Essential Cookware and Utensils When Cooking for One
Lets get your kitchen ready for all those great meals you will make!
Before making any purchases, consider the types of meals you want to prepare and review some recipes to determine the necessary cookware and utensils. Opt for multi-purpose items to maximize efficiency and space.
Having the right-sized cookware is crucial for successful cooking. Here are the pieces I use most often in my kitchen:
Small Butter Warmer: This versatile piece is perfect for boiling a single egg, melting butter, or making small batches of sauce or compote.
4-Quart Stockpot: This pot is ideal for cooking pasta, soaking beans, blanching vegetables, and preparing larger batches of soups and stews.
Cast Iron Skillet: A kitchen staple, I have two sizes—a 5-inch square for making cornbread and a 6-inch round for everything else, such as apple pancakes, searing steaks, and pan-frying fish.
Quality Nonstick Pan: Start with an 8-inch skillet. I recommend Scan Pan, which offers durability and versatility. The 8-inch skillet is perfect for most tasks, but I also have a 10-inch for larger dishes.
Enameled Dutch Oven: My 2.75-quart Le Creuset is indispensable. It's great for soups, stews, and chilis, and I love browning meats in the same pot used for cooking the main dish. This is my go-to for cooking small roasts or cornish hens and a larger batch of bolognese.
Mini Casserole Dish: A 5x7-inch baking dish is perfect for a hearty casserole for one or small baked goods. I also use it for my popular frosted brownies, cobblers, and my over-the-moon good meatloaf.
Ramekins: A 10-12 ounce ramekin is excellent for individual pot pies and small cakes.
Mini Pie Plate: Emile Henry has the prettiest little dishes. This is probably only essential if you love to make single-serving pies, like me :-).
Sheet Pan: Quarter size sheet pan will do almost anything you need; I also have an eighth-size sheet pan that gets used often.
I streamlined my kitchen by keeping only the most useful appliances—that’s a whole other post. I went from a bungalow kitchen to an apartment kitchen!
Here are some essential appliances in my kitchen: a 3-quart slow cooker, a hand mixer, and a 3.5-cup food processor. I have more stuff, but it rarely gets used. I’m talking about my electric skillet and manual pressure cooker. I spent a ton of money on a cool pressure cooker ( 10 years ago) and have never used it. I also have an instant pot that I should use more often.
Here is what I would consider essential utensils to start:
Small Whisk
Spatula
Wooden Spoon
Set of Tongs
Box Grater
Paring Knife
Chef's Knife
Bread Knife
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Collander/Strainer
I need to be honest and tell you my kitchen is filled with bakeware, cookware, and utensils because I’m obsessed with cooking; I guess that's why I like to blog about cooking! It's a great excuse to go out and get the shiny new cookware! And as I've said before, I have way too many vintage mixing bowls!
As your cooking skills progress, you'll naturally identify additional items to accompany you on your culinary adventures!
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What items are essential in your kitchen?