How to Stock a Kitchen

Perhaps you're about to move into your first apartment or home. Or maybe you've been on your own for awhile, but until recently haven't cooked much at home and would like to start. Or perhaps you're moving into a smaller place or want to declutter your kitchen and are not sure what you should pitch and what you should keep.

To help you in your decision making process, consider these essential items as you stock your kitchen.

Knives

It's hard to cook well without knives, but you don't need to spend a fortune on them or have a whole drawer full. Start off with just three basic knives: a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife. The chef's knife is great for slicing and chopping, the paring knife is handy for peeling and paring, and a serrated knife works well on cutting bread and cooked meats. Focus on quality, and you won't be disappointed. Since knives don't work well unless they are sharp, also pick up a knife sharpener.

Dishes

Expensive china is beautiful, but not very practical for everyday use. If your budget and space are limited, the best bet is a set of dishes that includes dinner plates, cups and saucers, dessert or salad plates, and bowls. Corelle is a good choice for durable dishes that are sold in sets with all of the above mentioned items. They are inexpensive and nearly indestructible and will last for years. Although they aren't anything fancy, they are nice enough to use for company, so they make a good choice if you're only going to buy one set of dishes.

Pots and Pans

Buy one large pot for cooking soups and stew, boiling pasta and potatoes, etc. A small or medium sized pot works well for heating up canned soup or chili and cooking rice. Buy one large and one small frying pan.

Bowls

Every well stocked kitchen includes a set of bowls. Focus on bowls that are multi-purpose. For instance, choose bowls that are microwave safe, with snap on lids. Multi-purpose bowls are useful for mixing up cookie, cake and bread dough, serving tossed salads and popcorn, and for storing leftovers in the fridge. You can also use bowls to warm up items such as soup or vegetables in the microwave. A set of three or four bowls of different sizes that nest and therefore don't take up a lot of space are a good option.

Utensils and Gadgets

You need just a few utensils and gadgets for your well-stocked kitchen. Opt for non-electric items that will last a long time. Be sure to stock your kitchen with the following items:

Wooden spoons
Spatula
Tongs
Whisk
Metal sieve (which can double as a steamer with your large pot)
Can opener
Vegetable peeler
Two large serving spoons (one with holes to drain liquids)
Potato masher or ricer
Cutting board
Grater
Measuring cups and spoons

Small Kitchen Appliances

Though not essential, you may want to add a few small appliances as you stock your kitchen. A few favorites include a coffee maker, toaster, and blender or food processer and an electric hand mixer.

Bakeware

Start with just two types of bakeware for your kitchen. First, get a jellyroll pan. This versatile pan works well for cookies, pizza, and cooking frozen items such as breaded fish patties, frozen pizza rolls, etc. I also use this type of pan for roasting vegetables and baking or broiling kebabs. The second piece of bakeware needed in well-stocked kitchen is a 9"x13" pan. This is a great pan for baking cakes and brownies and is useful for baking a pot roast or a whole chicken. A glass pan is more versatile since it can be used in an oven and microwave. Some 9"x13" pans come with a lid that snaps on which makes it handy for storage and transportation.

If your budget allows and you have room in your kitchen, you can gradually add more gadgets, but in most cases, the items listed above are all you need to stock your kitchen.