What is your most used kitchen tool...or one's you can't live without?

Question

I'm moving into another apartment - before my roommate already had a lot of kitchen supplies so I didn't really need to get any but now I'm living somewhere else and need all new kitchen supplies - I love cooking but don't do it as often as I'd like, what tools do you think I should spend money on that are really worth it?

(ones, not one's)

where can i get good quality knives that aren't really overpriced?

Answer 1

Microwave(convectional) and Rice cooker. Between these to appliances you will be able to cook all your meals if necessary without using gas.

Buy a sharp knife made of high carbon stainless steel(an expensive brand will cost a bomb but will last you a life time)( think of it as an investment). and a chopping board.
Measuring cups and spoons
Can Opener
Cockscrew
Kitchen Timer
Micro Safe glass utensiles(so you can bake in the micro too)
Pots and pans as per your need.(you don't really need too many. ( I cook four items each day for 2 adults and 2 kids and manage fantastically with only 2 pans and a wok.)
Tupperware to store leftovers. DO NOT buy cheaper plastics
Tupperware is worth the price. They will replace any broken lids even after years.
Most importantly, a chopper/blender(hand blender types do very well) It will make the cumbersome task of chopping and blending done in minutes and cut your cooking time down drastically.

These are the barest minimum which you cannot do without.

Answer 2

A good set of pots, and pans. Pancake turner, mixing bowls, can opener, food processor, or at least a blender. A toaster, wooden spoons, silverware, scissors, hot pads, mixer, wire whisk, coffee maker,(if you drink coffee) and glassware. And no cook would be without spices.
When moving out for the first time, I found this to be one of the most expensive rooms to furnish, all that little stuff adds up. And I was shocked the first time I had to buy spices.

Answer 3

You have to have a frying pan and a spatula. Get a nonstick frying pan-so much easier to cook in. And spend a little on a good spatula because you want one that won't melt from the heat. These are two things no kitchen should be without.

Answer 4

I would give up everything else in my kitchen before I parted with my good Henckels knives. I buy mine from Home Chef, which has a great selection but I think is much more economical than Sur le Table or Williams Sonoma.

Second choice... my coffee grinder and coffee pot. Gotta have that fresh ground french roast.

The rest... you can get by with three good quality pans for starters... one medium-sized saucepan, one non-stick frying/saute pan, and one large pot for soups, pastas, stews. It is better to select a really good quality cookware line (Calphalon, All-Clad) and just buy one or two pans at a time as you can afford them than to buy a lot of cheap junk that corrodes quickly and taints your food with odd flavors. Took me five years to build a full set of good pots and pans, but it was worth the wait... they have lasted 15 years now.

For miscelleny... a good cutting board (the kind that fits over your sink is great in small apartments), a couple of good quality no-melt rubber spatulas, a long-handled cooking fork, a few long-handled wooden spoons, a couple of pyrex clear glass mixing bowls that can double for baking casseroles or as serving bowls, at least one good wire whisk, tongs, rubber-sealed cannisters (keeps you from throwing rice, oatmeal, flour away frequently because of weevils or other nasty apartment building pests), measuring cups, measuring spoons.

Answer 5

One good chef type knife is the key and will work for anything and a cutting board of course. A sturdy frying pan, a stew pot and a sauce pan for rice. Add a box type grater and a peeler. A sheet pan and a roasting pan if you have enough. With these you can make anything. You could get all of this for abou $50.

Answer 6

A good cook book, One with a easy to prepare meals guide. so you will have less time the kitchen but at the same time you will be eating healthy.

Answer 7

Rice Cooker

Answer 8

a good 12 inch skillet, 2 saucepans(2 qt and 4qt), a large pot with lid for soups and pasta,rubber spatula, pancake turner, wisk, measuring bowls, a couple of baking pans (8x8 and 13x9), meauring cup and spoons.
those are the essentials, everything else you can make do without for a while.

Answer 9

A really sharp knife or cleaver.

being sharp makes them easier ti use with less risk of a bad cut.

For dicing and chopping you can't beat a cleaver, as the broad blade will run up you knuckles and miss you fingers, also acts as a scoop to pick the diced food up with.

Answer 10

Wy wok is my most treasured item. You can cook anything in a wok. Especially handy if you are cooking up a large dish.

And my spatula - you need a good quality spatula.