Tips for Stocking your Kitchen

Table of Contents:

• Sources for equipment
• Essential Kitchen Equipment/Utensils
• Nice to have Kitchen Appliances
• Essential Kitchen Supplies
• Essential Dinnerware
• Dried Herbs and Spices
• Beans and Pulses
• Pasta and Rice
• Oils and Vinegar
• Sauces and Mustard
• Sugar, Syrups, and Honey
• Flour and Baking Materials

Be sure to check out the book Good and Cheap by  Leanne Brown!

Sources for equipment:

• Goodwill (people get rid of great kitchen appliances and equipment)
• Marshalls/Homegoods- good equipment for less
• Restaurant stores (2nd street in Philly) Essential Kitchen Equipment/Utensils

Essential Kitchen Equipment/Utensils

• A paring knife, serrated knife (for cutting bread), chef’s (or santoku) knife (for cutting meat and vegetables)- better to buy one good knife than a block of cheap knives
• A swing-a-way can opener (work’s well & lasts forever)
• Kitchen scissors/Shears
• Metal Tongs (2)
• Peeler
• Whisk
• Grater
• Corkscrew
• A bimetallic stem thermometer (no overcooking and safe food)
• Ladle
• A wooden spoon (bamboo is better)
• A metal spatula/lifter
• A large slotted spoon
• A large 8 quart + deep pot (for cooking pasta making stock, soup)
• A 3-quart saucepan (for making/heating up sauce for pasta, cooking vegetables)
• A 10-12” stainless steel skillet (when you can afford it, buy a cast iron one)
• 2-3 Metal mixing bowls (cheap, indestructible, and good for tossing salads, marinating meat, and serving)
• A baking sheet (for roasting and baking)
• A Pyrex pie pan or 8″ square dish (for roasting chicken/vegetables)
• A 2-cup liquid measuring pitcher
• Measuring spoons (stainless steel)
• Wire mesh sieve (for draining pasta, rinsing veggies and sifting flour)
• 2 plastic cutting boards (one all purpose; one for meat)
• Containers for leftovers (save glass jars)

Nice to have Kitchen Appliances:

• Wok
• Electric hand mixer
• Muffin pan
• Coffee maker- a French press is cheap, can also be used for teas, has adjustable quantity, makes the best coffee
• A kettle (preferably an electric counter top one)- boils right amount of water quickly and doesn’t take up burner
• Garlic Press
• Mortar and pestle
• Pop up toaster
• A microwave
• A blender (for smoothies)
• A crockpot
• A rice cooker- perfect rice every time with no burning.

Essential Kitchen Supplies:

• Long handled scrub brush (dishes )
• Dish towels
• Pot holders
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap
• Gallon-size re-closable freezer bags
• Sandwich-size re-closable plastic bags
• Paper towels
• Sponges
• Dish soap
• Bleach
• Dishwasher liquid

Essential Dinnerware:

• Dinner plates
• Soup/cereal bowls
• Flatware set
• Beverage glasses
• Coffee mugs

Dried herbs and spices

– note that most spices will lose their potency after being ground, so buy smaller quantities of ingredients such as dried cumin or dried coriander or grind your own as needed (a good spice grinder is cheap and easily stored).

• Black peppercorns
• Sea salt
• Dried red chilies
• Ground cumin
• Ground coriander
• Cumin seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Ground turmeric
• Cardamom
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon sticks

Beans and pulses

• Butter beans (in cans/tins)
• Cannellini beans (in cans/tins)
• Black beans
• Chana dal
• Chickpeas
• Puy lentils

Pasta and rice

• Fusilli pasta
• Spaghetti
• Penne pasta
• Basmati rice
• Thai sticky rice

Oils and vinegars

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Peanut oil
• Sesame oil
• Red wine vinegar
• White wine vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Rice vinegar

Sauces and mustards

• Sweet chili sauce
• Tomato ketchup
• Soy sauce
• Variety of mustards
• Worcestershire sauce
• Tomato puree (also canned diced tomatoes)

Sugar, syrups, and honey

• Granulated sugar
• Powdered Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Maple syrup

Flour and baking materials

• Plain white, all-purpose flour
• Self-rising flour
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Dried Yeast
• Cocoa powder