So no-knead is pretty simple - it's like a minute per work session, spread out over two days or so. All you do is mix by hand the first day & let it sit. Then the second day, you fold it over & let it do a second rise for a couple hours, then pop it in the oven - easy peasy! In a bit more detail:

1. First day - 1 min - mix the ingredients & let rise for 8 to 24 hours
   
2. Second day - 1 min - fold over into a ball or roll shape, cover, & let rise for 2 hours
   
   1. One hour into this rise, preheat the oven with your baking vessel inside (Dutch oven, pizza stone, or my personal favorite, the Baking Steel)
      
3. Second day - 1 min - put in oven to let it bake (between 15 to 45 minutes, depending on if you're doing a short roll, a long baguette, a boule aka an artisan loaf aka a peasant loaf, etc.)
   
4. Second day - 1 min - pull it out of the oven to cool
   
   I tell people that baking bread is all about developing a relationship with the idea. Whereas a recipe is something you can lock in, like French onion soup, stuff like amazing homemade bread & pizza comes not from talent or magic or a strict recipe, but from developing a relationship with flour-based products, because - within the guidelines of the recipe, of course - a large part of it is a "feel" thing, and also a personal preference thing for how long you like to let it do the first rise, how much water to give it vs. how much flour to add, how you shape it & fold it, etc.
   
   But as you can see about, for about 5 minute's worth of hands-on work time over the course of a couple of days, you can have no-knead bread every single day, for cheap! Whole Foods charges $4.99 for the same loaf that costs me like $0.25 at home. You can buy bulk bags of 20, 25, or 50 pound flour at places like Costco. Walmart has a 25-pound sack of King Arthur flour (good brand) for $15:
   
   

• https://www.walmart.com/ip/King-Arthur-Flour-King-Arthur-Flour-Flour-25-lb/10535107
  
  I'd highly recommend investing in some good yeast. Two one-pound bags of SAF yeast is $12 shipped on Amazon, just store it in your freezer to extend the shelf life:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Yeast-Pound-Pouch-2-Pack/dp/B00V7F5OPI/
  
  The key with making great no-knead bread at home is to have some kind of heavy, heat-absorbing (and thus heat-radiating) surface or bowl, such as a pizza stone, baking steel, Dutch oven (enameled or straight-up cast-iron), etc. I personally use a baking steel most of the time - not cheap by any means, but like cast-iron skillets, it's something that you buy once & keep it for life because it's impossible to break or wear out:
  
  
• https://www.bakingsteel.com/
  
  If you like eating Panera's bread bowls, you can make them at home using a small 2-quart cast-iron Dutch oven: ($22 shipped, another one of those "buy it for life" items)
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008GKDU
  
  I use Kosher salt in all of my baking - just snag a jumbo red box of Diamond & you'll be good to go for a long time. One tool I've found useful is a Danish dough hook, which is a flat whisk that is really good for batters & doughs. Amazon has a kit with a bench cutter (if you want to slice the dough into smaller bits easily, like for crusty dinner rolls) for $12:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Danish-Dough-Whisk-Bread-Mixer/dp/B07BBVWWVX
  
  So, there are a few things to think about investing in up-front - the main expense is a good baking surface, although Amazon has plenty of good pizza stones for under $30 - plus some bulk bags of flour & yeast to save money - but that opens up a world of possibilities. You can make tons of stuff like baguettes, boules, dinner rolls, etc. I have a zillion no-knead recipes if you need some ideas!
  
  And once you've mastered the basics of no-knead, you can branch that out into sourdough breads with homemade sourdough starter, which is SUPER easy to make, which adds more flavor to the dough! Like I said, it's a relationship in many ways:
  
  
• You have to get the hang of how it goes together
  
• You have to figure out what you personally like
  
• You have to build up your recipe box with different methods
  
• You can then add sourdough starter to it (again, super easy!)
  
• You can then try cold fermentation in the fridge (some reading)
  
• You can then branch out tremendously (I have good recipes for no-knead cheese bread, Sriracha bread, naan bread, pizza dough, plus stuff like cinnamon buns, pretzel, etc.)
  
  Here's an example of a baguette on the baking steel:
  
  
• https://www.bakingsteel.com/blog/24-hr-baguette
  
  Don't get alarmed by the steps - remember for the majority of the time, you're just letting stuff sit...the actual hands-on time is extremely minimal, so once you work it into your daily routine, you'll be having fresh bread all the time! Your house will smell amazing & your tastebuds will love it!

I was actually starting to draft a little cooking ideas post like this. This is just what I found value in and will ramble because I haven't really edited it down at all. So if anyone reads it and has notes please let me know, it's fairly directionless at the moment. It is also from the perspective of and aimed towards young single people but not exclusive to. I am also well aware a lot of you folks are good cooks or at least have a functional kitchen and I in no way want it to sound like I'm more knowledgeable than anyone with an hour to watch youtube videos.

​

TL:DR Make sure your skills are on point before getting convenience tools as you might not need them, a cast iron or good stainless steel skillet and a good couple of knives can do most things in a kitchen, plan meals before you shop to avoid wastefulness.

​

This post is big, flawed, and broken into two main sections. One is purely skills based, stuff you can totally do for free and can start doing right this moment. That's a big part of minimalism for me, gaining skills and getting good at some things rather than owning and being okay at a ton of things. The second section is more of a buy guide, again all from my experience.

​

First off is to focus less on the equipment and more on the technique. Fundamentally, knife skills, understanding of cook times, heat, and technique, creativity and planning are some terms I like. In addition I have thoughts on tools and ingredients

​

First, learn your knife, do drills, practice good form constantly. When I started in a fast-food-y sandwich shop when I was 16, the manager (who was a line cook for years) suggested I practice things like chopping a carrot as thinly as possible, or celery, or breaking down onion and garlic. Then I got to work with the prep team (which was cool because they taught me Spanish) to learn basic stuff like sauces and cooking meats. The result is a few years later, I have a decent knife. Not as good as a legit cook or anything but enough that I can confidently use a sharp knife to do anything a home cook would ever need to.

​

Cook times. It's way less intimidating to work on food when you know "okay my chicken will take this long, oven takes this long, rice needs this much time", and so on. From a minimalist perspective, this will help you cut down on some tools such as a plug-in type grill, rice cookers, stuff that times or cooks food for you. Learning how to use heat also really improves the versatility of something as simple as a cast iron pan. Technique will allow you to make staple dishes or at least be able to take a guess at how to prepare just about anything, and the most valuable tip for that is look up how to make individual components of dishes rather than just recipes over and over. This becomes relevant in the next portion as well.

​

Creativity. As some people are mentioning, "aspirational groceries" cause clutter and waste in the form of garbage and money. Creativity helps solve this when paired with planning. When shopping, I found it valuable to plan out meals for the week. Buy what you need, make a note of what isn't used, and refine. That's planning. Creativity is ending up with some random ingredients and Macgyvering it together so you don't waste or overspend. That is made much easier by having solid cooking techniques so you have a bit of a starting off point for creativity.

​

Now into the stuff. I personally think a couple things are fundamental. Babish from YouTube has a great List . First off, get a good 7" to 8" Chef knife. I use a Gyuto but that's more because I impulse bought one when I first moved out and had all the money in the world from not having any expenses and was talked into it by a very nice saleswoman at the knife shop in town. Wusthof is a great name in knives and if you can get a hold of an 8" one of those, a bread knife, and maybe a pairing knife (I don't really use mine much but some people do) you will be able to do most things. I'd avoid buying a knife set just because you're more than likely paying for an extra 3 or so knives you won't use, and they're cheap for a reason. But to each their own, it is very convenient to have the steak knives, honing rod, and scissors that most of them include. No judgement here. Plus they're really really affordable.

​

Now as to everything else, I'm not as researched. I think a good cast iron skillet is fantastic from a minimalist perspective as you can do most things that you'd really ever need to do on it, from frying to saute to some baking. Kent Rollins is first off a joy to watch but more importantly uses very limited tools. He does have his specialized "bertha" stove but for the most part it's just him with either open fires or a hot stove cooking in cast iron pans and dutch ovens. If you want to know more, I'd just watch the babish video above, he talks more about why he has what he has, such as this expensive but amazing set of pots and pans. Off the top of my head: baking sheets, a large cutting board, a meat thermometer (safety), measuring cups and spoons, box grater (or one coarse grater and one microplane grater), spatulas, tongs, etc.

​

Like I said this is mostly ranting, and I'm going to research and trim it down for the future, but these are my thoughts at the moment.

1. A good, sharp chef's knife. Nothing fancy, I use a Dexter that I got for like $20 and have it resharpened. You can get a lot nicer, but you don't have to. The first kitchen I ever worked at (20 years ago) used knives almost exactly like this.
   
   
2. A good meat thermometer. I use this one which works similarly to a ThermaPen but without the ridiculous ~$90 cost.
   
   
3. A good cast iron skillet can be pretty versatile. Cast iron holds heat very well, which means that it's great for stuff like searing steaks.
   
