Happy Friday, friends!!
With my sister graduating in only a few short weeks, the rate of “teach me how to adult” questions have increased dramatically. So I thought I’d share my list of 9 kitchen must-haves or, as I like to put it, sh*t you need to own in order to be able to feed yourself at home.
Really rolls off the tongue, right?
From Calphalon pans to a great, everyday dish set, my list of 9 kitchen must-haves will help you not go hungry. Except if you can’t cook at all. This can’t really help with that. I recommend starting with one of my easy-to-make recipes. Oh and by the way, there are two kitchen items in which I really believe everybody should invest (and purchase legitimately good pieces): Calphalon pans and a good knife set. These don’t need to break the bank, but it’s a wonder at how much of a difference a good set makes!
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight / Nine
Now that we’re done with that, I think it’s finally time to share the story of how I learned to cook. While I was growing up, I never once touched a stove or oven. I claim it was because my mother didn’t let me anywhere near either after I displayed extremely subpar deductive reasoning skills and burned my hand on the stove when I was two years old. She claims it was because I had no interest. Either way, I went off to college not knowing how to heat up soup or prepare pasta on the stove.
Please note though: I was a freakin’ ninja with a microwave. I could make anything you wanted in a mug. Omelette? Sure! Meatloaf? Why not! Gooey chocolate cake? Yaaas. I was just the worst ever with a stove/oven/broiler/etc.
Also please note that I did attempt to make a grilled cheese on a stove top in a fraternity house’s kitchen during my sophomore year of college. And I started a [very small] fire. However, I was then able to convince the guys to cook for me every night, so, really, my plan worked.
My junior year of college, one of my roommates was a Food and Beverage concentration in the Hotel School. Girl could cook. And took it as a personal insult to who she was as a human being that I was completely incompetent in the kitchen. So she taught me my first lesson: how to prepare pasta on the stovetop (yes, from a box).
Y’all. I ate nothing but pasta for weeks. I was so excited.
After that, one night I was talking to my mom about how I wanted to learn how to use the oven… and she told me something that has stuck with me for the past six years. Really the greatest advice she’s ever given me: “any schmuck who can follow directions can bake a cake.” After she said that, I realized that I can follow directions… maybe I could bake a cake!
So I did.
By the end of my first week of learning how to bake, I had made almost 10 cakes. It was slightly excessive. And it really just laid the foundation for the rest of my culinary journey… one that involved me making crazy amounts of totally crazy foods (like handmade, homemade wontons… what?!?!) over the next six years. #themoreyouknow
PS: any one of the items above would make a great graduation present (it might not be flashy, but you know it’ll be used!).
PPS: honorable mention goes to mixing bowls (I have this nested – and dishwasher safe! – set and they even come with a measuring set!)
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