/ck/ - Food & Cooking

What's your total budget for this entire project?

>>3752397
Around a grand, but I know it wont get me everything, just something to start with. I am planning on cast iron skillet, but wonder what brand to get, or does it even matter?

>>3752408

Skillet doesn't really matter much, it's low tech. I'd be surprised if you could find anything other than Lodge.

I'd go to a restaurant supply store for most of your stuff. Get the biggest hard rubber cutting board you can fit on your counter, a decent no-name nonstick pan, a big stock pot with lid, a roasting pan, strainers, tongs, measuring cups, a cheap digital scale, and that sort of stuff.

Things that you should not cheap out on are:

-Motorized equipment (blenders, food processors, etc). A good bargain on the food processors is the Cuisinart Pro Classic. Don't buy any blender that costs less than $80 or so.

-Cutlery and sharpening gear. Plan on $60-120 for a good chef knife, and maybe $50 on a good dual grit stone and a flattening stone. At that price range, high carbon steel will give you the best performance if you're willing to be more careful with your knives.

-Glassware, plates, utensils, serving equipment, etc. since your guests will be eating off it.

>>3752397
>>3752397

>Redheads

I don't even

>>3752429
The knifes. The damned knifes are the most important thing. You can cut on a plate for all I care, but not with a bad knife.

>>3752429
thanks,
what is the usual price for non-stick pans? I had the hardest time trying to figure out good non-stick pan. Is it thickness? The coating is harder to scratch?

>>3752397
my last girlfriend was a 1 2 3 4 5 7 10
Believe that image, it speaks truth.

>>3752459

It's a disposable item. You do your best to avoid scratching them but ultimately it's a consumable like your paper towel roll.

I paid a little over $40 for my current one. I've had it for about 4 years since I only use it for eggs.

IMO, you need:

Cast iron skillet
3 quart saucepan
baking sheet (1/2 sheet pan from restaurant supply is ideal)
cutting board
mixing bowls (2qt, 4qt)
liquid measure (2 cup pyrex, IMO)
dry measure (spoons/cups, metal - set should cover 1/8tsp - 1tbsp and 1/4c, 1/3c, 1/2c, 1c)
Knives (little knife, big knife, sharpening gear)
a digital scale (11lb/5kg; ideally you can flip it to grams to measure finer)
a digital timer, possibly with a thermometer
spoons/spatulae/tongs/etc
collander

That ought to cover 85% of your needs for non-appliances; the rest you can jump on as you say "dang, i wish i had..."

As for appliances, a stove and a toaster oven covers most of it; you might want a blender, an immersion blender, a kitchenaid mixer (if you're bothering to go this far; get one of the bowl-lift models)... I got a ton of use out of my immersion blender; far more than from any standalone blender.

>>3752488
thanks, and I have to agree with the immersion blender comment, I loved mine.

Just go to a restaurant supply store.

Tramontina has some great pots and pans, too.

Tramontina pots and pans.

Wooden, Marble, or Plastic cutting board?

thick plastic or those thin foldable ones?

>>3752512
>>3752488

Ditto on the immersion blender. I did 2 meal replacements per day using chocolate malt flavored slim fast, mixed with an immersion blender. Mixed with a spoon, it tastes like shit. With all the air whipped in with the immersion blender, it was 100x better. And no blender pitcher to disassemble and clean.

You should also get some other strategic items:

mandolin - cuts down slicing/dicing time by a factor of 10

coffee grinder - only a fool would plain spices out of a jar. for the price of one 1/8oz. jar of spice, you could get a pound of it from the indian grocery, spend 15 seconds griding with the electric grinder and it will taste 10 times better

As for the pots and pans, check out the Tools of the Trade brand from Macy's (their store brand). Compare each item to All Clad which costs 5x more. To hell with designer label cookware when the differences are so subtle. I'm only vouching for that particular brand tho, I have had some cheap pans that were ridiculous.

and oh ya, I get a lot of mileage out of my chainmail (butcher glove, aka cut-proof glove). It not only keeps you from completely fucking yourself up, but it helps you get a grip on the food you are handling. Its also a wise thing to wear when using a mandolin.

>>3753415

never marble, glass, or stone. It dulls your knives very quickly.

Plastic or wood, your choice. Wood cannot be put in the dishwasher, but it's naturally antibacterial. Plastic is dishwasher safe. It's really up to your preference.

>>3753424

how do you wash them? Looks like food would get caught up in it.

>>3753424

admit it, you've tugged one out with that.

>>3753439

You only use it for holding raw meat. Unless your meat is rotten, it doesn't break apart into the glove.

You wash it like any other utensil, with soap and water, or toss it in the dishwasher.

Or you could learn basic knife skills.

>>3752459

At my local restaurant supply store, 12" aluminum Excalibur coated is like $17, 12" Stainless Steel (w/aluminum core) Excalibur coated is like $35. The benefit of the steel one is it holds heat a lot better.

Excalibur coatings last fucking forever, I highly recommend them. They spray little tiny pieces of stainless steel on the pan before applying the coating. The little steel bumps hold the coating in place so it doesn't flake off, then eventually only the very tips of the steel bumps poke through the coating so utensils only drag along the steel tips, never actually touching the coating itself.

>>3752464

If you only use nylon utensils and don't ever put the flame above medium, an Excalibur coating should last fucking forever. I speak from experience.

>>3753415

The cutting board should be softer than the cutting object (knife). That way the cutting board isn't dulling the knife unduly.

If you want roll-up plastic, hard plastic, wood... that's your business. I usually go for hard plastic; it's just what I like.

>>3753415

Hard rubber