The Vent Pipe

A while back Unclutter, one of my favorite blogs that I just happened to stumble upon this year, did a post on kitchen essentials for the minimalist kitchen.  Here are the top 10 items identified as essential:

1. 10″ cast iron skillet
2. 12 quart stock pot with lid
3. 9 quart cast-iron dutch-oven
4. Two silicon oven mits
5. Good knife set (5 pieces will do)
6. Cutting board
7. Tongs
8. Food-turner (commonly referred to as a spatuala, I think)
9. Thermometer (although they stipulate it must be an infrared thermometer — i’ve never heard of this before, but I now want one)
10. Set of baking pans – sheet, loaf and jelly roll, they say, will do.

Now this is a good start.  And I do in fact have all listed items excepting the 12 quart stock pot (which made making chicken stock yesterday quite the experience in my very inefficient “soup pot” that came with the set of pans my parents bought me when I moved out) and the infrared thermometer (I have a regular one). Having recently cooked at a friend’s house (ok, so I didn’t cook, all I did was make a big pot of mulled wine), I got to thinking about things that I take as “givens” in any kitchen–things that I just assume everyone has.  I was quickly brought to reality, though, when I asked for a zester/micro-planer and was looked at with puzzling eyes.  I said, “Well a vegetable peeler would work I guess.” They didn’t have that, either.  Trying to cook–even if you’re just making mulled wine–without the needed tools is a true kitchen nightmare.

So I guess this is my own list of “kitchen essentials” that anyone who does any cooking should have:

1. A good knife set: Good doesn’t mean big.  Farberware is not good.  Paula Dean’s set is likewise not a good set.  I received three Henckels knives as a gift and inherited a second set of about 6.  However I find that I really only use five of them: 7″ chef’s knife, the 7″ butcher’s knife, a 3″ pairing knife, a 6″ carving knife (it has a fairly narrow blade great for carving a chicken) and a serrated bread knife.  I might add a clever to this, though I don’t currently own one and have managed without it. That’s it.  No tomato knives! No specialty knives of any sort.  If you can’t get it done with one of these, you don’t need to do it.  And they should be hung on a magnetic strip — no knife blocks!
2. Though this might fall under the knife listing above, a good set of kitchen scissors should also be on hand at all times.  I have a pair of Kitchenaid scissors I got at TJ Maxx for just a few bucks and they have served me well.
3. Medium sized dutch-oven.  I say medium sized because for me that is the 9 quart model.  For a family medium probably means something else.  Although I’d like to have a Le Creuset, mine is an off brand cast-iron enamel-coated which works fantastically.  And it looks good, too.  Make a hearty stew in it.  Make a pot of meat-sauce for spaghetti. Make boeuf burgundy in it (I want to do that soon).
4. Two baking sheets and parchment paper (or silpat) + a loaf pan (although I did make bread without one).
5. Stock pot — 12 quarts should do it.  I need to buy one ASAP.
6. Non-stick skillet.  At least one.  Again I’ll say medium  To me that means 9″ or there abouts.
7. Sauce-pans.  One large sauce pan and one small should do it.  Mine are non-stick, but eventually I want to replace them with some heavy-duty models.
8. Cutting board – You can get by with one, but I’d say you need at least two.  And get wood or bamboo.
9. Timer.  Yes, you need it. I have a Kitchenaid Digital which has been fantastic.
10. A well stocked utensil jar – That means one heavy metal spoon, one slotted spoon, one spatula, one set of good tongs (be careful because there are a lot of not-good sets out there), at least 2 heavy wooden spoons, a whisk, a medium sized fine mesh sieve, a rubber spatula/scraper, a vegetable peeler, a ladle, a rolling-pin  and a micro-planer. A garlic press is great and essential for me, but probably not for everyone.
11. A box grater.
12. A coffee-pot.

Those are the basics.  A good roasting pan is always handy.  I do a lot of roasting of veggies.  Mine is ceramic so it also doubles as a casserole dish.  I survived without a food-processor for my first year and a half out on my own, but now I’m not sure how I did.  I like this Kitchen-Aid model.  It is quiet, efficient and comes with the three-cup mini-bowl! A grill pan is also a good investment.

Some things, like the Cocorico chicken roaster, are anything but essential.  Still, they’re different and making cooking fun.

There are still a few items I’d like to have: a large stock-pot (as I said above), a heavy-duty stand mixer, a larger dutch-oven, a pizza peel and a new blender to name a few.

Do I have more things in my kitchen? Absolutely.  I have things I’ve never even used — like an immersion blender! These are just the things I use on a regular basis — at least a few times a week.

What do you think? Are there additional items on your essential list?