In a small kitchen, you don’t need a lot of equipment to cook great food. Still, you do need some pots,pans, utensils, and dishes–obviously. In the BGSK book, you’ll find a bare bones list of necessary equipment, but I’ve long wanted to bring you a similar resource on the web.
So we’re going one by one, stocking up our virtual pantries and maybe our real ones too.
It’s hard to think of a meal, no matter how simple, that doesn’t require a knife. I use my Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
for almost everything: mincing garlic, dicing onions, slicing chicken, chiffonading basil. A good knife, one you don’t have to fight with for every slice, makes being in the kitchen a real pleasure. You’ll prep more quickly and stand less of a chance of cutting yourself.
When you go to buy knives, you’ll probably be tempted to buy a whole block set of knives. Skip it. Besides a chef’s knife, all you really need are one paring knife and a serrated knife for slicing bread and tomatoes. Spend the saved money by getting the best quality chef’s knife you can afford (like the one above).
You’ll use your knife for everything, but here’s a glimpse of a few dishes that demand a decent knife - for lots of chopping,slivering cabbage, and julienning carrots (from top to bottom):
P.S. How to keep that knife sharp.
