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Bachelor's Kitchen


DHeineck

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First post--here's the scoop. Just redonated my farberware pots to my little brother as he acclimatizes to apartment living at his uni. That, my old tramontina knives, and mixing bowls. I still have most everything else I used to use.

Having had a good job for the last 6 months and living with relatives means I've been able to accumulate some $$ to actually get some decent cookware as I return to school myself.

I'm looking for recommendations on good deals. I've trolled the site for everything herein, but don't know what's the state-of-the-art budget blaster kitchen. I'll have a unknown roomy (graduate housing), but for the moment I'll assume that he has absolutely nothing of use.

Here's more or less what I need, but am looking for recommendations on brands, etc. Personal experiences are appreciated. I'd like to keep the whole amount under $500. So links to mondo-sales, etc are VERY helpful. I'm brand agnostic at this point. I plan on raiding a restaurant supply place once I get down to San Diego (any reccs?)

Mixing bowls--I still have some of my crummy cheap plastic ones. Any bargains out there for good stuff with lids? I also am in dire need of a salad spinner.

Plastic containers--Perusing bridge, I came across their lidded plastic containers. Those looked great, but wonder how they manage in a backpack going to/from the office. Do they manage pretty well in the freezer?

Knives--Bread knife, 10" chef knife and a couple paring knives. I'll also need some way of keeping them sharp. Given roomy, I'll err on the side of bulletproof over complete awesomeness and stainless. Forschner my best bet here? I really like the feel of my aunt's messermeister meridian stuff though.

Cookware--In the past, I've used a fry pan, a too-small sautee pan, 5 qt caserole and a 8 qt Stockpot. I used my .75qt sauce pan to make the morning oatmeal almost exclusively. I'll be on a compact coil burner stove for quite a while and need all peices to be versatile and a pretty compact kit. Below are the pieces I'm thinking about:

I make a lot of soups and pastas, so a good stockpot will be worth it's while--best deal on something 12 qt-ish? I like to make big batches of soup and freeze it (being a bachelor and all) and had to use both by bigger pots often. What's the best deal on a stainless pot with a nice Al or Cu disk bottom?

4 qt-ish stockpot with a pasta strainer? Does it exist? My mom has an old cuisinart pot like this (tall and narrower) without an insert. I was never happy with the boiling action of the 5qt caserole. What mat'l would be best? I was thinking enameled cast iron, so I can double it as my roast pot for braising as well. Bonus if I can stack it in the other stockpot :biggrin:

I like to saute veggies to throw on top of pasta. I'd love something that I can use as a one stop rice pilaf cooker as well--saute veggies, add rice and water, throw the lid on to cook and then at the end be able to crisp up the outside rice at the end. This is the pan that I would want to be as universal as it will typically be used in any meal I make. I really like the profile of the curved sauteuse pans, but I wonder how well it works in this situ. That, and I cannot seem to find this profile outside of some VERY expensive pieces (cu bottomed). Would I be better served by a ~12" saute pan of sorts? Again, I'm thinking stainless with al disk.

1.5 qt saucepan, as my previous one was just too small to use much, so I'd end up using my sautee pan for sauces. I'll use this for things here and there--quite often actually. I'm going to try and troll ebay for a decent copper one at a low price, since this seems like a place where heating all around would be worthwhile. Otherwise, would stainless al disk be the best recourse?

Fry pan(s). Need one for fish/eggs and another for any meat I don't cook out on the bbq grill. So a good nonstick and a cast iron?

Okay, so that's too much writing and illumination into my inner workings.

I'd appreciate any guidance you guys have.

Thanks in advance,

Daniel

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You're way ahead of the curve on this project. You know what you want, it's all reasonable, you're not looking for "sets," and you plan to invade the restaurant supply store.

I'm just going to throw out a few suggestions based on your list.

Knives: for your situation, Forschner is a perfect choice. Durable, capable of taking a decent edge, not too hard to sharpen, and cheap. I'd get the 10" chef knife (my preference is the wood handle) and the $5 paring knife. You can probably skip the bread knife ... a forschner chef knife is robust enough for crusty bread. If you cut a lot of bread, go for the bread knife too. Then get a 1K or 2K waterstone for sharpening, and a steel.

this isn't a premium performance solution, but it's cheap, serviceable, and might even survive your roommate.

