Cooking Supplies: The Well Stocked Starter Kitchen

I learned to cook in college because we had our own kitchen in a small condo type dorm called Mayfield at Vanderbilt. We were all broke and running out of cafeteria dollars. We would have Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French, and Southern dinner parties. We would even bake cookies and cakes. We had little sake sets, probably stolen from the Japanese restaurant in Nashville, and we would serve hot sake to our dinner guests. I even got suckered into buying one of those pots and pans sets from a salesperson that cost a fortune. I was still paying it off when I had a career years later.

We did not eat very healthy in those days, only my roommate Beth. She could eat mounds of cottage cheese with raisins in it. She also bought "spirulina" vitamins and did yoga. My other friend Sally was one of the only vegetarians I had ever met, but after graduation she was eating hot dogs so I guess that did not work out. Beth had us join the Vanderbilt "Wine Tasting Society", although my roommate Anne and I usually just hid a bottle of cheap Chablis in our laundry basket in the sorority house. Our house mom Cornelia and Miss Mary made gourmet meals for us that were spectacular and added to my appreciation of fine dining. Miss Mary made us a peppermint ice cream cake on our birthday that I still make for my kids.

My College days were full of wonderful memories of all of the great Southern cooking in Nashville, Tennessee. We would eat fried chicken, grits, and drink Play Dee Does at Cajun's Wharf. Thursday nights were happy hour at Spats or Fridays (TGIF.) We would go where the cheap drinks and free food buffets served the college kids. The dreaded freshman 20 pounds were burned off when we walked to class or rode our bikes. My metabolism has caught up with me now and I have to diet all the time but I still love to cook a variety of foods and pair them with good wines.

Here are a few basics that you need to have in order to have a well-stocked kitchen.

1. One Large Stockpot with a Lid.
A non stick surface is good or a very good clean pot that is easy to clean. Enamel pots are hard to clean. This you will use for boiling pastas, making soups and sauces. It is usually around 8 quarts or bigger and is called a stockpot.

2. One Big Saute Pan with a lid.
A 5.5 quart size is a good size. This pot should be non-stick or easy to clean. Old pots don't clean well and the non-stick surface comes off. The more expensive the better, but you can get cheap non-stick pots at Target or Costco (but they don't last as long.) When your pot does not clean up anymore, get a new one.

3. One small omelette size pan
This should also be non-stick for sure! I use this type of pan almost daily for eggs and small dishes. Don't forget to get a few spatulas that are also non-stick.

4. Two or Three Pot Holders
Not the cheap kind or you will be sorry. Buy the OV Glove at Target or the big rubber glove that says 400 degrees proof or brags that you can dip it in boiling water. Cheapo potholders really make me mad, especially when pulling cookies out of the oven - OUCH!

5. Two muffin tins, two cookie sheets, two round cake pans, one 9x13 cake pan. Even old vintage ones are good because you are going to use NON STICK FOIL on the cookie sheets or parchment paper. You will also buy muffin cups cheap to use in the muffin tins for easy clean up.

6. PAM or other non-stick cooking spray. This is critical. Spray everything before you cook and you will be happy with the clean up. PAM also has a baking type spray that works great on cake pans and muffin tins. Note on PAM, don't spray the pan around the gas flame - YOU WILL START A FIRE!

7. Non-stick Foil, regular foil (but it is boring and food sticks to it), muffin or cupcake liners, parchment paper maybe, Plastic Wrap, one gallon clear bags, and other zip bags in sandwich sizes as well.

8. Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, Salt, and Pepper, Balsamic Vinegar and other vinegars if you get fancy. Baking Powder, Baking Soda, White Flour, Bisquick Baking Mix, Yellow Cake Mix or chocolate cake mix. Vanilla, Crisco, Cornstarch, White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Powdered Sugar, chicken broth, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate unsweetened powder, oats like Quaker one minute oats. OK, these are just suggestions.

9. Refrigerator basics: Real butter, eggs, cream cheese (low fat is fine), sour cream, shredded cheeses, square cheese like for grilled cheeses and Panini's, whole grain English muffins, breads, milk, condiments like ketchup, mustard, pickles, relish, Tabasco sauce (chipotle is best), chopped garlic, bar b q sauce and salad dressings. Low fat choices are good, fat free are pretty gross tasting and usually have added sugar. Best to eat whole grains, real vegetables, real dairy products and limit the fake stuff. FRUITS for your tasty water, lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, and strawberries. Also buy those bags of apples or tangerines so you will always have long lasting fruits!

10. Spices: I like mixed spices like Lawry's Seasoned salt, lemon pepper, Old Bay seasoning, and Monterey Steak Seasoning. But have the basics like Basil, Curry powder, Dill, Oregano, Paprika, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme and Cinnamon. Others you may want are allspice, marjoram, cilantro, mustard, garlic powder, garlic salt, celery salt, onion powder and different flavors of salt and pepper.

11. Other luxury or "extra" items
Very Good Knives - the most expensive if you can afford them. Otherwise get the kind that don't require sharpening (who has time for that?)
Pie Plate - glass or metal 10 inch
9x9 or 8x8 baking pan good for brownies
Big Roasting Pan - 14x10x 2
Bundt Pan - fancy type, spring form pan, glass casserole pans 13x9x2 or metal

I have lots of recipes for starter cooks and college students. I actually uploaded my cookbook onto one of those websites where you can use it on your iPad!

Source: http://honeyelves.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-well-stocked-starter-kitchen.html

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