Toast

Basic Kitchen Part IV: Pantry

Of course, a person must go shopping from time to time, or even daily, depending on where she lives, and how she transports herself. And I enjoy food shopping. While I've never been rich, I have never gone hungry either, so I'm not sure why I am such a hoarder. Nonetheless, I am most comfortable and contented when my little apartment kitchen contains the makings of weeks worth of actual meals, in the event that I become, willy-nilly, somehow imprisoned here. Go figure.

To complete my compulsive list of kitchen essentials, I offer you: #1 The Basics, Long-keeping Staples, #2 Suggestions (for additional almost non-perishables), and #3 basic groceries to keep on hand. And I invite you, as always, to let me know what I've forgotten. I'm far from certain that this will be of any use to anyone, but I do love making lists, and reading this sort of thing when others do them. Outfitting a brand new kitchen, you would need to make certain you had:

Basic Long Keeping
Unbleached All-purpose flour
Kosher Salt and or Coarse Sea Salt
Peppercorns and Grinder
Granulated sugar
Baking powder
Baking Soda
Stone-ground corn meal
Oatmeal
Canned Tomatoes home canned are great,
(love those Muir Glen fire-roasted ones, too)
Canned chick peas
Canned kidney beans
Canned cannelini beans
Dijon mustard
Canola oil
Olive oil
Cider vinegar
red wine vinegar
real vanilla extract or beans
soy sauce
worchestershire sauce
tabasco or favorite hot sauce western style
"Roostersauce" the asian hot-sauce with a picture of a rooster on it
Dried pastas, long and short
Dried egg noodles and asian noodles
basmati rice
Dried white beans, lentils, split peas- unless you don't like them

Your favorite dried herbs and spices,and mixtures thereof in small quantities to replace at least once a year. Whole, if possible. I couldn't happily do without:

thyme
marjoram
greek oregano
basil (dried whole leaf is a lot better than dried flaked, but you usually have to dry your own)
bay leaves
tarragon
rosemary
crushed aleppo pepper
cayenne pepper
spanish style smoked paprika
hungarian paprika
nutmeg and grater
cinnamon
ginger (Penzey's has dried chunks you can grate, for when you are out of fresh)
cloves
chili powder (Ancho is most basic, a variety is nice)
ketchup
tomato paste

Extra Long Keeping Goodies

Canned italian style tuna in olive oil
capers
anchovies
sardines
High quality canned clams (like Morton's)
assorted jams and jellies
canned chipotles in adobo
dried mushrooms
dried chestnuts
balsamic vinegar- best you can afford
sherry vinegar
boxed low salt chicken broth -small and large boxes
small boxed fish stock
barley
canned water chestnuts
fish sauce
oyster sauce
nice plain crackers
additional spices and herbs

Groceries on Hand
milk
butter (unsalted is most versatile, you can always add salt)
eggs
lemons
a lime
an orange
carrots
onions
potatoes
celery and/or fennel
whole grain bread
crusty baguette or rolls
bacon
salad greens
yogurt
at least one piece of nice cheese for eating
chunk of parmesan and/or chunk of Romano
fresh mushrooms
parsley
cilantro
basil, in season
shallots
garlic
fresh fruit and veg in season

And you need some wine and beer and whiskey, for cooking and drinking-obviously too large a subject for a footnote. Of course, if you are a vegetarian, there's some stuff you will skip-notably fishes and bacon. Also, anything you hate, obviously.

If you are really outfitting your kitchen from scratch, you will need paper products. But first, get reusuable cloth versions of everything. Napkins are easy to launder, as are dishtowels. You can just keep a little tote bag over a doorknob in the kitchen, and put the soiled ones in directly, then pick them up when you do laundry. The key is to have plenty, so you're not always running out, if you don't do laundry super-often.

The flour sack kind of kitchen towels are nice and big; plus- they are white, so you can bleach them, and also use them in food prep. I like the silicon potholders, because they can go in the dishwasher, and make good trivets, too. They don't seem to wear out. Ever. You will still need some paper towels, foil, parchment, and cling wrap, some ziploc bags and a bunch of containers of the Tupperware ilk for leftovers.

This must be, like a zillion dollars worth of food. No wonder we acquire our pantries over time. I have way more stuff than this, too. It does make a person feel wealthy.