   
4. Some cheap, non-stick frying pans. I recommend getting cheap ones because once the coating starts coming off (and it always does at some point, it seems) you're going to throw them away and get new ones. You can spend $300+ like I did once and get high-end stuff like All-Clad or whatever, but even if you're super careful and use only wood and silicone utensils to cook on it, it'll still start peeling its coating, and then All-Clad will say you used metal silverware on it and your warranty is invalid, blah blah blah, and that's more hassle than you need. Just get cheap ones.
   
   
5. Now THIS is where you can spend some legit money. A tri-ply, high quality frying pan without a non-stick coating. These are great for making pan sauces while you cook, etc. I made a chicken, garlic, and olive oil with a red wine vinegar based pan sauce with this pan (well, and some baking dishes) that was incredible. All-Clad is the industry standard but the Tramontina stuff is 1/2 the price or less and built to near the same level of quality.
   
   
6. A nice, enameled Dutch Oven, whether it be from Le Creuset or Tramontina, these are the best for stews, soups, chili...etc. Hold heat forever, well built, and easy to clean.
   
   
7. A good fish spatula, which I almost never use to cook fish. It's actually just the best shape for omelets, eggs, whatever. Flipping anything in a pan with a utensil like this is awesome.
   
   
8. A thick ceramic baking dish for making things like lasagna or casseroles or even just roasting meats/veggies.
   
   
9. Believe it or not, cookie sheets covered with heavy duty aluminum foil are how I do a lot of my oven roasting of small things, like diced veggies or potatoes. They work perfectly and being so large they're able to be spread out so they get roasted on all edges for a little extra flavor. Brussel sprouts & diced bacon in a cast iron skillet to start and then dump them onto this and blast them in the oven at 425 for 15-20 minutes and you'll have a great side dish.
   
   
10. No matter how careful you are, you're going to get something caked on or get a dish so dirty you think it's uncleanable. For that, I recommend Barkeeper's Friend which is an awesome powdered cleaner. Add a little water, use a paper towel and this stuff to make a paste, leave it in the pan for a few minutes, then rinse. I have yet to see this fail. Awesome stuff. Saved some pans.
    
    
    There are lots of other things I use daily:
    
    

• Good kitchen towels
  
• Heavy Duty Aluminum foil
  
• A good dish scrubber for cleanup
  
  etc.
  
  But the point I guess I'm making is that you can get lots of good, cheap stuff to start with.
  

Entire article with spam/referrals removed

Please report this post and user u/mnluxury11
to the mods for breaking the rules for personal profit.

Mac MTH-80

The best chef’s knife for most people

>With its super-sharp edge, its sleek, tapered shape, and its comfortable handle, this knife will make your everyday dicing and slicing tasks smoother and quicker.

>Every kitchen should have a chef’s knife — it’s the most versatile piece in any cutlery set, and it will make food prep on Thanksgiving and every other day faster and easier. The Mac MTH-80 has been the top pick in our guide to chef’s knives since 2013, a choice backed by 120 hours of research, interviews with experts and chefs, and tests that involved chopping more than 70 pounds of produce. The Mac is universally comfortable, and it has proven that it can stay sharp through regular use, even in our busy test kitchen. Other knives to consider for preparing a Thanksgiving meal: a paring knife for delicate tasks, and a serrated knife for slicing bread, root vegetables, and even meat.

Price: $145 (17% OFF)


Proteak TeakHaus Rectangle Edge Grain Cutting Board with Hand Grip

The best wood cutting board

>This beautiful, eco-conscious teak board requires more careful cleaning than a plastic board, but it felt better under a knife and was easier to maintain than the other wood boards we tested.

>If you want a hefty wood cutting board (which looks better and is easier on your knives), we recommend the Proteak TeakHaus Rectangle Edge Grain Cutting Board with Hand Grip. It’s thick enough to stay in place and resist warping, but it isn’t so heavy that you can’t easily move it around. It can also double as a serving board for a cheese spread before dinner. For carving the Thanksgiving turkey, check out the Proteak Teakhaus 24-by-18-inch board, a larger version of our pick that has a juice groove.

Price: $85 (12% OFF)



Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor

The best food processor

>With just pulse and on buttons plus a single bowl, this is one of Cuisinart’s most basic models, but it consistently chops, slices, and kneads better than any other food processor we’ve found for under $250.

>A food processor is the best tool for quickly performing a variety of chopping, slicing, and shredding tasks, something you’ll be doing a lot of when prepping for Thanksgiving.

Price: $156


Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Dutch Oven

Best Dutch oven

>With big handles and durable design, this Dutch oven aced every test, rivaling models four times the price. A nice Dutch oven is indispensable for preparing all kinds of hearty Thanksgiving sides, and it looks nice enough to double as a serving dish.

Price: $59



All-Clad Stainless 12″ Covered Fry Pan

The best skillet

>With its superior heat conduction, durable construction, and comfortable handle, the All-Clad 12-inch skillet is a workhorse that will last beyond a lifetime.

>A 12-inch skillet is an essential kitchen tool: It’s perfect for stir-frying, pan-frying, making one-pan meals, and searing steaks and other hunks of meat. At Thanksgiving, you can use it for everything from toasting nuts to creaming spinach.

Price: $99 (50% OFF)


Bayou Classic Aluminum Turkey Fryer Stockpot

The best turkey fryer pot

>Part one of our suggested turkey-frying kit is a 30-quart aluminum stockpot that heated up quickly and stayed warm in our tests.

>Our pick for the best turkey fryer is the 30-quart Bayou Classic Aluminum Turkey Fryer Stockpot along with the Bayou Classic Single Burner Patio Stove. The affordable, quick-heating stockpot kit has everything you need to get the job done except the oil, the turkey, and a heat source. The separate stove is solidly built, powerful (enough), and designed with the four-legged stability you want when you’re handling 4 gallons of bubbling oil.

Price: $58

• 1.) Something that is grey. (sort of)
  
  
• 2.) Something reminiscent of rain.
  
  
• 3.) Something food related that is unusual.
  
  
• 4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!) (Technically this isn't on any of my public wish lists, but rather on a wish list that I keep specifically for collecting gift ideas for my husband. So this is for him.)
  
  
• 5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it! - Sort of a dystopian future book, but the author's ability to describe things and the characterisations are IMO, simply amazing. I downloaded this as a freebie or cheapie, and I could not put it down. Be warned, it's a first parter of more than one, so when you get to the end you will expect more and be enraged that you can't read the rest yet.
  
  
• 6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!
  ----Umm.... I don't actually have anything less than a dollar. embarassed
  
  
• 7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...) It's a stretch, I know, but it has Tigress in the title, and a Tigress is technically a cat, even if it's metaphorical in this sense. :)
  
  
• 8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it. I guess it could be considered useful in a way, but really it's not at all necessary, but it's just so incredibly beautiful and lovely and I want it so bad!!
  
  
• 9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why? Cairo Time. Because AMAZING cinemetography. Lovely music. Alexander Siddig (DROOL) and Patricia Clarkson.
  
  
• 10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain. Because they're Batman throwing knives which means they'd be good for killing zombies from a distance and also, hello, they're Batman which makes them awesome and inherently gives the thrower secret Batman like abilities. :D
  
  
• 11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals. - I really want to explore photography more, and learn to be a better photographer, and also I want to develop my artistic side more. I think this would help with that.
  
  
• 12.) One of those pesky Add-On items. - UGH, I don't have one! :(
  
  
• 13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why? Because it's portable, and I've been eyeing one for ages, and I'm getting ready to do some extended travel, so this would be a great thing to have in that respect.
  
  
• 14.) Something bigger than a bread box.
  
  
• 15.) Something smaller than a golf ball. eBooks are technically smaller than a golf ball because they don't actually take up physical space. :D
  
  
• 16.) [Something that smells wonderful.]
  (http://www.amazon.com/Orleans-Saints-Jimmy-Graham-jersey/dp/B00D3CJENG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=FQHQWOTK4LH8&coliid=I2XIVU4BE0S37P&psc=1) - Technically this has no smell, but if I could get Jimmy Graham to rub it up against his body, even briefly, then it would smell like him and that would be wonderful! :D
  
  
• 17.) A (SFW) toy.
  
  
• 18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school.
  
  
• 19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.
  
  
• 20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand. - It's a Zombie Head cookie jar. What else is there to say??
  
  Bonus Item 1: Because it looks kind of fun
  
  Bonus Item 2: Something made in Oregon: Do my brother's kids count? He made all three in Oregon! :D No? OK, then University of Oregon lanyard because I actually do want something U of O related to support my nephew who will be a freshman there in the fall.
  
  
  Final edit because I always forget the raffle phrase: Fear cuts deeper than swords.

