Kitchen Matters

The Well-Stocked Kitchen

If you want to enjoy cooking or at least be efficient in the kitchen, you need to have some basic tools and a strategy. These tips are ones I've learned from cooking in hundreds of homes, with kitchens of all sizes.

COMMON SPACE

Overall, countertops should be free of clutter, lighting should be functional and bright, drawers should be organized by category, keeping likes with likes, and everything should be in an accessible place; otherwise you won't use it. Things that you use once a year can be stored in the garage, but that's no place for your food processor! Make space for the items you use—or would like to use—regularly.

MAJOR APPLIANCES

Oven. Oven temperatures vary wildly. I remember one November when I taught roasted turkey in sixteen Thanksgiving classes. I had the same-size bird, prepared the same way, using the same roasting pan, taken out of the fridge for the same amount of time, and the cooking time varied one hour from the slowest oven to the hottest oven!

How do you know if your oven runs hot? Well, if most of the time after you follow a recipe, you're thinking, "Huh. That's so weird. I always burn everything or dry it out," your oven runs hot! But the best way to test the temperature of your oven is to buy a portable oven thermometer that can give you an accurate read. Or have a service technician come and test ("calibrate") it for you.

Regardless, get to know your oven! Know if it cooks faster on the bottom or in the back. And adjust your cooking to reflect that by shortening the cook time or rotating the pan to expose it to equal amounts of heat, if necessary.

TIP: Always check the inside of your oven before preheating it. I have found lots of things in people's ovens that they had forgotten about, including last night's baked potato or this morning's oatmeal, or things they forgot to mention to me, such as their entire collection of baking sheets or their kids' artwork from school!

Stove. I much prefer gas over electric since gas heat adjusts much faster to changes in the dial. But with gas burners you need to keep those openings clean so they light properly.

TIP: If you have a combination range, which has an oven and stove, you should put the fan on if you are using both the oven and stove, to prevent the computer elements from overheating. They are so expensive to replace when they burn out!!

Refrigerator. Make a habit of cleaning out your refrigerator weekly. Quickly wipe down all the shelves and bins and pull to the front the food that needs to get eaten right away so you don't forget about it.

Store likes with likes (e.g., nut butters, jams, cheese, mustards, etc.) to find what you need more quickly. I have found that using a stainless-steel lazy Susan for nut butters and other condiments can really help with organization (lazy Susans can be found very cheaply).

To keep storage spaces clean, line the crisper drawers with washable liners and keep plastic trays for small items, to prevent them from rolling around.

Lastly, you can use your phone to remind yourself to vacuum the refrigerator and freezer vents every three months, to prevent the motors from overheating.

TIP: You can also use this opportunity to menu plan, since your cleaning will help you to know what foods need to get used up pronto. I do my weekly clean on Saturday morning; this helps with my Sunday menu planning.

EQUIPMENT

I have listed equipment here that I believe is helpful to make the recipes in this book and facilitate an enjoyable cooking experience. It's best to keep the inventory of equipment simple. Don't hold on to gadgets that have one use or that you rarely use. Aim for quality over quantity. When I was first married, I started to build my collection of All-Clad pans and Staub cookware slowly one piece at a time, waiting to purchase when I saw a big sale at the store. I have maintained all the same pieces and they still function beautifully.

If you are on a limited budget or you are just starting out, you really only need a couple of good knives and a few pieces of heavy-bottomed, high-quality cookware with which you can do a lot. See the Resources section for specific brands and where to purchase.

Baking Pans. I recommend using baking pans made from glass/Pyrex, ceramic, enameled cast iron, or black baker's steel. Try to avoid nonstick coatings and untreated aluminum, both of which when heated leach into your food.

9- or 10-inch pie plate (2)

8- or 9-inch round cake pan (2)

Standard 12-cup muffin tin + unbleached parchment liners or reusable silicone liners

8-inch square baking pan

8½ × 4½-inch loaf pan

Not necessary, but nice to have if you like to bake: 9- or 10-inch springform pan

Baking Dishes. These are for such things as casseroles, brownies, granola bars, and even roasting a whole chicken. I use Pyrex, ceramic, or enameled cast iron.

9 × 13-inch

7 × 11-inch

Baking Sheets. I use rimmed baking sheets constantly for roasting vegetables, baking cookies, making granola, and so much more. It is very difficult to find heavy, stainless-steel rimmed baking sheets, so I line anything aluminum or nonstick with unbleached parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

I suggest at least two 13 × 18-inch "half sheet" pans and if you have a smaller oven, two 10 × 13-inch "quarter sheet" pans, too.

Blender. A good blender is so useful for making smoothies, nut milk, dressings, and creamy desserts. The stronger your blender, the more creamy and smooth the results will be. If it is in your budget, go for a Vitamix or another high-speed, professional-strength blender. They are worth every penny; they can turn cashews into cream and blitz rock-hard fruit into the smoothest puree. I use mine daily. You don't need both a standard blender and a Vitamix, however.

Coffee Grinder. A small electric coffee grinder is great for grinding seeds (e.g., flax) and spices. It's not an essential tool, but it can come in handy.

Colander and Sieve. Use colanders for draining pasta and veggies; a fine-mesh sieve is what you need for rinsing itty-bitty quinoa or straining stock to be ultraclear.

Cooling Rack. If you ever bake cookies, a wire cooling rack will help them cool properly. These racks are also handy for drizzling doughnuts!

