Need everything for a kitchen! So useful OS stuff is...?

wogglemaker

I agree with pen pen - get good quality pan especialy frying pan and knives.

I must admit the best casserole I've got can also be used on the stove top , being a moderatly shallow and wide can be used as a frying pan.

phizzimum

there's a thread just above this one about unused kitchen gadgets!

it's easy to waste money on lots of cool looking kit that you don't need. I would recommend just getting good quality essentials first and settling in.

having said that...;) my favourite gadgets are - slow cooker and my Braun stick blender - it has attachments to chop, blend whisk, but takes up very little room

Ben84

I don't think you need gadgets and machines. I'd spend my money on decent quality pots, pans and dishes. Things that will cook well and last a long time.

Vitreous enamel baking trays are worth the money. I paid £9 each for mine, but they've been used a lot for many years and could easily be put back on the shelf and still pass as new. I expect I would have bought and thrown away many cheap baking trays in the same time, so it has been time and money saving.

I also like pyrex dishes a lot. They're so easy to clean and are virtually indestructible.

You shouldn't need lots of different items either, particularly not when you have pyrex which tends to be more versatile.

The only kitchen gadget I have is an electric mixer, which I do use often and really appreciate for mixing cakes or making a swiss roll which needs to be beaten hard for at least 5 minutes. It saves me time and gives better results. However, some people must own the same gadget and never use it. Few things are useful to everyone, so I would hold back on buying gadgets of any type and see if you need any.

purpleivy

I would buy what I need, as I need it. There are after all loads of threads here about what people have bought and not used. I wouldn't for example require a juicer, but it might be vital to your well being. But it might be something you do in the summer months.

Eskimo12345

OK cheers folks. Will try to concentrate on the basics before going crazy with technology!!

(nice shiny new technology with that new toy smell, mmm... lol)

jenie_2

Don't forget the tin opener !!

oystercatcher

Think about what recipes you fancy trying and make sure you have the basic cookwear for them before you start buying heaps of stuff. ie don't buy a flan dish unless you think you might make one. I have loads of things like flan dishes which I rarely use and clutter up the cupboards, other stuff is used almost daily.
My essentials would be colander, grater, measuring jug, enamel baking trays (the thin non-stick ones rust very quickly) heavy bottom pans .
Pyrex casseroles also double up as serving dishes, salad bowls, mixing bowls, trifle bowls.....

Oystercatcher
(must have a clear out to make space !)

belfastgirl23

I think the stick blender is the one item that is really important, for soups, whisking cream, you can even use it for baking...

Menolly_2

I love my stick blender and use it loads! I do have a Kenwood Chef (circa 1980's and bought from eBay) - it came with a glass blender goblet but the Chef only comes out when I'm batch cooking soup for the freezer. Otherwise, its out with the stick blender!

I also have a slow cooker (Tesco, I think) which I bought after long deliberation and now can't live without. It means I can buy really cheap cuts of meat for casseroles/stews, make up two meals worth, feed the two of us on one and freeze the other and use so much less power doing so! And there is nothing nicer than coming home from work to find your dinner cooked for you :rotfl:

I wouldn't be without good sharp knives and a decent steel to keep them sharp- also chopping boards.
We have my MIL's vintage(circa 1930!) hand mincer which screws on to the worksurface a bit like a G-Clamp (rather than the suction clamp one I had that used to unsuction itself at inappropriate times) and is invaluable for converting leftover lamb and beef into the basis for Shepherds/Cottage Pie etc. I use a hand grater and I also have a lovely blade that will slice hard cheeses really thinly - it looks like a cake slice with a slot in it. DH bought a mandolin slicer but I've put it away as I think it has the potential to send me to A & E - I have mandolined myself one time too often using it to slice celeriac for Celeriac Remoulade!!

Like wogglemaker, I would recommend a casserole dish that can be used on top of the stove or in the oven. Good quality pans - can't emphasise that enough after I nearly scalded myself and the cat badly, crossing the kitchen with a pan full of potatoes and boiling water - cheapy pan's handle came "unbolted" just as I got to the sink :eek:. Had this happen with a "budget buy" casserole dish too, although it didn't have anything in it at the time! The handle came off in my hand (I don't think I'm jinxed LOL).

I wouldn't bother with a breadmaker just yet - kneading bread by hand is GREAT therapy. Having said that, I do have one and use it regularly - it was reduced from £39.99 to £19.99 because it was on display and someone had thrown the box away (I mean, we are effectively talking £20.00 for a cardboard box here - I could understand perhaps wanting it boxed if it was to be a gift for someone but it really brought home to me the true cost of some of the things we buy). I quite often use it to mix and prove dough that I then shape into rolls/baguettes etc and cook in the oven.

Pyrex - love it! I have two sizes of Pyrex measuring jugs, as the larger one is ideal for mixing batter in (think pancakes, Yorkshire Pud batter) or custard. I have several Pyrex casserole dishes which, as Oystercatcher points out, are really versatile. I also have several "single serving size" glazed stoneware oval dishes (about 14cm long) which are safe in the freezer (great for doing individual pot pies/Cottage Pies etc) - I have never put them straight from the freezer into the oven or microwave, preferring to defrost the stuff first, so I'm not sure whether they'd crack if you did.

You may well find some good stuff in the charity shops - we sent a lot of our late aunt's kitchen stuff to the local charity shop as neither we nor the girls needed any of it.

Wishing you health and happiness in your new home!

jennyjelly

abaxas wrote: »

Infact, they still do one!

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40123264



59 quid... looks like a bargain to me :>

Excellent if you are determined to have everything new - personally I'd hit the boot sales and charity shops where you'll probably get the lot for a tenner, leaving more money for the BM, SC, steamer etc.