Rent: $550
Phone: $35
Food: $220
Credit: $400
Savings: $100
Health/Dental: $75
Misc/Fun/other: $100

Total: $1480

My opinion is that you need something more like this. As the other poster mentioned, your two jobs aren't going to sustain the budget you developed.

Food: no offense, but you need to look a bit more into how to meal prep each weekend, or over a couple evenings if you don't have free weekends, and buy cheaper food. You really should NOT need to 'cut calories' to spend less money on food. Buying 'family size' portions of meat and then breaking that down into weekly packages and then sticking two weeks worth in the freezer will do a lot. You just need to make sure you have a plan for the food as it goes in so you don't waste it. I make four meals a week, on keto (think lots of expensive meat), and I barely spend more than $60/week and I have more income to work with. I make four because that way I don't get sick of eating the same thing every day. These meals can be incredibly easy and cheap (fried eggs over some greens with spices or some bacon on the side) and others can be easy to prep as well. I'll link you some of my favorites so you have some ideas. Non-cream based soups are great because you can make a double batch once a week for three weeks and stick half in the freezer. Then, one week, you don't have to cook and yet you have three meals already complete.

Phone: If you are past the two years you have to be on a contract (because that seems to be standard in the US when people buy new phones), then you need to get over to a non-contract provider. I was spending less than $35/month for internet and phone service comparable to what I had when on a contract. That's Net10 and gives you unlimited talk, text and 2gigs of 4G data then slower after that. You might even be able to find something better in your area.

Health/Dental: Both are important things to have in the US. One slightly more than minor issue with your health or teeth can put you in thousands of dollars of debt. If your employer is covering 75%, your monthly cost should not be that high. Ask if there are other single folks in the office that you can ask what comes out of each paycheck or if they have a cheat sheet that shows how much each plan costs. Even getting the cheapest plan that will at least cover emergency care, if big, bad things happen, etc, could really save you.

Credit and Savings: I knocked both down because I don't see how your budget will allow for your numbers. I bumped up the credit because not getting that paid off quickly is going to cost you in the long run. As the other person mentioned, get an emergency fund established, but after that, put in only a little until that debt is gone and then you can transfer that line item in your budget to savings.

403B: Google tells me that the only difference between a 401K and a 403B is that the admin costs for running a 403B are less. What that means for you will vary dependent on what exactly your company does, but with lower admin costs, more of the money goes into investments. Doesn't sound like it has a huge effect though to the bottom line. Which means, when you are looking at whether to put any of your money into it, that depends on what you can afford (frankly, it doesn't look like you can afford it for the next couple years until you get that CC debt paid off) and how much your employer will match.

More recipe and food info:

Budget Bytes
Budget Bytes Meal Prep

Some of my favorite recipes:

Swedish meatballs, though this recipe is working a bit hard
Egg roll in a bowl
Mexican shredded chicken - put on lettuce or rice
Chicken salad
Chicken taco soup
Sausage and White Bean soup
Black bean soup
Garbanzo bean salad
Roast chicken in milk- sounds weird, tastes awesome

Other tips: when buying meat, buy what is cheap. Often people will buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts when thighs would cost you a dollar less a pound. Or they buy a rotisserie chicken when buying a whole chicken and baking it (to use in recipes), would save a lot. So, look at what is cheap and plan your meals accordingly. Most recipes that call for '1 lb of chicken' don't matter if it's white meat or dark. If it asks for dark and you use white, it might be drier than you thought, but that's about it. Quit buying junk food or pre-prepped foods. They are expensive and not worth the money.

Same with produce. If your grocery stores have apps that show you the sales, put those on your phone and meal plan around that.

Here's how I meal prep: Thursday night, I plan what meals I want to make for the next week and then I make a grocery list on my phone of all the ingredients I need. Friday after work, I get the groceries. Saturday or Sunday, I cook. Now all I have to do all week is grab my lunch or supper out of the fridge and re-heat. Sometimes I have everything prepped in separate containers, sometimes there isn't room or that's not convenient. In the latter case, I put each meal in one big container and then each evening, I prep the next days lunch (and supper if you work nights) into easy to take with me containers and I'm all set for the next day.

When you are planning meals and want to save money, plan a 'cheap' meal each week. Pancakes & bacon, eggs and greens, black bean soup, etc. That will drastically help keep your grocery bill down week to week. If you suck at meal prep/cooking, a cheap slow cooker (spending more than $15-20 is too much! Shop at thrift stores if you can't find one that cheap) will help take care of one meal while you make the other ones. I find that anything in slow cooker but soup or roast is kind of meh, so you may end up using it less as you get the hang of cooking more often.

Since Christmas is coming up, if there are kitchen things that you need, make an Amazon Wish list and hand that out to friends and family so that you can better prepare for being able to cook more. Things I highly suggest: TWO really good, big non-stick skillets (I like enamel lined, but NO METAL USED with those); two good sized pots - think 5 quarts, stainless steel; one smaller sauce pot; Crock pot - 3 quart is fine; Something like this that can go from stove to oven; a couple wooden spoons and rubber spatulas.

ETA - I should have mentioned - one good tip on meal prep is to prep veg, onions, get spices out, etc for one meal while the other meal is simmering on the stove or in the oven. This is why I like to have two big skillets- one can be something cooking away while it's not slowing me down on starting the next thing. Because of this, it only takes me about 2 hours of prep, cooking and cleaning up (I do have a dishwasher for most of my items) each week.

>So, do you personally think a Lodge skillet is good enough or should I go >for a Wagner/Griswold? People on /r/castiron seem to frown upon Lodge, >but when I check Amazon and the reviews are amazing.

It's really down to personal preference. I like the smoother cast iron, though I do have a Lodge grill pan. I think if you're wanting to dip your toes into cast iron without having to go all out, Lodge is a good, cheap way to go. Plus it helps alleviate hunting for any on ebay or in shops. I like treasure hunting, but in a year of going to Goodwill just about every weekend, I've only accumulated four or so pieces.

Thanks to the rougher texture a Lodge pan won't be nonstick quickly though, so just use extra fat when you cook. Again, it depends on what exactly you're looking for. For trying out cast iron, Lodge is pretty great. If you're looking for jet black nonstick beauty right off the bat, you might be better off looking for a Wagner or Griswold.

>In the end do you think a dutch oven is worth it over a regular stainless steel pot?

I have both. I don't like using cast iron for, say, boiling pasta. If you're looking for minimum to get you by because you're a college student (I was there not too long ago!), I'd get a stainless steel pot and a cast iron skillet. Stainless steel also can go from stove to oven (as long as it's fully stainless, no froo-froo silicone handles or glass lids; if you're unsure, the packaging/instructions will usually mention its ovenability) so the pot can double as a casserole dish.

As far as finding an enameled cast iron dutch oven, Lodge is pretty much the best way to go for what you get versus what you pay. It's $65 on Amazon right now but if you happen to be near a Fred Meyer, I highly recommend that you go check out their kitchen section. I was just there an hour ago and saw their Lodge 6 quart enameled dutch ovens on sale for $45 and my husband had to drag me away from buying one :) That's as cheap as I've seen them though, I can't recall seeing them much lower.

You can get enamel cast iron skillets, but because of the enamel, the price is higher so I'd honestly just get bare cast iron. Again, whether it's Lodge or old school smooth is completely up to you, what you can find and your price range.

If you'd like advice on lazy seasoning: what I normally do when I get a pan home if it's brand new is honestly read the label: it'll mention whether it's preseasoned (most new Lodge are) and if it needs a scrub. I usually give them a scrub with just hot water and a scrubby sponge, nothing too hard, just enough to get the store dust off. Then I dry it very thoroughly and put it on the stove at roughly medium-low to make sure it's warm and dry. (Do not walk away! I've done this and burned a ring in the pan :) It's by no means ruined if you do this, just annoying.) Preheat your oven to about 350 degrees or so. Grab a paper towel, put it up against a bottle of vegetable oil and tip it over twice to just get a bit of oil on it, then take the hopefully not-too-hot skillet and wipe it all over. Make sure to get inside, outside, the rim and the handle too. Once it's all rubbed up, take a dry paper towel and rub it down to get as much oil off as possible. It won't look like much is left, but that's a good thing. Also, if it's a Lodge, do your best to get off any shredded bits of paper towel off, since the texture can be rough. If your paper towel comes back really oily, wipe it down with another dry paper towel until it's barely giving off any oil; you want a very thin layer on it. Then put it in the oven upside down and let it sit for an hour or so, then turn the oven off and let it sit until it cools down. (Maybe put a post-it note by the oven so you don't turn it on again the next day and forget that your pan's in there.) Once it's cooled down, that's your first seasoned layer. I've used it after that process, sometimes I do another layer which is repeating the same thing with the thin oil layer and rubdown. Other times I just do it once and cook the crap out of something in it. I got a mini skillet once that holds just two eggs basically, so I did one layer of seasoning and then melted three tablespoons of butter into it and cooked eggs. They slid right out, and on cleanup once I got the egg residue to slide out, I took a paper towel and rubbed the butter all over it, buffed it down to a thin layer and put it upside down in the oven (I was baking biscuits at the time so it was just lucky timing). Like I mentioned before, it's fat + heat = seasoning. You can always argue finer points, but in the end, it'll get seasoned.

