (flours, sweeteners, oils, etc.)


Cookware
OK, there are 4 pots and pans that I would consider a "must have":

- 8 qt. stainless steel stockpot
- 10 inch stainless steel skillet (or cast iron)
- 3 qt. stainless steel saucepan
- some sort of cast iron dutch oven

You could cook most things if you had those three items.  But there are a longer list of what I consider "very nice to have":

- 8 inch stainless steel skillet
- 12 inch stainless steel skillet
- 1.5 qt. stainless steel saucepan
- 2 qt. stainless steel saucepan
- 6 qt. stainless steel stockpot
- 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet

Bakeware
I'd say minimum is a 9 x 13 baking dish, a cookie sheet, a pie plate, and either a round cake pan or a square baking pan. But here are the "nice to have":

- 10 x 14 inch glass or stone baking dish
- 9 x 13 inch glass or stone baking dish
- 8 inch x 8 inch glass or stone baking dish
- 9 inch glass or stone pie plate
- 10 inch glass or stone pie plate
- Two stone or stainless steel cookie sheets
- stone or stainless steel muffin tin
- stone or stainless jelly roll pan
- stone or stainless steel pizza pan
- 9 inch stainless steel round cake pan

Electric appliances
I guess I'd consider most of these "nice to have" instead of "must have", but pretty high on the "nice to have."

- Immersion blender
- Blender
- Food Processor
- Hand mixer or Stand mixer

Preparation/Gadgets
Hard for me to pick my "must have" on this list.  I'd really consider almost all of them a "must have."

- Paring knife
- Serrated knife
- Chef knife
- Kitchen shears
- Meat mallet
- Mandoline
- Grater
- Microplane
- Fine mesh strainer (both small and large)
- Colander
- Can opener
- Cork screw
- Bottle opener
- Garlic press
- Rolling pin
- Meat thermometer
- Candy thermometer
- Oven thermometer
- Freezer thermometer
- Stainless steel long handled spoon
- Stainless steel long handled fork
- Stainless steel slotted spoon
- Stainless steel pancake turner
- Stainless steel spatula
- Stainless steel whisk
- Stainless steel ladle
- Stainless steel tongs
- Stainless steel measuring cups
- Stainless steel measuring spoons
- 4 cup, 2 cup, and 1 cup glass measuring cups
- Silicone spatula
- Wooden spoons
- 1 large wooden cutting board for fruit and vegetable
- 1 large plastic cutting board for meat
- 1 medium plastic cutting board for dairy
- Glass mixing bowl set
- Metal mixing bowl set

Well, a more everyday post to start out 2012

I feel like I should do a top ten list of things that happened in 2011.  Or 2011 photo review.  And I'll do that.  Just not tonight.

And don't worry, this isn't some "heavy" post either.  

Well, I guess it could be, depending on how you look at it. :) I'm thinking about cookware lately. And kitchen utensils. I know, really exciting.  But that's the type of stuff that thrills me lately.  :)

I have been weeding out my aluminum and Teflon pots and pans this year (I even said good-bye to my aluminum dutch oven this year!) and getting rid of plastic and silicone utensils.  I had already eliminated almost all my plastic containers - I use glass jars for almost everything now. 

With my cookware, I have had a cast iron 3 qt. dutch oven/10 inch skillet combo for a few years now, but I wanted to add more pots and pans to my kitchen, either with cast iron or stainless steel.  So this year, I've added a 14 inch stainless steel skillet, a stainless steel double boiler, a cast iron 12 inch skillet, a 12 inch stainless steel skillet, a 12 qt. stainless steel stockpot, and a1 .7 qt. cast iron/enamel saucepan as well as a stoneware deep dish baker, a large stone round stone, and a cast iron/enamel dutch oven .  Almost all were thrifted/garage sale or bought on clearance/sale too.  I'd love to pick up a couple more stainless steel saucepans, another smaller stainless steel stockpot, and some stoneware bread pans and, as well as a cast iron griddle/grill.  But overall, I'm pretty pleased with what I've acquired so far.  I could really use a pot rack now.  Especially in my tiny kitchen with its very limited storage space.  

With utensils, I've picked up a stainless steel ladle, a stainless steel spoon with long handle, and a stainless steel turner.  Oh and stainless steel measuring cups and measuring spoons.  I'd love to pick up a stainless steel slotted spoon and stainless steel tongs. [ETA: I bought a stainless steel slotted spoon and tongs today!]

Oh, and I'd LOVE to get a good cutlery set.  We have an inexpensive set, and now that I'm cooking and preparing MUCH more food from scratch, I have found that I really could use at least a few good quality knives.  

But some days, I just stand in my kitchen and smile.  I have managed to pick up lots of good cookware this year. I've managed to eliminate lots of extra packaging.  I've moved to almost exclusively glass for storage.  I cook from scratch almost always.  I even make lots of my own dairy now! We use stoneware for our plates, glass for our drinking glasses, and stainless steel for our utensils.  We are almost entirely non-disposable (no paper plates, cups, napkins, etc.) It is a tiny kitchen, but I am making the best of the space, I think.  

Next post will be a top ten list, OK? Or 2011 photos in review.  Or maybe I'll talk about yarn.  'Cause this is my blog and that's how I roll.  :)