Kitchen Basics

Before we start cooking, let's discuss the most basic of questions: what the hell do you need in your kitchen?

When I started going through my kitchen to compile this list, I thought to myself, "Self, this is gonna be a really short list. I mean, these are bare-bones minimums for what people need in their homes. This'll only take a minute." And then, two notecards later, I realized the error of my ways.

When you see this list, don't be discouraged by the number of things on it. Chances are that unless you're fresh out of the dorms, you've probably got most if not all of these things in your kitchen already. And since one of my goals in this is to keep your costs as low as possible, let it be said that because these things are so basic, you can usually find them at any discount retail store for fairly cheap. A new skillet might cost you $15, but that's $15 that could save you $50 a month when you're not ordering pizza every other night.

So without further ado, here are the lists for Kitchen Basics!
_____

Basics #1 - Cookware
These are the essential things that enable you to actually, physically cook

Large and small skillets
Large saucepan (small ones are nice but unnecessary)
Large boiling pot (my mom called this the Pasta Pot)
Pasta Strainer
Baking sheet (aka Cookie Sheet, preferably metal)
Casserole dish (preferably glass, the metal ones are impossible to keep clean)
Various spoons/spatulas/stirrers (plastic's best, but I keep a few wooden ones around)
Two cutting boards - one for meat, one for everything else
Cheese grater (I prefer the flat ones)
Measuring cups and a Pyrex measuring bowl
Large cutting knife (non-serrated, AKA a chef's knife)
Large mixing bowl
Aluminum foil

Basics #2 - Additional Cookware
You don't really need these, but they make life easier

Loaf pan
Parchment paper
Basting brush (true story - I use the dollar store hair-dye brushes. Culinary ones can be expensive.)
Rice cooker (trust me, it's worth the $30)
Food chopper

Basics #3 - Ingredients
These are staples that should be in your cabinets at all times

Salt & pepper
Sugar
Brown sugar
Flour (both All-Purpose and Self-Rising, though I'll teach you how to turn one into the other)
Vegetable oil
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (I know, I know - trust me)
Butter (real butter, NOT margarine)
Crisco (yes, Crisco. For future reference, whenever I say "grease a pan" use this.)
Eggs
Rice
Honey
Bread crumbs
Vanilla Extract
Garlic powder
Cinnamon
Adobo
Sazon
Chili powder
Ginger
Bay leaves
Beef bouillon cubes
Parmesan Cheese (we call it Shakey Cheese in my apartment)

Basics #4 - Additional Ingredients
Again, not necessary, but they really are worth getting

Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Soy sauce
Worchestershire sauce
Tony Chachere's (a little hard to find outside of the Deep South)
Mustard powder
Bisquick (yes, Bisquick)

_____

And that's it! I'm willing to bet that you can find most of that - at least the essentials - in your kitchen already. Also, don't be afraid to improvise! Half of what you're going to learn here is not how to follow a recipe, but how to be a Kitchen McGuyver. I want everyone to be able to come home after a long day, open their fridge and say "Okay, I have this, this, and this... what can I make with it?" and have an answer.

You can do this. Just keep telling yourself that. You can totally do this.