Yikes, I should probably stop rambling at some point! I like cast iron just a bit. :) tl;dr: your best bet is probably a cast iron skillet and a stainless steel pan with an oven-safe lid, that'll cover you for most cooking applications. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Eggs. So many eggs. I suggest steaming them instead of hard-boiling them because it's just more user-friendly, but you can just do so so much with them with recipes from any cuisine.

You don't necessarily need to drop Trader Joe's outright, because some of their snack foods are actually a hell of a deal if you're going to be buying those things anyway—their nuts and trail mixes are great compared to the Planter's prices you'll get at a Key or a Met—but depending on your neighborhood you should acquaint yourself with your local produce shops; not the Key or the Met, but not the bodega either. The small grocers that have six-packs of garlic for .99 and bags of onions for 1.50. Which borough are you in? Happy to make recommendations.

If you do meat, chicken parts (quarters, thighs, drumsticks and occasionally whole chickens on sale) are your friend, as are pork shoulders and frequently chops. Both are consistently inexpensive and extremely versatile in just about every cuisine, and both can be cooked in bulk (and refrigerate well) and then used in different recipes through the week so you don't get bored. This recipe will take care of baked chicken parts for you. If you have a dutch oven this recipe will expand on that. If you don't have a dutch oven, buy this immediately. It's a Le Creuset without the price tag. $60 feels hefty up front, I know, but you'll end up living out of this thing for years as long as you don't use any metal utensils in it.

This recipe is outstanding for a big pork shoulder; it should make you feel fearless about buying seven pounds for one person and cooking it through an entire day off. Really; my SO is a Miami Cuban so I feel like I know this blogger, her recipe is legit.

Beans are just so useful and can be used in so many ways, and their cooking is mostly inactive. I have a 2 1/2 hour black bean recipe going right now that I'm stirring every twenty minutes or so but it's otherwise set-and-forget, and it's awesome. They can be used in any meat-based or vegetarian/vegan recipe, they're inexpensive in bulk and they last on the shelf FOREVER.

Rice is also super inexpensive to buy in bulk—I spend about $25 on a 25lb bag every couple of months for my SO and I, and we are serious rice eaters so we tear through it and it still lasts about eight weeks. "Splurge" and buy jasmine rice from Thailand; it's hands-down the best deal on rice in terms of being satisfying to eat, forget about anything by Canila or Goya (sorry Goya, I love ya).

One of my Brooklyn kitchen's best aces in the hole is something called gravlax. It's basically sashimi. You buy a pound or two of fresh farmed salmon, generally $10/lb whether you're at Key Foods or Whole Foods, you slather it in salt and sugar and plastic-wrap it and forget about it in the fridge for a few days. Blammo, sushi-grade salmon that you can use in any recipe.

So liver sounds super unappealing, but bear with me. This classic French paté is unbelievably easy to make, delicious, refrigerates great, and is a super-cheap nutritional powerhouse. You do need a food processor or at least a mini-chopper (for a coarse, country style) but it is hands-down one of the most inexpensive dishes I've ever come across.

My last tip, if you have a blender, is this smoothie. It'll sound weird but trust me.

I'll throw my vote in for a sharpening stone. If he doesn't already have a nice sharpening set, maybe consider getting him something like a nice diamond sharpening stone; I've seen them for $50 or less.

Tools are always nice. Here are some suggestions to think about:
~ microplane grater
~ Japanese mandolines can be fun to have around.
~ Fish spatulas can be a handy tool.
~ Does he have a good quality peeler? Everyone has a "normal" peeler, but I like to have a good quality horizontal peeler, like one of these, to use sometimes.
~ Does he do a lot of baking? If so, maybe some silicone baking mats for his baking sheets, or maybe some parchment paper.
~ Does he like to use fresh citrus juice very much? Does he have a citrus reamer?
~ Does he like to use fresh garlic? Maybe a garlic press?
~ Silicone spatulas?
~ Does he have a pepper grinder for fresh ground pepper?
~ Does he have a set of mise en place bowls or something to use to keep his stuff organized when he's working?
~ Does he have a scale? You can find plenty of options for home-use digital scales that can weigh up to 11 or 12 pounds, and use either pounds, or grams (if he's doing anything metric.)
~ Something like a good quality cast iron pan can be a lifetime investment, because if they're well cared for, he'll be able to pass it on to his grandkids someday.
~ A dutch oven will always be useful to serious home cooks. The enameled cast iron type are very popular, but they come in many different sizes and shapes, so keep that in mind when picking one out.
~ Knives are always nice. Paring knife, utility knife, serrated slicer, etc.

Those are just a few suggestions that popped into mind. Good luck, I hope you find something nice for him.

cowfishduckbear's comments regarding bare cast iron in general are mostly true. "Cheap" cast iron from Taiwan or wherever has been known to occasionally be poorly cast, with one side of the pan slightly thicker than the other; or the lid may not fit right. There are also reports of cheap, impure alloys; but in general that won't affect the quality of your cooking with these kids of pans. The reason why everyone has a hard-on for Lodge cast iron is both good old-fashioned USA patriotism as well as high quality, as Lodge is the last major manufacturer of cast iron with its primary foundry in the United States. (They outsource their enameled cast iron to China, however; and right now they are also introducing their own line of stainless steel cookware, too.) Lodge does have good quality control standards, too, which is why it's seen as the best you can get for bare cast iron. Yes, it's true Lodge cast iron has a rougher surface than the early 20th century pans from Griswold and Wagner; but despite what some nay-sayers say, this will not detract from your cooking at all. A good seasoned cast iron pan from any manufacturer will give you the black non-stick coating that cast iron is legendary for. In addition to my Lodge pans, I have a Bayou Classic 4-quart dutch oven that also does a wonderful job, an 8-inch "no-name" cast iron skillet from China or Taiwan or wherever, and a 90-year-old Griswold 9-inch as well. All of these are hefty, solid, sturdy, and dependable. If you don't have any cast iron pans in your kitchen, then you need at least ONE, and if you can only get one then I'd recommend going to Wal-Mart and getting the big heavy Lodge 12-inch skillet. After that, open your wallet and get yourself a cast iron dutch oven -- the Lodge 5-quart is superb, but again any manufacturer will be fine. I haven't bothered with the newer cast iron pans with celebrity names like Emeril or Rachel Ray, just because they're too freakin' EXPENSIVE when you can get just as good cooking from less expensive cast iron.

I marked things with a [w] if they're on my WL!

1. Something that is grey. China Glaze Polish Ecollection Recycle [w]
   
   
2. Something reminiscent of rain. Hehe, a watering can [w]
   
   
3. Something food related that is unusual. Miracle Noodles - they're these weird low-carb noodles [w]
   
   
4. Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!) LARPing Book for my friend Dennis. His is missing several pages, which is very frustrating to him. He's endlessly dear to me. [w]
   
   
5. A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it! Other People's Love Letters - doesn't that just sound romantic? :D [w]
   
   
6. An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related! Mickey Mouse Cookies!
   
   
7. Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...) SmartCat [w]
   
   
8. Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it. Triple heart necklace <3 [w]
   
   
9. A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why? Love Me If You Dare. Everyone should have more French film in their lives. It's a beautiful, artistic, funny, romantic movie. The main characters are hot.
   
   
10. Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain. Cast Iron is heavy! [w]
    
    
11. Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals. For exercise, way easier on my knees than the treadmill [w]
    
    
12. One of those pesky Add-On items. Awesome fabric softener - and I really want it, too! [w]
    
    
13. The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why? A Roomba. I have pets. I need to vacuum more often. I'm lazy. Also he would be my robot butler friend. I'd name him Alfred or Jeeves or Pennyworth. My cats would be afraid of him. [w]
    
    
14. Something bigger than a bread box. A mattress is quite a bit bigger! [w]
    
    
15. Something smaller than a golf ball. Pearl earrings [w]
    
    
16. Something that smells wonderful. Lilac and Lilies! [w]
    
    
17. A (SFW) toy. Cat toy! [w]
    
    
18. Something that would be helpful for going back to school. Chromebook! It's actually for when my husband starts college. [w]
    
    
19. Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be. Filter for my new fishtank! [w]
    
    
20. Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand. Electric bike so, my comment on this is: “Theoretically I would like to bike. Realistically I'd like to bike, except up hills. Oh, here we are!”. Right?! Also what they sell electric bikes on Amazon? Damn! [w]
    
    Bonus:
    
    Oregon Chai!

This could get long.

