Healthy Eating: Kitchen Basics: What you need in the kitchen...no uni-taskers!

Alton Brown, the host of the science food show, "Good Eats" famously said, "The only uni-tasker you should have in your kitchen is a fire extinguisher." I try to honor his creed for two simple reasons. One is I hate to waste money on a gadget I hardly ever use and secondly, I don't like to clutter up my kitchen with too many gadgets and utensils. When you have too many items it takes longer to find what you need. Wasting time and money is not simple living.

The list that follows are the kitchen basics I think most people can use in order to be able to bake, roast, sauté, broil, and stew. Every home will most likely need a few more items that are customized to the type of food you prefer to cook. In our house we make a lot of whole grains so we use a rice cooker several times a week. My husband also bakes his own bread, so he has various baskets and bowls that he uses for shaping and proofing bread.

My meal plan for the week is at the end of this post.

For baking:

Nesting bowls

What I like about ceramic nesting bowls is that you can put them in the oven and in the microwave. They are also pretty enough to use as serving bowls.

Baking pans

Measuring cups

For Savory Cooking:

Cooking Utensils

For spoons you definitely want long ones so you won't burn yourself. A slotted one is important for draining meat and veggies that are cooked in water. A ladle is necessary for soups and stews. A rubber coated whisk is good to have for mixing a sauce on the stove in a non-stick pan. The wooden spoon is important for not scratching a non-stick pan and the spatulas I own are heat resistant so you can scrap a hot pan.

Cooking knifes and scissor.

For knives a chef's knife is your most important multi-purpose tool. You can cut almost anything with it as long as you keep it sharp. It is important to have a serrated knife for bread and fruits and veggies like tomatoes. A paring knife is helpful for cutting meat and so is a kitchen scissor.

Salt and Pepper for Cooking.

I like having a pinch salt holder to keep by the stove and a pepper grinder that allows you to control the coarseness of the pepper. Salt and pepper are in every savory dish so it is nice to have them out and available in an easy to use container.

Opening, grating, and basting.

Sauce Pots

The larger sauce pot I have here has a built in colander. It is great to have a pan structured this way because you can lift the pasta right out of the pan, strain it as you lift it, and deposit it directly into sauce without having to leave the stove.

Frying Pans

There are 3 frying pans here one large non-stick for fish and a small non-stick for eggs. Below is a large sauté pan that does have a lid. This is great for brazing meat and making sauces.

Appliances:

Kitchen Appliances

A Cuisinart makes chopping and mixing large batches of things much easier. The electric mixer makes baking much easier and a blender is good for pureeing and making smoothies.

Dutch oven and crockpot.

A Dutch oven really makes the best stews and chili because the liquid gets heated from all directions which makes for a richer sauce. But if you can't be home for hours to attend to a dutch oven, a crockpot can make many things that a dutch oven can, not as well, because the heat is only coming from the bottom, but the convince of it is worth the investment in one.

Meal Plan for the Week:

Meatless Monday: Pierogi with Mushroom and Greens

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Clam Sauce

Wednesday: Chickpea patties and salad along with whole grain pita bread.

Thursday: Sausage and Peppers with Crispy Polenta

Friday: Arctic Char with Roasted Potatoes and White Asparagus

copyright 2012

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