Cooking Equipment - The Basic Cooking Equipment Guide
January 27th, 2008
Most people do not realize it, but having the proper cooking equipment really makes a difference to the way your dishes turn out. No wonder then, you might have noted that most world renowned chefs pay utmost importance to the equipments they use and many even travel with their favorite equipments for shows and exhibitions instead of taking a chance with new ones. Therefore, if you are stocking up your kitchen, then make sure that you at least get the basics right. This way, you will never have to give up making a dish in the middle just because you do not have the proper equipment. At the same time, your dishes will turn out just the way they are supposed to instead of turning out to be surprises (often unpleasant ones). We provide you here with a basic cooking equipment guide. This is stuff that every fully operational kitchen should have. You can go on adding equipments based on the kind of cooking that you do and the recipes you make.
Pots and Pans: Having the right type and the right size of cooking utensils is extremely important since they influence both the cooking time and the taste of your food. The list of essentials is as follows:
· One large, one medium and one small pot, with lids
· A medium sized saucepan with lid
· One large and one small frying pan, preferably non stick
· Two to three oven proof baking dishes in different sizes. Or buy at least two of the same size.
· Buy a pie pan and a cake pan –both medium sizes—if you plan to bake
· A set of different sized microwave proof bowls for storing and heating leftovers.
· A roasting pan and rack if you are into roasts
Knives: Most people do not pay as much attention to knives as they deserve. Buy the right kind of knives, good quality ones, and they will not only increase the quality of your output, they will also increase your efficiency in the kitchen.
· One chef’s knife 8 or 10 inches long
· One bread knife
· One paring knife
· One serrated knife
· One vegetable peeler
Spoons and Ladles: Having the right kind of spoons makes cooking very convenient. So make sure that you have the right ones for every process.
· Wooden spoons- with long and short handles
· Slotted spoons for deep frying- for non stick as well as regular pans
· Ladles
· Spatulas of different sizes
If you have non stick pans, then make sure that you buy spoons suited for such pans. This will save money since wood and plastic spoons can also be used with regular pans and pots.
Other Utensils and Accessories: No kitchen is complete without these necessities, so read on for more basic equipment that you need to stock your kitchen with.
· Grater with different hole sizes and some other basic functions
· Rolling pin
· Mixing bowls
· Measuring cups –one for liquids and one for dry items