Well so before I even start to show you the cool stuff, I want to show you some basic stuff that will make you look cool in the kitchen and help you out in the future with any recipe you can find, I will post some links but I will talk a little about them so you get a general idea of what they talk about.
Cast Iron Cookware is probably the best option to cook and bake, It is a little on the heavy side (hence my mom doesn’t like cooking on it) but there are many pros to be had while having one:
1 you can season it and turn it into a very good nonstick pan
2 heat distributes quite evenly and fast
3 it releases a little bit of iron into your food which is good for your health; contrary to nonstick pans (which I advise you to avoid) that release chemicals into your food that cause cancer.
4 cleaning a cast iron is as easy as wiping it with a paper towel and greasing it back up with a little oil, or butter.
You don’t necessarily need to spend that amount of money on a nice set of knives; though I do like to always say Quality before Quantity, I personally have bought a couple of cheap knives and one of them already broke. Might as well put some nice money into them if you’re going to be serious about cooking. That being said, Make sure that your most basic of knives is a Chef’s knife; you need to take good care of your knives so your knives take good care of you and your food.
What’s a kitchen without any of these tools at your hand? You need to have them Baking and Cooking demand a set like this. (of course since these are plastic you can always get nicer ones made of wood or metal; the choice of course is yours. “quality before quantity”)
Where are you going to prepare that nice tomato sauce for that delicious pasta? In one of these of course! Like I mentioned before try to avoid nonstick pans and if you’re willing to put in good investment into a set like this one; combined with a little set of Cast Iron Cookware your kitchen is almost complete and you’re ready to roll.
Miscelaneous
In this section I want to make some cool recommendations that will help out in the kitchen and adding some nice flavor into you recipes along with some technological advances (I’m a tech geek) that will help out with your cooking.
Scales can be digital which is my preferred method, or can be analog like my mom’s, you especially need them if you want to Bake.
Baking Pans
Muffin Pans & Cake Molds these are essential to Baking but muffin pans can prove useful for other things other than baking muffins. (As a side note try not to buy the latex molds, I have used them in the past, my mom has used them in the past, and we both agree they’re a piece of sh@#, the reason for this is that latex does not distribute heat evenly; meaning if a recipe requires a certain temperature and a certain time in the oven, the latex requires you to estimate the time a little longer sometimes too long, and it’s just not precise enough to know if you’re cake or muffins are ready. Let’s just not buy those ok?)
I’m going to straight say a brand for a mixer Kitchen Aid; you cannot get any better, yes they are pricy but are so so worth your money. My mom owns a couple of these in different sizes, I have used other brands like Oster and let me tell you they do not compare with Kitchen Aid Mixers (go ahead and be cheap, your mixer will heat, break and probably won’t even mix as good as a Kitchen Aid; you have been warned)
If you don’t have a multi speed blender at home, do yourself a favor and throw yourself off a cliff. Everyone has a blender at home, get yourself a nice one at Wal Mart. You need it.
If you ever go to Mexico you will find in just about any market a nice mortar and pestle, some of the best ones are made from volcanic rock. Don’t live or haven’t been to Mexico? don’t worry there are plenty of other mortar & pestle options for you, just go out and find them, on a side note sometimes they sell the mexican stone mortar & pestle in places where you normally find Mexican food (they might not be volcanic, but are better than the others for sure) get yourself one, this will help make awesome salsas and grind up some spices for your fish, meat, pork, etc.
Did I say technology?!
If you already own an iPad/iPod Touch/iPhone or Android phone or tablet device then you’re in luck. Here are a few apps that I love and might help you out in the kitchen.
This app has a gorgeous interface, easy to make recipes and easy to use.
it’s sadly only for iOS devices. 3.99 USD
Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver is one of my favorite chefs in the world, he is also a wonderful activist, this app is 3.99 USD on the Google Play Store, and Free on iTunes (though it does have in app purchases); this app is totally a must have, Jamie teaches you all the basics in the kitchen. So if you’re ready to learn get yourself this app.
Epicurious
This app has great recipes for all occasions, this app is free on Android and iOS.
iFood Assistant
Kraft has made a beautiful app filled with recipes and some cool tools to help you shop for the right products. it’s free for Android and iOS.
Evernote Food
You like creating your own recipes? got a recipe from a friend but don’t know where to type it? Evernote Food helps you organize your recipes in the cloud, it’s like having your own cookbook everywhere you go. It’s free on Android and iOS.
finally this is my favorite app…
Springpad
It’s very similar to Evernote but it allows you to create tons of notebooks not only for cooking but for many other things, what’s cool about this is that you can make a collaborative notebook where you can share, join and add content to one place where you and your friends can view it, comment on it and take it on the go. I use this to share recipes with my mom so why don’t you try it? It’s of course free 😀 Android / iOS
So finally I think I’m done with this post but I will soon start posting some actual recipes and some good content for you to read and inform yourself that food is the new revolution.
Jouwels Kitchen 