> Skillet - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000LEXR0K?keywords=lodge%20cast%20iron%20combo&qid=1458281902&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

That's not so much a skillet as it is a dutch oven, despite what they're calling it (unless this is a UK/US thing). It's an absolutely fantastic piece of gear though, but for other reasons. The fact that the lid can be used as both a casserole dish and a skillet increases its versatility. I wouldn't say necessary but very useful if you can get it in your budget. Dutch oven cooking is fantastic and a lot of people have started using them for baking bread, thanks to Jim Leahy.

> Smaller frying pan - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Circulon-80675-Infinite-Anodised-Skillet/dp/B000GQOW8Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1458282021&sr=8-3&keywords=circulon+frying+pan

That is probably too small to be your only one. All my numbers are in freedom units but that one's just under 8 inches. For only one frying pan or skillet, I'd say something closer to 12 inches or...~30cm? It's not even 7am, I'm trying to math. Maybe this one. I've used their stuff in the past, it's not bad as long as you take care of it.

> Smaller saucepan - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brabantia-Titanium-Casserole-Glass-Lid/dp/B00QFMVF1U/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1458282106&sr=8-19&keywords=anodised+sauce+pan

That isn't really a saucepan, but that's the type of pot I was talking about. I'd say a bigger one of those, I've never seen one not measured in volume. Apparently, all the UK stuff I'm seeing is measured in diameter. As for the actual saucepan, I'd suggest you get something stainless like this. It looks to have a pretty solid, heavy bottom.

But, for a larger pot, this is more along the lines of what I was talking about. You can use this for soups, pasta, smaller quantities of stock and, since it looks like it's oven safe to probably 180C, would work for braises as well.

Keep in mind that I can't speak for any of these items firsthand but that skillet or the dutch oven (which you'll have forever if you take care of it well). However, if you bought those two items plus the saucepan and larger casserole pot I linked, you'd certainly have enough to get started, still come in at well under your £150 mark, and not end up with crap you won't use.

Later on down the road, add a heavy bottom 30cm stainless steel sautee pan with lid.

Alright- I'm gonna throw at you my standard 'I've got cash to buy new cookware: what do I get' list. It's pretty much the same for a guy/gal who just got divorced, a dude/lady moving out of the dorms and into their first apartment, or really anyone who is working with nothing but some bare cash and wants to turn it into food.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. 10 or 12 inch cast iron pan - Lodge. Goes for $18 on amazon. You want this for 'general purpose' preparations; that's essentially putting heat on anything that isn't fish or eggs (more on that later). You're gonna get it pre-seasoned so some regular maintenance (eg. make bacon in the pan once or twice a month) will keep it just fine. Wash it with soap and water after each use, dry it thoroughly, don't ever let it sit in water (it can and will rust). It'll last longer than you. This isn't going in the dishwasher- sorry. But it's easy to clean and will reward your patience. Steaks, pan pizza, shallow frying, roasting a chicken, fajita veggies, making quesadillas, pan nachos, whatever it is that isn't fish or eggs goes in this pan.
   
   
2. 6qt enameled dutch oven - Also lodge. Goes for 50 bucks on amazon. This is your big-deal saucepan for building tomato sauces, stews, soups, deep frying (get a fry thermometer), braises- anything where you need a lot of liquid and need to put some heat on that. It's enameled because acids can leech into raw cast iron and alter the flavour of your food; and tomato is acidic (for example). Making short ribs? Sear 'em on the stovetop, move the pot into the oven for a final braise. This sucker will also last longer than you. Yea- it's dishwasher safe, but if you want it to stay pretty wash it by hand- it takes a few seconds and she's a pretty looking thing. Treat her right.
   
   
3. 12 inch stainless pan Tramontina, 18/10, Tri-Ply, fully Clad 60 smackos on the 'zon.com. You don't really need this per-se if you've already got your 12" cast iron, but if you go 10" on the cast iron (which I recommend, they're heavy and 10 is easier to manipulate), snag this puppy in 12". She's your go-to roaster for things that won't fit in your 10", for example. Or if you're prepping a multi-course meal she's available when your cast iron isn't.
   
   
4. Nonstick pan any cheapass pan will do this one is $12, so whatevs. This pan has exactly two uses, so listen carefully. Eggs. Anything egg-based (except quiche since that goes in the oven- but fuck quiche, and poached eggs since they go in water)- so omelettes, eggs over easy, eggs over hard, eggs scrambled, crepes. Fish. If you need to put heat directly on fish it goes in this pan. Abuse the piss out of this thing if you want to, but the second anything starts sticking to it- throw it out and have a new one shipped amazon prime. This is disposable just like every piece of nonstick cookware in the world because none of them last forever, and ignore anything that tells you differently.
   
   
5. Stock pot specifics are also unimportant this one is 22 dollarydoos. This pot has 3 major requirements- it needs to be big, it needs to have a lid, and it needs to be big. Nothing crazy or special about this thing because it only has a few major uses: bringing liquids to a boil/simmer is one of the major ones. This is where you'll make your stocks, boil your pastas, and really that's about it. Water should be the first thing in this pot most of the time.
   
   
6. Saucepan don't really care about this one either- here's one I think it's $30. Just like your stock pot- this is for liquids (sauce pan- duh) except smaller. Late night ramen, rice, and steamed milk are going to be its biggest uses initially. Over time? It'll take anything your dutch oven doesn't have to do, and anything your stock pot doesn't want to do. Requirements? Lid. Handle. That's about it.
   
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   You'll notice the startling lack of any 'set' or anything of that sort here. That's because sets of pots you don't need are dumb. You'll note none of these have glass lids, that's because glass breaks. You'll note none of this stuff costs a fortune, and that's because it doesn't have to. This setup can handle 95% of cooking tasks without breaking a sweat, and without your credit card company celebrating the new statue they can build outside their main office because of all the money you spent. Leftover cash? Buy a knife, get a few wire racks and baking pans, and buy a nice cut of steak, some pasta, some salmon, and veggies to try out your new gear.

Here are 4 things that I think will allow you to cook about 90% of everything you see on the internet.

A decent 8" kitchen knife. The Victorinox is a heavy lifter without breaking the bank.

A solid dutch oven. Here I recommend a Lodge, but Le Cruset is fantastic as well. A dutch oven allows you to do tons of one pot meals, braising, frying, soups, sauces, baking bread etc..

A 12" fry pan. This is for proteins, sauteing, all kinds of breakfast applications (eggs, homefries, shakshuka, etc).

A 3 qrt saucier. This one is pretty pricey, but you can get other good, cheaper options if you do a little research. This can double as a pot to boil water, make sauces, curries, and candy. A sauciers smooth sides are much easier to clean and can serve as a good compromise between a saucepan and a saute pan.

I've listed them in order of importance. A knife and a dutch oven can do a ton by themselves. I'd also recommend a pair of kitchen tongs, a handheld fine mesh strainer, and am immersion blender. In fact, I'd try to get those before the fry pan and the saucier, they open a lot of doors for you.

Alright, so the way to get from where you are now to this is to use a cast iron pot and follow Jim Lahey's directions here. Go to the library and get his book, both that one and the new My Pizza are awesome. The cast iron pot traps steam which combined with the high heats lets you get good 'spring' and a nice rich crispy crust. I've done this recipe with lots of diffent flours and they have much less of an effect on the overall outcome than good technique. It can be a bit scary handling a 500 degree cast iron pot but after a few attempts it gets pretty easy. A Lodge cast iron dutch oven like this will work great but I suggest replacing the knob on top with a metal version found here. Good luck!

Great video.

Growing up, I was lucky that my family owned a "high class" Le Creuset and I cooked with it often.

After college, when it came time to buy my own, I decided to buy the Lodge enameled cast iron off of amazon for ~$60 link.

In this video they talk about how the Le Creuset is best, but to be completely honest with you I cannot tell the difference. Both are great to cook with, and the enamel in both unfortunately got discolored with use. I imagine the warranty on the Le Creuset is better though.

Personally, I'd recommend the lodge (they recommend Cuisinart in the video). I'd assume both are a great value.

I vary between grilling and reheating on longer trips. Food that I need to reheat can be frozen at home and defrosts in the cooler. If you’re car camping, I pack a grill to use in the campgrounds fireplace. I use one like this, but I cut the legs down a bit as I usually grill on charcoals, not wood.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-62518-Folding-Campfire-Grill/dp/B078SWBDQQ/ref=zg_bs_3401041_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=6RVVH9EDH0T8V3NTBA48


The first few nights out, I may grill London broil or marinated chicken thighs, corn grilled in it’s husk (like Mexican street corn) or potatoes wrapped in foil and dropped on the coals. These require some attention to make and are great if you have a few people to help with shucking and wrapping. If you go this route, remember to pack salt/pepper, toppings, and a decent carving knife.

Alternatively, I may make one pot meals like goulash, jambalaya, chili, etc at home and reheat. I like these when the weather is cooler and I want cooking to be less of an event. These also only need a stove, but you can reheat bread (wrapped in foil) or tortillas on the fire.

