What are the essentials for a kitchen?

There's nothing at all??? No cabinets, no sink, no cookware, no tableware, nothing?? Wow. Is there at least a finished floor and electrical outlets?

Well that depends on what you usually cook...

Hmmm...where to start! Good set of pots and pans, including a really big stock pot. Several sizes of frying pans. Pyrex casseroles and measuring jugs. Set of cup measures and spoon measures. Kitchen scales. Blender/food processor. Stick mixer. Toaster. Sandwich press. Slow cooker. Microwave. Kettle. Meat thermometer. Roasting pans, various sizes , pizza trays. Steel colander. Sieves - plastic and metal. If you bake - cake tins, cooling rack. Trivets.

Good set of knives, whisk, wooden spoons, ladels, serving spoons, good carving fork, knife sharpener. Fish slice.

Decent set of cutlery, set of white crockery. Salad bowls, serving bowls, platters, trays. Really good, big, heavy wooden board. Some plastic prep boards (for chicken etc). Collection of wine/drink glasses.

About 500 tea towels!

I'm sure there's lots I've missed, but it's just what came to mind.

....Oh...don't forget...someone else to wash the dishes :)

Welcome Abe :)

I forgot... gotta have a grater...a wok...spider....set of stainless steel bowls...glass bowls....microwave safe containers....tongs. Plastic containers for left overs/ freezing...zip-lock plastic bags for freezing/marinating. Kitchen string. Bamboo skewers, cocktail skewers, foil, plastic wrap, baking paper.

That should almost complete your shopping list hehe

DC

Many years ago, I had a book called "Cooking is an Act of Love" and the first pages were devoted to just this question. The recipes included didn't require the use of anything that hadn't been mentioned to begin with. It was not a terribly long list and was incredibly useful for when I set up my first kitchen.

Edited to add: I see the book is available at www.alibris.com for some three dollars.

Never had a waste disposal, so thats No.1

Enclosed garbage bins at at least 2 stations


Central island work space (Huge)

Gadget cupboard. ( all my gadgets would appear like magic at the press of a button, as and when needed without having to rummage among the cobwebs) ( one can dream)

1. Me.
2. A generous budget.

:roll:

With electrical outlets.
That's what's missing most on mine.
Plumbing would be cool there too.

OOh yeah! And how about a hydroponic herb garden overhead, that you could lower when required

My poor husband... He doest get much time at home, and when he does i always have some new DIY job on the go. Just so i know exactly who to blame for his next "Let's do it properly" project, lets get the spelling right...Abefroman

I myself wouldn't call a stick mixer or a sandwich presss essentials, though if I had them, I would likely use them on a frequent basis. A good hand powered egg beater and potato masher are quite handy.

An item I consider quite important is a fire extinguisher. Keep it handy and serviced on a regular basis.

A selecton of cutting boards to go with your selection of knives. One board for veggies only, one board for raw meat, a seperate one for poultry if so desired. Some folks have a small board just for garlic, onions and such, to keep the flavors off the celery, carrots, tomatoes, etc. I don't go quite to that extent. Usually when preparing such veggies there will be garlic, onions, shallots or some such involved later on anyway.

I do, however, have a nice, big hardwood board with the troughs around the sides to collect juices. Don't use it very often, normally it is wrapped in a plastic bag in the pantry, and only dragged out when presenting turkey, brisket, large roasts, slabs of spares, et cetera for serving guests.

In my opinion, the most important things to have in the kitchen are spirit and attitude, but that's a different topic.

mjb.

A large aquarium.

Wouldn't that be nice...maybe something like one of those rolling displays we see in the jewelry department...push a button and the desired shelf moves to the top!

Hot.
Cold.
Wet.
Towel.
Sharp.
Pan.
Spoon.
Salty.
Sweet.
Spicy.
Food.
Cook.

BDL

Several years ago, I spent several months in furnished corporate
apartment. The kitchen furnishing consisted of a microwave, a coffee
maker, two sets of dishes, and a three-ring binder of takeout menus.

Not exactly my idea of "furnished", though the take out menus were handy.

