There are a few pieces of equipment every kitchen should have. One is a great set of pots. I am not talking about fancy pots endorsed by some famous chef. I am talking tried and true cast iron. These pots can take a beating better than any new fancy blue diamond or copper nonsense pan. Cast iron pans (and pots) have been around forever in a day. For a good reason. They don’t release toxic chemicals as we have recently found out about the “must have Teflon” pans of the 90s. I remember when these coated pans came out. They were all the rage. Your kitchen wasn’t complete if you didn’t have them. Seriously stupid. After my mom past I made sure I got her old fashion Black Cast Iron pot. I love that thing. Cast iron pots or pans will hold a steady temperature. I also have a cast aluminum pot I inherited from my mom. It’s a great pot and I use it every year with I make fudge.
Utensils are another important part of your kitchen equipment. Know this, if you invest in enameled cast iron you need to get plastic or better yet wooden utensils. If you use metal spoons on enameled cast iron you will destroy it. Which is why I prefer the old fashioned cast iron. I do have two enameled pots. One is 4 quart and the other is 7.5 quart. Below will be a link to Christina Wilhelm’s video showing how to care for wooden utensils. My late mom never told me about this. She always throw them out once they started to splinter and break.
Kitchen towels are essential. Having quality kitchen towels are a god sent. If you watch these ladies from the 30’s and 40’s cook you never see them using paper towels even after they came out and available. They always washed their kitchen towels and took good care of them. I get it now. The quality of kitchen towels have fallen. But I have found chef’s kitchen towels to be a great quality. I also use flour sack towels. They are exactly that. Towels made from flour sacks. Amish women still use these items because they last if you take care of them. Stop giving your money to these big companies and start making the investment into kitchen towels. You can wash them with your regular towels and I haven’t really seen any increase in our laundry load.
Measuring devices. Rather it’s cups or spoons they are a must have for your kitchen. I have three or four sets of each. There is a difference between the measuring cups for liquid and dry. Usually the dry measuring cups come in a set of four to five. And the liquid may be glass with three cups together. They go from 1 cup all the way up to 8 cups. Depending on where you buy them from. Liquid cups tend to be glass rather than plastic and the glass ones are better. Yes, they can be heavier, and costs more. Remember this is an investment you will use for years.
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