Setting Up Your Kitchen

This blog contains a list of everything I believe a person needs when setting up the kitchen in your home, whether it's the first time, or you're just combining your kitchen. I am going clear up the mystery and give you couple types of set ups. These setups can work for anyone whether you are single, part of a couple, or a family. Typically, these groups falls into one of two categories cooking and non-cooking.

Cooking people for the purposes of this blog are those who have basic knife skills and use the kitchen regularly, whether making everyday meals or when entertaining.

Non-cooking people are those who avoid the kitchen and cooking at all costs. They are best friends with the microwave; only use the stove top to warm soup, and oven for reheating pizza or storing sweater (wink, wink, Carrie Bradshaw).

Bare essentials
1 chef's knife (8-10 inches)
1 Serrated (bread knife)
1 paring knife
Kitchen Scissors
1 large plastic cutting board
2 Rubber Spatulas (Heat Resistant)*
1 Soup Ladle*
1 Slotted Plastic Spoon*
1 Spatula (heat resistant)*
1 Plastic spoon (pick a resists stains and heat resistant)*
1 Wooden spoon *
Tongs, plastic tipped, if using with non-stick surfaces (heat resistant)*
1 Medium Saute pan
2 Cookie sheet (1 large, 1 small)
1 Large Sauce pan with lid
Can opener
Strainer
Grater
Stacked Mixing Bowls (plastic or stainless steel)
Wine Opener

*When selecting your kitchen utensils, it's important to remember heat resistant is key when using them for cooking and not just mixing or baking. Also I would suggest picking darker colored utensils since they will resist stains.

Cooking/Entertaining Types
1 bread knife (serrated)
1 vegetable peeler
Garlic press
Mesh Strainer
Stainless metal dry measuring cups
Measuring spoons*
Pyrex (Liquid) Measuring cups (4 and 6 cup measure)
Pizza cutter
(2) medium cutting boards (protein and fish) Side note: I would recommend different colors. This will make it easy to tell the difference between the two and will reduce the risk of cross contamination.
(2) Non-stick scratch resistant cookie sheets
(2) Cookie sheets with rim
Pizza stone
Cooking set (12 or 16 pc. set)
Silicone basting brush*
2 Muffin pans (1 lg. , 1 mini pan)
1 Broiler pan
1 Micro-plane grater (with fine and medium)
Kitchen towel (super drying towels)

There are certain brands of kitchen utensils I prefer. I am a big fan of OXO (carried at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond). In another blog, if people are interested I can go into greater detail about the specific equipment I have in my chef kit. Most if not all of my equipment was purchased at Target. Even as a chef, I realize there is no reason to spend a lot money at high end kitchen supply stores when quality equipment can be purchased for less at places like Target, Walmart, or even in some cases Big Lots.