You’ve heard of a capsule wardrobe. Enter: a capsule kitchen. Hannah and Lisa walk you through the core basic essentials that will allow you to do the most recipes with the least gear.
Hannah:
Victorinox Swiss army Fibrox Pro 8” Chefs Knife:
TeakHaus Proteak Edge Grain Cutting Board:
OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board:
Cuisipro Measuring Spoon Set:
OXO Good Grips Measuring Cups:
Pyrex 1 Cup Measuring Cup:
Vollrath Economy Stainless Mixing Bowl:
Pyrex Smart Essentials Mixing Bowl:
Lisa:
Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet:
Wusthof 7″ Slotted Spatula:
Di Oro Living Seamless Silicone Spatula – Large:
OXO good grips 12-inch tongs:
LeCreuset 7.25qt Round Dutch Oven:
Thermoworks Thermapen ONE:
LavaTools Digital Thermometer:
Thermoworks Thermapop:
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I live full time with my family of six In a 40 foot RV. This is almost exactly what my kitchen consists of. I don’t have a Dutch oven, I have a large pot. I find it boils water faster.
Oxo, not sponsored xD
I've never earned a measuring spoons… approximate with a normal spoon. But I am also not very good at baking. Maybe that's why.
OXO good grips kick butt. The end…pardon the pun.
ATK: heavily underlines repeatedly how important accuracy is when measuring. Doesn't mention the one piece of affordable equipment that could not only replace most if not all of their suggested measuring devices, but would also be more accurate and take up less space, something that is relevant when making a capsule kitchen which is often something necessary for people with very little space.
😆
I would add the ability to scoop (like a ladle or a big spoon), grate, strain, whisk, and something flat to bake on for stuff that needs space that the cast iron skillet can't provide. Maybe something for steaming?
Thank you for your expertise is kitchen gadgets. When I buy anything for the kitchen, ATK is where i go for research. I have everything you mentioned today, though I have a less expensive Dutch oven. I would have never thought the Dutch oven was a key piece of equipment until I took ATK cooking classes, which was one reason I went with a less expensive option. I have been saving for a Le Crueset because I believe it is definitely worth the price as it is the most used pot in my kitchen.
Hot pad anyone? You will need one with the Dutch oven.
Due to a lot of crazy stuff that's happened in my life in the past year, I have an extremely minimal kitchen. I have one big pot, one 10-inch skillet, one big chef's knife, and one silicone spatula. I have one plate, one bowl, two spoons, one fork, and one butter knife. I have one kitchen towel. That's it. I can still cook everything I want, from simple to elaborate recipes.
I'm actually scaling down my kitchen and simplifying. I've pared down to many of the items you mentioned. I have been paying attention to which tools and cookware I often reach for and sometimes buying an extra. One of my own favorites is a big wok with a glass lid. I use it instead of a pan or pot for many things. Did a catfish jamabalya in it the other night. I also bought a second pair of large and small chef's knives since those get used so much.
Cast iron all the way and a digital scale instead of meaduring cups. Digital scales are exact recipe measurements, not the "looks like" 1/2 cup. No guesswork using digital scale. Again, cast iron is glorious to cook with.
Can you deep fry in the Dutch oven pot?
I’d add a whisk, but nice list!
I have 2 quart stainless steel saucepans with lids , that I use all the time., an 8 inch lodge cast iron fry pan, and 2 jelly roll sheet pans.
I strongly disagree with her choice of knife. Many years ago my husband bought a fish fillet knife ( very long and narrow one) and that was a total winner for me. Now i have 10 of them in each house of mine and i use them to cut everything – meat, bread, veggies, peel fruits, u name it. I would never take a clever – so bulky and awkward .
To hone a knife in a safer & better method, draw the knife backward from what is shown here. The edge will be re-aligned better and with less damage. Plus it's much less likely you will cut yourself. Try it out and I think you'll be surprised.
cast iron skillet does not work on induction cooktop.
My only problem with the teakhouse board is that it slips around a lot on granite countertops. I added little rubber feet to the corners and that fixed that problem. Love the board otherwise. It's great on my japanese steel knives.
You could replace the cup measures with a digital scale that goes into 10th of a gram if you're really concerned about baking accuracy. Since I switched to a scale I don't use measuring cups anymore for dry ingredients.
I would get a combo cooker instead of a skillet and separate Dutch oven. In a combo cooker, the lid can act as a skillet and together it acts as a Dutch oven. They're also all the rage for bread baking because when flipped it's easier to get bread in for high temperature baking. Lodge makes one ($50), and so does Misen ($185). I'm currently using the one from Bruntmor as it was available at the time and I'm happy with the purchase ($85)
I would also add a box grater, a vegetable peeler, and a mortar+pestle to a capsule setup.
