{"id":160,"date":"2010-05-21T14:00:49","date_gmt":"2010-05-21T21:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leanmeanvirilemachine.com\/?p=160"},"modified":"2010-07-31T18:45:55","modified_gmt":"2010-08-01T01:45:55","slug":"kitchen-cooking-utensils-for-easy-healthy-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/2010\/05\/21\/kitchen-cooking-utensils-for-easy-healthy-meals\/","title":{"rendered":"Kitchen Cooking Utensils for Easy, Healthy Meals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kitchen<\/a>We\u2019ve already talked about why you need to learn how to cook<\/a>. But where do we start? Take a look at the kitchen cooking utensils you have in your kitchen. If all you see is a can opener and a pair of scissors, then I\u2019m afraid we need to go shopping for kitchen cooking utensils. (I know, I know\u2026) The absolute basics aren\u2019t going to set you back that much, and you probably have much of it already.<\/p>\n

The Needs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the stuff that you absolutely need to have. I tried to strip it down as much as possible. This is the equipment that you\u2019re going to get the most bang for your buck and you\u2019ll be using all the time. To give you an idea of how cheaply you can do this, I got some quotes from IKEA.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tPots and Pans<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re gonna need 2 pans, a small one for making omelettes and a large one for saut\u00e9ing and stir frying. Look for pans about 9 inches and 11 inches in diameter. For pots, you\u2019ll need three at about 1 quart, 3 quarts, and 5 quarts. The small ones are great for making sauces and gravies, medium for steaming and poaching, and the large for making soups and stews. Get as many lids as you can. You can often improvise with a bigger lid or a frying pan if needed, but the biggest pots are definitely going to need to be covered occasionally. I\u2019m HOPING that you already have these\u2026 but if not you can get a decent starter set for less than $30.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tKnives and Sharpener<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another couple of items you can\u2019t get very far without. To start out, you\u2019ll want just two knives: a chef\u2019s knife at least 6 inches in length, and a smaller paring knife. You\u2019ll also need a basic sharpener to keep your blades sharp. Don\u2019t get serrated knives if possible, they cut horribly and you cannot sharpen them, so they don\u2019t last long. You\u2019ll also want a basic cutting board. The cheapest ones are plastic. You can get all this for about $20.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tRoasting Pans<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the best and lowest-maintenance ways of cooking is roasting. You\u2019re going to want to have at least 2 roasting pans, made either of metal or glass, on hand. Make sure they are decent sized, 9\u201d by 9\u201d or bigger. These can be had for $10.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tMixing Bowls<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll use mixing bowls for everything from making salsa to mixing eggs for scrambling. These are pretty cheap, so you might as well get a set of two or three for less than $5.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tUtensils: Wooden Spoons, Ladle, Spatula<\/strong><\/p>\n

With these three tools, you can do everything from flipping, stirring, straining, and mixing. Again, these are pretty cheap, so stock up for $5 or so.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tSteamer Basket<\/strong><\/p>\n

Steaming is one of the best ways to prepare vegetables. It\u2019s quick, simple, and you don\u2019t lose all the nutrients in the water like you would with boiling. Not an item I\u2019d expect you to have, but they are truly a must-have. These can be bought for about $5.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tFood Containers<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are a must. As a sneak peek to how I will teach you to cook, it is in your best interest to make massive quantities of food at once. This way, you are only cooking a couple times a week and you have a freezer and fridge full of healthy food at any moment. Get as much of these as possible. Big sets start at about $5.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tBottle Opener<\/strong><\/p>\n

Okay, you may argue with me that this is essential, but I figure that if you made it this far, you deserve a beer\u2026 or a glass of wine. The LMVM philosophy encourages alcohol in moderation, so don\u2019t be ashamed to raise a glass in celebration of your stocked kitchen! This will set you back less than $5.<\/p>\n

So there you have it, a basic list of equipment than can be had for about $80. I\u2019m guessing that most of you already have a lot of this stuff, so you have no excuses for getting a kitchen set up that you can do nearly anything with!<\/p>\n

Optional:<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have a little room left in your budget, you might want to slowly start picking up some of these items, which will make your life a bit easier.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tGrater<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are a fan of grated cheese, you can pick up a grater for $5.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tThermometer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trying to figure out if your meat is done or not can be a pain if you aren\u2019t used to it yet. You should be able to find a basic one for less than $5.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tWhisk<\/strong><\/p>\n

These can be nice if you are making a big batch of scrambled eggs or omelettes. A basic whisk should set you back about $2.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tCitrus Squeezer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lemons and limes are one of the greatest and cheapest seasonings around. (Not to mention necessary for margaritas!) If you are sick of picking through the seeds that end up in your food, you can find a juicer for about $5.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tPeeler<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can peel vegetables with a paring knife if needed, but getting a peeler will make things go quicker. And at $1 or so, it\u2019s a pretty good deal.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tColander<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are poaching or boiling, you can always make like MacGuyver and make a strainer with a spatula with holes in it or by offsetting the lid a bit and pouring out, but getting a colander will help you out immensely. This is only $5.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tCrock Pot<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll never regret getting a Crock Pot. You can cook a ton of food at once with very little work and it comes out more delicious and tender than if you just do it in a regular pot. The key is in the long cooking time, which tenderizes the meat and absorbs all the flavors. Get a big one if you can, at least 4 \u2013 6 quarts, for $20 – $25.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tIce Cube Trays<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, if you made it this far, you deserve a drink. Pick up a couple of ice cube trays and a container for $5 and you\u2019ll always be prepared to mix up a few cocktails for you and your friends. Your collection of kitchen cooking utensils is now complete!<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve already talked about why you need to learn how to cook. But where do we start? Take a look at the kitchen cooking utensils you have in your kitchen. If all you see is a can opener and a pair of scissors, then I\u2019m afraid we need to go shopping for kitchen cooking utensils. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[39,41],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cooking","tag-basics","tag-utensils"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions\/183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}