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"Jo Anne Slaven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

Quoted message said:

Go to yard sales to get your basics until you figure out what you like
to use. Or try ebay or the thrift store to stock up. Eventually you'll
know if you prefer heavy bottomed or nonstick, glass or silicone, etc.

Yard sales? Be careful with that. Much of the time, the pots & pans sold
there are junk, which is why they're being sold. If a new cook doesn't
know
the difference between [censored] and decent utensils, it could be a very
discouraging experience.

If you don't have any pots and pans, and you don't have $1000 to get
new Paderno stuff, go to yard sales or a thrift store.

Spend $10 and figure out what you like or don't like.

My absolute favourite cooking utensil in the world is a very large
Dutch cast iron casserole that I got at a yard sale for ~$3.00.

Jo Anne

$1000??? You're describing some extremes, dear lady. Gas station giveaway
junk (sometimes) at garage sales, and needlessly pricy boutique stuff. There
are some wonderful things in between. However, the cast iron stuff really is
a bargain for some types of cooking.

"Jo Anne Slaven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

Quoted message said:

Go to yard sales to get your basics until you figure out what you like
to use. Or try ebay or the thrift store to stock up. Eventually you'll
know if you prefer heavy bottomed or nonstick, glass or silicone, etc.

Yard sales? Be careful with that. Much of the time, the pots & pans sold
there are junk, which is why they're being sold. If a new cook doesn't
know
the difference between [censored] and decent utensils, it could be a very
discouraging experience.

If you don't have any pots and pans, and you don't have $1000 to get
new Paderno stuff, go to yard sales or a thrift store.

Spend $10 and figure out what you like or don't like.

My absolute favourite cooking utensil in the world is a very large
Dutch cast iron casserole that I got at a yard sale for ~$3.00.

Jo Anne

I've used used-up and over-the-hill pans, bowls, porcelain for various
things other than cooking. I would not dream of putting them in a yard sale
or take them to a thrift store. I have wondered when I've seen such items
what has gone into these before. I did take 2 sets of silverware to the
Salvation Army recently. I would buy any of these items at these two if I
were very pressed for money, but not before checking out Big Lots or a
similar store to buy new, and cheap, and less of.
Someone on one of the ngs offered to buy my largest Le Creuset that I had a
bad experience with. But my choice was to ditch it (them) because if it
wasn't good enough for me, it wasn't good enough for anyone else.
But I know that is not true with all items at thrift stores and yard sales,
just voicing my opinion.
Dee Dee

In article <[email hidden]>,

ebrian said:

I have just turned my back on my video gaming life. Yes, it was a
great 25 years of gaming and I don't regret it for a second.

There's two things I wanted to do with my time -- cooking and playing
guitar. The thing I've noticed is every time I open up a recipe is
that I am missing half the things that they require, and I'm not even
talking about ingredients. Is there some sort of a list I could get of
the "basic/essential" cooking equipment/pots/cups that I need to get me
started?

Thanks

I haven't given this a LOT of thought but here's a modest list of
equipment that should get you through some simple meals - you can
upgrade your equipment along the way if you decide you and cooking get
along:
Saucepan with cover*
Skillet*
Decent 8" chef's knife
Decent 2-3" paring knife
A decent steel for maintaining your knives
Decent vegetable peeler (my current favorite is a U-shape peeler that I
got at the State Fair about 3-4 years ago)
Cutting board - wood or acrylic - about 144 sq inches in size - you
pick the shape that gets you there.
2-quart Pyrex-type glass measuring/mixing pitcher
2-cup Pyrex-type glass measuring cup
Set of "dry" measuring cups
Set of measuring spoons (the most basic have 4 spoons)
A colander if you eat a lot of pasta
A high-temp-resistant silicon spatula
A flat-edge wood spoon
A glass or stoneware casserole dish for oven baking
A stainless steel 9x13x2" shallow baking pan
A plastic bottle of Dawn Power Dissolver
A big yellow 3M sponge with green Scotchbrite on one side of it
Dawn dish soap

* If I were to limit myself to one saucepan, I'd find a kitchen outlet
store and buy a 4-quart RevereWare (with a solid disk bottom) with a
lid; if I were buying one skillet, I'd get a 12" diameter non-stick for
about $20 - a cover for it would be nice, but you might have to
jerry-rig one if it doesn't come with one.

The large-size saucepan will let you cook anything from vegetables to a
small batch of soup; the big skillet will let you fry one egg or four
pork chops. I'd never pay big money for a non-stick skillet; I would
for a non-coated heavy skillet or saucepan (and have).

Let us know what you wind up with.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 1-15-2006, RIP Connie Drew

In article <[email hidden]>,

ebrian said:

Thanks, this will help a lot.

To everyone who've responded with american stores that don't exist in
Canada --- thanks anyway :P I do however live in Toronto and will
check out some large chinese supermarkets for some wares. I don't even
have a mixing bowl. 🙁

I'm toast without my 2-quart glass mixing pitcher. I can mix a cake (or
other batter) in it. Or beat eggs, or heat something in the microwave.
Or cook something in the microwave. That piece is probably used more
than most anything else. It's not for stovetop use but doesn't need to
be.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 1-15-2006, RIP Connie Drew

I found a nice store called Cayne's that sells cookware (and other
kitchen/living stuff) for fairly cheap. The first dish I want to try
is a Beef Brisket, and it required a dutch oven or a stockpot for use
in an oven. I asked my mom and she said she didn't think the stockpot
could be used in the oven as it was a pretty cheap one, so I bought
one. It's a 6 qt. I was busy over the weekend but this week my plan
is to clean the entire kitchen, taking an inventory of what I have and
don't have, including cookware, dinnerware and any kinds of interesting
ingredients (and to throw out any that are 'growing'😉.