A good grater allows you to make grated cheese, grated onions, grated potatoes, etc. Hello latkes, and Mac+cheese. You will be able to zest citrus which will boost the citrus flavor in any of your marinades, drinks, sauces, etc.
A vegetable peeler is great because it will allow you to peel vegetables, make citrus rinds for cocktails, and chocolate shavings.
You could use the mortar and pestle to make so many things, grind spices, make sauces, etc.
My fish spatula isn't as nice, but even cheap and not the best quality; fish spatulas are AWESOME.
Can you use metal utensils with that Dutch oven?
I think I would trade the silicone spatula for a wooden spoon or spatula.
Nothing in this list is valuable for transferring food from one place to another or for more heavy duty stirring like you need for stews.
This is particularly meaningful if you are cooking rice based dishes like Biryani or Jollof Rice. A silicone spatula simply will not hold up with that.
digital scale, an off-set spatula big and small, French whisk, and 2qt saucier .
I've had my wood cutting board for over 40 years. It still looks good. It was an "investment", but well worth it. Plastic just doesn't "vibe" with me. It just seems cheap and ugly.
I love your reviews . You guys are so incredibly knowledgeable.
I love these suggestions. This is so great for people on a budget also. I have 30% of these already and have purchased some other products on this list for back of house areas at my job in the past. They all hold up so well. Thank you for your research.
Again, I will make the comment, anything that is… electronic, could you please make a point of mentioning whether or not, it has an audio output to verbally tell the user information that other people can read – not everybody who cooks can see. Disability’s having, Help those of us that have these disabilities! 🙂
For me a must-have in measuring cups is straight sides. That makes it easy to use a half-measure if you need one — fill it more than halfway, then sprinkle the material out until the level is at the junction between the base and the bottom of the wall.
Oh dear, tongs. When I think of what Big Cat Rescue uses them for . . .
No I would not buy that pan would buy a airifryer instead.
Don’t modern chefs cook by weight rather than volume? So rather than measuring spoons etc. they just use a bowl on digital scales.
I can vouch for the Victorinox chefs knife – it stays sharp, is lightweight and works for most tasks.
I only just found you two, but I love your videos! This should be a registry list (for brides and especially) for those in their first apartments.
Wish we could just accept the metric system is better and have recipes using scales instead of having 47 cups and spoons to measure things
Very informative. I would suggest Pyrex Prepware instead of Smart Essentials for glass mixing bowls. Those bowls are oven safe in addition to being microwave and freezer safe. I had a set when I first started cooking. You can bake casseroles and lots of other foods in them. Glass mixing bowls can double as serving/salad bowls. For prep I would add in a peeler and a grater. They’re inexpensive and really essential. I completely agree that thermometers are important. I’ve been cooking a long time, but my cooking got better once I got a good thermometer.
I ONLY buy Victorinox knives anymore. I ordered just one a year ago to try it and now I have three of them.
why was there a boosblock out there for a moment
You can approximate a lot of things on this list for a LOT less money. For many who are on a less generous budget than that assumed by ATK there are more frugal options out there. OXO has a great fish spatula for less than $20, for example, as opposed to the $65 slotted spatula touted by ATK. I love Le Creuset and own their cookware but realize that it is way out of reach for many due to the very high cost of their pieces. And $36 for a set of measuring spoons (a set that doesn't even have "odd" sizes)??
Do better, ATK.
Plastic cutting boards ruin knives!
Great video and great info. For my kitchen, I totally disagree about the cast iron and dutch oven. I love my cast iron, don't get me wrong, but it's so heavy and it's not an everyday pan to use. I use my stainless steel or non-stick much more often, or my wok which is much easier to handle than my cast iron. I also rarely use my dutch oven, again because it is SO HEAVY. A good stock pot is fine for everyday use. But that's just my opinion, and every cook or chef has their own preferences.
A wok. I can do everything and control the heat based on where the food is in the pan. And they have good quality at good prices. I'm also cooking for just 2 people.
Shorty looking thirsty in that TikTok collab
Ok, Americans, Brit here. Currently living in rented accom and don't have space for a full measuring set (usually I have a scale with the counter-weights and the pan to balance), which means I've changed to cups. How on earth do you measure butter amounts? What is one stick? Is it a standard unit? A Volume? I'm so confused!
Really love the capsule, though! I was given an enamelled cast iron casserole dish and adore it, so I couldn't agree more, I might have to get me those tongs!
A LeCreuset is very nice to have, but I would say not for a capsule kitchen. As Lisa points out you can cook pasta in it, but without a colander, draining your sketties from 20 lbs of cast iron and boiling water can be a bit dicey. I would rather have a colander instead of a Thermopen, and an accessory 10 qt. stockpot to accompany the LeCreuset..
Pyrex instruments may be fine for measuring volume, but they absolutely suck for poring the contents without spilling. 💯