Help Me Choose My Cookware

[Ellyn]

So, some personal upheavals got me on the run basically these past two years.

I've settled down in a boarding house with a shared kitchen, which is okay. It has a gas stove and communal pots and pans and all.

But now that I have a little more money coming in for more than the basic stuff, the first thing I thought was that I'd like to get kitchenware of my own at last! But what's the first thing I should get? I have cutlery, but have basically had to use the same table knife for sawing bread and for peeling fruit. That's how basic I've gotten.

The main question is... should I

A.) Get a hot plate, a pot and a pan? OR...
B.) A crock pot and/or rice cooker?

The latter is more expensive together but more... usable, maybe?

I definitely want to get a strainer and a chopping board. But what else is a basic must-have? Tongs? Pancake spatula or wooden spoon? Wooden spoon or slotted spoon?

 

[Jade]

I'd go with either a pan and/or a crockpot because those sound like the most versatile ones to me. I'd maybe also get a rice cooker if you eat rice everyday, but even then, I'm fairly sure you could still also make rice on a pan or a crockpot if you find a good enough method of doing so.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

When we were setting up home again after attempting to cycle around the world, we had to start again from scratch. We literally had our trangia cooking stove that we had on the cycle tour, a single small sharp knife, a single wooden spatula and a strainer come chopping board that fitted over the lid of one of the pans in the trangia set.

Things like a cheese grater, wooden spatulas, sieve & colander plus metal long handled serving spoons, measuring jugs, measuring cups, 1/2tsp through to tbsp. measure were a necessity. Also included was a chopping board, a cooking knife or two, a lemon juicer, an egg whisk, several t-towels, and a frying pan/saucepan set. We quickly realised that even this was not enough and had to buy things as we needed them (the list is long).

In your place, I would also be going with option A. But I would suggest instead of a pan, you look at a pan top steamer. The sort that the bottom can be used as a normal pan with a lid, and when you want to use the steamer (say you are boiling pasta...) you lift the lid and place the steamer part between the lid and the pot. They are very useful.

 

[OhioTom76]

Personally I wouldn't waste money on rice cooker, that is such a specialized device that doesn't really do much of anything else. You may want to check out an electric pressure cooker, since those can also function as a slow cooker, a steamer and a traditional hot pot on a burner. The one advantage of having your own appliance is you won't have to wait for others who are using the stove when you want to cook.

If you go the pan route, I would probably recommend a deep non stick stir fry pan with a fitted lid. Those can cook all sorts of things from pan frying stuff to cooking soups and sauces.

For knives, I've always found a medium sized Santoku knife to be the most versatile for my cooking.

 

[dustysmommy2013]

I would compromise and get a pan and a crockpot. You can just as easily cook rice in the pan. Pans are great for frying chicken, browning hamburger, etc. I really think that a pan (and a hot plate if that's necessary) is a must in any kitchen.

Also, let's not forget about how versatile a crockpot will be. I make everything from breakfast casseroles to lava cakes in mine. They are well worth the money. I dont know where you live but here, you can get a nice one that gets the job done for less than $40.

If money is an issue, you can always buy one item and then a couple weeks later, buy the next one. If that is the case, I suggest starting with the hot plate and pan.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Here's mine. The Emerilware 10-piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set. it is made by All-Clad. I've added 20 additional matching pots, lids and pans to it to help make it a monster 30-pc set!