Now that you’ve moved into your fantastic new apartment after years in the dorms, you are ready to finally cook your own meals.
So it is time to set up the kitchen, but if you’re anything like me, you don’t exactly have $300 to $400 to spend on top-of-the-line pots and pans.
But luckily, setting up a good college kitchen is easier and more affordable than you think.
A complete set of kitchen pots and pans shouldn’t cost more than $150 if you know where to shop, and I’ll give you a hint ““ stores like Macy’s have nothing to do with your new kitchen.
Try spending your time and money at Ross and Marshalls. And Ikea.
You can find stainless steel and non-stick pans and pots of all sorts at stores like these, and for 50 to 80 percent off of the retail price on brands like Wolfgang Puck, All-Clad and Calphalon, a designer kitchen is affordable to just about anyone.
And you are going to have to get rid of the dream of owning a stand mixer, an immersion blender or a food processor. You won’t be needing those. To set up a kitchen, what you do need is a large, deep fry pan ““ called a “chicken fryer” in some circles ““ 8-inch and 10-inch frying pans, and a stock pot and strainer.
You also need a serrated knife, and 6-inch and 11-inch chefs knives, as well as a cutting board, mixing bowls, Tupperware and cooking utensils, including a spatula and wooden spoons.
Spend $25 on the chicken fryer, $10 to $15 each on your frying pans and $10 to $15 on each of the knives. This brings you to about $70 to $75.
You’re going to probably have to drop $30 to $40 on a stock pot and strainer because they run more expensive than the other items and tend to be marked down less.
Buying stainless steel or nonstick pans will make a huge difference in your cooking. I use both, and they are good for different purposes.
Stainless steel is harder to cook with and clean, but you can use metal utensils in the pan while you are cooking, and they are good for deglazing and making sauces.
But if you just want to buy basic cookware and you’re new at this, non-stick is probably the best way to go. Non-stick is much easier to cook with and easier to clean, but sometimes the heat distribution isn’t as good as with stainless steel.
However, there have been concerns about non-stick pans that use Teflon because in 2005 the Environmental Protection Agency found that a chemical used in its manufacturing could be a carcinogen.
If you’re very concerned about Teflon, stainless steel would be your best bet.
Cutting boards can also be very expensive, but in this area it might be worth it to spend a little more.
Cheap cutting boards can very easily warp when you wash them, which after three or five uses will leave you with a piece of firewood and nothing but the counter on which to chop and dice.
Ikea sells great cutting boards for $10 to $20, and if you want to avoid warping and get something that will be durable, I recommend the butcher block.
And if you are going to work with meat and fish, pick up plastic cutting boards because they are less porous and can be cleaned and sanitized more easily.
I bought all of my Tupperware, mixing bowls and cooking utensils at Ikea, and they have lasted well over a year now. Ikea also sells pans and knives, which are an excellent value, but they haven’t weathered the test of time as well.
Now, go forth and use your new kitchen. Cereal is not for dinner.
Are you a pan snob too? E-mail Pesce at apecse@media.ucla.edu if you find any fantastic deals on All-Clad pans.