snowy

So I started a thread to inquire after everyone's favorite kitchen gadgets. Along the way, some folks started mentioning things that I see as kitchen essentials, not gadgets.

Some items that came up in that other thread that I couldn't do without:

A chef's knife
Cutting boards
Corkscrew
Stainless steel bowls
Wooden spoon
Whisk
A coffeemaker of some kind (whether it be a one-cup that you pour water through or a French press or an automatic drip--doesn't matter to me)

There are obviously more than that, but I'd like to get some other contributions.

How about yourself? What do you absolutely have to have in your kitchen?

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Baraka_Guru

For me, it's this kind, or no dice:

In addition to your list, I'd add (or clarify):

• colander (I use one every day)
• French press (for more than just coffee!)
• garlic press
• rotary coffee grinder (for more than just coffee!)
• heat-resistant spatula
• steam basket
• rice cooker or a steamer with a timer (because cooking rice the traditional way is boring and time consuming)

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

eribrav

Probe thermometer. Essential for cooking large cuts of meat.

Charlatan

A chef's knife
A Bread knife
A Whisk
Mixing bowls
Instant read thermometer
Rubber spatulas/scraper
Wooden spoons
Roasting Pan with Rack
Sautee Pan
Sauce Pot
Stock Pot
Toaster (I eat a lot of toast)
Stovetop Espresso maker (though I could settle for a french press if I had to)

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Meditrina

As a mom, I have a couple of things in the kitchen that I could not live without. My apple slicer/corer and my chopper.

Does the microwave count for this? Because I clearly cannot live without that either.

__________________
"Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles." ~Alex Karras

Shagg

6in santuko
9in scalloped bread knife
kitchen aid stand mixer
9in cast iron skillet
wire whisk
silicone spatula
stock pot
wok
wood cutting board

and a cat to trip over

ZombieSquirrel

Phone
Phonebook (Paper or interweb)

OR

A person to make food for you. A snowy does nicely. I don't recommend an Eden. I hear he cooks, but who wants hobbit hair in their meals?

JK...LYLASA Eden!

__________________
Attack ZombieSquirrels

genuinegirly

I can't do without:
Chef knife
Cutting board
Tea kettle
Coffee press
Non-stick griddle
Food processor
Rice cooker
Stand mixer
Herb garden

inBOIL

Measuring cups
Sharpening steel
Potholders
Blender

__________________
And you believe Bush and the liberals and divorced parents and gays and blacks and the Christian right and fossil fuels and Xbox are all to blame, meanwhile you yourselves create an ad where your kid hits you in the head with a baseball and you don't understand the message that the problem is you.

noodle

chili pot
ladle
Butcher block of knives
cutting board (antimicrobial with a trough around the edges
collander
measuring cups and spoons
herbs and spices
garlic
chili peppers
Dyson hand-held vacuum
coffee grinder and coffee maker
sriracha sauce
good pots/frying pans
silicone spatula
silicone square hot pads
clorox wipes
fresh vegetables

Honestly, without one of the above,
I start to get wiggy and have to go to the store,
so I find each essential in my kitchen.

__________________

snowy

Why, thank you!

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Strange Famous

sharp knife
knife and fork
plate
couple of saucepans
measuring jug
can opener

I think a lot of things people list above are "nice to haves", as perhaps are some of the things I listed. I mean, why spend money on a chopping board when you get free newspapers? Why spend money on a garlic press when the flat edge of the knife and your fist is just as effective?

Come to that, a plate is hardly essential, you can eat out the saucepan and save on washing up. You dont really need a knife, you can bite through most anything that you plan in eating anyway...

Obviously if you have a girl round to cook for, you have to have increased standards, but for a a single man at the end of the day a tin opener, a saucepan or two and a fork is probably enough

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

Baraka_Guru

In that case, Strange, it could be argued that nothing is essential except maybe a knife and fire.

But even then....

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Daka

Herb Garden.
Double ovens
Wine fridge
Pump espresso machine

hmmmm thinking.....

Calypso15

I can make pretty much anything with:
Electric Skillet
Utility scissors
Spatula

Nepenthes

A crepe pan is at the top of my list.