Mixing bowls: try the restaurant supply store, or ebay. Lids are convenient but not necessary.

Plastic containers: it's hard to beat deli cups in 16oz and 32oz sizes, and the super cheap glad and ziplock containers. I have tons of all of the above.

Stock Pot: restaurant supply. Stainless with a disk bottom, or plain aluminum.

Fry pans: you could do it all with a 10" black steel pan. Restaurant supply, or buy online from Matfer Bourgeat (less than $30).

Or get a nonstick pan for eggs (resto supply) and a clad, stainless and aluminum pan (not disk bottom). I'd go resto supply for the nonstick (cheap, recyclable) and volrath or all clad for the stainless.

1.5 qt saucepan: I'd get a good one. something responsive. stainless clad vollrath or all clad.

For your mystery pan (rice pilaf, saute, etc.) I'd consider a rondeau ... 5 or 6 quarts. can be a stainless pan with a disk bottom, or a clad pan. this could do small amounts of pasta as well. Skip the pasta insert.

Miscelaneous that you didn't mention: tongs, whisk, spatulas (bamboo and silicone), palette knife and/or fish spatula, strainers / collander ...

I'm guessing you could come in well under budget.

Notes from the underbelly

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4 qt-ish stockpot with a pasta strainer?  Does it exist?  My mom has an old cuisinart pot like this (tall and narrower) without an insert.  I was never happy with the boiling action of the 5qt caserole.  What mat'l would be best?  I was thinking enameled cast iron, so I can double it as my roast pot for braising as well. 

Enameled cast iron is good for lots of things, but bringing water to a boil fast is not one of them. You'd be better off just buying a cheap "multi-function" set like this one for pasta -- it's a bit larger than you specified but it gives you more flexibility than a 4-qt.

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I'll second the recommendation for restaurant supply stores. You'll be shocked how cheap some of the things are. If you're interested in enamel cast iron, look at lodge brand. Quite cheap - I use mine all the time. Don't forget a decent cutting board.

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Hi Daniel.

That is indeed a good list - knowing what you need is more than half the battle.

Just a couple of comments: forget the salad spinner! You can get great results by putting your washed greens in a (clean) tea towel and whirling it around (possibly best to step away from any electronics, cats and guests while you're doing it, though).

And while I'm a great believer in cast iron, Lodge in particular, having an roommate with unknown habits is a risk - I'd be upset if I came home to find my carefully-seasoned beautiful black pan had been put through the dishwasher, for example. It may be safer to get a good stainless nonstick for now and move to cast iron later when you have your own place and control of the kitchen.

Good luck with your move.

- Leslie

Leslie Craven, aka "lesliec"
Host, eG Forumslcraven@egstaff.org

After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relatives ~ Oscar Wilde

My eG Foodblog

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I'd add a sheet pan and some parchment paper to the list.

Lids for mixing bowls? That's what plates are for, and they don't warp in the dishwasher or clog up a drawer.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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..... forget the salad spinner!  You can get great results by putting your washed greens in a (clean) tea towel and whirling it around (possibly best to step away from any electronics, cats and guests while you're doing it, though).....

Or a clean pillow case. Even better because it's closed on 3 sides. But I'll second the idea to do it solo, *and* outside, because, well, you'll get strange looks, not to mention water droplets spewing all over. Frankly, it scares my dogs, but they get over it when I give them some of the raw veggies I'm chopping for the salad.

Or just roll the washed greens up in a clean bath towel, and put in the fridge till you need them. (Gently roll of course........). Julia said that's the best way to dry them. And if it's good enough for Julia, it's certainly good enough for me.

--Roberta--

"Let's slip out of these wet clothes, and into a dry Martini" - Robert Benchley

Pierogi's eG Foodblog

My *outside* blog, "A Pound Of Yeast"

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I'd add a sheet pan and some parchment paper to the list.

good call! get a few. a bunch if you can. restaurant supply. sometimes you can get used ones for a song.

just make sure the oven in your apartment can fit a half-sheet pan. i've had wee stoves that required quarter sheet pans.

for parchment, there's a reseller on ebay who sells it in flat sheets, so you don't have to deal with annoying rolls.

