My First Home - What do I need for the Kitchen????

lazy_daisy

Do ask around friends and family for some things. Like monkeymonkey we have loads of spare towels so the next person I know who moves into their own place can have several. Mums in particular do tend to accumulate things for 'when the kids leave home' so you might find your Mums have some spare items waiting for just this moment!
Freecycle is also good, our local one often has wanted ads from young people setting up home asking for kitchen items and furniture.
Good luck,
Daisy x

Louba

Good luck Tasha-Debt, I'd agree with the advice above - get the basics and add things if you feel there is a need for them. Friends and family are often delighted to donate extra items - especially friends who have just got married and have three of everything! Oh or divorced and don't want to look at anything.......
I personally wouldn't buy a rice cooker, I never found it much easier than cooking on the hob, I wouldn't use an electric steamer or a juicer either - got them as wedding presents and eventually gave them to a friend along with a fondue set that my sister gave me as she'd never used it either....

I would go with something like this
Saucepans - three various sizes try supermarkets and sales in department stores
Frying pans 2 one small one big
Wok - might be able to get away with a wok and only one frying pan if you're not a purist!
Measuring jug
Measuring spoons
Wooden spoon / stirrer - do pretty much the same job as expensive metal ones!
Tin opener
Cork screw (essential in my house!)
Food storage boxes for batch cooking.
potato masher
Knife set
Kitchen Scissors
tea towels

Other things I use all the time
Food mixer - I use mine alot but I'd start without and see if you miss having one
Large pasta pot
Pan with steamer insert
Seive
whisk
rolling pin
scales
baking tray
cheese grater
chopping board

There may be more but enough to make a start! I lived in halls of residence in France as a student and had one pot, one frying pan (small), one knife a wok and a chopping board - the cooking facilities where pretty basic too but I managed to make some pretty tasty meals on my limited supplies. I guess i'm saying don't feel you have to go out and buy everything at once just see how you get on as you don't always need everything you think!

You should be fine with two sets of bed sheets / towels

I'd look at freecycle and Gumtree - where I live there are lots of people on short term contracts who sell off good quality kitchen stuff on Gumtree.

Happy shopping!

maman

You haven't said if you've got a microwave so if not I'd get one.

I find I use my kitchen timer loads (just a basic one). I know many cookers have them but I found it very useful when you're multi-tasking when you've just got in from work!

And take any hand-me-downs on offer!

tori.k

id second a kitchen raid at friends/family homes, i borrowed a lot of my mums bakeware stuff 20 yrs ago and its still going strong id spend out on good knifes and pans from the start. also borrow if you can (not as long as i did) things like a slow cooker, breadmaker etc and see if its worth spending out on them.
I've just freecyled the breadmaker as i hardly ever used it but would be lost without the slow cooker.
I was taught/told to think in 3 when running a household 1 for the wash 1 in use 1 for spare, also works well for kids school clothes etc etc

LameWolf

For kitchen timers, don't forget that mobile phones have a countdown timer facility.;)

Also, charity shops often have non-electric kitchen stuff, if you're not fussy about it not all matching.

Katie-Kat-Kins

I would hardly buy anything at first and only add things you find you need, so much of it depends upon what meals you like and how many you are cooking for.

Just get a big frying pan that is deep enough for doing sauces in (you could get a wok instead, don't get one as well though, I wouldn't though because they are huge to store). Then get one large and one small non-stick pan.

Get a pyrex casserole dish with a lid that you can use in the oven and microwave, these are really useful and dead cheap from the supermarket. I use mine for everything from tiramisu to roast potates or beef stew! You can use the lid as a shallow dish too so it is extra flexible.

Don't get a colander, just get a large metal sieve and use that for any drainin/washing needs.

Get a measuring jug, and make sure it is microwavable, again pyrex ones are cheap in the supermarkets and very "mulipurpose" I use mine in the microwave as well as for measuring.

Get a couple of plates and bowls and mugs but not many (for now it is just more to be washing up, you can get a full set for entertaining later - maybe as a wedding present down the line!) Make sure they are microwave safe as this is really useful. Better still get oven and freezer safe ones. When I went to uni I had plates from Denby seconds shop and used the bowl for a single portion pasta bake and the plates as baking trays! They are worth every penny as they are really hard to break as well!!!

A slow cooker would probably be worthwhile, but try to get one on freecycle as not everyone is taken by them, I'm just waiting for mine which was a wedding present!

You said you have wooden spoons so just get a couple of knives, a potato masher, a whisk and a ladel.

Do get a toaster and kettle.

You might want a non-stick baking tray for the oven, I wouldn't get a roasting tin though as for two it is unlikely to be worth doing a sunday roast.

Get a few tupperwares for leftovers, but the ones that chinese takeaway comes in are actually better than a lot of shop bought ones especially for freezing and microwaving so if you eat takeaway maybe don't bother!

A cheese grater would be worthwhile too and a cheap set of scales, get mechanical ones as they last longer and are more reliable, mine cost £2 from asda!

Remember some washable dishcloths, and dusters, don't use jay cloths (or if you do wash them and reuse them rather than binning them).

As I say I'd go for the bare minimum now, and once you are in and cooking the things you need will become aparent before long. Hand blender, mortar and pestle, liquidiser, mixer, steamer etc might be useful in future but you may never want one. I use my mortar and pestle and steamer (hob top, DH bought it before he met me, if I was buying I'd get a microwave one for efficiency) loads but still don't have a mixer or a proper blender and don't miss either, I rarely use the handblender and never use a roasting tin. But each to their own!

You can increase quantities later on too, but for now the less you have the less there is to wash up!

Enjoy setting up home it is great fun!

Katie-Kat-Kins

Oh supermarkets are great for kitchen stuff, and wilkos, i'd go there rather than ikea, I've found the ikea stuff DH had was mainly cheap for a reason whereas the supermarket stuff has generally been pretty good.

benbenandme

If you're moving in November could you ask for some things (2nd bedding / towels etc) as xmas presents? Not very exciting but at least they're practical rather than loads of smellies etc that you won't use?
Also, make sure you keep any empty tins that celebrations / quality street etc come in at xmas, they're always useful

benbenandme

oh, and a washing-up bowl, but you'll need to know whether you need a square one or a round one

nimbo

tori.k wrote: »

id second a kitchen raid at friends/family homes, i borrowed a lot of my mums bakeware stuff 20 yrs ago and its still going strong id spend out on good knifes and pans from the start. also borrow if you can (not as long as i did) things like a slow cooker, breadmaker etc and see if its worth spending out on them.
I've just freecyled the breadmaker as i hardly ever used it but would be lost without the slow cooker.
I was taught/told to think in 3 when running a household 1 for the wash 1 in use 1 for spare, also works well for kids school clothes etc etc

i seriously second the quality of knives and kitchn pans... the cheap ones fall apart and are really a faulse economy.

chopping boards,
potato peeler,
wine galsses (i really hate drinking wine from timblers fro some reason)...

things like the wine glasses though, you could 'liberate' a few from a chain pub? (that's where half of mine are form...)