What cooking equipment do you find most useful?

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E-Rocker

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Like it says on the tin, I am wondering, what cooking equipment do you find most useful?

My birthday is coming up relatively soon and my parents were asking what I might want for a gift. Normally, they're of the "give experiences, not stuff," mindset, which I'm totally on-board with, but there aren't exactly a lot of events and activities going on right now...

So I thought, since I like cooking and it's a hobby I can still pursue in the COVID-era, perhaps I would ask for some cooking stuff.

Your suggestions, please!
 
Here are some possibilities at a variety of price points
  • A rice cooker if you don't have one - these can range from cheap to Zojirushi (a posh Japanese brand)
  • A decent blender like a Vitamix or similar. These can be quite pricey, though.
  • A 1000/3000 sharpening stone. Unless you're working with exotic sushi knives you won't achieve anything by going finer than that.
  • A ginger grater
  • A ceramic knife like a Kyocera. These are fragile but very good for cutting soft things finely as they have a very sharp edge that lasts for years. You can cut 1mm thick slices off a tomato with a ceramic knife. For that matter, a good chef's knife if you don't have one.
  • A good non-stick saucepan; these are good for scrambled eggs, porridge, sauces or anything else with an inclination to stick to the pan.
  • A benchtop induction hob. These allow fine-grained control of temperature, especially at the low end. Good for simmering.
  • A bread maker - these are great for setting on a timer and having fresh bread for breakfast in the morning.
  • A cast iron skillet, non-stick sautee pan (e.g. a Scanpan) or some other good frying pan. Alternatively, an omelette or pancake pan.
  • A kitchen scale
  • A benchtop air oven if you want to cut down on fat.
  • A pressure cooker
  • A large stock pot or casserole pot if you like stews or soups.
  • A cake mixer
If you have access to a Costco membership there are some decent deals on better quality items available there. For example, they do a deal on a set of Global kitchen knives that would be about half the price of buying them individually at half price.
 
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chef, pairing, and bread knife (forged, not stamped)
knife sharpener
wood or plastic cutting board
thermometers (make sure it is calibrated properly)
Wooden spoons
microplane
whisk
High temp spatulas
vegetable peeler, tongs, slotted spoon, can opener, measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls
stainless steel pots and pans
pizza stone
baking pans
non-stick pan
cast iron pan
Dutch oven
Mixer
Food processor
 
Hey E E-Rocker I am not a fancy chef but have been cooking meals for 20 years. 90% of my cooking uses the the following items. I tend to put a premium on items that are reliable, durable, and not made of plastic.

  • A good chef's knife. This is the knife I use, decent quality for under $100 and I think I got it at Costco. I bought the Mrs a santoku style chef's knife by the same manufacturer and that is good too.
  • Cast iron pan. Not expensive at all and you can find them anywhere. I think I got mine for $20 at Walmart and it has served me well for years.
  • Small pot with lid. I use a vintage Revere Ware stainless steel pot with a copper bottom from the early 70's. I love it, this thing is a workhorse. I don't know where to find stuff like this nowadays but if someone knows let me know!
  • Steamer/Rice Cooker. I steam a lot of vegetables using a Hamilton Beach steamer/rice cooker.
  • Cutting boards. I use one for vegetables and another for animal protein. I prefer wood but there are tons of inexpensive plastic ones out there.
  • Hand citrus juicer. Lemons and limes are a staple at the Savage household. Make sure it is durable because there are a lot of shitty ones out there made of cheap plastic that will break if you apply too much muscle.
  • Small countertop oven. A big oven is a pain in the ass if you are only cooking for one or two people. I got the Oster oven at Costco; this is another workhorse pick that lasted for years.
  • Spoon and spatula. Again I use wood.
  • Food scale.
  • Measuring cups and spoons.
  • Vegetable peeler (almost forgot this one)
Honorable mention goes to a Dutch oven, cheese grater, food thermometer, Magic Bullet, and crockpot.
 
