Saturday Throwback: Cheap Healthy Good’s Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Equipment

Every Saturday, we post a piece from the CHG archives, which are coincidentally located in the same warehouse where Indiana Jones stashed the Ark of the Covenant. This articles comes from November 2007.

One of the most popular, frequently-posted-on topics in all of cooking blogdom is Kitchen Equipment. Everybody (including me) wants to know: what should we buy? In what sizes? Why would anyone need a freezer thermometer, unless he’s trying to preserve a body? (Note to self: maybe cut back on Dexter a bit.)

The problem is, there are oodles of clashing opinions, because everybody comes from different culinary perspectives. In other words, equipment suggestions from a pro chef will be way out of step with a mom of 27, and her advice might be totally useless for a prison lunch lady (who, I assume, is big on gruel).

With that in mind, I took an all-encompassing approach to creating this CHG guide. First, I gathered nine different lists from wildly diverse sources. Then, I counted how many times a particular piece of gear was mentioned across the samplings, and finally, compiled the findings into one great big master list. My references consisted of:

• Two bloggers: me, Chief Family Officer
• Two newspapers: Houston Chronicle, San Diego Union Tribune
• Two experts: Martha Stewart (via Boston Globe), Mark Bittman (via New York Times)
• One mega-site: About.com
• One almanac: Old Farmer’s Almanac
• One food network: er…Food Network

The results are a bit surprising. I expected more folks (even the pros) to mention the slow cooker, and didn’t think quite so many would suggest keeping a rolling pin on hand. (I use mine in Halloween costumes, only.) All in all, though, this seems like a good, comprehensive lineup. When paired with the suggestions from CHG’s Pantry of the Gods post, it should create a solid beginner’s kitchen.

(Coming next week: Where can I get this stuff on the cheap, without sacrificing quality?)

THE ABSOLUTE BASICS
(MENTIONED SEVEN TIMES OR MORE)
Cake pans (8” or 9” round or square)
Can opener
Casserole dish (9x13 or 8x8)
Chef’s knife (8” or 10”)
Colander
Cookie sheet
Cutting board
Dutch oven, stock, or large pot (8+ quarts)
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Mixing bowl(s)
Pairing knife
Roasting pan (9x13 or larger)
Saucepan (medium – 2-4 quarts)
Saucepan (small 1-cup to 1.5 quarts)
Serrated knife
Skillet (10” and 12” mentioned most often)
Spatulas (Metal, Rubber, and Flipper-style)
Vegetable peeler
Whisk
Wooden spoon

HIGHLY USEFUL STUFF
(MENTIONED FIVE OR SIX TIMES)
Blender (Blender/food processor combo)
Box grater
Glass liquid measures (2+ cups)
Hand mixer
Kitchen shears
Microplane grater
Pie pan
Rolling pin
Tongs

NICE TO HAVE
(MENTIONED THREE OR FOUR TIMES)
Bottle opener
Cast iron skillet
Cooling rack
Knife sharpener
Ladle
Loaf pan
Mandoline
Meat thermometer
Muffin tin
Pastry brush
Pepper grinder
Salad spinner
Slotted spoon
Steamer
Timer

OCCASIONALLY CONVENIENT
(MENTIONED TWICE)
Bulb baster
Carving/slicing knife
Coffee/spice grinder
Coffeepot
Corkscrew
Juicer
Kettle
Masher
Melon baller
Microwave
Nutcracker
Pressure cooker
Rotary eggbeater
Sifter
Skimmer
Slow cooker
Spoons
Toaster or toaster oven

DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY
(MENTIONED ONCE OR NOT AT ALL)
Apple corer
Boning knife
Bread machine
Butcher knife (I took this to mean cleaver.)
Candy/frying thermometer
Citrus press
Cooking fork
Cotton flour-sack towels
Countertop convection oven
Custard cups
Double boiler
Fondue set (pretty, but useless)
Food scale
Freezer thermometer
Funnel
Garlic press
Griddle
Jar opener
Mortar and pestle
Oven thermometer
Pastry blender
Removable-bottom tart pan
Rice cooker
Ridged grill pan
Ruler
Skewers
Springform pan
Wok
Vegetable brush

(All photos courtesy of Flickr.)