Getting Started



I have an innate talent for building and repairing things. With the correct tools I can design and build almost anything from almost any material. Ranging from tiny miniatures in precise detail to entire houses including furniture. From wood carving to forming metal or plastic from raw stock in a machine shop. This is not to brag, but to point out the key - “With the correct tools”.

Although few people consider kitchen equipment when they think of tools, that is exactly what kitchen equipment is. Thus it follows that with the right kitchen equipment you can make anything. My first task was to evaluate my basic kitchen tools.

I started with a rather poorly equipped kitchen. It had some of the basics such as a decent set of pots and pans, but very little else worth using.

  • Pots And Pans - This is the most important set of tools when cooking. Good pots will cook more evenly and give better results every time. My preference is for stainless steel with a copper slug bottom. If your budget will allow it I highly recommend getting a set. Pots like this are quite heavy, but they generally cook much better than lightweight pots.
    • Non Stick or plain? This is a matter of personal choice. I avoid non stick coatings.  There is a fair body of evidence that non stick coatings release toxic fumes when overheated. Although under normal usage they do not get overheated, sooner or later they will. I choose not to deal with that and will take the extra 30 seconds to clean regular pots.  Most professionals do not use non stick equipment, so why buck that trend.
  • Knives - Upon examining my wife’s cooking knives one thing was very apparent - they were more suited to cutting butter. It is essential to have a few good knives, a butcher’s steel (keeps the knives sharp), and a good kitchen shears.  We had none of the above and I picked up a 10 piece set of Solingen Steel knives complete with a storage block.
  • Cutting Boards - You will need two of these, one for meats and one for everything else. Select a meat cutting board that is plastic so that it can be sterilized. Your other cutting board may be of the same material or wood.
  • Miscellaneous Tools - You will need some assorted tools such as ladles, wooden spoons, spatulas, mallets, and so forth.
  • Specialty Tools - A trip to your local housewares store will display a huge variety of specialty and single purpose tools. These include blenders, mixers, food processors, ice cream makers, bread makers, deep fryers, etc… My suggestion is to buy these as needed.

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