Costco is a good place to buy mid-range to upmarket cookware, and they have some cheaper stuff as well. You could do a lot worse than get a membership and go through their kitchen ware. I got a Kitchen Aid mixer, a set of Global kitchen knives, a Vitamix blender and one or two other things from there.

Of the kitchen knives I have, I have a 7-8"-ish santoku that gets the most use, followed by the smaller cooks knife and vegetable knife from the set. The bigger chef's knife really only gets used occasionally. If you buy Japanese knives, get a 1000/3000 sharpening stone and a diamond or tungsten carbide hone rather than a steel (Japanese knives use harder and more brittle steels than European ones). There's a good video done by Global's head of marketing on how to sharpen a kitchen knife.

My Kyocera has never been sharpened and will still do this.




And here's Global's head of marketing in a video on how to sharpen knives

 
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Nobby-W said:
Costco is a good place to buy mid-range to upmarket cookware, and they have some cheaper stuff as well. You could do a lot worse than get a membership and go through their kitchen ware. I got a Kitchen Aid mixer, a set of Global kitchen knives, a Vitamix blender and one or two other things from there.
Click to expand...
+1 for Costco. When I buy new kitchen stuff this is the first place I look because just about everything is guaranteed to be decent in quality plus a no questions asked return policy in case you get a dud. I learned the hard way to avoid shopping at Costco after a few cocktails (the one near us is within walking distance of many good restaurants and bars).

Oh hey E E-Rocker I seem to recall you saying that you live in Chicago area. Not sure if your space is limited like mine but if so I highly recommend a chef's cart for extra counter space, we got one and it was SO useful.
 
Brock Savage said:
+1 for Costco. When I buy new kitchen stuff this is the first place I look because just about everything is guaranteed to be decent in quality plus a no questions asked return policy in case you get a dud. I learned the hard way to avoid shopping at Costco after a few cocktails (the one near us is within walking distance of many good restaurants and bars).
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I used to live far too close to this:

Trevor Mottram - Royal Tunbridge Wells - Visit Tunbridge Wells

Kitchen accessories
www.visittunbridgewells.com www.visittunbridgewells.com
 
Brock Savage said:
Oh hey E E-Rocker I seem to recall you saying that you live in Chicago area. Not sure if your space is limited like mine but if so I highly recommend a chef's cart for extra counter space, we got one and it was SO useful.
Click to expand...

Yep, in Chicago. My current apartment has plenty of counter space, but a chef's cart would have been extremely helpful in my previous apartment. That apartment's kitchen only a 12" wide x 18" deep counter area!
 
E-Rocker said:
Yep, in Chicago. My current apartment has plenty of counter space, but a chef's cart would have been extremely helpful in my previous apartment. That apartment's kitchen only a 12" wide x 18" deep counter area!
Click to expand...
Wow! That is tiny. How did you even manage? My apartment has a pathetic 36" x 24" counterspace and it would be a massive pain in the ass without a chef's cart.
 
It's been a while, but I think I mainly went out to eat far more often than was healthy for my pocketbook or waistline. I think I also ate a lot more packaged food in those days: canned soup, microwave, dinners, etc. These days I try to mostly avoid packaged stuff & cook fresh instead.
 
Just adding on to what everyone else has said:
Mandolin - makes cutting lots of veggies evenly easier
Funnels

In addition I would recommend saving any glass or plastic food containers to use as extra storage.
You can never have enough food containers!
 
Everyone else is talking about the tools that enable you to do the job well, so I'm going to talk about the tool that enables me to do the job lazy: my slowcooker.

It's something close to magical to come home from a work day that you spent planning how to hide the bodies and smell your three-quarters cooked dinner. I've got a book of recipes that make browning or braising unnecessary and I love pretty much every one I've tried.

Slowcooking will give you just as good a result from a cheap cut of meat as it will from an expensive one. I don't cook whole chickens in it anymore because the meat becomes literally slide-off-the-bone tender and then I have to go digging to find the bones.

The laziness comes in because the cooker makes it easy to prepare big pots of food I can freeze and reheat on an evening I don't feel like doing anything in the kitchen except pour whiskey.
 