If you want to get real creative, get a Dutch oven and you can have pizza, fruit cobblers, cinnamon buns, cookies, biscuits, ... A Dutch oven is a cast iron or cast aluminum pot with a dished lid you place coals on, to bake the contents. This is probably a stretch for your first trip, but it can be fun, especially with kids. Don’t get the wrong idea here - for the ingredients I use the biscuits, cookies, cinnamon buns that come in those cardboard tubes - this isn’t pasty-chef baking. Here is one, but you will need a hook to rotate the lid for even cooking.

https://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Cast-Dutch-Handles-Handle/dp/B00019H602/ref=sr_1_18?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1549465066&sr=1-18&keywords=Dutch+oven+camp

To keep the critters away, make sure you don’t cook more than you can eat, burn your paper trash, and bag the rest. Don’t dump grease as it attracts animals. If you can, strain your dish cleaning water so the food can be put in the trash and not dumped on the ground.

Edit: I forgot to say to have fun, and welcome to camping!

I'll just list everything that I can, how's that?

The bakers rack on the left is This

The left most skillet is an AUS-ION
They're made in Australia and so smooth. Some nice touches of the piece are the very detailed cut-out of Australia on the handle and another nice engraving on the bottom.

Then there's the Stargazer. My first expensive piece. It's also very smooth. It's had a hard time keeping its seasoning, and I've admittedly been babying it by seasoning and seasoning it with flaxseed oil and a Crisbee puck.

Then there is the Finex group. It starts with the 10" grill pan. Then there's the 12" and 8". I just love the different geometric shapes of them.

All the way to the right is the Lodge Sauce Pot

I haven't used it a whole lot other than to make a few dips.

Between the big hanging skillets are some Lodge 4" and 5" skillets that I thought just looked cool and rounded out my collection.

The griddle is just a double sided griddle from world market. It's my go to pancake tool.

Then there is an A1 Chef pizza pan that I honestly don't use very much. I tend to just use some cheap aluminum pans with holes on the bottom because they're easier to form the crust on.

On the middle shelf from left to right are my 10" and 12" lodges. The 10" was my very first cast iron skillet. They've both been stripped and reseasoned and are much smoother than factory. I don't see myself giving up my first two skillets. I still use them a lot.

In the middle is the 10" grill pan from Lodge. I honestly hate cleaning the grill pans and have found that the lines in the meat aren't really worth the scraping. There's also some cheap fajita skillet that I don't think I've ever used.

And on the right is the Lodge enameled dutch oven but in the light grey. I love this thing, and got it for a song on Amazon one day.

On the bottom shelf on the left is the Lodge Wok I have definintely not used it. It seems like it would be better on a gas range, which I don't have. This was an impulse buy, and I don't know how to really cook any asian food, so who knows.

Then last but not least is the regular Lodge Dutch Oven
Many a roast has been made in this. The drip spikes on top does the basting for you. I just got a sous vide setup, so I'll probably be using it less and less, but sometimes I know I'll want the smell of a roast wafting through the air all day on a cold Autumn day.

Bonus pieces Kitchenaid Stainless Steel cookware set on top with All clad non-stick pans to the right of those.

Then there are some Lodge Stonewear on the other bakers rack

You're probably better off not getting a set (there are usually a few nice pieces you want and a bunch you don't), but they can be a decent way to save some cash. Cooks Illustrated has great cookware reviews and tend to like All Clad a lot (money no object I agree, but shit it's a lot of money). They recommend a Calphalon set that is pretty reasonably priced and I know they make good stuff. But besides that, I'd definitely get some cast iron into the mix. Both a skillet and a glazed dutch oven. Two of my favorite pans right there.

I have, maybe six, pans I use for 90%+ of my cooking:

1. 12" All-Clad stainless skillet - perfect all-purpose fry pan. Steak, chops, pasta sauces, pan roasting, sauteing, you name it, this pan does it well. $89 from Amazon is a steal!
   
2. 6qt Lodge Dutch Oven - braising, soups, stews, for the price it's well worth it, though I'm not sure how long it'll hold up.
   
3. 3.5qt non-stick Calphalon sauce pot - great for making sauces, boxed macaroni and cheese, steaming veggies, etc... Very versatile, could easily be stainless too, I just happened to be given non-stick.
   
4. 2qt All-Clad stainless sauce pan - great for sauces (duh) and all kinds of other stuff, super versatile.
   
5. 12" Nordic Ware non-stick skillet - non-stick pans should be treated as "disposable". I replace mine every 12-18 months. Nordic Ware is cheap, and well designed. Handle can take enough heat that you can put it in a sub-375F oven and it won't melt, if you care about that. Mine is most often used for Sunday morning fritatas, finishing pasta in a sauce, and egg things.
   
6. 12" Nordic Ware Stock pot (and a lid) - Gotta have a stock pot, and for the price this one is fantastic!
   
   Runners up - stuff I use enough that I'm glad I have them, but if I didn't wouldn't really notice:
   
   
7. 8" Nordic Ware non-stick skillet - awesome for making omelets, roux, etc...
   
8. Stainless saute pan - really big, flat bottom, straight sides, with long handle, and a loop on the opposite side. It looks a lot like the All-Clad 3qt saute pan, but it was a hand-me-down and definitely isn't all-clad. It's great for braising or when you just need a ton of pan space.
   
9. Calphalon 11" griddle pan - when I need me some french toast or pancakes!

a good wok, is about as important as a good heat source for it. as i understand, the problem is, western stove tops don't put out enough heat to use regular woks effectively. so for me, all regular asian wok's are out of the question.

teflon wok can be convenient, but still not good. yes the coating wears down, but you can't get it hot enough to do a good wok cook.

the closest thing to success i've used? dutch big ass oven https://smile.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DOL3-Handles-Pre-Seasoned-5-Quart/dp/B00063RWYI/ref=sr_1_6?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1487267253&sr=1-6&keywords=dutch+oven

why? on electric, or gas stove top, you just let it heat up until it starts to smoke. put a little oil in, and put some food to stir fry. by not putting much food in at a time, you allow it to get a ton of heat, closer to an actual wok cooking. scoop it out, let it heat back up, and do more.

lodge logic stuff comes pre-seasoned, and ive never had to strip mine down and re-season it. i just wipe it clean with paper towel, maybe scrape some bits off with a metal spatula or big cooking spoon, and let it dry/cool.

IF you really want an actual wok, i think some turkey fryer burners can put out enough heat to do it justice. but you'll likely want to use it outside. i thought i remember you needing around 100,000 BTU to cook on a wok well. this should be enough https://smile.amazon.com/Portable-High-Pressure-Single-Burner-Adjustable-Regulator/dp/B01LTBH2UO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487267502&sr=8-3&keywords=high+btu+propane+burner

edit: one thing worth mentioning. cast iron and carbon steel both rust if not taken care of. i think, given the same thickness and same dimensions, carbon steel is heavier. also, i think carbon steel conducts heat better/faster. i have not looked into using a carbon steel dutch oven. my cast iron one was $40 like 7 years ago and it has been a dam trooper ever since. i even do long cooks with tomato sauce and it's fine.

Seems like a good cooking pot could be added. Zebra pot with the metal clips, for example.

Also, a good folding skillet.

EDIT: My preference above either of these is a Dutch oven if you can manage the weight. I know people generally say to get one with legs for camping, and that's mostly true if you have some kind of transporation (car, four wheeler, horse, etc.). But when I pack mine for multiday hunting trips, I actually prefer to take one without legs. If I need to lift it up off the coals I can just use rocks or hang it, but it packs down much easier without the legs. Something like this for one or two people. If you have a party of four, then obviously you'd want a larger one, but then it's best to organize with everyone and trade off weight. Have one person carry the larger Dutch oven in their pack, and you take some of their heavier gear in yours so even out the load everyone carries.

People say to get the ones with legs primarily because of the lid design, a rimmed lid which lets you pile on coals and not worry about them spilling into your food when you lift the lid. This is a nice feature, but it isn't necessary. Just brush the coals off the lid before you lift it and shovel them back on once you've put the lid back on if you need to keep cooking. It's cast iron. You're not going to lose enough heat in that time frame to matter.

I've cooked roasted pieces of chicken, like breasts and thighs, but obviously not a whole chicken. It cooks significantly faster. I usually just stick a thermometer in my roast chicken and walk away... As far as quality of the meat afterwards, it isn't really any different... Still nice and juicy.

We use it a lot for salmon because you can do baked salmon in little under 15 minutes. It's also great for frozen food, like it'll shave about 5 minutes off of the oven cook time for frozen foods (I have a soft spot for dinosaur chicken nuggets).