Notes from the underbelly

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I'd add a sheet pan and some parchment paper to the list.

Lids for mixing bowls?  That's what plates are for, and they don't warp in the dishwasher or clog up a drawer.

Good call on sheet pans and parchment paper. I think I've seen some really inexpensive pans by calphalon at Marshalls. By the photos I should be able to fit a half-sized one in. Honestly, I hardly ever use the oven, but it's probably a good idea to start sometime. The microwave I own is a convection combo, so I do my roasts in there.

Stacking more food on top of upside down plates is dicey--I speak from experience :shock: A couple epic fails later I learned my lesson and just transfer goods that don't get used quickly over to a proper fridge container.

Photos of the room look like a standard oven size with 2 bigger and 2 smaller burners. I'd be gutted if the oven couldn't fit a half-sheet pan in there.

Others:

Thanks so much for the advice! Cast iron might have to wait. The apts I'll be in don't have a dishwasher, but they can still be forgotten in the sink for too long. I already own a couple nice cutting boards, whisks, spatulas, pasta spoon, and a full set of plateware and such.

I'll try the pillowcase idea, but I can see a post in my future from me ensuing vegetable hilarity. We'll see :laugh:

I'll take these notes to heart and have a look around. Much obliged.

Daneil

Edited by DHeineck (log)
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I'll echo paulraphael. Check your restaurant supply for sheet pans. Half sheet about $ 5 - 7, as I recall. They have fourth sheet pans if the half sheet will not fit. Good for roasting some things, as well as for baking and pastry.

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And while I'm a great believer in cast iron, Lodge in particular, having an roommate with unknown habits is a risk - I'd be upset if I came home to find my carefully-seasoned beautiful black pan had been put through the dishwasher, for example.  It may be safer to get a good stainless nonstick for now and move to cast iron later when you have your own place and control of the kitchen.

Actually, I didn't buy a non-stick pan for years until I was free of roommates--too easy to burn or scratch. Cast iron can at least be scoured and reseasoned, but I didn't buy any cast iron either for the same reason.

If you want to stay cheap, go with one of the standard aluminum pans from a restaurant supply. If you find yourself under budget on the other items and want a really nice pan that your roommates can't destroy, look at Sitram Catering line (now called Pro 2, though US suppliers still seem to call it "Catering")--

http://www.jbprince.com/professional-cookw...am-catering.asp

http://www.dvorsons.com/Sitram/SitramCookware.htm

Edited by David A. Goldfarb (log)
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Stainless is the safest if you're worried about other people mishandling your cookware. Anodized aluminum is also resilient. Cast iron, French steel, nonstick, copper and bare aluminum are all problematic if someone goes after the utensil. That being said, if you have only one roommate that person should be trainable on how not to abuse a cast-iron skillet, knife and cutting board. And if you get a cheap cast-iron skillet and some Forschner knives, it's not the end of the world if they sustain some abuse.

There are a lot of things that can be accomplished without a purpose-built tool, however if you make a lot of salads in large portion sizes it's just masochistic not to have a salad spinner. This is a tool that pays for itself over and over again in convenience and time saved. The Oxo model with the "plunger" is a favorite of many people, and it's what I use.

Restaurant supply stores are great, but also be sure to check out your local TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Tuesday Morning and related stores. The bargains in the housewares sections of these stores can be incredible. Also I don't know your personal situation but this sort of thing is what older relatives are perfect for. As someone who is rapidly becoming an older relative, I can tell you that if you were my nephew I could set you up with a lot of stuff: plates, flatware, a few pieces of cookware that are good but that I no longer use, a couple of sheet pans, a coffee maker, a rice cooker, etc. -- probably at least half the items you're looking for and some you aren't. So maybe you have a relative like that.

The way you cook is important. If you don't use sheet pans, then obtaining sheet pans can be a fairly low priority. Eventually you'll probably want to have at least two aluminum half-sheet pans, a bunch of parchment paper, and two Silpats to fit the pans. This allows you to do everything from cookies to focaccia to large batches of roasted potatoes to parmesan tuilles. But I think it makes sense first to prioritize what you use already.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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For the pans, if you decide on All-Clad, look for each retailer's "special deals" - they almost all have them and will save you a ton. Williams Sonoma has some of the best selection (4 qt sauce/soup pot with ladle, non-stick skillets with lids, 4qt saute pan with lid and splatter screen, and more). Macy's has some deals like this too (1 qt sautesse with wisk).

