A Well Stocked Kitchen
Benjamin Gray
A wise person once said, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." While that may or may not be true, one thing is sure. We all have to eat. Hence, the kitchen is a vital cornerstone of a married couple’s home. The kitchen is more than a place to prepare food; it is an integral part of your new identity as a family. It speaks volumes about your personality. Every couple fresh off their honeymoon needs the right kitchen to build their new home around. Here are a few things that you should consider before finalizing your registry.
The first thing you need to consider is the core of the kitchen -- the cookware. Cookware constitutes the pots that we all think of when we think kitchen. There are several different kinds available and they come in a variety of materials each serving a different purpose. The basic items that you will need to start tackling most recipes include: skillets, saucepans, a wok (mainly for Asian style foods), colanders, large, medium, and small pots. It’s a good idea to get different sizes of each of these items so that you can accommodate different amounts of food depending on whom you are serving. Aluminum cookware heats quickly and evenly. That pays dividends when you are in a hurry to get the chicken on the stove. You can also get anodized aluminum, which is basically scratch resistant aluminum. It is a little more expensive, but worth it if you want to hang on to your first kitchen equipment for a long time since it wares well.
Some items, like skillets, are available in cast iron. If you ever want to fry something “the right way “ cast iron is the way to go. Another good thing about cast iron is that it gives a food character and preserves a certain flavor that aluminum will not. It is also great for browning because it heats very quickly and evenly. But cast iron is heavy, as opposed to aluminum and copper, so be ready for aches in your wrists the first few times you use it if you are not accustomed to cooking with it.
Most of these items are also available in copper -- as mentioned above. Copper heats and cools quickly but is more expensive. You have to decide whether you want to benefit for the cost. The best approach is to get a few pots and pans of each kind so that you can be flexible. Of course, non-stick pots and pans are the biggest help for newlyweds. They tend to reduce the mess left after a meal and minimize the clean-up time that cuts into other important activities. Non-stick pots and pans are definitely worth the investment.
Where there are pots, there have to be pans. That brings us to bake ware. Bake ware includes the bowls, pans, and other assorted items necessary for -- you guessed it -- baking (and other similar cooking techniques). Start with mixing bowls. You need at least four mixing bowls -- a big one, a small one, and two sized somewhere in between.
Next, the pans. There are two main kinds of pans: 9-inch round pans and 8-inch square pans. The round pans are for baking cakes and such. One specific type of round pan that you may find particularly helpful when baking a cake is a spring form pan. A spring form pan is a round pan that can detach the wall of the pan from the base to make baking a cake easier, especially if you are in a hurry. When the cake is done baking, you just pull the side of the pan off by releasing the spring and poof, that level of the cake is ready. The square pans can be used to prepare a variety of things like casseroles, brownies, etc. You probably want to get two or three of each kind of pan to make sure you have one available for any occasion.
The casserole dish is a specific type of square pan. It is always handy to have at least one around a kitchen. They are made of one of three basic materials: glass, ceramic, or metal. A glass dish can go easily and directly from the oven to the table and is microwave safe, which is a huge benefit for a couple with a busy schedule. A ceramic dish will keep food warm longer. A metal dish is durable and usually non-stick, but generally is a bad idea for quick reheats because most metal pans are not safe for use in a microwave.
Another asset when baking is a cooking stone. Stones are becoming much more readily available in stores than they once were. They are great for cooking pizza, cookies, and other tasty dishes. A stone can actually cook faster than an oven because it is porous and spreads the heat very evenly throughout the food cooked on it. It also tends to preserve the flavor of the food cooked on it unlike ovens and microwaves. One thing to remember when cooking with a stone, though, is that it will retain the flavors of foods cooked on it previously. So while a stone keeps the flavor rich in the food you are cooking on it, it can actually add other flavors that it has stored from previous recipes. But all in all a cooking stone is practically a must for a sophisticated, well-equipped kitchen.
OK, you have your pots and pans, so now what? The answer is... the miscellaneous appliances and gadgets that make our lives much easier. We all know about the microwave, toaster, blender, and coffee maker. But you also don’t want to forget things like a hand mixer. This little machine is worth its weight in gold when you are mixing up things like batter. It will save your arm from the rigors of manually stirring and make the rest of your day (and consequently your husband’s day) go a lot smoother.
