Cooking at home is the most effective way to minimize your food budget. Almost every meal you cook at home will be less expensive (and often quicker) than a similar meal out on the town. Doing it consistently will not only save you money, but will build up your skills in the kitchen.
Below is a comprehensive list of basic kitchen items that will help make a well run, efficient, no frills kitchen.You do not need to purchase all of these items before you begin making meals at home. Instead, think of this as a goal lost of items that you plan to acquire over time. The list focuses on basic equipment that you can use every day and often for more than one purpose. These are my go-to items. These are the things that make my kitchen work.
Tip: When buying pots and pans, weight matters. Look for pots and pans that are thick, heavy, and don't seem like they would dent if you hit them with a mallet. Thin pots and pans will heat food unevenly and tend to cause scorching. I’ve had a set of Calphalon pots & pans for ten years and they have served me well. Glass lids are also very helpful.
These are fancier items that I bought later in my cooking adventure. They’re by no means basic or necessary, but I get really good use out of all of them.
Unit | Equals | Also Equals |
---|---|---|
1 tsp. | 1/6 fl. oz. | 1/3 Tbsp. |
1 Tbsp. | 1/2 fl. oz. | 3 tsp. |
1/8 cup | 1 fl. oz. | 2 Tbsp. |
1/4 cup | 2 fl. oz. | 4 Tbsp. |
1/3 cup | 2 3/4 fl. oz. | 1/4 cup plus 4 tsp. |
1/2 cup | 4 fl. oz. | 8 Tbsp. |
1 cup | 8 fl. oz. | 1/2 pint |
1 pint | 16 fl. oz. | 2 cups |
1 quart | 32 fl. oz. | 2 pints |
1 liter | 34 fl. oz. | 1 quart plus 1/4 cup |
1 gallon | 128 fl. oz. | 4 quarts |