KIS - Cooking Essentials

Like the rest of my home I keep it pretty basic and simple in the kitchen as well when it comes to cooking.  Once upon a time I had all kinds of gadgets and appliances filling up every conceivable space in my cupboards and drawers.  They even spilled into other rooms in need of storage.  For someone with a small kitchen, like me, it bordered on ridiculous.  Honestly, how much stuff does a person really need to cook a meal?  As I later discovered, not that much.

If you are just starting out or looking to downsize and planning the big purge this article might be right up your alley.  This is what I keep on hand to prepare meals for my family:

Pots & Pans

A large cast iron skillet (my grandma's)

10" non stick skillet

Large aluminum dutch oven (my great-grandma's)

Medium cast iron dutch oven

Small cast iron dutch oven (my great-grandma's)

Three saucepans, small, medium & large, with lids

Wok

I was fortunate to inherit most of my pots and pans from my grandmothers and although I've had my own over the years they never did compare to theirs.  My saucepans are their old Revere Ware pans and they are in wonderful condition.  I use them almost every day.  My largest dutch oven is my most used.  I make a ton of things in it including yogurt, pasta and I can my jam in it.

Utensils

Set of 3 wooden spoons

Set of nylon utensils - spoon, slotted spoon, spatula, pasta fork & ladle

Bamboo spatula

Metal spatula

Potato masher

Meat fork

Tongs

Set of 3 sharp knives - chef's, carving & paring

Pizza cutter

Garlic press

2 cutting boards - large & medium sizes

Mesh strainer

Colander

Meat thermometer

Egg slicer (definitely not necessary, but I like it)

Can opener

I keep my utensils in a canister next to the stove so they are handy while cooking.  The strainer sits inside the colander in the cupboard, the cutting boards sit upright on the counter and everything else is organized in my utensil drawer.  Over the years I have systematically downsized to keep only the things I use on a regular basis.

Appliances

Electric kettle

Toaster

Slow cookers - small, medium & large

Small waffle iron

I seriously use my slow cookers, if not I wouldn't keep them because they do take up space.  The different sizes work perfectly for the various things I cook.  I find I use the medium size the most and if told I could only keep one that would be it.  I use the waffle iron several times a month and the toaster and kettle pretty much daily.