My pantry shelves are pretty shabby.I understand from my landlord that I'm getting a kitchen redo some time this this year. I guess I'm pleased, although I will have not much say on design choices, and am a little wary of his possible preferences. Still, it will be nice to have some new surfaces, which have not been blasted by time and previous tenants. And once I've hung put all my stuff back in and up again, it will, at least, feel like home. He's letting me keep the wall colors I used, and giving them a fresh coat- so that's nice. We'll see. The cats are gonna go nuts.

Basic Kitchen (continued): Equipment, Part III: Baking and Roasting

Here we go again with the continuing list of minimum kitchen requirements.

Things get a little hazy right around now. Any list of essential oven ware is going to need some customizing. Because some cooks hardly do any baking, and others are in business primarily for the sweets. While the second group is going to have to get dinner on the table as well as filling the cookie jar, it is possible to be an excellent, engaged cook, and almost never bake. So here's where we're going. First, a list of real basics, then a list of basics for sometime bakers, and finally a few specialty items for those who are engaged in producing dessert on a regular basis. I have more special baking equipment than is consonant with my actual level of activity in this area. I just have a weakness for the stuff.

Basic:

roasting pan with rack

8"X8" square pan steel or ceramic (I use an Emile Henry one, which is nice for small dishes of baked pasta, as well as brownies, and comes to the table looking pretty.)

Three 8" round metal cake pans- you want a bright surface, the dark ones cook too fast. Nonstick is nice.

lasagna pan 8 1/2"X11", (or larger, if you have a big family) pyrex is nice, and some come with snap on lids for carrying your bring-alongs

2 loaf pans (most pan bread recipes make 2 loaves), also good for meat loaf

a pyrex pie pan

a covered oval-shaped or round casserole for pot roasts and oven-roasted chicken, etc. - ceramic , metal or enameled cast iron

2 jelly roll or "sheet" pans, which serve as cookie sheets, and drip-catchers- again, go with a bright metal surface to prevent overcooking, otherwise known as "burning"

6-8 little 4, 6, or 8 oz. custard/timbale cups, pyrex are great, and cheap, too- ceramic ones are often very pretty. (Thanks to Lynn D., who reminded me of these.)

one or two shallow gratin type dishes- porcelain, pottery, or enameled cast iron are dandy. Mine are pottery Frankoma ones, which go with my green everyday dishes. Like the dishes, I got them for a song on ebay.

Sometime Bakers also need:

tart pan or pans with removable bottom

springform cake pan

tube and/or bundt pan

muffin tin

baking tiles or baking stone for making crusty breads and pizzas

rolling pin

porcelain oven-proof quiche pans, large and small

silicon nonstick mats and/or parchment paper

Serious bakers, or crazy people like yours truly, who are maybe less than serious, but love this stuff may want:

mini bundt pans, mini tart pans, mini loaf pans and /or mini-spring-form pans for making baby-cakes

mini muffin tins

madeleine pans

various bundt and kugelhopf pans with different designs

silicon financier pans (bigger silicon pans don't work for me- even as small as muffin size- I crack stuff- but for these little pastries, I love 'em)

a shortbread pan (square) with designs that emboss their cute selves onto the cookies

pudding basins

a linen-lined banneton for rising round breads, and a floury linen for bread making

a marble rectangle for rolling pastry

cookie cutters

a biscuit cutter or 2, and (blush)

a pate terrine...it's true. Also, I must admit to a box full of tiny walnut shaped molds, for making walnut cookies. I love them; they ain't going anywhere.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go sort this stuff out. Next up: Pantry needs. This project is actually helping me organize my kitchen. Much dubious stuff has been moved to the basement lockup, given away, listed on ebay, or, in some cases tossed. My back hurts, but in a good way. I think. As always, I welcome your suggestions for important items I have overlooked.And I do realize the photo is more suited to the top-of-the-stove section, but I haven't done any decent ones of cake pans. Maybe soon.

Basic Kitchen : Equipment, Part II: Utensils

I posted the photo here some time ago for a Becks and Posh event called "Utensibility". Entries were to describe the kitchen item closest to your heart, without which you would be, if not helpless, at least bereft. This old French enamelware utensil rack was a steal on ebay, probably because impassioned collectors of European enamelware tend to prefer delicate colors and florals, rather than flaming orange. I'm not a collector, I just love this particular thing, which is in excellent condition, almost entirely chip-free, and hence very usable.