I ended up going out and buying some stuff, which was pretty sufficent
for what I cook. This is the list of things I bought, with a couple
changes to reflect what I'd get these days

three knives -- a chef's knife, a 6" utility, and a paring knife (you need something to sharpen them with, too)
cutting board
a swing-away can opener
a set of nesting mixing bowls
measuring cup set (dry)
2 cup liquid measure
measuring spoons
a skillet
2 four or five quart sauce pans with lids
two loaf pans
a pie pan
a couple cookie sheets (these days, I'd go for half-sheet pans)
a rolling pin
a pastry blender
a handheld electric mixer
coffee grinder
a largish strainer
some silicone spatulas
pancake turner
tongs
whisks
microplane grater
electronic scale

That's clearly biased towards what I cook, and how I cook. If you never
bake bread, you probably don't need loaf pans on the short list. If
you stir-fry, you'll want a wok. And so on. But much of what you add
beyond these things are either convience stuff, or very specialized.

I used to say the same thing, till someone re-gifted me with a stick mixer....I sed, "sheesh, I'll never use this 'gadget'.":p:p:p

Now, you'd have to pull it from my cold, dead, fingers... :bounce:

The first thing I would get is a coffee maker. I think much more clearly when I've had my coffee!

alot depends on the size of your kitchen.....one of the best courses I took in the early 1980's was on kitchen organization......"everything pays rent", higher rent in the prime areas, have a baking center with your baking spices/sugars/flour/baking soda/powder/vanilla make sure your baking equipment is near it. Routinely I pared down my "small appliances"....just not worth having things that are rarely used taking up space, especially counter space....multiples of things, I have a few sets of measuring spoons, cups, spatulas, strainers, 2 sizes of french presses, 3 cutting boards....no toaster...
yes handmixer, emersion blender....there is a citrus juicer in the basement that when I need to make alot of fresh lemon juice is handy, but with the amount I use it does not warrant a space in the kitchen. Cookie cutters in basement, sausage grinder in basement, you get the general jist.

What's important to you? Using ironed linen napkins, silverware, plates, nice glassware, teapots.....along time ago I ditched everything that didn't make me smile....why eat off or live with things that are not esthetically pleasing to you....Estate sales have full sets of silver in their wood boxes for anywhere from $20-70ish....china, even bone china at a song....sometimes a set would not be more than a couple of dishes retail.....or large linen napkins $5 for 8 already ironed:):D....you get the idea. Cast Iron pans are frequently under $10 each...no joke....in one day of estate sale foraging I'll see at least a couple. If you aren't into older things nor have time/interest in foraging then picking up things you want to live with on line.

Great quality for what you use all the time, great quality does not always mean expensive.....I use my boning knife everyday, bowls, whisk, spoons....
if you use something only a couple times a year why plunk alot of money down.

My pc client has a bread maker from his departed mom, that looks like R2D2, has a mixing thing that bakes into the loaf, is alittle difficult to figure out....read the directions Julie!!!:o But he really likes "homemade bread/bread products" more than anything else. So each week for the past couple months I've made something in the maker. Would I have one at my place...never. It saves me time/oven space/thinking about timing for one more thing....so at his place it makes sense. It lives in the kitchen but since it's really big I put it in the storage closet after use.

First thing you need is M O N E Y to equip it.

First things first, the absolute bare bones would be things that are multi-functional and the must haves if you are

a)time restricted till proper shopping
b)between paychecks
c)moving and half-packed/unpacked
d)a minimalist. ;)

-bowls
-cutlery
-big sharp knife (see, there's your home security too)
-frying pan
-cups
-aluminum foil
-corkscrew
-Banana stand


Next step:

-whisk
-scissors
-wooden spoons
-slotted spoon
-ladle
-measuring cups/spoons
-tongs
-spatula

-glasses, small and tall, wine or beer
-shot glasses :crazy:

-pans
-stock pot
-mixing bowls
-oven ware

-dish set
-a bunch of really cool knives
-chopsticks

-toaster
-kettle
-blender

Have fun shopping :smiles:

A banana stand is a multi-functional must have??

Of course I rarely eat bananas, though my wife loves them. Wait a minute - I DO need one - she usually sets her bananas on top of the flour canister, always in my way. She may be getting another Christmas gift.

mjb.

too funny.....:lol:

Something I haven't seen yet is a sharpie. I always have one in my kitchen just in case I need to label something before sticking it in the freezer or fridge. Scribble the date that I opened a bag of chips, pasta, or rice.

Also, potholders. You NEVER want to be without one of those when you need it most. I learn fast from my experiences.

What's a pot holder?

BDL

M O N E Y and in todays market quite a bit.