I have this guy https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0097D2T7S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I paid 35.99 (Looked up my order history on Amazon) for it. So it looks like it's currently overpriced

Order Summary
Item(s) Subtotal: $35.99
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Total before tax: $35.99
Estimated tax to be collected: $2.16
Grand Total: $38.15


As an aside, for whole roast chicken I think this is the best way hands down. https://smile.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DO3-Pre-Seasoned-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B00006JSUF/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1474895325&sr=8-11&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven

I second all the people commenting that you should wait for her input about furniture and decorations. You have a good heart OP, I know it's meaning well, but for most women decorating a new house is the FUN part and I'm sure she's been waiting to do that with you. Otherwise it won't feel like her house to her at all, it'll all just be your stuff.

But as far as kitchen stuff goes, I recommend a good Dutch Oven. Lodge has a good one for $70 on Amazon, but I've seen them at Fred Meyers for $50. We got a crap ton of stuff for our wedding, my two absolute favorites have been our Dutch Oven and our bread maker. In the 6 Qt one, you can cook a whole chicken. Soups, pasta, fish, nearly anything you can make with it. It's essential in my home.

Ok, here are a few easy suggestions:

Most veggies can be oven roasted for extra flavour. I often toss a bunch of "about to go bad" veggies into a cast iron oven like this tossed with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add anything you can think of - sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, whole cloves of garlic are awesome - the more colours the better. Let it all sit in the oven for ~1h at 350 and you have an amazing pot full of nutritional goodness. I'll often have just these veggies with a piece of meat I've cooked separately, or sometimes I add meat to the pot (peameal bacon, chopped steak).

It's a very easy way to get a lot of great vegetables into you :)

Another one of my favourite recipes for using a ton of veggies is stuffed peppers. I posted it here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/fitmeals/comments/ilp7p/stuffed_peppers/

I don't know if the pain of losing loved ones ever go away, but I'm sure they'd be happy knowing you're celebrating their memories.

Sorting my priorities.

I'd love a Dutch oven, as of right now, I have a pressure cooker and two crappy made in china non-stick pots that have the nonstick coating flaking off. I basically am ok boiling eggs in them...and that's it.

So, I cook everything that needs a pot in my pressure cooker or use a cast iron pan I was gifted on my wedding day. It would help so much to be able to braise food and not worry about the pot burning, or having to use a pan then the pot. Better, being able to throw the pot in the oven, my word the cooking possibilities!

P.s. it was good sorting my priorities. It made me think, why did I want this, and do I still want it?

>Australia sites/stores are no longer competing against online stores with a 10% price benefit. So, you know, local suppliers and employees benefit

I'd say this relies on a premise which just often isn't tru.

The idea that the price benefit is only 10% just doesn't bear out a lot of the time. Let me give you an example - this cast iron dutch oven, from Amazon US, costs 73 USD (~97 AUD) shipped to Australia. If 10% GST was charged on the whole transaction, you'd be looking at something like 106 AUD total.

However, Lodge, the manufacturer of the good, sell these direct to the Australian market for 149.95 AUD including shipping; similarly, Kitchen Warehouse sell the same good for 143.20 currently on sale; normal price being 179 AUD not including shipping.


So, for just one example - and keep in mind, it's a heavy good which costs a ton to ship - it's still a LOT cheaper to buy the good from Amazon US than it is to buy either direct from the manufacturer's online Australian presence, or from another Australian retailer.

It's not the 10% that's making the difference for consumers - in this case, it's the other 40% of the price. I'd gladly pay an extra to get the item in Australia (for quick shipping, ease of returns, and easier warranty enforcement, and hell, to generate some tax money) if that was the difference; but, often, the difference is significantly more.

This makes it look like the issue is really about taking choice away from Australian customers by creating burdensome arrangements which slow down these sorts of transactions and create paperwork headaches, whilst also making it even less attractive for Australian consumers to get the best deal on goods.

You don't really needed it, but a dutch oven is by far the best thing for baking bread next to a commercial steam injected oven. I highly recommend it. You don't need to buy something super fancy or expensive. Lodge makes a super basic dutch oven that will do a great job. I've tried all of the other steaming methods. Really, if your making hearth style loaves, nothing compares to using a banneton, a cast iron dutch oven, and stupidly hot oven.

Yes, lots of others would have chipped in to help, if they knew who to contact.

We walked away from the events of April 27th with a few lessons.

1. It takes about 3 days for everything in 7 foot deep freeze to thaw out if you leave the lid closed.
   
   
2. You can never have too much bottled water on hand. Gallon jugs for washing up are a necessity.
   
   
3. A grill is nice, but a turkey fryer is a godsend for boiling water.
   
   
4. There's a reason it's called a Dutch Oven for a reason, you can actually bake in these. I always used mine for beans and stew until my buddy showed me how to make biscuits, cobbler, and cake.
   
   
5. A hot shower is probably worth a lot more than you think when you haven't had one for a few days. Baby wipes warmed in the sunshine are a lot better than a washcloth with cold water.

I can't recommend a dutch/camping oven enough for campfire cooking. I used to go to summer camp where every meal was dutch oven cooked. A cast iron dutch oven is also a useful tool at home. This is the closest style I could find that you would want for a home/camp use. You need the lip on the lid to hold hot coals, but the legs are pretty unnecessary, especially if you want to use it on a home burner. If you have a gas stove with high grates, then the legs shouldn't get in your way.

The key with dutch oven open fire cooking is watch your food. Otherwise make whatever recipe you'd make at home, just make sure you apply enough oil/fat to the cooking surface. Oven too hot, take some coals off, keep your food moving, it's really not that difficult. If you want to get really fancy, you can bake some pretty epic breads and cobblers in your dutch oven. Just try to use coals, and not burning logs, coals have more stable temperatures, and you are less likely to get smoke and soot in your food. You can use charcoal if you want to be more precise. Each briquette equals fifteen degrees or so, so 15 briquettes on top and 15 on the bottom is 30 * 15 = 450. Enjoy!

Lodge brand cast-iron cookware, it's cheap and awesome. Not even a 'someday' thing so much as a 'as soon as the major debts are paid and some emergency fund is built' thing. For example, this dutch oven is only about $30 and it's the perfect thing for roasting a whole chicken, or making a big, yummy stew.

Hope this helps and best of luck to you and your family! :)

> spiceindiaonline.com/crispy-chicken-65/

I'm inclined to mostly agree with /u/Amnizu. I dont think I've ever seen deep frying in a pot like that, even if it is heavy bottomed, the outside is not heavy so it will not retain the temperature of the oil as well as cast iron would. A $20 Cast Iron pan is usually my go to for frying. Even safer and probably better would be something like this. A Quart of Oil is actually quite a bit in that kind of pot. When using the Cast Iron get an 1-1.5 inches of oil up to temp then slowly add in each piece of chicken. The recipe you are using has water in the ingredients which is ok, as long as you don't have excess sauce on the chicken when you put it in. Water and frying are not friends. You might even want to reduce the amount of water just a little. To be safe keep some Baking Soda near by to put out any potential grease fires. I'm no pro so take what I say with a grain of salt. I usually use a cast iron pan and it comes out great, makes the house smell though. Hope this helps.

An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is one of the most versatile pieces of cookware you can own. You can use it on the stovetop or in the oven. It's perfect for pasta sauces, soups, stews, chilis, braising cuts of pork or beef, even baking bread.

You want one that's at least 5 quarts. Lodge makes a 6 qt for under $60. However, if you live in Texas near an HEB, you can get a Cocinaware 5 qt for $30. I've had mine for five years and it's still going strong.

The only other piece pf advice I can offer is that--like most things--you don't have to have the very best / most expensive gear to be a good cook. Always keep in mind that most restaurants are always on a tight budget, so they get the cheapest, often already used, equipment they can find. Lots and lots and lots of amazing meals have been cooked using cheap-ass cookware.

• Everything except the acidic stuff so like tomato sauces or lemon stuff etc. (you can but you need it really well seasoned).
  
  
• No you don't really need to invest in it. It'll probably out live you assuming you don't lose it. Some are really expensive because it's more about buying for the brand than the actual quality. For example: A 12in Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is $34.. It's pretty much the gold standard for cast iron stuff in North America. And if you look on the reviews you'll see that more than 2000 people bothered to write a review and they'll agree with me.
  
  
• Pre season means that the factory applied a layer of oil (I think it's soy oil) to polymerize the fat to the skillet and create a non-stick surface. It's not a bad thing but more often than not, these non-stick surfaces aren't true non-stick surfaces. It's more of a marketing gimick. When you get your cast iron whatever, season it yourself.
  
  
• Yes there are downsides to cast iron. (1): It's heavy as fuck. It weighs almost 10 pounds which might not seem like much but your wrist will get more of a workout than a life time of masturbation cooking with this thing. (2) In bare cast iron, you can't cook acidic stuff. (3): It's not very sensitive to heat. So if you heat it up, it'll stay warm for a while. (4) You have to wait a little to let it cool down before you clean it. Because if you take a hot skillet and you clean it immediately in cold water you can crack it via thermal shock. It will be non stick after you cook in it enough. It'll take a month or 2 depending on how much you use it.
  
