Kitchen Equipment

I think that before I post any recipes, I should make a note about kitchen equipment. You don't need to go out an spend a huge amount of money, but if you would really like to cook well, good pots, pans, and knives are a necessity. 


As far as pots and pans go, mass is the key: the heavier the better, which invariably means cast iron cookware. The reason for this is that heavier pots and pans retain heat better. Lodge is a good and relatively inexpensive brand that makes all sorts of cast iron cookware. The absolute best (and most expensive) is enameled cast iron, which is cast iron cookware that's covered in a ceramic enamel that eliminates the need to season the pots and pans to keep them from rusting. Le Creuset and Staub are both excellent brands from France which (as far as I've seen) only make enameled cast iron cookware. There are times when you'll need non-stick pans (for example, for fish or eggs), and so it's a good idea to have some non-stick cookware as well. All-Clad makes excellent non-stick (as well as stainless steel) pots and pans, but they are very expensive. If you're looking for lower-cost non-stick pans, just keep in mind the rule about mass!


In terms of knives you only really need a couple of good ones - no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a set of knives. A chef's knife (about 20cm long) and an all purpose knife (about 10cm long) will take care of 90% of the jobs in the kitchen. A boning knife and a fillet knife can also be useful, although I use the smaller all purpose knife for both of these jobs as well. Also, a sharpening steel is important to have in order to keep the edge on your knives. At the risk of generalizing, good knives only come from Germany and Japan. Obviously, not all German and Japanese knives are good; even the good brands make bad knives to appeal to the budget-minded consumer. I have Henckels and Wüsthof (both from Germany) and I'm happy with both, although I think Wüsthof is higher quality.


That covers the basics, but there are obviously many other pieces of kitchen equipment that one accrues over time. I will just mention them as I write more posts that require other things. As a general rule, don't buy cheap cookware or knives - you get what you pay for. Good equipment will literally last a lifetime, whereas the low-end stuff will require replacement every few years.