New college students and young adults who have moved out of home for the first time know the challenges of living on their own. For the first time, many of them are washing their own clothes, buying their own groceries, and cooking their own meals.
Do you know what they realize? That adulting isn’t as easy as they thought it was going to be. That tasty food takes time to learn to cook. They also realize they don’t have any of the equipment to cook it.
What to do?
If you’re a college student or a newbie independent adult in this position, don’t despair. There are lots of tools out there to help you, for instance, https://kitchenwarehacker.com will help you decide what are the best pieces of kitchen equipment for you to buy.
Right now, start off with the very basics. These are 4 pieces of equipment that are absolutely necessary for you to get your start.
1.8-10 piece pot set
When you’re starting out, it’s best to get your pots and pans in a ready-to-purchase set. This saves you from having to buy your individual pots before you even know the use of each.
Your set should come with at least:
- A saucepan
- A frying pan/skillet
- A stockpot
- Saute pan
Saucepans are good for overall, general boiling. A frying pan or skillet is good for regular frying, meanwhile, a saute pan is best for deep frying and simmering sauces. Use your stockpot for soups and stews.
With cookware, you very much get what you pay for. If you want good-quality pots and pans, you should probably have them gifted as the best quality ones are expensive. With that said, there are several budget options that can be purchased and may be perfectly adequate, even if only for a shorter period of time.
2. Measuring cup set
When cooking, putting in a dash of this, or a dash of that is only for experts. If you’re new to the kitchen, you need to measure your ingredients.
One of the best ways to do this is to get a measuring cup set. Note that measuring cup sets come in dry and liquid varieties. You can’t use one type to measure the other. They are calibrated differently.
When shopping, you’ll notice they come in plastic, glass, and stainless steel. Think about your lifestyle. If you live in a college dorm room where things are liable to be broken by a roommate, plastic may be the best option.
Busy young adult, too tired for long clean-ups after cooking? Stainless steel cleans easily and quickly.
3.Measuring spoon set
Measuring spoon sets come in the same materials as measuring cups. You can buy them to match. They usually come in gradations of eights, in teaspoon and tablespoon sizes.
They are small and easily lost in a kitchen. Purchase a set that comes in with a detachable ring. This way you can separate them to use while cooking and put them back on the ring to keep them together when stored.
4. Knife set
Do yourself a favor and get a good quality knife set. It will be worth the money you spend. Poor quality knives dull quickly and easily do a poor job cutting food, and this can result in lackluster results.
A good basic set contains the following knives:
- Chef’s knife 8 and/or 10 inch
- Bread/ serrated knife
- Paring knife
- Kitchen scissors
- Knife block
- Sharpening tool
- Cutting board (extra)
Use your chef’s knife for general duties. When you have to butcher meat or fish and cut large quantities quickly, this is best.
Your bread or serrated knife is best for bread, desserts, and some types of fruit. Your paring knife is mainly for vegetables and fine detailed work, like making shapes.
Kitchen scissors are best when dealing with seafood and cutting through those shells. Use a block to store your knives and keep them sharp and well cared for.
If you haven’t bought an extremely cheap set of knives that should be thrown away once dulled, your set should come with a sharpening tool. Refresh the edges of your knives once they stop cutting cleanly. You should be able to do this many times with good-quality knives.
You will need a good-quality cutting board to go with all of this. Two is better since you really shouldn’t be cutting meat and vegetables on the same board.
You’re now set to take on the culinary world. As you gain experience, there will be other tools you’ll want to purchase. These will suffice for your starting journey.
