Equipment
You do not have to have a TON of kitchenware to cook from scratch on a routine basis, especially if you are part of a small household as is much more the norm these days than it used to be.
Historically, it was the norm for recipes in books or on cake mixes (etc) to list multiple options for what to do if you were using a loaf pan or a cookie sheet, etc. This was done because some people ONLY had a loaf pan but no cookie sheet and SOME people only had a cookie sheet but no loaf pan.
I have at times cooked for a household of three while owning a large, deep omelette pan as my ONLY cookware. (Omelette pans have rounded sides so you can slide the omelette out of the pan.)
Some people know that and hand wave it off as poisoning you only a LITTLE and being worth the compromise because of the convenience. Well, okay, it's YOUR life. Feel free to commit suicide SLOWLY and then act mystified as your health issues mount up over the years while you chalk it up to "getting older."
Chemically safe cookware includes:
This was my go-to for acceptable cookware on a budget.
My favorite high-end cookware was enamel cookware from Chantal, a brand that still exists but they seem to do very little enamel these days. Their site is mostly stainless steel now.
Visions is ALL glass and Chantal has glass lids for a lot of pieces, which makes it possible to SEE your food without taking the lid off and this helps you cook better by NOT venting a lot of built up heat anytime you want to LOOK at your food.
I know people who cook primarily via sense of smell. I cannot do that. I NEED to be able to LOOK at food and glass lids are a godsend if you are like me in that regard.
They are good brands for other reasons, but that's a nice detail worth noting.
I have never owned cast iron. It IS safe to use but it's also an entire separate cooking CULTURE of how to prep it and clean it and etc that I am not qualified to speak to.
I am very fond of 8x8 square pans as a good size for my needs. When I ONLY own one bakeware item, it's often that or the closest I could find.
You do need to remember to NEVER add COLD water to a dish in the oven in glass bakeware. It will cause a hot glass pan to shatter dramatically.
Yes, I have done this. It's MEMORABLE and makes it unlikely you will ever do this stupid trick a SECOND time.
Get good at adding ENOUGH water OR learn to heat it on the stovetop if you NEED to add water.
Adding water is one way to bake meat and veggies with butter without the oven becoming a horribly greasy mess. It makes the pan easier to clean because there is less baked-on grease and it makes the OVEN stay cleaner so you can clean it less frequently by reducing the amount of greasy spatter.
If you are cooking from scratch, you will need a mixing bowl. It may not need to be as big as the one your mother used if you have a smaller household and you may only need ONE if you are trying to keep things to a minimum.
A whisk is a nice tool to have for beating eggs. Make sure you clean it promptly.
There are other pieces that should ALWAYS be cleaned promptly and NEVER left to soak in the sink or stuck in a dishwasher. This includes wood or bamboo utensils and sharp knives (the kind you CUT, carve, peel and pare with, not butter knives).
If you have NO OTHER knives, you should have at least a paring knife. It doesn't necessarily have to be expensive but it needs to be adequately sharp.
If you find knives frustrating, educate yourself. I come from a serious knife culture and have had family members who sharpened knives with sharpening stones routinely.
If trying to prep veggies makes you nuts, talk to someone about what constitutes a quality knife or do some internet searching. It may not be "just you." Having the right equipment makes a world of difference.
And do NOT put it in the dishwasher or chop with it on a HARD surface, like glass, where the blade is hitting the surface over and over. It will dull it.
Copper scrubbers will NOT grow crud, unlike sponges, etc. BUT cannot be used on everything. It will scratch Teflon coating, for example, but it's great for scrubbing baked-on grease off glass bakeware.
A large bamboo spoon can be nice for stirring stuff -- it won't get hot to the touch like a metal utensil -- and can be perfect for making mashed potatoes without a mixer. Bamboo is harder than most woods and is less likely to grow mold, but STILL should not be left wet for long periods, so still should not be left to soak in the sink.
Do not hesitate to get specialty tools that can make your life easier for anything you will make regularly. A few I have talked about previously on this site include a small spaetzle maker and an apple slicer and corer.
I have read a lot of books and articles and watched a lot of TV shows over the years about organization of home items. You should STORE stuff NEAR the point of use.
Historically, it was the norm for recipes in books or on cake mixes (etc) to list multiple options for what to do if you were using a loaf pan or a cookie sheet, etc. This was done because some people ONLY had a loaf pan but no cookie sheet and SOME people only had a cookie sheet but no loaf pan.
