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The Minimum Viable Kitchen

priceonomics.com

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Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#91

Post by mattmaroon »

logicalmind wrote: post #45
jtchang wrote: post #24

I cook quite a bit and have a lot of friends who own commercial kitchens. - Victorinox Fibrox knives are by far the best value you will get. They are inexpensive and are quite the workhorse. - I agree for the most part about the pots and pans except cast iron should be #1 on the list. The one thing you will learn very quickly as a cook is that cast iron is your friend. It also lasts forever. - Someone said something…

One caveat that people rarely discuss about Victorinox Fibrox knives is that the don't hold an edge very long. They're a great starter knife and a great long-term knife if you don't mind sharpening it fairly frequently. For example, at the rate I cook, I had to buy three separate fibrox chef's knives to go a solid month without needing to resharpen. And then I'd need to resharpen all three. I decided to upgrade to a…

I agree. That's why I threw the sharpener in there. It's really not that painful to do.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#92

Post by sarah2079 »

ssharp wrote: post #50

Regarding pots and pans, I'm curious how these things hold up over time. Is a high-quality 15 year old pan (appearances aside) function as well as it did when it was new? The reason I ask is because I see what I assume to be quality SS cookware at restaurant auctions all the time and they usually go for a fraction of what they're worth new. When I wanted to get a huge kettle (compared to my 20 quart canning pot) for…

If you want another option for buying good quality stuff at a reasonable price, check out a restaurant supply store. I bought some of my pots at one, and really good quality SS 2-quart pot with a heavy bottom was about $25 new. I have never had any problems with cream sauces or other finicky items where uneven cooking would be apparent.

My local restaurant supply store has a 10-gallon SS pot for $165. A 15 year old item going for 18% at auction seems pretty reasonable to me. Things are cheap at auctions, and people will pay a big premium for a new item.

http://catalog.sefa.com/category_product_list.php?dealer_id=...

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#93

Post by tptacek »

edw519 wrote: post #71

One mans' MVK = another mans' WTF. My MVK? A refrigerator, a knife, and a cutting board. A little background... 90% of what we eat = raw produce. So it's pretty straightforward. We just eat produce at home and an occasional hot meal out. Every meal at home is either fresh fruit or a salad. (I haven't eaten anything other than fruit before noon for 25 years.) We have lots of nuts & seeds, cereals, snacks, and many won…

If you're eating out most nights except for the ones where you eat salad, you don't have a viable kitchen.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#94

Post by tptacek »

jmduke wrote: post #5

Line by line, my disagreements: - You don't need cookbooks. The internet is better in terms of 'MVK', and the best cookbook is the one you make yourself. - Get rid of half of the pots and the dutch oven. Cast iron is indeed the greatest. - A stand mixer is nice, but by no means is it Minimum Viable. - If you insist on getting a mixing bowl that isn't a regular bowl, don't get three of them. - Ditch the whisk. - Sayin…

* The Internet is full of terrible cooking information, and if you don't have any authoritative sources at all, it's hard to separate the good from the bad. You should have one trustworthy cookbook.

* You will be unhappy if your only cooking surface is cast iron. I agree that you can do without the dutch oven but it is the "pan you can do without" that is the most valuable; it is the immediate runner up to the the "list of must-have pans".

* Strong disagree on your mixing bowl point. You need lots of mixing bowls. I have 8 and wish I had more. For instance: muffins and pancakes both want two mixing bowls at a minimum, and three if you don't want to use a service bowl to separate eggs. Sautees want a mixing bowl for proteins and mixing bowl for prepped vegetables. Dinner prep usually wants one mixing bowl just to throw onion skins and wrappers in. Mixing bowls are lightweight, stackable, cheap, and supremely useful, and it makes no sense to chintz on them.

* I don't even know how to respond to "ditch the whisk" unless you're one of those old French guys who can make a hollandaise with a fork. You need a whisk.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#95

Post by elteto »

edw519 wrote: post #71

One mans' MVK = another mans' WTF. My MVK? A refrigerator, a knife, and a cutting board. A little background... 90% of what we eat = raw produce. So it's pretty straightforward. We just eat produce at home and an occasional hot meal out. Every meal at home is either fresh fruit or a salad. (I haven't eaten anything other than fruit before noon for 25 years.) We have lots of nuts & seeds, cereals, snacks, and many won…

Would you mind sharing some of your favorite places? There's lots of food places in Miami, but I find most of them to be rather heavy on the stomach :-)

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#96

Post by sarah2079 »

bhousel wrote: post #44

I feel like there is lots missing from this list that a really functional kitchen needs. Supplies I'd add to a MVK: Dry measuring cups/spoons, liquid measures, rubber jar opener, bottle opener, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, digital timer, oven mitts, soap (I also like Lysol wipes for quick sanitizing) Ingredients to keep in stock: Fridge: butter (salted for cooking, unsalted for baking), lemon, lime, whole milk or cre…

My favorite jar opener is a rubber band looped around the lid. The fat ones from asparagus work well.

I agree that measuring cups & spoons and oven mitts are a big oversight though, and the inclusion of the ice cream maker is just strange.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#97

Post by tptacek »

jules wrote: post #64
ironchef wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ditch the whisk? A whisk is perfect for controlled aeration of a substance. A fork lacks the necessary dispersion area. What else would you suggest using to cream whites or eggs that is in his list (if you're also getting rid of the stand mixer)?

I have a whisk but I always cream whites with a fork because it works better. Whisks do work better for other things though (e.g. batters, mayonaise). Also, if you're doing any baking then one of those rubbery plastic spatulas are invaluable (and cheap).

I don't know what "creaming egg whites" means, but if you're going to have any electrics, have one that does a good job of whipping egg whites and don't waste time doing it by hand.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#99

Post by BenSS »

mikeocool wrote: post #49
dakr wrote: post #36

Mark Bittman wrote a nice column about outfitting a "no-frills kitchen" over at the NYT. I came across it via a review of knives over at the wirecutter. I can recommend both. NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html?_r=1&#3... ; The Wirecutter review: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/a-great-chefs-knife/&#62 ;

I love that Bittman article! I think it's much closer to the idea of a 'minimum viable kitchen' for someone whose just starting cooking than this article. And it has the much more approachable cost of "under $300," as opposed to the OP's "under $1000."

Different goals! The OP's aim is a "Minimum Viable Kitchen (MVK) for creating gourmet food".

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#100

Post by tptacek »

logicalmind wrote: post #45
jtchang wrote: post #24

I cook quite a bit and have a lot of friends who own commercial kitchens. - Victorinox Fibrox knives are by far the best value you will get. They are inexpensive and are quite the workhorse. - I agree for the most part about the pots and pans except cast iron should be #1 on the list. The one thing you will learn very quickly as a cook is that cast iron is your friend. It also lasts forever. - Someone said something…

One caveat that people rarely discuss about Victorinox Fibrox knives is that the don't hold an edge very long. They're a great starter knife and a great long-term knife if you don't mind sharpening it fairly frequently. For example, at the rate I cook, I had to buy three separate fibrox chef's knives to go a solid month without needing to resharpen. And then I'd need to resharpen all three. I decided to upgrade to a…

Do you steel every time you use the knife? That seems to be what pro's do. Obviously there's a difference between "dull" and "out of true", and if the only problem is "easy to get out of true", well, that's not a big deal.
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