Stumbled across this year-old article from the New York Times on equipping a kitchen for under $200. It does start with two assumptions that won’t hold for all readers: Relatively basic cooking plans (including little to no baking) and access to a restaurant-supply store. But it’s a useful reminder that what Bed Bath & Beyond wants to charge you isn’t necessarily a fair price.
On the plus side, he nabs a chef’s knife for about $10, a sheet pan for under $6 (then he says it’s not ideal for cookies – I only use “half-sheet pans,” lined with Silpats, for cookies), various useful and inexpensive gadgets, and a 14-inch stainless steel pan with steep sides for $25. He gets a decent-sized Hamilton Beach food processor for $60, which is insanely cheap, since Cuisinarts (they did invent the device) run $150-200 for similar sizes. He recommends a Microplane grater, although he then claims that box graters aren’t used much any more. (Bzzt! But thanks for playing!) His knife collection is simple: chef’s, paring, bread.
On the minus side, his pots are mostly aluminum, which I find is less effective than cast-iron or stainless steel at heat retention or diffusion. (Copper is best, of course, but it’s ragingly expensive.) There is also the potential health concern about cooking acidic foods in aluminum, although that may be much ado about nothing. He buys a “coffee and spice grinder” for $10, which I’m sure is good for spices and lousy for coffee, and he doesn’t mention that you can’t use it for both. He claims that a standard blender is more useful than an immersion blender, which isn’t the case in my kitchen. He also recommends the purchase of a whetstone to keep your knives sharp, which is a terribly bad idea unless you want to buy a new knife every year or so.
Where he really got my dander up was his list of ten things you really don’t need. The problem is that he’s assuming that you, the reader, are a moron. He disses the microwave – great for reheating, but also for quick melting or for warming up liquids to go into risotto or other grain dishes. He says of the stand mixer:
Unless you’re a baking fanatic, it takes up too much room to justify it. A good whisk or a crummy handheld mixer will do fine.
I use my stand mixer for cookies, bread doughs, cake batters, meringues and egg foams, whipped cream, and brownies, at the least. You try to knead a bread or pizza dough with a handheld mixer. So does making bread or cookies make a person a “baking fanatic?” I doubt it.
On the boning knife:
BONING/FILLETING KNIVES Really? You’re a butcher now? Or a fishmonger?
Everyone should at least buy poultry on the bone, and knowing how to butcher a chicken or duck is both a useful skill and a way to save money and get more out of what you buy. (Poultry bones make a great and highly versatile stock.) Whole Foods sells 3-4 pound chickens, formerly known as broiler-fryers, for about $2 a pound; the cheapest boneless, skinless chicken breast they sell goes for $5 a pound, and you don’t get the bones or the delicious dark meat. If the author is telling people how to cook on the cheap, at least to some degree, then dissuading people from doing any of their own butchering is counterproductive.
Last up, the stockpot:
The pot you use for boiling pasta will suffice, until you start making gallons of stock at a time.
Here’s a tip: Use your stockpot to boil pasta. That’s what I do – it’s lightweight, so it’s easy to carry when it’s full of water. True, it doesn’t have the matching strainer, but it was under $20, and the point here is to save some money, right?
I like his advice to seek out restaurant supply stores, ignore brand names, use what the pros use in their restaurants and not what they use on their cooking shows, and stop worrying about looks when utility is what matters. But some of his specific choices … well, they wouldn’t go very far given the way I cook.
Hey, I am in LA for work (for many weeks) and am going to an Angels game tomorrow night. Any suggestions on the “have-to-eat” food at the stadium? Thanks.
Keith, on the whole I agree with your last paragraph regarding Bittman’s article. I distinctly remember seeing eye-to-eye with him on several items (wok, bread machine) while drawing a line in the sand regarding others (big whisk, cast aluminum). However, as his he considers himself a ‘minimalist’ his choices are awfully good and should help dispel the myth of how much a working kitchen should cost.
I do think Bittman’s article is helpful for people just starting to really cook. Plus his shtick is “The Minimalist”; I think some of the tone doesn’t come across in print as well as in video. The restaurant supply store advice helped us greatly.
I read Bittman’s column and blog fairly regularly, but I hadn’t seen this article before. My biggest contention is that he says to ignore cast iron. That makes no real sense to me.
