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Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004
Even supposing you had all the high-octane amenities of a deluxe kitchen -- a Sub Zero refrigerator, granite counters, Viking oven -- you would still need to set up -- for optimal efficiency -- an organizational system for where to put the hotpads, the spices and the dishes, as well as be sure you had a basic set of culinary tools. And we're not talking fancy stuff like mandolines or microwaves with coffee machines. We posed the question to our guru of What's Cooking, a professional chef herself, Kim O'Donnel: What non-electrical items would you buy to equip your kitchen for under $100? "For me, kitchen tool essentials include a rubber spatula, measuring spoons and cups, a chef's knife, tongs, a non-wood cutting board, stainless-steel mixing bowls and two pans, one of them non-stick," says O'Donnel. Considering the budget, we first checked out one of our favorite sources for high-quality, low price items: Target. In Target's Red Hot section (an area for special deals), we found a chef's knife for $19.99. Part of a color-coded collection, the Japanese-made Komachi knife features a high-carbon stainless steel blade with a resin coating in salmony pink. The knife is made from a single piece of steel from the tip through the handle (known as full tang) for strength and balance. A two-cup angled (so you don't have to crouch to read it) measuring cup, at Crate & Barrel, sells for $7.95. Instead of multiple measuring spoons, O'Donnel prefers the pro measuring spoons (teaspoon and tablespoon, $4.95 each) with a sliding mechanism that offers more measuring increments than the standard spoons but takes up less space. The same goes for a set of flexible cutting boards ($7.95) found Sur La Table. With four different colors, you can chop vegetables, meat, poultry or fish each on a different board, so no worries about food contamination. Nylon spatulas ($4.95) from OXO, known for their easy-to-grip, ergonomic tools, come in colors like pesto, raspberry, and blueberry from Home Rule, which also carries OX0's tongs with nylon heads (The 9-inch nylon tongs sell for $7.99.) A four-quart stainless steel mixing bowl from Bed Bath and Beyond will set you back $6.99. Keep to the budget by checking out Amazon, where we found a nonstick three-piece skillet set from Farberware for $9.99 and a Cuisinart chef's classic stainless 10-inch skillet for $20. Now you're set to cook and entertain. But if you find yourself with only a chipped plate or two, solve that pesky problem with Urban Outfitters's new Kitchen-in-a-Box ($34), featuring four dinner plates, salad plates, mugs and bowls.
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