Okay, so I guess first things first. My kitchen is pretty rudimentary as far as specialized equipment and "tools of the trade" is concerned. I imagine it is like most other typical American kitchens of the working class. It has one set of nice pots/pans, some okay pieces of bakingware (usually procured at Marshall's, Ross or TJ Maxx in their home department) and unfortunately, an electric stove/oven. I do have another set of really nice pots/pans, several dish sets, lots of gadgets, etc, but they are all languishing in my storage unit in Florida. Destined to stay there until I raise the money to free them and move my stuff to Arizona. So in the meantime, I do with the absolute minimum and try my best!
Needless to say, I find myself having to use my imagination more than I did in childhood to replicate some of the more difficult recipes that call for specialized equipment. I find myself dreaming of a big Kitchenaid mixer and all the attachments! I find myself wishing for a pot hanger in the kitchen to hang the pots and have them at easy access. I find myself reaching for a classy set of mixing bowls that just aren't in my cabinets. I guess it gives me something to look forward to and a good list of things I can put on my wedding register!
While the adjustment to electric cooking after many years of gas has been hard. I am happy to announce that my kitchen, while getting a stiff reduction in size, will boast a gas stove/oven in the next few weeks when we move. That earns a big cowgirl "Yahoooo!!" as far as I am concerned. The adjustment back to gas should be easy! No more burned food! WAHOO!
So...any suggestions on where to find inexpensive kitchen supplies? What pieces are important to have? Is there a basic list of kitchen supplies that you should have on hand?
I am constantly seeking to improve my kitchen and it's contents so that I have the proper tools to work my craft and I don't have any excuses not to try the more difficult dishes. I think if my dishes don't turn out I would prefer to know it came from my human error and not because I had to improvise with the wrong equipment and that might have contributed to the failure. Since I am learning on my own and using the trial and error technique to see what works and what doesn't, I would like to be able to distill where the error occurred and not have too many variables in the experiment that cloud the results!
So...I look forward to your feedback!
Let's see what creation I come up with for dinner tonight!
Hmmmm....
The kitchenaid will be a huge asset to you. I use it to make pasta, sausage, bread, and of course, pastries of all sorts. I LOVE it, and it was the best wedding gift I got. I actually got TWO because MIL didn't buy off hte registry, she went somewhere else to get it cheaper... so I returned it (too bad, knowing you need one now) and we exchanged it for a Man gift, since most wedding gifts are kitchen/home related.
ReplyDeleteThat is the first thing I recommend. A good set of nice cooking pans and pots... maybe. But you can do a lot wiht a little.