Rubber scrapers (there are tons of novelty print ones as gifts, too). cute personality prints, easy to store, ends up saving soooo much money.

Cutting Boards (again, tons of novelty prints... and you should change them out more frequently that we often remember to do). good hygiene reminder, easy to store, & cheese or charcuterie display.

Mixing Bowls. great for everything, from prep, marinades, mixes, display, or comfort bowls of snacks during lazy tv night.

Metal Measuring Spoons, Le Crusette Casserole Dishes, or Pyrex anything. Will alway be useful, and will outlive you AND your children.

(French Chef's Knife. does the most things in one; my essential. A bit too personal a gift, like shoes or undies, and in many cultures bad fortune/meaning as a gift. But it is my most useful...)
 
Instant Pot.
That thing is magical... not only that! it will make your parents and Grandparents cower in fear because it's technically a pressure cooker.
Seriously though. We got opne a couple years back and have used it for every 3rd meal or so. It basically makes a slow cooker dish in around a half hour.
 
Glass Measuring cups.
Great for holding just about anything, also because they're glass you can use it in a microwave or as a jury-rigged way to rapidly cool soups and such in an ice bath.
You can probably find them at thrift stores for super cheap.
 
Thanks for the numerous suggestions, folks! You've defiitely given me some good ideas!

spittingimage said:
Everyone else is talking about the tools that enable you to do the job well, so I'm going to talk about the tool that enables me to do the job lazy: my slowcooker.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have a slow cooker and I love it, for similar reasons. I'm thinking of replacing it with a bigger one, though. The last couple batches of chili I made nearly overfilled it. And I have a Deep Freeze, so I've got plenty of room to store frozen portion-sized containers.
 
Faylar said:
Instant Pot.
That thing is magical... not only that! it will make your parents and Grandparents cower in fear because it's technically a pressure cooker.
Seriously though. We got opne a couple years back and have used it for every 3rd meal or so. It basically makes a slow cooker dish in around a half hour.
Click to expand...

What are your favorite things to make in it?
 
Cutlery is key. I worked for more than a decade as a cook and chef, and the knife is your most important tool. I do nearly everything with a medium sized chef knife (9" blade). I prefer Japanese blades for fine work because they have a finer edge profile. That's no good for grunt work like boning though, for that I prefer something German or Swedish. The japanese blades, because of their profile, have a tendency to snap bits off the edge with sideways pressure. One of each is what I do 90% of my cutting with. YouTube has some great videos about the difference in blades and sharpening techniques. From a cash standpoint there's no need to spend more than $200 on your primary knife, and maybe half that on the other. I usually look for sales. I like my knives pretty, but I don't want to pay full freight for a nice Damascus blade.
 
Should have mentioned the dollar figures above are Canadian bucks, so all you foreign types will have to do some math. :grin: For any Canadians, I order most of my knives, and have found the best deals, from Paul's Finest. There are some very pretty Damascus Sakai Takayuki knives on sale just now. The one pictured below is the same one I use more often than any other blade:
7396.jpg
 
Valdus said:
Cast Iron
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I've had a 100% drop-and-break rate with my cast iron skillets. The first one was a Le Creuset where the handle broke (and you can't get a replacement part), and the second one was a small Denby - this one is still usable, it just took the end off the handle. All in all I've been a bit underwhelmed with cast iron skillets. They're quite heavy, as well.
 
I don’t do enough chef stuff to need Japanese blades. A Victorinox cimeter breaking blade to chop up steaks and roasts and a few Wusthof or Messermeister knives for daily work and I’m good. A friend has a Hinoura White #2 Gyuto blade he got from Burrfection, the thing cuts like a vibroblade, I’d be afraid of lopping my hand off.
 
My dad is a master chef and he gave me one of his old knives. Ironically, I don't use it because I don't like how it handles, but man, when I need something cut thin, out it comes.
 
