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Ask the Expert: Maggie Gilbert
The Basic Kitchen – UHC TV
The question is: What is the most basic kitchen equipment that I should have? This is one I get asked from people who have a lot of kitchen equipment and want to pare it down, or people who are just starting out and want to build a really good kitchen. So I’m going to give you a few ideas that are absolutely essential to my kitchen, and that I just love.
If I were to have three things, let me tell what I’d get:
BASICS
1) I’d start with a pot like this, and you’ll see this is well used (holds up a large, deep pan with two handles). This is called a Dutch oven. It’s about five quart, it’s heavy, I use it for everything. It’s unbelievable.
2) Then I would get a wooden spoon – and you probably want to change these out from time to time – this is one that has a good solid grip. I love it. I use it all the time. Eventually, they do wear out, and you get new ones.
3) And then, I would have a really good knife. This is my very favorite knife. It’s an 8-inch chef with little dimples on it. It’s wonderful. It’s a really good quality, it stays nice and sharp because I keep it that way, and it’s really easy to use – I like the way it feels in my hand.
KNIVES
So, that’s where I would start. Continuing on knives, there are a lot of different knives one could have. I’d suggest three:
1) One I’ve just shown, the 8-inch.
2) And, then get a serrated bread knife. I love this one. I got this actually at one of those bread stores. It’s got a wonderful grip and a nice easy way of cutting. So I love this one for serrated.
3) And get yourself a paring knife, such as this one. There are some things that are just hard to do with a bigger knife.
Those are the basics. That’s where I would begin. So, what do you cut on?
CUTTING BOARDS
Wooden cutting boards are great, but I am super in love with these. They’re flexible cutting boards. So you can cut, you can cut up an onion, flex it, and dump it right in the pan. I love these, and they can be washed and dried and used over and over. They come in sets, and sometimes they say they’re for beef or fish or chicken, and you can certainly use them that way. But however you use them, wash them thoroughly, let them dry, and use them over and over again.
MIXING BOWLS
All right, nested bowls – my next favorite thing. They look like this, they’re stainless steel – I also have a set in glass – I love these and literally use them every day. Pull out what I need, I use it, I wash it, they’re great. They are stainless so they don’t flavor anything in some weird way, you can leave something in them to marinate – everything’s fine with stainless. Wonderful. Get yourself a set. They’re available all over the place.
IMPLEMENTS
1) In terms of things you stir and cook with, I love rubber spatulas. Get a whole of them. These are the kind that can actually go up to a fairly high temperature, which is great.
2) I love a set of tongs. You’ll use tongs all the time. These open up like this and can be closed for storage. Love, love, love.
3) I have a set of spoons. One is plain, one is slotted. You can just imagine how often I would use these.
4) And then you should have one really good spatula. This is also called a pancake turner. It’s heavy. I use it for everything. I can use it for the grill, or if I am sautéing something. Fabulous.
5) The last thing is a colander – essential for a cook. You can get different sizes. This is actually an antique one. You can get stainless ones. They’re wonderful.
This gets you started with some basic cooking equipment. You can go from there. But if you start here, you can make almost anything.
Ask the Expert
Top 13 Cookware Items
Question: What's the best set of basic items I should get to outfit a kitchen?
Answer from: Maggie Gilbert, cooking expert
You don't need every gizmo in the store to be a healthy cook. The Lucky 13 are all you need to make just about anything.
The content of these videos is for information only and is not intended to be medical advice. Refer to your health plan benefit guide for coverage details, and consult with your doctor to determine what is best for you.
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