I'd add a decent slow cooker to the list. I like the West Bend "Versacooker" - stainless pot with a non-stick interior and continuous heat adjustment. About $69.

Mark

My eG Food Blog

www.markiscooking.com

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Stainless is the safest if you're worried about other people mishandling your cookware. Anodized aluminum is also resilient. Cast iron, French steel, nonstick, copper and bare aluminum are all problematic if someone goes after the utensil. That being said, if you have only one roommate that person should be trainable on how not to abuse a cast-iron skillet, knife and cutting board. And if you get a cheap cast-iron skillet and some Forschner knives, it's not the end of the world if they sustain some abuse.

There are a lot of things that can be accomplished without a purpose-built tool, however if you make a lot of salads in large portion sizes it's just masochistic not to have a salad spinner. This is a tool that pays for itself over and over again in convenience and time saved. The Oxo model with the "plunger" is a favorite of many people, and it's what I use.

Restaurant supply stores are great, but also be sure to check out your local TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Tuesday Morning and related stores. The bargains in the housewares sections of these stores can be incredible. Also I don't know your personal situation but this sort of thing is what older relatives are perfect for. As someone who is rapidly becoming an older relative, I can tell you that if you were my nephew I could set you up with a lot of stuff: plates, flatware, a few pieces of cookware that are good but that I no longer use, a couple of sheet pans, a coffee maker, a rice cooker, etc. -- probably at least half the items you're looking for and some you aren't. So maybe you have a relative like that.

The way you cook is important. If you don't use sheet pans, then obtaining sheet pans can be a fairly low priority. Eventually you'll probably want to have at least two aluminum half-sheet pans, a bunch of parchment paper, and two Silpats to fit the pans. This allows you to do everything from cookies to focaccia to large batches of roasted potatoes to parmesan tuilles. But I think it makes sense first to prioritize what you use already.

Fatguy--thanks for the note (as well as others!) I've begun hunting the bargain stores as well for good deals. By and large they've been good for a few things, but I haven't scared up any good pots and pans at truly competitive prices (i.e. much below elsewhere).

Older relatives are how I got the rest of my food kit! That and family friends--enough to kit out myself and my little brother. My aunt just replaced her flatware and table settings, so I got all the leftovers. I'm pretty well set on my kitchen outside the items I stated above.

I have no problems helping roomies out in the kitchen (done it before, happily do it again) and educating said roomy usually wasn't a problem. I did have to re-condition a cast iron frypan that found the dishwasher, but fortunately the roommates at the time liked bacon, so the pan recovered quickly from the trauma (nearly dead 60 grit sandpaper worked great).

How is cooking on raw aluminum? Any different than anodized? The relatives I am with right now use anolon, which seems to work pretty well, so I have a feel for cooking on straight aluminum. Anolon doesn't seem to brown things well though.

Mgaretz--do you have any links? Or is this something to hunt down in-store?

Cheers,

Daniel

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Personally I wouldn't invest in a lot of stuff before I know what my roomie is bringing to the kitchen. If you can find some really nice basic pots and pans that are good quality for a good price--and you feel they will last long and be good investments and you really like them--then by all means buy them. A good enamel cast iron soup pot, like 5.5 qt or 7 qt can be a great investment if you can find one for a reasonable price. As noted above, not to heat the pasta water, but great for a pot of soup or chili or lots of tomato sauce. I use the smaller size several times a week, but there's just two or us most of the time. I used to use a 7 qt creuset round constantly when feeding more people.

Most people acquire a non-stick pan somewhere along the line, so it's likely your roomie will bring one. A 10" cast iron skillet can do half your cooking and be a relatively cheap and permanent purchase. I agree with Fat Guy: if you have only one roomie, he/she can learn how to treat that pan w/respect. Nothing does french toast, grilled cheese or heats up a tortilla or bakes cornbread or cooks a trout or even cooks a fast egg scramble better than a well-seasoned cast iron pan. The one I've been using for the last 20 years was a flea market purchase. Then you can spend a bit more on a really nice stainess sautee pan that you aren't afraid to use for sauces, or things with lots of wet ingredients.

