Lisa Chernick - Your Starter Kitchen: The Definitive Beginners Guide to Stocking, Organizing, and Cooking in Your Kitchen

W hether youre living in your first apartment with a group of friends, the first place of your own, or a forever home that youve been working toward for years, it will have a kitchen, and the kitchen is always the center of it all. Its where youll be alone with your coffee and together with roommates, friends, and familycooking, eating, and living.

However, if youre reading this book, chances are you are a total beginner when it comes to stocking and cooking in your kitchen. You know that the better equipped your kitchen is to take on the tasks of cooking and entertaining, the better it will be at making you happy, but perhaps you have no idea how to get started.

The good news is: the basics of a well-stocked and smooth-running kitchen are essentially the same for seasoned cooks and culinary novices. Everyone needs the basics, and in this book, youll learn what they are, why you need them, and how to use themwhether your starter kitchen is a tiny shared space, a more grown-up kitchen with some extra room for storage and cooking, or a forever home kitchen youre simply too overwhelmed to tackle. Moreover, to make it as simple as possible for you to begin your starter kitchen journey, this book is divided into sections that cover each of these three kinds of kitchens.

The first section pertains mostly to kitchens that may have limited space for storage, prep, and cooking, like a kitchen in a college or postgrad apartment that you may or may not share with roommates. Even if you have a larger kitchen, however, youll want to read this section if you consider yourself to be an absolute novice when it comes to stocking and cooking in your kitchen. In this section, you can expect to find tips for assembling a baseline collection of must-have kitchen gear and pantry essentials, divvying up initial purchases among the people you may live with, creatively organizing food storage space, and managing ongoing kitchen-related expenses. Youll also find the steps to basic and essential cooking techniques as well as several easy recipes that are perfect for beginner cooks who might be working in small spaces.

Building on what the first section covers, the second section of this book speaks to any newbie cook who may have a slightly larger kitchen but might not be settled into their forever home just yet. This section gives you all the info you need regarding additional kitchen gear and a more expansive pantry that you can use in this kind of space, clever storage ideas, more essential cooking techniques, and recipes with which you can flex your newfound kitchen skills. In this section, youll also find tips for getting the most out of a wedding registry if you have one.

The third section of this book covers all the essentials for stocking and cooking in an even larger kitchen spaceone that is likely part of your forever home. If youre working in this kind of kitchen, you may feel overwhelmed with all the possibilities of what you need (and dont need) for this space, but dont fret! This section will help you get smart about long-term kitchen storage and organization, as well as great gear to add, when your spaceand maybe even your familyhas expanded.

Above all, this book is meant to get your kitchenwhichever one youre inup and running, and to get you cooking in it. Think of these pages as the foundation you need to go from Where do I start? to Come on over, Ill make us dinner. And after youre done reading it, rather than looking at glossy cookbooks and food magazines just for fun, youll be deciding which recipes you want to make from their pages. Instead of just imagining cooking for yourself and inviting people over for dinner, youll be doing it, knowing that you and your kitchen are up to the task.

Note: All cooks are welcome here! The gear, ingredients, and recipes in this book come from my own cooking experience, which is Western leaning, and is merely one way to cook in a world of amazing options. So if the suggested gear or ingredients differ from the ones that are essential to the way you cook, please swap yours in, and join me in the kitchen!

PART 1 FOR A SMALL OR FIRST KITCHEN

Whether youre living in a college apartment you share with roommates or have your own personal kitchen space for the very first time, the prospect of stocking and comfortably working in a potentially small or crowded kitchen may seem intimidating, if not unrealisticespecially if you consider yourself to be challenged in the cooking department. But as this section will teach you, arming yourself with some basic and necessary gear, pantry items, organizational tips, techniques, and recipes will put you in command of your kitchen in no time. It will empower you to make delicious food with confidence, including the worlds best granola, a perfect vinaigrette, and single-serve frittatas that you can eat for either dinner or breakfast on the go (the recipes for which are provided at the end of this section). Ive also provided a handy checklist at the end of each section that you can mark up and tear out. It includes all of the must-have gear and pantry essentials, so you can keep track of what you have and what you need. These lists make shopping and planning in the brick-and-mortar world or online soooo easy. Use them!

MUST-HAVE GEAR

T his list of gear for a small or first starter kitchen is not short, but it is a comprehensive rundown of essentials, and you will use these things in every kitchen, always, no matter what! Its the bare-bones list, so to speak. All kitchens will start here and build on this list as your space (and cooking chops!) expands.

• dinnerware
• flatware
• glassware
• mugs
• chefs knife
• paring knife
• serrated knife
• cutting boards
• nonstick pans
• saucepan with lid
• large pot and stockpot with lids
• rimmed baking sheet
• cooling rack
• baking dishes
• large lightweight bowl
• mixing bowls
• measuring cups and spoons
• glass storage containers with lids
• utensil holder
• vegetable peeler
• box grater
• whisk
• wooden spoon
• spatula
• rubber scraper
• spring-loaded tongs
• ladle
• slotted spoon
• offset spatula
• pepper mill
• corkscrew and can opener
• meat thermometer
• salad spinner
• colander and handheld strainer
• muffin tin/cupcake tin
• coffee maker and kettle
• coffee grinder
• toaster and/or toaster oven
• kitchen linens

In addition to the well-known online and brick-and-mortar shopping options, there are unexpected places to find amazing kitchen gear. The above list includes (but is in no way limited to) thrift stores, outlet shops, estate sales, specialty cookware stores (especially good for testing out and buying knives and specialized gear), restaurant supply stores, homeware giants like IKEA, and family and friends who are looking to downsize. Its also wise to consult consumer review sites when youre narrowing down your options before making a purchase. For affordable cabinet and pantry organization, stores like Target and IKEA are good sources for baskets, bins, and trays in many shapes, sizes, and styles.