This makes for a very useful Kitchen Essentials checklist (click on the image on the left) for those of you moving into a new space: nothing like making that first meal and realizing how much of the kitchen stuff belonged to your ex-roommate or parents. You ever try to flip a pancake using a ladle? The key here is to go to restaurant supply shops, which have the good quality but cheap stuff the restaurants use. Some of the items could also be found at IKEA, where a number of restaurants I know get their flatware, glasses, and dishes. I'd probably do the same, and for everything else I'd stick with the restaurant supply store.
Most major cities have several to choose from: just Google your city's name and "restaurant supplies" or "restaurant equipment". With so many restaurants in Toronto, we have plenty to choose from. The ones I'm most familiar with are U-Deal at 599 College Street, where there are lots of restaurants in the area and a lot of turnover, and Dinetz Restaurant Equipment Ltd at 231 King Street East, near the George Brown College culinary school.
I'll take a trip with the NY Times list and do a Canadian price comparison. Before I do though, what "essentials" are missing from the list? And how is IKEA's quality on the pots, pans, and other kitchen essentials?
Source: Accordion Guy: The $200 Kitchen
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4 comments:
Stuff that's missing:
Measuring cups - I'd get glass measuring cups in 1c, 2c and 4c sizes for liquids, and a set of plastic or metal cups from 1/4c to 1c for dry ingredients.
Zester or Rasp - for fine grating things like orange or lemon peel, fresh ginger, or whole nutmeg.
Mortar and Pestle - for when you want to "muddle" or break down spices or whole herb leaves without chopping them too fine. (I'm trying to work "coarsely" in there somehow :)
Most importantly, if you're going to get a coffee grinder for coffee beans or making spice blends, try and get something that actually grinds as opposed to chops with a metal blade. The metal blades heat up because of friction, and can damage the flavours.
And there's something really sexy about a good, heavy, high-quality chef's knife that can cut through tough vegetables and thick steaks, and then be used to chiffonade basil leaves. There's a scene in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" where one character describes his chef's knife as a "big, shinny 'fuck-off' knife", which is what I always think about when I'm using mine.
Ahh, measuring cups. Wonder how I missed that? Probably an extra $5 or so.
I think the zester and the mortar/pestle would be extras beyond The Essentials. I consider them essential, but a basic kitchen user would use the grater or food processor.
I'd be tempted to have a second grinder, just so I had one for coffee beans and a separate one for herbs.
And I agree on the knife, that's where you should splurge. Anthony Bourdain has most of a chapter of "Kitchen Confidential" dedicated to the fact a chef just needs one really good knife.
Tim Taylor's "Stanley Park" also sang the praises of a solid piece of steel in your hand, a Sabatier brand one to be specific: the beauty of the balance, as it becomes an extension of you.
I would say that Ikea has fairly reasonable pots and pans and also dishware.
I thought that you could only buy pots and pans at a restaurant store if you were the owner of a restaurant, and usually they have some really big pots that only people in the restaurant biz would use.
the only thing I may add is two wisks - I know he said one, but trust me you could use two a medium size one and a smaller one.
IKEA has plenty of pots and pans (my non-stick pans are still not sticking) and the dishes are great, I just wondered if anyone else had any good or bad experience with their kitchenware. I found the knives a bit flimsy.
As far as restaurant supply stores, I've shopped in them before, but maybe some of the wholesalers may only sell to restaurants, or at least offer better discounts to restaurants.
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