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What kind of knives, pans and other kitchen stuff do I need for uni

fuji

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Going to uni in september, got self catered because I dont want to eat gross food and I like cooking. Whats kind of pans should I buy? Thinking cast iron, never cooked with anything else, are other materials that different? Only want 2 of them. Little one for like eggs and a big one for cooking like a pack of chicken breast. What other kitchen stuff do I need?
 
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KJT

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Uni?

 

mgm9128

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You need a device that will maintain precise temperature control of a water bath.
 

impolyt_one

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impolyt_one

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Going to uni in september, got self catered because I dont want to eat gross food and I like cooking. Whats kind of pans should I buy? Thinking cast iron, never cooked with anything else, are other materials that different? Only want 2 of them. Little one for like eggs and a big one for cooking like a pack of chicken breast. What other kitchen stuff do I need?


Get a smedium saucepan and a smedium skillet, and then some sort of wok-like thing like a saucier, make it 3. That way you can boil or do whatever it is you do with your chicken breast, boil or fry eggs, maybe make pasta or rice if ever you need to, prepare vegetables, and do other basics in between.
 

impolyt_one

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fuji

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You need a device that will maintain precise temperature control of a water bath.


I have a friend at uni who is very similar to you. Young and really into cooking fancy food. He bought a sous vise machine for his dorm. Im guessing thats what your talking about?
 

b1os

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Get knifes from Victorinox or, if you can afford, Wüsthoff. At least a chef's knife and one or two smaller ones. Get a solid bread knife. If you like fish, get a fillet knife from Victorinox. Great value. And you can save a lot by buying whole fish instead of filets.
Of great use is a Zauberstab/bamix. Again, depends on your budget. It's a real pleasure. Otherwise get a cheaper one, it will do the job, too.
Get a large pot, a medium pot and a small pot or two.
Get a large cast iron/SS pan, a large non-stick pan for fish and eggs (or just the cast iron if it's properly seasoned) and a small pan for miscellaneous. Brand depends on budget.

I think mm is just kidding. Of course, if you can afford it, you might think about getting one. Otherwise not necessary at all.
 

fuji

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Yeah I guessed MM was kidding. Do I really need a pot? I can boil pasta in a pan, I think it works better. I probably don't need a fish knife, fairly low budget for food so most of the fish im gonna buy is frozen cod fillets. What are the advantages of SS over cast iron? Bought knives today, they're chicago cutlery. $20 for 2, probably ****, it's a little one and a big one and they're not serrated, probably need something serrated for tomatoes.
 
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b1os

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Return the knifes and get victorinox. Not that much more expensive and far better quality, I guess.

Well, you don't need a pot. I don't know what you want to cook. If you want to cook well in advance -- i.e. stews, soups etc. -- a large pot is very helpful.

SS and cast iron are different. You can adjust the temperature in SS faster. Properly seasoned cast iron is far better w/r/t stickyness. If you're happy with cast iron, go for it.

And, FWIW, fresh herrings etc. are very cheap.
 
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indesertum

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get this

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-8-Piece-Cookware-Set/5716478

reasonably priced and it consistently gets great reviews and two pans and 3 pots is all you really need


i wouldnt recommend carbon steel or cast iron to a college student because they're a ******* pain **********. you have to season them correctly and you ahve to be careful not to ever use acid on the pans which unsurprisingly people do often.


i would second the victorinox forschner recommendation, but at a slightly higher price this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...QJ_10?ie=UTF8&m=A2RCXJ48W502QJ&n=&s=&v=glance

is sooooo much better and definitely worth it.

get a 8in gyuto and a small paring knife

70 for both for such decent quality knives is a steel ;)
and you can manage with only a gyuto and a paring knife and with such a sharp knife you won't need a serrated knife for tomatoes


whatever knife choice you go with you want a combination waterstone like

this

http://korin.com/Mizuyama-1000-6000-Two-side-Stone?sc=27&category=280108


polish the edge for a few minutes every 10 hours of use on the high grit stone and every 7 times of polishing sharpen the knife in the same way on the low grit stone (and finish with a polishing)

don't get a honing steel and dry your knives after every use
 
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Aerostat

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What are the advantages of SS over cast iron?