I have at times cooked for a household of three while owning a large, deep omelette pan as my ONLY cookware. (Omelette pans have rounded sides so you can slide the omelette out of the pan.)
Cookware
No cheap aluminum cookware and try to avoid Teflon non-stick coating. This stuff poisons you.Some people know that and hand wave it off as poisoning you only a LITTLE and being worth the compromise because of the convenience. Well, okay, it's YOUR life. Feel free to commit suicide SLOWLY and then act mystified as your health issues mount up over the years while you chalk it up to "getting older."
Chemically safe cookware includes:
- Enamel
- High quality stainless steel that passes the magnet test.
- Cast Iron
- Visions glassware
This was my go-to for acceptable cookware on a budget.
My favorite high-end cookware was enamel cookware from Chantal, a brand that still exists but they seem to do very little enamel these days. Their site is mostly stainless steel now.
Visions is ALL glass and Chantal has glass lids for a lot of pieces, which makes it possible to SEE your food without taking the lid off and this helps you cook better by NOT venting a lot of built up heat anytime you want to LOOK at your food.
I know people who cook primarily via sense of smell. I cannot do that. I NEED to be able to LOOK at food and glass lids are a godsend if you are like me in that regard.
They are good brands for other reasons, but that's a nice detail worth noting.
I have never owned cast iron. It IS safe to use but it's also an entire separate cooking CULTURE of how to prep it and clean it and etc that I am not qualified to speak to.
Bakeware
I generally prefer enamel and glass bakeware. They are chemically safe, glass bakeware is readily available and relatively cheap.I am very fond of 8x8 square pans as a good size for my needs. When I ONLY own one bakeware item, it's often that or the closest I could find.
You do need to remember to NEVER add COLD water to a dish in the oven in glass bakeware. It will cause a hot glass pan to shatter dramatically.
Yes, I have done this. It's MEMORABLE and makes it unlikely you will ever do this stupid trick a SECOND time.
Get good at adding ENOUGH water OR learn to heat it on the stovetop if you NEED to add water.
Adding water is one way to bake meat and veggies with butter without the oven becoming a horribly greasy mess. It makes the pan easier to clean because there is less baked-on grease and it makes the OVEN stay cleaner so you can clean it less frequently by reducing the amount of greasy spatter.
Prep Work, Storage, Cleaning
I like Pyrex's glass storage with plastic lids.If you are cooking from scratch, you will need a mixing bowl. It may not need to be as big as the one your mother used if you have a smaller household and you may only need ONE if you are trying to keep things to a minimum.
A whisk is a nice tool to have for beating eggs. Make sure you clean it promptly.
There are other pieces that should ALWAYS be cleaned promptly and NEVER left to soak in the sink or stuck in a dishwasher. This includes wood or bamboo utensils and sharp knives (the kind you CUT, carve, peel and pare with, not butter knives).
If you have NO OTHER knives, you should have at least a paring knife. It doesn't necessarily have to be expensive but it needs to be adequately sharp.
If you find knives frustrating, educate yourself. I come from a serious knife culture and have had family members who sharpened knives with sharpening stones routinely.
If trying to prep veggies makes you nuts, talk to someone about what constitutes a quality knife or do some internet searching. It may not be "just you." Having the right equipment makes a world of difference.
And do NOT put it in the dishwasher or chop with it on a HARD surface, like glass, where the blade is hitting the surface over and over. It will dull it.
Copper scrubbers will NOT grow crud, unlike sponges, etc. BUT cannot be used on everything. It will scratch Teflon coating, for example, but it's great for scrubbing baked-on grease off glass bakeware.
A large bamboo spoon can be nice for stirring stuff -- it won't get hot to the touch like a metal utensil -- and can be perfect for making mashed potatoes without a mixer. Bamboo is harder than most woods and is less likely to grow mold, but STILL should not be left wet for long periods, so still should not be left to soak in the sink.
Do not hesitate to get specialty tools that can make your life easier for anything you will make regularly. A few I have talked about previously on this site include a small spaetzle maker and an apple slicer and corer.
I have read a lot of books and articles and watched a lot of TV shows over the years about organization of home items. You should STORE stuff NEAR the point of use.
- Mixing bowls, flour, etc. should be near your prep space.
- Cookware and bakeware should be near the stove/oven.
- Flatware and dinnerware should be near where you will clean them and near the dining table.
- Frequently used items should be between knee height and shoulder height. Infrequently used items can be stored in higher or lower places.
