Getting Started - Basic Tools

Kitchen gadgets are so much fun - but for those of you new to cooking I've pared it down to the absolute basics.


A GOOD KNIFE

A necessity. I hated chopping before I got a good knife. It's like the difference between coach and first class. If there is any one item in your kitchen to invest in - it's a great knife.

It's a zen experience at this point. I look forward to cooking everyday for the time I get to prep - chop, slice, dice and relax.

This all purpose chef's knife by Shun was a wedding gift and I use it all day every day. It helps to have a good chopping board as well. We have a food processor, but when I have the time, I make every cut myself - even for salsas!



TOOLS

Prep bowls can be any sort of bowl. Use what you have - tupperware, old china, anything - but find a range of sizes. I use small prep dishes every day and medium to large prep bowls depending on what I'm cooking.

Tongs. They work like your hands, but you can't put your hands in a heated skillet... well you can... but they won't taste very good.

A peeler helps, but your very great knife could take on this task if you don't have one yet. There are many tools I love, but the most used are photographed here.


POTS AND PANS

Again, there are so many great vessels for cooking, but we want to stick to basics here. A skillet, a sauce pan, a steamer basket, a pot, and a cookie sheet would be a great start.

I'd like to purpose that with a knife, a few bowls, and a skillet, you should be able to prepare a high quality, gourmet meal. Now it's time for me to prove it.