Cutting Boards. You need at least one large cutting board, preferably with grooves on the edges to catch drippings from cooked meat, and a small one for smaller jobs.

I prefer wood, which is naturally antibacterial and won't dull your knives the way plastics do. Wood requires a bit more maintenance, so be sure to dry your boards well before putting them away and every couple of months rub a little coconut oil into the surface.

Food Processor. Your food processor will be your best friend in the kitchen because it makes quick work of such tedious tasks as shredding a dozen potatoes or slicing pounds of onions. You can also use a food processor for pastry dough, pureeing sauces and dips, making homemade nut butter, and sometimes pulsing vegetables. An 11-cup capacity is perfect for most home cooks. If you cook for larger numbers of people, you might find a 14-cup more useful. See the Resources section for the brands I use.

Check out my YouTube video for how to use your food processor. No matter which brand you have, you must keep it in prime real estate in your kitchen, or you will never use it!

Glass Jars and Containers. Unlike plastic storage containers, glass containers don't leach chemicals, are easy to clean, and don't hold onto odors. Glasslock brand containers are a great option for leftovers, and for cut fruit and vegetables. You can store all nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and the like in differently sized glass jars; you can buy them at such places as the Container Store, or you can simply soak the labels off of empty jars from things like nut butter and tomatoes and reuse them for storage. See here for how to freeze in glass containers.

Kitchen Scale. When you need to be accurate, there's no other way than with a kitchen scale. Choose one that can measure in pounds and ounces and can weigh at least up to 5 pounds.

Kitchen Timer. You can use the timer on your phone, but I find that having a dedicated one in the kitchen helps me to use it all the time. If you're a multitasker and cooking more than one thing at a time, a triple timer is a great help to keep you from getting distracted.

Kitchen Towels. Thin towels, such as flour sack towels or herringbone towels, don't leave lint, are inexpensive, and can also double for such tasks as straining yogurt or squeezing the water out of shredded potatoes.

Knives. Hands down, two of the most common questions I am asked are "Which knives should I buy?" and "How often should I get them sharpened?"

Before buying a knife, really hold it to see whether it feels comfortable in your hand. My local Sur La Table allows you to chop vegetables with their knives before buying one. See the Resources section for the brands I use.

You only need four knives to complete your kitchen:

A chef's knife, either a 6-inch or an 8-inch, or both

A 4-inch serrated knife for slicing tomatoes

A paring knife for trimming, poking beets, and coring fruits

A serrated bread knife

TIPS: Please, please, please keep your knives sharp. If you do nothing else I recommend, get your knives sharpened regularly! Prep work will be so much more fun, easy, and safe with sharp knives. All knives, even expensive ones, need regular sharpening. You can use your honing steel to sharpen your knives at home, but it's still best to take them every six months to a professional. Check your area for cutlery stores or ask your local cookware store if it does sharpening.

Hand wash your knives and dry them right away to make them last longer.

Meat Thermometer. This is nonnegotiable since this is the only way to determine whether your poultry or meat is cooked to the perfect temperature. If you aren't sure your thermometer is accurate, dip the tip of it into a pot of boiling water (put an oven mitt on your hand). If the temperature goes up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, it's a keeper!

Microplane Grater and Zester. A grater is useful for such things as ginger, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. You can use a finer zester for citrus and nutmeg.

Mixer. A stand mixer is great as it allows you to do other things while it creams butter or beats egg whites. My favorite is the KitchenAid tilt-head stand mixer. Make sure you have the paddle attachment, whisk attachment, and bowl. You can also buy different accessories to make pasta or ice cream, or grind meat. A handheld mixer is fine, but not as efficient as a stand mixer.

Mixing Bowls. Glass nesting bowls are easy to keep clean and easy to store. You need at least one large bowl, one medium-size, and one small.

Nut Milk Bag. If you plan on making nondairy milks frequently, a nut milk bag makes the creamiest nut milk ever. It takes up no space, is very inexpensive, and is reusable for years.

TIP: Keep a second nut milk bag for squeezing the water out of vegetables.

Pepper Mill. You can elevate your cooking simply by swapping freshly ground pepper for preground. Big flavor boost. Trust me.

Pots and Pans. Since untreated aluminum and nonstick cookware can leach aluminum and PTFEs and PFOAs, respectively, into your food at high heat, I only use stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or cast iron. (If you must own a nonstick skillet, look for one with a ceramic coating. They tend to scratch easily, but they are not terribly expensive if you have to replace them frequently.) Here are the basics:

Small: 2-quart saucepan with lid

Medium-size: 3- to 4-quart saucepan with lid

Large: 5- to 6-quart pot with lid

Extra-large: 10-quart stockpot with lid if you want to make a huge amount of stock or chili for a crowd.

Stainless-steel skillets (8-, 10-, and 12-inch)

Dutch oven (7-quart) for pot roasts, soups, and stews

Ruler. If you're like me and terrible at guessing measurements, a standard 12-inch ruler is essential. It can help, whether you need to measure a 2-inch cube of squash or figure out whether your pan is 8 or 10 inches. It's also handy for leveling off flour in a measuring cup.

Slow Cooker. The slow cooker can be a lifesaver. Prep in the morning, press Start, and dinner is done when you get home. You can also use your slow cooker to keep things warm. For example, you can finish a soup at four p.m. and transfer it to the slow cooker on the warm setting until dinnertime. Opt for one with a ceramic or stainless-steel insert rather than nonstick.

Toaster Oven.