I use it all the time, and also love to see it hanging on my walls, which I painted elephant gray, to match the interior enamel. That will give you some idea of just how much I adore this object. My point here, before I go on to list another category of basic kitchen needs, is that every kitchen should have a thing or two which is/are not only useful, but delightful to it's resident cook. You'll know it when you see it- if you're in a shop, or at a yard sale, or dumpster diving- it will pretty much leap into your arms. I'm just saying, don't set it down again just because it isn't the most practical thing in sight. You'll be glad you didn't.

As far as utensils you need, bare minimum, I suggest the following:

3 knives: a chef's knife 8", or longer if you like a big one, German or French style; a paring knife; and a serrated utility knife, not too long, which will slice your tomatoes and your bread, neatly. As I'm sure you've heard before- if you have a little bit of money, this is where it should go. Good full-tang forged knives take a sharp edge, and they last forever, they are a cook's best friend, etc.

High carbon stainless is the material of choice, unless you are into extreme knife grooming. If you are such a knife person, you can go to carbon steel, which can rust, but sharpens like a dream. You can find really good carbon steel knives, including unused old stock, on ebay, for much less than comparable quality stainless, but they are a pain in the ass- it cannot be denied. I have one, a long slicer, by Dexter, an American brand popular with butchers. If you are not able to spend now, there are quality alternatives which will work very well, and are durable, too.

A cutting board: I like end-grain wood, but bamboo is also very nice, and cheaper. You'd like to have a big one, large enough to roll dough, knead, and carve a roast, and a baby one for chopping veg. You don't need the later if your kitchen is big enough to leave the large one out all the time, ready to go.

A long handled wooden spoon

A slotted spoon

A ladle

Spatulas: a rubber one for baking, and a metal one-or my favorite ultraheat-proof silicon model, which is somewhat flexible, but not floppy

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

2 and 4 cup Pyrex liquid measures: which go happily into the microwave to melt butter and chocolate and are generally totally friendly, familiar and homey. If your Mom didn't have these, you probably did not grow up in the United States

A stainless colander

A tea strainer or tea ball, if you drink tea

potholders, dish towels, and dishclothes: I am very big on silicon potholders. They are less flexible than the cloth, it's true. But I am a big slob, and get food all over them. The cloth ones just don't clean up well in the wash, and always look pathetic and unclean- even when washed well. Dish cloths are better than sponges, because they can be properly laundered. If you do prefer sponges, you can clean them in the top rack of a dishwasher. Otherwise, they stink dreadfully after a week washing dishes.

long handled granny fork or a carving fork: many people inherit these, which is dandy, but you can also get new old-style ones- they are very nice

Whisks:I use my little flat one (good inside pots), and ball-ended one (emulsifies like crazy) more than my big one. But you need a couple of big ones if you don't have an electric mixer, one ballooon shape. for beating air into eggs or cream. Also, if you don't have an electric mixer- an eggbeater is an object of great usefulness and charm

fine sieve for sieving stuff or sifting flour: If you get one with a long handle, you can use it to drain small loads of veges, etc., of liquid in a hot pan.

Tongs

Bowls to mix in: including one very big one, for bread and stuff, which can also serve as a large salad bowl

A proper Swingway type can opener, which will have a bottle opener on it, too

A corkscrew The "Rabbit" one is infallible. I am way more fallible than average in this area, so I am devoted to mine. If you are a handy type, you can impress others with your deft use of a simple waiters corkscrew

I forgot: you need a grater, probably two: I like the microplane files for fine grating. It makes lovely fluffy clouds of parmesan and lemon zest. Lots of people prefer a box grater for larger holes, but I like my little anonymous rectangular one, with a long handle. Then again, I do have a food processor to grate vast quantities when necessary. If you don't, a box grater is sturdier, and would probably be best.

Here are some utensils which are not strictly necessary, but are very useful:

Carving knife/meat and/or salmon slicer: You can use your chef's knife, but this sort works much better for thin slicing of meat and fishes. I don't use it often, so..mine is a carbon steel new old-stock Dexter, as discussed above. Likewise a boning knife. Yes, I am a big knife nerd. I don't use these knives so often, so I don't mind the extra care, once on a while. If you are a vegetarian, I'd skip these items.

