Cooking starter kits

zenen
2023-06-16T15:39:56Z

If you were to set up someone with a brand new kitchen, what are the components that you would suggest to them for getting that 80% of functionality for 20% of the investment (Pareto Principle)? These are especially things that I would consider to be worth a healthy investment as a buy-once-have-it-forever situation. Some things that come to mind:

A cast-iron pan: high skillcap and can cook almost any type of food
Stainless Steel Stock Pot: cooks most things stovetop that the pan can't handle
Chef's Knife: A good quality, sharp knife makes all the difference in the kitchen
Mason Jars: Preserve food, bring them to bulk stores, drink water out of them... top-tier utility

Things that are on the fence in my mind:
desktop blender/immersion blender/food processor: I love all of these appliances, but how important are they? A food processor is maybe the highest utility & makes meal prep way easier. Also unlocks recipes like hummus and salsa.
a large cutting board: small cutting boards suck, but how high of a priority is upgrading it?

Let's have a discussion where you state your case for an individual appliance/tool (or argue one of these suggestions) and see what other people have to say!

Seeing that this is taking off a bit, I'm going to try compiling some of the response data here:

Level 0 - Starter Kit

Stainless Steel Pan (+3)

Aluminum Stock Pot (+3)

Vegetable Peeler (+3)

Plastic Cutting Board (+3)

Spoons / Spatulas / Ladles (+3)

Chef's Knife (+2)

Paring Knife (+2)

Serrated Knife (+1)

Level 1 - Booster Pack

Weighing Scale (+4)

Baking Trays (+2)

Level 1a - Cooking I

Immersion Blender (+2)

Box Grater (+2)

Dutch Oven (+1)

Level 1b - Baking I

2L jug (+1)

Measuring Cup (+2)

Pain De Mie Tin (+2)

Wire Rack (+1)

Level 2 - Intermediate

Instant Read Thermometer (+1)

Level 2a - Cooking II

Food Processor (+1)

Level 2b - Baking II

Immersion Whisk (+2)

Level 3 - Advanced

Cast Iron Pan

Mason Jars

Air Fryer

Comments URL: https://tildes.net/~food/16fn/cooking_starter_kits

Votes: 22

Comments: 35