what should i get?

sparklewing

I have decided that for xmas I am going to ask my parents for some stuff for my kitchen what do you think I should get?
Me being the take away and ready meal queen up until a few weeks ago the contents of my kitchen are as follows:
Oven,microwave, george foreman, toaster and kettle
Lasange dish, oven tray
Wok, small saucepan, medium saucepan
Fridge(no space for freezer)
1 tupperware tub
no mixing bowl or anything like that.
And thats it how pathetic!!!

I eat mainly veggie food have the odd bit of chicken or fish, make lots of soups. Its just me in the flat and I was going to bake some muffins etc but not sure if they would last long enough for me to eat them. :A

se999

I'd got for a set of stainless steel bowls that stack inside each other, we've got a set. The outer one is large mixing bowl size, but the smaller one is normal bowl size. I use all the different sizes as mixing bowls when cooking, but also they look quite smart as salad bowls or general serving bowls when we have visitors. With stacking inside each other they don't take too much space.

In general look for things that will last and work on different types of cooker and go through dishwashers even if you don't have one at the moment.

elona

Slow cooker - you can use it for soups and vegetarian stews, even fot some puddings.

It uses the energy of a light bulb and saves you money and time.

If you set it on low in the morning you can have a meal ready when you get home at night.

Lyndsay_21

how about a decent set of saucepans, we've got really crappy ones but my mum has lovely shinny non-stick ones and they are sooo good to cook with.
I got my mixing bowls from the pound shop so if u wanna splash out a bit more than a pound go for the saucepans...

competitionscafe

sparklewing wrote:

I eat mainly veggie food have the odd bit of chicken or fish, make lots of soups. Its just me in the flat and I was going to bake some muffins etc but not sure if they would last long enough for me to eat them. :A

Do you have a hand blender for the soups? I have a braun one, which I use all the time - it also comes with a mini chopper attachment (like a mini food processor with a blade) which is very good for small quantities of herbs, onions, etc, etc I also have a huge plastic bowl for blending the soups in (the bigger the better, so you don't get splashed!) Small enough to fit in the dishwasher, but it takes up so much space I usually just handwash it.

A stainless steel colander is essential if you don't have - for draining veg/pasta/noodles/rice, plus makes a cheap steamer (over a saucepan with lid on top) for steaming veg, fish or chicken.

A good frying pan - these ones are good for the price:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=kitchen-uk&field-keywords=Meyer%20Professional%20Choice%20open%20skillet/ref=xs_ap_l_xgl/202-2080687-3227856

If they can stretch to it a Le Creuset Casserole dish is very good (they were £35 at amazon) - I use this all the time too - you can use it on the stove top as a saucepan or stockpot, for soups, you can also use it for casseroles in the oven (it has a lid), goes in the dishwasher, it's pretty tough (and heavy) so should last ages. This one is similar to Le Creuset, but cheaper and should be big enough for 1:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009ZK39/

I also have those stainless steel bowls, which nest inside each other - again very useful and not very expensive.

By the way, apart from amazon and Lakeland another good place for kitchen stuff is Nisbets - they mainly sell to the catering trade but they will accept orders from individuals too. http://www.nisbets.co.uk/

These little Victoronix paring knives are very useful to have too:
http://www.kitchenknivesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Victorinox_Other_Knives.html
And a decent Cooks one (Very sharp!)
http://www.kitchenknivesdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Fibrox_Handles_.html
I have the first one (as recommended by Which? magazine) and although I prefer my Global knife, the Victoronix one is a quarter of the price!

sparklewing

thank you all.

do need some mixing bowls not sure about a slow cooker as dont really understand them might do some post reading.
dont have a blender either i just mash with a hand masher which does reduce the types of soups i can make.
really do need some decent knives mine are rubbish they barely cut.

ooooh cant wait for xmas now lol

competitionscafe

sparklewing wrote:

dont have a blender either i just mash with a hand masher which does reduce the types of soups i can make.

Sounds like hard work!!

trace-j

What about a sprouter very very good for you, more info on sprouting. If you sprout mung beans, you end up with bean sprouts like you buy in the shops.

FairyElephant_2

Agree about the hand-blender - best bit of kit I have got (apart from good sharp knives!).
If you use tinned tomatoes to make pasta sauce (or soup) you can buy the non-chopped ones (usually a few pence cheaper per tin), open the lid just leaving a flap so you can hold it closed to drain the juice, then my hand-blender fits perfectly into the tin to mash up the tomatoes!
If you prefer no seeds you can run it through a fine colander or coarse sieve -instant passata!

competitionscafe

If you want to splash out this is Brauns top of the range one with lots of attachments:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008BFTA/

I just have the basic one which came with a beaker and mini chopper (that thing on the right hand side).

whiteguineapig

blimey it makes mine look like noahs