One nice colander can rinse everything and be used if you don't have a pasta insert. One of my most useful purchases has been a dozen barmops. This is the best way to cut your paper-towel use by about 80%. They are terry cloth, and very good at drying lettuce or any other wet produce. They work for just about everything except draining bacon or wiping oil on the grill (or on your cast iron pan!) and far better for spills than a sponge or paper towel.

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How is cooking on raw aluminum?  Any different than anodized?

Anodized aluminum won't pit as quickly as raw aluminum, and raw aluminum isn't as slick as anodized, but most restaurant food is cooked on raw aluminum pans, so it's something you can get used to, and if something happens to it, it can be replaced cheaply.

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I don't have the space for a salad spinner, so what I do is just roll the rinsed greens in a clean flour sack dishcloth (which you should add to your list. They are indispensible.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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For the pans, if you decide on All-Clad, look for each retailer's "special deals" - they almost all have them and will save you a ton.  Williams Sonoma has some of the best selection (4 qt sauce/soup pot with ladle, non-stick skillets with lids, 4qt saute pan with lid and splatter screen, and more).  Macy's has some deals like this too (1 qt sautesse with wisk).

I agree. Williams-Sonoma has a 7-piece deal on All-Clad for $529. I realize that's somewhat over your projected budget, but these are all useful pans from a top-of-the-line brand. I bought the 10-piece set myself a few years ago, and that equipment covers almost everything I want to cook on my stovetop. Plus, the pans are great.

Also, if you cruise through some of those notoriously expensive stores, like Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, or even Macy's Cellar, you can find deals on their sales shelves or tables--last one of its kind in the store, a closeout on the style, a pan with a scratch on it. I've picked up some high-quality items here and there, at a fraction of the regular retail price.

Someone once told me he liked to shop at Amazon.com for some good cookware deals. I haven't done much shopping on cookware there myself, but it's an idea.

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Mgaretz--do you have any links?  Or is this something to hunt down in-store?

Cheers,

Daniel

I believe they all show these specials online - at least WS and Macys do. Just look in the All-Clad section and watch for "Exclusive" or some such wording. Here's an example: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/c3...re%2Dall%2Dclad

They are also available in-store of course.

Mark

My eG Food Blog

www.markiscooking.com

My NEW Ribs site: BlasphemyRibs.com

My NEWER laser stuff site: Lightmade Designs

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Mgaretz--do you have any links?  Or is this something to hunt down in-store?

Cheers,

Daniel

I believe they all show these specials online - at least WS and Macys do. Just look in the All-Clad section and watch for "Exclusive" or some such wording. Here's an example: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/c3...re%2Dall%2Dclad

They are also available in-store of course.

Thanks muchly, everyone.

Daniel

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Mgaretz--do you have any links?  Or is this something to hunt down in-store?

Cheers,

Daniel

I believe they all show these specials online - at least WS and Macys do. Just look in the All-Clad section and watch for "Exclusive" or some such wording. Here's an example: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/c3...re%2Dall%2Dclad

They are also available in-store of course.

This is the Williams-Sonoma 7-piece set of All Clad I was looking at last night:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sk...re%2Dall%2Dclad

This is the 10-piece All-Clad special for $699:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sk...re%2Dall%2Dclad

If you buy the set from the store, you save on shipping charges, of course.

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I know this is moving away from my original intent--but there's some killer deals on cookware on Amazon right now (as noted in another thread):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...KX0DER&v=glance

is the one I'm looking closest at. Lot more than I need, but covers pretty much everything I would ask for. Any opinions on this stuff? How thick is the aluminum?

Daniel

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Amazon has a markdown center that is always filled with good deals. They currently have a Circulon 10 piece stainless pot and pan set for $100.

I recommend adding a Lodge 8" cast iron pan to your list. They can be found for about $20 and are very versatile.

+1 for shopping at restaurant supply shops. Commercial tools will be cheaper and better built than fancy consumer products.

Dan

"Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea." --Pythagoras.

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