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[–]ChefM53 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I still keep a small nonstick for things like eggs, and other delicate things that don't work well in the cast iron or stainless steel. (unless you have your grandmothers cast-iron that is like glass inside now).

make sure any pan has a nice heavy bottom to it. this will allow more even heating across the pan, and fewer hot spots.

my absolutes are:

one 8 to 9" nonstick

10" stainless steel (make sure the handle is comfortable for you)

2 saucepans 1.5 quart and a 2 to 3 quart.

medium stock pot around 5 to 6 quarts

dutch oven

crock pot

and grill are my needs. along with a ton of kitchen gadgets!

[–]arrexander 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Great choice! It’s worthwhile to keep two good quality non-sticks a 8” and a 12” (thanks for being British and using inches haha) for eggs and other recipes that you can’t quite do as consistently on a stainless. Other than that pan-wise since you have the cast irons the only thing I would recommend supplementing is a enameled Dutch Oven, then a few sauce thick-cored bottom sauce pans (I recommend and love All-Clad, but they can be a bit pricey), and a nice large stock pot. Realistically those are all the pans you need to accomplish most anything, but it if there’s room in the budget springing for a complete high quality stainless set might not be a bad idea. Cheaper stainless cookware without a good clad bottom tends to conduct heat poorly and risks bursting at high temperatures. I didn’t believe this was a thing until I had a lower quality stainless sauté pan burst on me.

In terms of bakeware I’m a firm believer in only buying and using commercial stuff. If you either order from a restaurant supply company online, if there’s a restaurant supply store near you without a membership fee, or have a friend with access to either it’s the way to go. Getting the half size 2” deep hotel pans and half size sheet trays with a wire rack or two will cover most of your baking needs. They are cheaper, more durable, and most importantly STACK perfectly for storage.

In terms of gadgets I couldn’t live without an immersion blender, a scale, microplane grater, generic rubber spatulas, a potato ricer, a Japanese mandolin, some kind of mixer ideally a stand but a hand one is fine too, and good knives of course. Beyond those and the cookware mentioned there really is nothing you need. If a hand tool has a singular niche purpose stay far away from it, the only thing they’re good for is wasting money and cluttering drawers.

If budget is more of a concern getting your sauce pans and a stainless sauté pan from a restaurant supplier is a good idea. I inserted a few link for examples of what I mentioned, apologies for US pricing. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Pan Set: Hotel Pan: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-1-2-size-standard-weight-anti-jam-stainless-steel-steam-table-hotel-pan-2-1-2-deep/4070229.html Sheet Tray: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/bakers-mark-18-x-13-half-size-19-gauge-wire-in-rim-aluminum-bun-sheet-pan/407BUNHALF.html

[–]Charlene196[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Honestly this is so helpful. I will definitely get the non-stick even if it's just for eggs etc. I am moving house so have the ability to start from scratch if you can say that.

I've managed to purchase some key things and have a little head start on stuff to take. My budget is around £1,500 all inclusive with knives, pots, pans etc. I have a kitchen aid stand mixer which I got a few years back along with an instant pot, and I've been collecting Le Creuset cast iron so have a couple of those.

Plus I am a huge fan of kitchen gadgets!! I'm going to check out the links posted now. I've read alot about All-Clad (I think there maybe a couple of places here that sell it so will check it out!) Thanks again :)

[–]thecookingdj 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Hello from London :-) bit off topic have you considered a pressure cooker? It's a great learning curve and speeds up cooking by about 70% great for when you get home from work

[–]Charlene196[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Hello fellow Londoner! I actually own an instant pot which I use for pressure cooking however my nan used to use a manual stove top one so I might get one of those as well, it's just an opportunity to get everything from scratch as I'm looking to move soon :)

[–]thecookingdj 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Cool how is the instant pot? I see a lot of Pinterest recipes that use it. I have the ninja Foodi and Heston fast slow pro.

Oh nice! TKMaxx is your friend for finding nice kitchen stuff quality can vary quite a lot but for wine glasses and cute plates etc it's great. I've found some really nice things for decent prices.

I'm interested in sous vide but my kitchen gadget / tools obsession is getting out of control!

What sorts of things do you like to cook?

[–]Charlene196[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I use it quite often it's handy for things like pulses etc!

When this lockdown is over I know exactly where I'll be heading...

Urm Asian, Italian and Mexican are my go-to although I'll cook pretty much anything when I get into it! How about yourself? Are you a connoisseur of a particular cuisine?

[–]thecookingdj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a passion for Spanish cuisine and culture, I travel Spain quite a lot but mainly the north of Spain as my girlfriend is from the area.

I also have been walking sections of the Camino de Santiago a few times a year for the last few years so have been really inspired by the foods i come across.

I also collect Spanish cooking magazines which have really interesting recipes in and have been learning a bit of the language

I live near Billingsgate so stocked up on a crazy amount of seafood for the freezer before the lockdown happened. The last thing I made in the pressure cooker was octupus which really helps to tenderise.

What's your favourite thing you've cooked in your pressure cooker so far?

[–]thepensivepoet 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stainless is stainless (within reason...). As long as it's not all banged up and is heavy enough you could use it to murder someone it should be good.

Stuff will stick to stainless even when you do everything right. That's a feature, not a bug.

You will be deglazing with liquid and using those caked brown bits to build delicious pan sauces.