A few other odds and ends that you should think about getting are a juicer, a pasta maker, a cream maker, a food processor, a griddle, a crock-pot, and an electric grill. Most of these items are non-essentials, with the exception of the griddle. It can be used for wide range of things. Mainly it works like a wide and open frying pan. Also, don’t trade in a crock-pot if you should receive one. A crock-pot can be a lifesaver when friends come over and you need something to stay warm for a long time -- e.g. cheese dip.
Some other general gadgets (mostly non-electric) that you may want to give some thought to are bottle openers, can openers, a meat thermometer, a measuring spoon set, slotted spoons, spatulas, trivets, whisks (for mixing by hand), and wood spoons. Most of these are the “duh” items that we look at and know we should have thought of and didn’t in the torrent of activity leading up to and immediately following our wedding day. Wood spoons may seem more like an eccentric novelty, meant more for decoration than utility. But certain recipes actually call for the ingredients to be stirred with a wooden spoon because of the flavor it adds and the way it reacts to the ingredients while stirring, which can be very different from a metal spoon. So don’t necessarily just pass on them.
Another highly important group of items for any kitchen is the cutlery. When looking for a good set of cooking knives there are a few important qualities to consider. You certainly want variety. A good set should include at least a bread knife, carving knife, boning knife, cheese knife, and shears for cutting vegetables and other assorted things. It’s also a good idea to look for a set that comes with a block. The block provides ready-made storage and added decorative effect -- especially if it is a wooden block. Don’t forget your steak knives. You will need at least six or eight of them. Along with the knives a cutting board is also a must. You can find these with designs for just about any theme your heart desires in colors to match any kitchen.
Another thing that a lot of novice cooks overlook when planning a kitchen is their spice rack. Even if you have cooked before you may not be very familiar with a spices. A properly stocked spice rack will add a lot of flavor and character to your cooking. Some of the most common spices found on a typical rack or in a pantry are: allspice, basil, Italian, bay leaves, chives, curry, dill, garlic, oregano, paprika, parsley, sage, savory, and thyme. Of course, you can choose any spice you want to put on your own rack. As you cook, just adapt your startup list to fit your needs. There is no set formula for what makes a good spice rack. Don’t be afraid to experiment with anything so that you can find your own style and preferences and make your kitchen your own.
For those who like to entertain, or just enjoy a good glass of chardonnay or champagne with dinner, a good kitchen is utterly incomplete without a proper bar. Now everyone has different tastes in what he or she likes to drink. But there are some guidelines you can follow to get your own wet bar started if you haven’t already. First, remember that a bar does not have to be huge. Some people like to go all out and convert their kitchens or some other room into a full-fledge bar complete with kegerator and all. You don’t have to go that far to have a good collection of drinks and accessories to help you entertain or pass the night away in style. First, you want a decent and well-rounded collection of drinks. For instance, a good start would include vodka, coke and mountain dew (for mixing), amaretto, southern comfort, champagne, bacardi, kahlua, dark rum, domestic and imported beers, and tequila. This list will give you a good base to build on with your own preferences. You also need to keep some other basic items on hand for mixing. Some common items most people like to have around for mixing are oranges, cherries, whipped cream, sour mix, lemon juice, cherry juice, margarita salts, and rimming sugars. To keep things cool remember the ice buckets and possibly a separate icemaker along with pitchers for the ice as well. Don’t forget the appropriate drinking glasses for different drinks (e.g. champagne glasses). Also, never be without a corkscrew. If you want to know all there is to know about starting your own bar in your home, there are some excellent websites like beveragefactory.com, bannerbeer.com, and kegwarehouse.com that contain virtually everything you need to know about getting started entertaining.
One final ingredient in any well-stocked kitchen is a good cookbook, or a set of them. You may have inherited some cookbooks from your mother or grandmother that you want to keep. But if you didn’t, or if you just aren’t sure how to get a good start with a kitchen of your own, there are several good books written especially for newlyweds. That’s right, there are actually newlywed cookbooks that not only contain several easy-to-make recipes to get you started, but they also include definitions and uses of various pieces of cooking equipment. Some explain the uses of a wide variety of spices. There are even some that tell you how to stock your bar if you like to drink or like to cook with wines, etc. You can find one or more of these starter cookbooks in most bookstores. Cookbooks can be a huge asset to meet your needs as you start a new home and set up your first family kitchen.
Getting started with a kitchen meant for two can be a daunting task. There are several things to think about from cutlery, to crock pots, to cookbooks. Consider all of your options and keep an eye toward the future when relatives come over or the kids are ready for something besides pizza. Remember, take your time and make the right choices for your lifestyle.