Nobby-W said:
I've had a 100% drop-and-break rate with my cast iron skillets. The first one was a Le Creuset where the handle broke (and you can't get a replacement part), and the second one was a small Denby - this one is still usable, it just took the end off the handle. All in all I've been a bit underwhelmed with cast iron skillets. They're quite heavy, as well.
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Of my four cast iron pieces, there is one that will not season up right, no matter what. All four come from the same manufacture. Sometimes, even with reputable stuff, you get a bad one.

Price is not always an indicator of quality. I have some Paula Dean branded copper bottom stainless steel pots that I picked up on clearance that are just wonderful to use.

What I miss most is a nice flat top. Griddles are not the same.
 
It is interesting how attitudes on home cooking has changed from when I was a child. My father, grandfathers, and a couple of older friends didn't cook at all beyond grilling. Home cooking was women's work.

I took up cooking in my 20's while working a jazz club as a barista; I got a sideways promotion to cook and studied under the chef (nothing fancy it was very basic). To my surprise it was significantly cheaper than eating out so my interest was strictly pragmatic. None of my peers cooked; most of them followed the dominant paradigm of marry young (and have a woman do it for you) or eat out all the time. Nowadays I consider cooking to be an essential adult skill like driving a car or making a budget and I even taught the Mrs how to cook.
 
Brock Savage said:
It is interesting how attitudes on home cooking has changed from when I was a child. My father, grandfathers, and a couple of older friends didn't cook at all beyond grilling. Home cooking was women's work.

I took up cooking in my 20's while working a jazz club as a barista; I got a sideways promotion to cook and studied under the chef (nothing fancy it was very basic). To my surprise it was significantly cheaper than eating out so my interest was strictly pragmatic. None of my peers cooked; most of them followed the dominant paradigm of marry young (and have a woman do it for you) or eat out all the time. Nowadays I consider cooking to be an essential adult skill like driving a car or making a budget and I even taught the Mrs how to cook.
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I think it's cultural too. My Dad comes from a long line of Male cooks. He is a Belgian trained Chef, and always cooked at home when he was in town. Men cooking in my family was a given. I learned when I was young. It was later, when I heard people making the typical sexist women in the kitchen jokes that I was alike... wait, what? that's a thing?
My wife is self trained but makes better food than my dad, so I am all for letting her be the dominant cook. She also really enjoys it and I only step in if she isn't in the mood.
 
Pressure cooker — we all have one in Brazil. How else are you supposed to cook beans?

Cast-iron pan — so many great uses.

Wok — if you need to cook for more than two, you’ll end up using it fairly often.

Knives — I don’t have any really great ones, and by God I miss them. I’ll get myself a really good one some day.

Mandolin — why chop veggies when you have one of these?

Dutch oven — if you like your stews.

An oven grill rack — when you can’t grill out in the open, it’s the next best thing for a good roast.

A cupcake/muffin pan — good for so much more than cupcakes/muffins.

A springform pie pan — if you bake pies, very handy.

Silicone spatulas — half of a successful scrambled egg.

Nonstick frying pan — the other half.

Thermometer — that’s how you check meat for doneness. Anything else is guesswork.
 
The curious would like to know, what did you end up with?
 
spittingimage said:
Everyone else is talking about the tools that enable you to do the job well, so I'm going to talk about the tool that enables me to do the job lazy: my slowcooker.

It's something close to magical to come home from a work day that you spent planning how to hide the bodies and smell your three-quarters cooked dinner. I've got a book of recipes that make browning or braising unnecessary and I love pretty much every one I've tried.

Slowcooking will give you just as good a result from a cheap cut of meat as it will from an expensive one. I don't cook whole chickens in it anymore because the meat becomes literally slide-off-the-bone tender and then I have to go digging to find the bones.

The laziness comes in because the cooker makes it easy to prepare big pots of food I can freeze and reheat on an evening I don't feel like doing anything in the kitchen except pour whiskey.
Click to expand...
Heh, walk into the kitchen after work, think about what it will take to cook, and walk out with a whisky instead. Been there done that.

Now I know why when I was a kid everyone’s parents came home from work, grabbed their alcohol of choice and napped in a recliner.
 
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