Basically all any cook really needs is one good knife and two clean hands. That said, there are some basic items that make life easier. Most you can find at a thrift or dollar store for very little money. If you invest anywhere it should be a good knife, and some good pots and pans. I am a huge cast iron junkie, they last forever and are practically non-stick when well treated.
My go-to pan for nearly daily use is my little 8″ cast iron, it has been lovingly ‘baconed’ over the years, and it fully covers the burner.
Other than that there are some other items that you can usually pick up at thrift store or dollar store that certainly help. I’m not big on a bunch of little electronics around the house, I usually don’t have counter space for them, and by the time you pull them out, use them for one, then clean them and put them away, their usefulness fades pretty quickly.
Things I use regularly:
- Small 1 qt & Med 2 qt sauce pans with lids oven safe
- Sm 6″ and Med 8″ fry/saute pan – oven safe really .. cast iron.
- Sm to Med dutch Oven 3 qt
- Stainless steel bowls – set of three
- Plastic colanders – set of two
- Measuring cups and spoons – Try to find a set that goes down to 1/8 tsp
- One and Two cup Pyrex liquid measure
- Box grater
- 2 Slow cookers – 1 qt and 3 qt
- Scale – just a cheap one for portioning meats
- Muffin tins – full sized and mini
- Sheet pans – Toaster oven size and full size
- Wire racks – Toaster over size and full size
- Ramekins – single serving freezer/micro/oven safe set of four
- Mason jars – pint and 1/2 quart
- Rasp/zester
- Veggie peeler
- Veggie spiralizer – just a cheap hand held one
- Small scoop – 1.5 tbs
- Wire sieves/strainers
- Immersion blender
- Bullet blender
- Food storage containers
- Mixing spoons – I like bamboo – sustainable
- Turners/Heat resistant spatulas – often at dollar stores you can find a set
- Tongs
- Whisks
- Hot pads
- Oven Mitts
- Kitchen towels
Start small and work your way up, since you will be saving so much, you can reward yourself with a shiny new rolling pin one day!
- Freezer bags – quart and gallon
- Snack size bags – for portioning
- Tin foil
- Plastic cling wrap
- Paper towels
- Wax paper
