Subsistence cooking equipment

thriftlady_2 · 7 March 2010 at 3:26PM

seraphina wrote: »

Some of the original equipment list somewhat misses the point - if I don't have mini muffin tins/mini small cake tins, I don't bake small cakes, rather than trying to faff about with old small baked bean tins. You've got to remember to save them and have someplace to store them as well.

If people are on a limited budget then I think you have to accept you can't be making things that require anything other than minimal equipment. So that means, for instance, you may need to decide between a baking tray for flapjacks (you know the oven trays with high sides) or buying a bun tin, which you could make muffins in.

Very good point Seraphina.

I'd go for a traybake tin every time about 12'' by 9'' because you can make small cakes or muffins in one simply by cutting a big cake into small squares. You just add a few mins onto the baking time. You can also roast small joints in it or bake chops, sausages etc. Versatility is key I think.

You don't need bun tins for mince pies or jam tarts either. Cut out circles of pastry using a mug or large glass as a cutter and put filling in middle and fold up pastry to make little pasties. Bake on a baking tray or a traybake tin.

You could also use a traybake tin to make sandwich cakes. Simply cut it in half across the width and fill. A square sponge sandwich instead of a round one.

Lily-Lu · 7 March 2010 at 4:12PM

My mum never owned a rolling pin. Glass milk/pop bottles were always used for her pastry

Never owned a mixing bowl, either. That was always a large pan.
Never owned a pair of oven gloves. She just used a folded towel.
Never owned a veg peeler. Just a small sharp knife.
No washing-up bowl either. Everything went straight into the sink.

Edited to add - I forgot about her pies. These were made on ordinary dinner plates. Also if she'd made a big pan of stew, and some was left over, she'd make a pastry top and sit it directly on top of the stew, and the whole pan (which had a metal handle) would go into the oven.

ceridwen · 7 March 2010 at 5:40PM

Having read through all posts to date - loads of helpful comments.

- I HAVE junked the idea of using sweet/biscuit tins (which I was assuming they would have acquired from Christmas presents/stuff brought in at work/etc) - as people feel they wouldnt be safe basically (possibility of toxic fumes).
- Most people feel substitutes for rolling pins would be unsatisfactory
- There are concerns about possible chemicals in wood offcuts and maybe Shirley/Bob wouldnt have access to DIY bits like that
- Most people feel a vegetable peeler counts as necessity - and point out that they feel there would be less wastage (errrm....I've not had one for years myself - as I rarely peel anything - but have added one into the list because of this).

I think we have to start by assuming Bob and Shirley have a few glasses/mugs/basic crockery/cutlery. After all - they have been eating something for years now. I will assume a pretty "clean slate" otherwise - bearing in mind Lynzpower's comment that her clients do tend to have a certain limited range of things to start with.

Obviously - we will take it for granted that Bob & Shirley will be hunting round jumblesales/carboot sales/charity shops and asking friends and relatives for kitchen goods. If I remember aright - Weezl is assuming Bob & Shirley are in their 40s - so it is fair to assume they will at least have something to eat off. It is also fair to assume that they will have some sort of friends/relatives/neighbours who might well pass on a few bits and pieces to them if they knew this was wanted by them. There is also Freecycle/Freegle. I would imagine Bob and Shirley could, in all likelihood, get all the baking equipment and casserole dishes they could possibly require just by asking around people they know - many people in the middle-aged to elderly age groups have stacks of stuff like that and would be willing to give some to a real-life Bob & Shirley if they knew it would be appreciated (:think: - remembers just how many casserole dishes I have stashed away "just in case" for one....:o).

Having said that - I've worked out a provisional list of what it would seem Bob and Shirley need to beg/borrow or buy. I've costed things out according to the cheapest I could see available (Argos Value, discount shop, Asda) as appropriate. I'll give that provisional list in the next post and see what posters think.

Reverbe · 7 March 2010 at 5:49PM

thriftlady wrote: »

But, if we are assuming B&S are being given wine and tins of chocs why can't we assume they are in receipt of more useful gifts or indeed, as has been mentioned, that as parents of teenagers they probably already have built up a basic set of equipment.

It may be more useful to come up with a list of equipment that can do more than one job, like forks for whisking, baking sheet that has a rim can be used for roasts, biscuits, hm wedges, free-form pies, for open-freezing, pizzas etc, a nice set of pyrex or melamine mixing bowls can be used for serving food and storing food in the fridge as well as mixing.