Knife sharpener: The Furi Ozitech is a good one- the only one that has worked for me. It doesn't do serrated knives. I take them all to be sharpened professionally, once in a while anyhow. If you develop the necessary skills, you can stone sharpen your knives. I think you need a live teacher to learn this though-I haven't had any luck teaching myself from books.

Vegetable peelers- Sure you can use a knife, but these are cheap and excellent value. A second, serrated one peels soft fruits and veg-tomatoes, peaches, and plums, for example- so you don't have to scald them to get the skin off, a recent, excellent innovation

A Benringer mandoline: far cheaper than the high-class French ones, but you must commit to being very, very careful- they are fabulously sharp, and I would hate for you to bleed to death before my virtual eyes. Really, really careful.

Melon baller: also cores sliced fruit with a very tidy result

Cherry pitter- if you ever cook with multiple cherries, you've got to have this- otherwise, no

A bulb basterThese are pretty cool-I like the metal tubed ones best, the glass ones break and the plastic ones go a little melty. They have uses beyond turkey basting. For example, I can't make my favorite tart tatin without one.

potato ricer:Yes, you can mash potatoes with a fork, but this tool makes perfect mashed potatoes.
It is a little hard on the hands if you are making a lot, which is why I sprung for the OXO model.

fish spatula:Here's where you think I'm bonkers. I got this baby as a gift, and initially thought, more or less "WHAAA???". But this is a lifesaver of a tool. You can slide it under, for example, an entire hot, pan-free tart or cake or whole salmon and move it, like, across the room to another surface. I kid you not. It is very, very cool.

So, let me know what I left out, and which tools you love the most. I'm going to be adding more links to this post, but thought I'd get it up, since I'm having some slow computer problems. Next up: Part III: Stuff for Oven Cooking and Baking.

Basic Kitchen : Equipment, Part I: Appliances, Stove-top Pots and Pans

I have been trying to sort out my kitchen- to remove those things I don't use very often, and are non essential. I am finding it difficult, as I am very lazy, a packrat, and sentimental to boot.I can spend most of an afternoon on this project, hauling what feels like enormous loads of stuff to the basement (for a hypothetical yard sale), or in some cases to the trash, and find that my kitchen appears unchanged, as crowded and messy as ever.

I thought I would try this different approach. I'm going to list what I believe to be the bare essentials for a working kitchen, and then get rid of everything else for which I cannot give a convincing excuse. I discussed this post with reader/friend Lynn D., way back when. Her son was setting up his first kitchen, and she suggested this topic. I said then that I planned to do it soon.

How often have I said I would post about something, fully intending to do so, and then just failed to follow through? When, for example, am I going to make the damn rootbeer? You may well despise me for a liar, but I swear I was sure I would do it- at the time. Lynn's son has probably cooked Thanksgiving dinner for his grandchildren by now. But I see another benefit here: I just love to make lists.

I thought I would divide this into sections on equipment, and on pantry. We begin with disclaimers and admissions, followed by appliances, and then, pots and pans. I invite you to point out items unmentioned, which you would not dream of living without. Later, I am going to add links for many of these items. But I have not shopped for the best deals-I just want you to see what they look like. Internet prices are always changing- so if you decide to get something- I'd google around. I believe if you buy something from Amazon, after linking, I get a pittance level reward.I ain't in this for the teensy money- I'd rather you look around and get yourself a bargain.

These will be low-tech lists. Though I have a Luddite side, I thought I'd better admit to the technology I have acquired over the years. Because I have been around for some time, I have accumulated the following items, from which I will not be parted. None of them are needed, but I love them, use them often, and am very fond of them. I cooked for many years without any of them- you don't need them, but they do the job well. The low tech substitute for each is indicated:

Non-essential Appliances dear to me:

Toaster oven: These are really great, and much more versatile than a toaster.If I could have only one small electric, this would be it. You can, of course, use a toaster instead, and your regular oven.

Bunn coffee machine: The kind that diners have, home version. A tank of hot water is always at the ready; it makes a full pot of extremely hot coffee in 4 minutes. You can use a french press, or an italian espresso pot.