It's easier to clean and maintain.

I have tri-ply SS pans with aluminum cores and enamel coated cast iron as well as raw cast iron pans. They all have their place in my arsenal. I personally would take raw cast iron over poorly made SS any day because it would produce a better sear and I don't mind the maintenance. You may prefer the convenience of SS.

If you want to go budget and still get performance choose anodized aluminum cookware from one of the better brands.
 

Vintagemusician

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I just got through a semester of what you're about to do.....

I got a Lodge skillet which is not bad. It's certainly cheap and fairly nonstick, though I've since replaced it with some vintage Wagner stuff I've found at the thrift store recently. It's just nice to be able to do many things with one piece. (sauteing, roasting, baking, frying...):
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-...JSUB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331831041&sr=8-1

For knives, I bought this 8" knife from Chicago Cutlery. I was pretty skeptical about it since CC tends to suck and it's only $10. But I tell you what, it's a pretty awesome deal! It's as heavy as a nice Henckels and the blade has kept well after many uses. Also balanced pretty well....Just get a steel and keep it clean.:
http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Cutle...6?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1331831159&sr=1-6
 
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impolyt_one

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Yeah I guessed MM was kidding. Do I really need a pot? I can boil pasta in a pan, I think it works better. I probably don't need a fish knife, fairly low budget for food so most of the fish im gonna buy is frozen cod fillets. What are the advantages of SS over cast iron? Bought knives today, they're chicago cutlery. $20 for 2, probably ****, it's a little one and a big one and they're not serrated, probably need something serrated for tomatoes.


you don't need a pot, you need a 2qt saucepan or whatever size it is, don't really know but the most standard. You can use it to boil grains and vegetables, you can make small (like 2-3 persons worth) soups, to boil or poach eggs, it is possibly more useful than a frypan because you aren't going to be wanting to eat fried **** all day everyday. If it has to be 2 pieces, get a skillet and a saucepan with a lid, if it can be 3 (that nest, preferably) - you want a saucepan with a lid, a wok with pretty good capacity (not serious chinese wok, but it can be larger than the saucepan and nest in the set) then an 11-12"ish skillet for frying. Upside to the Tefal set I linked - you can drop the skillets in the oven as roasting pans and detach the handle, and then when your roast is done you can just snap the handle back on. Handy if you roast chickens or just need to warm up stuff in a proper oven, and you don't need to invest in further oven pans or anything.

Your knives are ok, get a sharpener. You don't need a serrated knife to cut a tomato, just make sure your larger knife is sharp, it will be fine. You don't need to get a ******* Japanese wetstone, indesertum is out of his mind. Just go to a discount shop and get a sharpening wand or whatever the **** you call them. You're going to be throwing this **** away in a year or two anyway and buying new later. Might even get broken or go missing during break, so don't spend money on precious stuff like that now.

Apart from that, you need a cutting board, plates and bowls, cups, tongs, hotpads and an oven mitt, a plastic spatula, a plastic ladle, maybe a big pair of cooking chopsticks, a cheese grater of some sort, a can opener, a corkscrew, and maybe a sharp pair of shears. Again, buy the cheap ****, I'm guessing you won't have the kind of space nor will you be cooking with 'serious product' ( /mgm) to require more than that.
 

ehkay

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Apart from that, you need a cutting board, plates and bowls, cups, tongs, hotpads and an oven mitt, a plastic spatula, a plastic ladle, maybe a big pair of cooking chopsticks, a cheese grater of some sort, a can opener, a corkscrew, and maybe a sharp pair of shears. Again, buy the cheap ****, I'm guessing you won't have the kind of space nor will you be cooking with 'serious product' ( /mgm) to require more than that.


/shudder
 

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