I have a 12″ cast iron skillet that cost all of $20, and I can use it for everything. It’s so well seasoned that I cook french toast in it without any added butter and it doesn’t stick. I’ve also used it for bracioles, stews, baking (cornbread and biscuits), blackened fish/chicken, and anything else. Years ago, this was basically the ONLY pan people had. Unless you simply cannot pick it up when it’s loaded with food, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be a part of both inexpensive and expensive kitchens.
This is coming from the guy who wrote the Jean-Georges Cookbook – a book that screams the importance of mortar and pestle. And he’s now advocating the use of a dual coffee/spice grinder?
Cheap knives cutting food on a plastic cutting board spells trouble. They’ll get dull incredibly quickly.
I love my stockpot. Sure, I don’t make stock that often, but I do make tons of sauces that I freeze for later use. I can’t do that without my stockpot.
And I love my wok. I mean, he’s right about the BTU thing, but hey, I’m Asian. I need my wok. Besides, it’s so much fun to stir fry a whole bunch of meats and veggies and flip it all into the air. It’s part of what makes cooking great.
And I would get a pressure cooker if I could in a heartbeat. There are some great things that can be done with pork belly using one of those.
Barry: Never been to Angel Stadium – or Dodger Stadium, for that matter.
Paul: Have you looked at getting a “wok ring” to sit on top of your burner to at least hold the wok properly? I wonder if there’s a device that you could use in place of the burner grate to get the wok base more into the flame.
I own a pressure cooker and absolutely underutilize it. My favorite application is fett’unta con fagioli – white beans cooked with sage and garlic and then smeared on crostini. The beans pop and burst, but it doesn’t matter for that dish. I’d love to hear about some pork belly dishes, though – twice-cooked pork belly is one of my favorite things to order in Chinese restaurants.
Keith, what is your view on cutting boards? Wood vs. plastic or something else.
To Barry,
The NY Times just did a piece on ballpark eats reviewing what to eat and what to avoid. The article is titled “Buy Me Some Sushi and Baby Back Ribs.” Here’s the interactive map and the article is worth reading. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/06/08/travel/20080608_BALLPARK_GRAPHIC.html
The author recommends the Beef Brisket from Beach Pit BBQ in Anaheim and the Fairfax Sandwich (Pastrami and Corned Beef on Rye) from Canter’s Deli at Dodger Stadium. Canter’s is on the lower level and so you will need a ticket to access the level or you will have to go during batting practice before the section is closed off to the working class.
Hey Keith,
Was wondering your take on the new iPhone 3G – whether you plan on getting one, if you use one for your music, and your opinions on the mobile telecom business model.
Not sure if you heard that the FCC is entertaining thoughts of forcing carriers to do away with early termination fees or at least adjust them via regulation.
Q
JK: It’s all plastic here. I want to be able to put them in the dishwasher, and I guess I don’t fully believe that I can make a wooden cutting board clean enough (because I’m worried about the surface being porous).
Francis: It will be a cold day in hell before I use any phone service with the AT&T brand on it. When they offer an iPhone on the Verizon network, I’ll consider it. In the meantime, I’ll stick with my Blackberry for phone/data and an iPod nano for music.
Keith:
I’m living in Portland, ME for the summer, and I’m wondering if you have any suggestions for good restaurants? Also, what’s your beef with AT&T?
So there is a chance that you get the iPhone 3G on the AT&T network…
RE: cutting boards, i am starting to experiment with the poly cutting sheets … they were sold in 4-packs at the market … I like that they have the utility of the plastic cutting board, but it folds (it is the consistency of a placemat) which is extremely convenient for a clumsy transferer such as myself. Also they are color coded so you can separate cutting tasks.
So how DO you sharpen knives?
My set of Wusthofs is what made me feel like a real cook. I learned to use a whetstone and oil to sharpen them when I couldn’t find a local knife sharpening service that didn’t use a grinder. I also found a pretty good sharpener (recommended by Cook’s Illustrated) that keeps them sharp, but now you’ve got me worried. Even though they’re ten years old now and still not “ruined.”
Keith, what do you do with the leftover bones to make this versatile stock you mention, just simmer them in water for a while?. I often buy breasts on the bone, but just toss the bones after, any advice would be great. Thanks.
John,
That’s all you have to do. I usually keep the water around 180 degrees, which is just below a simmer. You can use raw or cooked bones (bones from roasted chicken will add more flavor). It usually takes 4-6 hours to make the stock that way. Skim off the scum that collects on top of the water during the first hour or so of cooking. After that, I usually move it to a container that will fit in the fridge so it can cool. Once it’s chilled, skim off the fat that’s come to the top. You can toss it, or use it for cooking in place of butter/oil.