Kitchenaid mixer: Mine is British racing green. I think this color is generally no longer available. I love it to bits. You can use a wooden spoon, fork, and whisk.

Food Processor: When my inherited Cuisinart died- I got a Kitchenaid. And it is very good. You can use a grater and a food mill or chinois.

Kitchenaid coffee/spice grinder, with removeable top part, so you can wash it out, and your coffee doesn't taste like cumin. You can use a mortar and pestle (though not for coffee- better buy your coffee preground.)

Crockpot with plain white removable ceramic liner and glass lid. Well, you can just slow cook on or in the stove. But you can leave the house all day with your slowcooker on "low", and be sure it will not burn the place down. Also they are very cheap.

Refurbished vintage waffle iron-just because.

On the borderline: My little icecream maker. I don't use it that often, but itis great to be able to make proper icecream. You need to have a freezer section that works well to freeze the cannister sufficiently. It takes a good 8 hours to freeze, but is too bulky to leave in the freezer, unless you have something beyond a fridge top space. It is a pain, but I'm not going to be getting rid of it.

Non-essential Appliances not dear to me:

Microwave which came with the apartment-used mainly for reheating stuff. I can't chuck it- it's not mine.

Electric tea kettle- a gift. I kept it and use it because it is fast, and frees up a burner. Obviously, you can boil water in anything.

Essential appliances:

A stove:
If you have a choice, gas burners all the way. They are more responsive, and you can see how much heat you've got. Gas or electric ovens are both fine.

A fridge: This probably came with your kitchen, too.

And, thanks to Julie's comment, an item I can't believe I forgot- the immersion blender. Maybe it's not strictly necessary, but it's close. I don't have a regular blender- between this one and the food processor and chinois, I'm covered.

Pots and Pans/ Top of Stove:

A large stainless steel pasta pot (8 qts) with strainer insert: This can be used for a stockpot, too. If you are making stock with bones from a chicken or roast- leave the strainer in, and pull up the mess of bones at the end to discard. You can make soup in here , too, as long as you do not need to brown anything in the pot- as is very lightweight, and not good for that sort of thing. Also you can steam stuff-especially if your pot comes with a short steamer accessory.

A 5qt heavy dutch oven or "cocotte", with nonreactive interior and a lid. There are topnotch, heirloom quality ones (Staub, Le Creuset, AllClad) but many lesser sorts are also fine, longlasting, and easier on the budget . This is perfect for small batch soups, and stews, and braises, and can fill in as an extra saute pan. You can bake your no-knead bread in here, too, and boil a mess of potatoes for mashing- and more.

A 2 or 3 quart heavy nonreactive saucepan with lid. Use it to cook rice, vegetables, casseroles. The little ones are cheaper than the big ones, and the fancy kind are often on sale- good place to splurge and see if the fancy pots are worth it to you. I love my little Staub one.

A wok- plain steel or thin cast iron, with a flat bottom and a handle. You've got to work at seasoning it. The Wokshop sells preseasoned ones- I imagine they are good, as the shop is totally classy, utterly reliable, and friendly. My personal favorite wok, however, is now the Vollrath one I got at a restaurant supply shop. It is the bomb-if you haven't got one, buy this one! Not only good for Chinese and Indian cooking...a wok is excellent for deep frying, too. A lid is good.

Cast iron frying pans, 9" and a 12" chicken fryer/saute pan with glass lid. Gotta season these, which is time consuming but worth it. Very cheap to buy, and when properly cared for, cannot be beat for all sorts of things, and virtually nonstick. Lodge now makes preseasoned cast iron. I have no personal experience with these, but hope they work, because the idea is brilliant. I would be nice to have a big fancy lidded saute pan of stainless steel lined copper or any All Clad variety. They cost the earth, however, so I haven't got one yet.

This is really all you need for stovetop cooking, though I also have a big old 12 qt pasta pot with strainer and steamer; it lives in the basement, but comes up for turkey carcass soup,steaming a whole stuffed cabbage, and canning ventures. And a copper jam pan- which is beautiful, and lives in the dining room when not in use. These stay too- but you obviously don't need them. Everything else must go here. Next will be pans for the oven and or utensils...coming soon.

Photo from Fanny Farmer Cookbook, 1936 edition.