I am assuming here that wine and chocs and tins are the kind of gifts overnight guests or dinner arty guests would give and that useful kitchen equipment is not the sort of thing one gets given often to most people unless you have friends and family etc gifting you who know what you need and want in that dept.

At the age of young to middling adults (not sure what old enough to have teenager is these days as ppl tend to be grandparents in their 30s now) not everyone has a set of equipment. As I have never owned my own home and do not have access to the pots, pans, cutlery etc from when I lived in a shared house at and after Uni, and live somewhere where there is little room I only have a few items. Also it depends on one's preferences and cooking tendencies.Though of course this doesnt apply to B&S,most veggies or single people are unlikely to own roasting tins. Baking sheets and tins are only owened by people who do home baking. Personally I would never own a gravy boat etc as I dont like gravy etc..

ceridwen · 7 March 2010 at 5:50PM

3 saucepans - Argos Value set of 3 = £6.99
Large frying pan - £4?
Large mixing bowl - £0.59 (from Asda)(or use washing-up bowl)
casserole dish - £1 from discount shop
Can opener - £0.45 (Asda)
2 chopping boards (1 being for raw meat only) - £1.47 each (Asda)
roasting tray - 99p (Tesco)
Measuring jug - £1 (discount shop)
Set of measuring spoons - £1 (discount shop)
4 x 2lb loaf tins - £7.96 (Internet)
2 baking trays - "begged" for free from butcher or use grillpan of cooker with no handle on
2 wooden spoons - 20p each (Asda)
Mechanical kitchen scales - £1.97 (Asda)
Box grater - £1 (discount shop)
Fish slice - pennies?
Kitchen knives - small/medium/breadknife - Argos Value set of 5 knives = £3.99
Rolling pin - 95p (Asda)(or P.P.'s "rustic" push and pull pastry into shape manually method:))
Storage jars - free (recycling jars that bought food comes in/plastic "milkbottles")
Freezer containers - free (margarine containers/plastic "milkbottles")
Metal sieve or colander - £1 (discount shop)
Pair of kitchen scissors - £1 (discount shop)
Food processor - Argos Value food processor £24.99

Some items on here I have put as £1 - as I know they are available from discount shops for that price. If anyone knows a cheaper (ie Asda) price for them please let me know.

Does that sound like a pretty comprehensive - but DEAD BASIC subsistence level list?

I make that £33.28 plus that tablespoon and fishslice (price unknown) - say £34 in total (if my calculator is correct).

EDITED: TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF SUBSEQUENT POSTS

ceridwen · 7 March 2010 at 5:54PM

- a wok (for stir-frying/deep frying/mixing bowl/large frypan)
- liquidizer
- toaster
- soup ladle
- second casserole dish
- steamer
- balloon whisk
- potato masher
- large frying pan
- omelette pan
- traybake tin

EDITED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF SUBSEQUENT POSTS

seraphina · 7 March 2010 at 6:10PM

Would upgrade scissors to essential, apart from that it looks fine.

one question though: why 2 bread tins and 2 casseroles? I would maybe keep one loaf tin although it wouldn't be on my essentials list (you can shape a free form loaf) and wouldn't go for 2 casserole dishes either. Also you don't need a separate chopping board for raw meat - good food hygiene and wiping it down with hot soapy water after chopping raw meat is fine.

And after having made toast on a grill all my life, I can't stand toaster toast - nasty stuff :rotfl:

Penelope_Penguin · 7 March 2010 at 6:14PM

ceridwen wrote: »

- a wok (for stir-frying/deep frying/mixing bowl/large frypan)
- liquidizer
- toaster
- soup ladle
- pair of kitchen scissors
- steamer
- balloon whisk
- potato masher
- large frying pan
- omelette pan

Interesting to see that SC and BM don;t feature as essential or optional in this list :T

seraphina · 7 March 2010 at 6:18PM

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Interesting to see that SC and BM don;t feature as essential or optional in this list :T

I think it's great too, and not just because I have a (perfectly rational IMHO) hatred of slow cookers. Although I'm sure a pressure cooker should be on that list:D It's funny though because if B&S are the kind of people who had to cut back after a sudden LBM or drop in income, it's more likely than not they're like the rest of us and have a BM/some other kitchen gadget they bought, used once and then banished it to the cupboard!

Could someone post a link to the original thread about B&S in the first post? I can't seem to find it.

hornetgirl · 7 March 2010 at 6:20PM

I imagine they would already have a kettle?

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Subsistence cooking equipment

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