There are faster ways to make stock, but I don’t recall any exact methods off hand. I think Cook’s Illustrated had a good method in their New Best Recipe cookbook.
You can also add things to your stock as it cooks, such as carrots, onions, celery (typical aromatic vegetables). Also, peppercorns and herbs (e.g. fresh thyme or tarragon) make good additions.
Save up the bones in the freezer and make a large batch at a time. It freezes really well. One thing I like to do is freeze some of it in ice cube trays or muffin tins. After it’s frozen solid, I put it in freezer bags and take out one or two small blocks of it for making sauce.
I love making stock. it smells so good and adds so much depth to recipes when used instead of the store-bought stuff. I made beef stock from an Emeril recipe a couple of months ago and it was amazing how good it was.
Keith,
Regarding the wok ring, yeah, but the burner still wouldn’t be powerful enough. I’m constantly looking for that incredibly satisfying searing sound on the wok surface when you introduce soy sauce onto it. Can never get the sound I’d like. Maybe I can experiment a bit more and cut the ring horizontally.
As for the pork belly, I usually pick up a 2lb chunk with skin in tact. Place it into a loaf pan and marinate it in soy sauce, mirin, sake, scallions, star anise, and dried red chili for a few hours. Then take the whole darn thing and place it into a steamer (another reason to love my stockpot, which doubles as my steamer). And then I’ll crank up my oven and finish it in there to get a bit of burn on the edges and skin. But this would obviously have to be modified if something similar were to be done in a pressure cooker. I can’t imagine being able to place the loaf pan with the marinating liquid into that kind of an environment and not end up with disastrous results.
And it’s funny you mentioned the fettunta con fagioli. Saw a short film last night at the NYC Food Film Festival where an old Italian woman prepares beans. Got me thinking about how I never cook the stuff and how I need to give it a whirl. Will give fettunta a shot, though I wonder how long it would take me.
Regarding the stand mixer, keep in mind that Bittman often has the NYC Apartment kitchen in mind when writing his articles. A stand mixer is WAY WAY too big for most of us.
I have one because my fiancee insists on it. It takes up about 15% of my counter top space and she uses it every other month. I use it probably more then her (meet grinder attachment) but I would still get rid of it in a heartbeat for some counter space. I feel similarly about the mirco wave- its just too big to justify the space.
Regarding whetstones- his point was to buy $10 knives that you are happy to ruin, and just use the whetstone until there is nothing left of them. I use one of those auto-sharpeners on my $10 chef knives. Of course I don’t let the thing near my Wusthoffs!
I totally agree regarding the importance of a hand blender. The things are awesome for soups and sauces.
One thing I am especially fond of restaurant supply stores for is silverware. They have boxes of perfectly nice silverware (10pcs/box) for $8. I have a set of good stuff in a closet for special occasions, but daily use its great to have a near infinite supply of forks.
Regarding the pans- yeah, cast iron is good. I have on that is nicely seasoned. Of course I have nearly complete my collection of Le Cruset pots and pans (fire red. so hot.) and soon won’t have to worry about such cookware for the rest of my life. The stuff is pricey but so worth it.
echinopsia – if you’ve been doing this for ten years and your knives are still straight and sharp, don’t let what I say bother you. I am with PhillR, however, in that I wouldn’t let my good knives anywhere near a home sharpener, because they grind down the blade to sharpen it.
Oh yes, stock: One chicken carcass (wings and neck included), in a pot with water to cover. Add a peeled onion, a carrot broken in half, two or three celery stalks, a few peeled cloves of garlic, some black peppercorns, and some aromatic herbs like thyme, parsley, or sage. Simmer for 4-6 hours, skimming the crap off the top, until you see a bit of a gelatin-like substance on the surface. Don’t let the water level slip down to far, and when I say “simmer,” I mean a bare simmer. Strain, chill thoroughly with ice or ice packs, and then freeze in smaller quantities until you need it.
I love my wok too. In order to get the high heat that you cannot achieve indoors I use the base for an outdoor turkey fryer. Put the wok on there and crank the heat up and you can get that thing as hot as you want. The flames kind of engulf the sides enough to get them hot too. Plus an added advantage to cooking your food outside is that your house won’t smell like a Chinese restaurant for a week. I cannot imagine ever trying to stir fry indoors again.