  
• On my stove top the biggest burner is a double burner. Meaning it's one circle surrounding another. The stove top has an option to warm up the inner ring or both rings. When I use the 12 incher, I have to use the both ring option. So go measure your stove top burners and check.
  
  
• While the 12in Skillet is a really versatile piece of cookware based on it's shape alone, if you could only get one piece of equipment, you'd get a lot of versatility out of the Lodge Combo Cooker. The top is only a 10 inch skillet though so take that in mind if you want to make pizza in it (the pizza will be smaller.

You can buy a cast iron Dutch oven for $20 on Amazon. This is a great investment because it lets you make really good, really simple no knead breads.

Literally just miss together four ingredients and let things sit. Then fold the dough, let it sit some more. Bake it and you've got amazing bread. These no knead recipes are the best ROI for your baking time, effort, and dollar.

One great tip I picked up is to put the bread in the Dutch oven on parchment paper so there's no clean up!

If you really want to explore cooking in depth, getting a pan that can go from stovetop to oven is pretty important.

A basic 10" or 12" Lodge cast iron skillet can be bought VERY cheaply from just about anywhere. Home Depot has a 10" skillet for $15. You'll need to season it but that's pretty easy to do.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lodge-10-in-Cast-Iron-Chef-s-Skillet-LCS3/301047254

Also think about getting something along the lines of an enameled dutch oven for braising/roasting. You don't have to get an expensive one. Again, Lodge makes them or you can often luck into a used Le Creuset or Staub at a thrift store or even one of those antique/flea markets.

Amazon has this Lodge 6qt for under $50.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D33-Enameled-Dutch-6-Quart/dp/B000N4WN08

But at the very least I'd start with a cast iron skillet so you can get comfortable both with the stovetop searing/cooking and the moving back and forth between rangetop and oven.

I have a 7qt oval Lodge, which is holding up well (I've been using lodge enamel cast iron for 4ish years and I only have a couple really minor less-than-pea-sized chips around the lid where I bang my spoon or put the lid down extra-vigorously). I have friends who use and enjoy Tramontina, Cuisinart, and Crofton (Aldi brand) and even (god help me for dropping a bezos link) AmazonBasics.

That being said, if I'm ever rolling in dough I might upgrade for ~!~aesthetic~!~ reasons. Aside from glaze quality, Le Creuset is a little bit lighter and has nice big handles, both of which slightly improve ease-of-use. Who knows.

I find 6-8qt the optimal range. I can make a pound or two of beans, a nice loaf of bread, a big 6-8 person stew all without overflowing. I've used friends 4qt and it's always just a little tight. If you're gonna have just one, 6-8qt seems an ideal size, IMO.

A thing worth noting is that even if your cast iron chips over the years, it's still perfectly food safe (ATK).

• Amazon Basics 6qt: $43
  
• Lodge 6qt: $60
  
• Le Creuset 5.5qt: $300-350
  
  So, you could replace your cheap one 5-7 times before matching the Le Creuset price. Obviously YMMV, but it strikes me at potentially worth trialing an inexpensive one for a couple years first. You know your habits and preferences best, though.

With the acid/tomato thing, I have found that once the seasoning is well established I can make chili and other acidic things without any real issues. Same with soap which I'll use after broiling fish in the pan.

I'd say that my dutch oven doesn't get as much use as my skillets, but then if I had a something like this or the oven listed in the original post, at least the lid would be used often. My current one has a self basting lid that is a pain to clean and season.

Really, the lid is a make or break for the thing. If you want to use coals on top, get one with a lip. If you like to see your stuff cook, find one with a glass top. You get the point.

I have Griswold, Wagner, Lodge, and Benjamin & Medwin pans. The Griswold was a gift from someone that doesn't cook in cast iron pans, and the others were purchased new. The Griswold is used the most, Wagner and Lodge both seem to be fine, but I like the handles and the (semi) polished surface of my Wagner pans a bit better. The Benjamin & Medwin pans were purchased new about 20 years ago and are have the worst quality control. I don't believe they are still made.

First, if you're really going to do cast iron cooking while camping regularly, you should invest in an actual camp oven. It has feet on the bottom, so you can set it in hot coals, and the lid has a lip around the edge so you can pile coals on top. The oven that you borrowed is designed for kitchen use.

You need to pack three important things:

1. Hand protection, such as oven mitts or thick leather gloves. Open campfires can quickly burn your hands while cooking.
   
   
2. long-handled utensils. You do not want to try and stir the pan with a regular old spoon, or try to turn bacon with a fork over a burning hot campfire. Pack a long-handled metal spoon, spatula or tongs.
   
   
3. A metal shovel or scoop for scooping hot coals. Campfire cooking is all about coals, not flames.
   
   To cook: Build a campfire. Don't put it in the center of the fire pit, build it off to one side. Let it burn for at least a half an hour to create some good coals.
   
   If you don't have a camp oven, you need to make a stand out of rocks to set it on. Find some soft-ball-sized rocks. You want 3 or 4 of them, preferably with a flat side. Position these on the far side of the fire pit, and arrange them so you can put hot coals in the center and place the dutch oven on top where it will sit mostly level. (You can omit this step if you have a camp oven.)
   
   Use your coal scoop to put coals into the center of your little rock formation. For high heat, use a lot of coals, lower heat, fewer coals, etc. Set the dutch oven in place and start cooking. Keep the fire going so you can add more coals when necessary, to control your heat. Scoop coals on top as well.
   
   To clean: There are two ways to clean while camping, and they're very similar to cleaning it in a kitchen.
   
   The first one is boiling: Add water to fill it halfway (stream or lake water is fine) and let it sit over a generous amount of coals while it boils. If there's any food stuck on, scrape it gently with your long-handled utensil as it boils. Pour the water out and use a towel to wipe out any food left, then set it back over a small amount of coals until it dries completely. Cover it the inside with a thin layer of oil and let it cool completely.
   
   Second method is scrubbing it with a mixture of cooking oil and coarse salt. (You can mix up some of this and keep it in a small container). You will want to bring along a stiff, non-metal brush for this, and rinse the pan out with water afterward, then dry it completely, over a few coals. Wipe out any excess oil with a towel.

Lodge Logic makes a great dutch oven that is perfectly fine for about a third of the cost. I own one, it's great. You don't need name brands to make good food.

http://www.amazon.com/Le-Creuset-Signature-Enameled-Cast-Iron/dp/B0076NOHG2/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1419110261&sr=1-1


http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Island-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1419110287&sr=1-4&keywords=lodge+logic+dutch+oven


See what I mean?

Cholesterol you eat has very, very, very little bearing on your blood serum levels. Bad-cholesterol levels are tied to genetics and inflammation. Good news! Eat all the eggs you want. Bad news! Stress contributes to inflammation.

How much longer are you going to be in this situation? Would it be worth it to pick up a cheapish chef's knife and a dutch oven? Because my-oh-my what you can do with a dutch oven on a stovetop is amazing and I am just full of recipes.

Also, these caffiene stir sticks have been getting popular at my local college.

I can't do much to help you, but if you want some recipes I can help out a bit with the stovetop cooking. (In the interest of transparency, some of these recipes are from my own blog.) As far as the smell goes . . . fuck it, the crab hates you anyway so just make like a duck and let her roll off your back.

Seafood Stew - I say dutch oven for this, but you can totally use a regular pot.

Cheeseburger Tacos

Carnitas Tacos

Chicken Paprikash

If you've got a broiler in the oven that works Eggs in Prugatory is a favorite of mine.

If you're feeling up to making dumplings, I have a recipe for pierogies that is pure comfort food.

And I could go on about eggs the way that Forest Gump's buddy did about shrimp.

I'd second a pork butt. Make some nice pulled pork sandwiches out of it when it's done. I'd also suggest some sort of a heat deflector before you go the low and slow cooking route, but wouldn't spend the money that some of the OEMs are asking for- a handeless frying pan like this lid could be something that works for you, and it'd double as a skillet, and lid for the dutch oven. A good duel sensor thermometer is another nice thing to have. I've been using this one for a few months and really like it. The stock thermometers on the grills are notoriously inaccurate over time, and it's really nice to sit inside and watch the game and have the wireless unit beep when the grill is too hot or cold, or when the meat hits the target temp.

If you are going to do a lot of camping with it you may want to look into one that has legs and allows you to put coals on top of the oven too. like this one I have one that I got for Christmas. But I cannot remember the name of it to save my life. Something red. But I LOVE the thing! The legs mean I dont have to worry about a tripod or stand when we use it. We camp at a lot of race tracks so its a little different than camp grounds. We will either dig a hole in the ground and plus the coals and dutch oven in it or I will place it in the tailgate grill we have and use that. Both ways works perfectly!

• A posh old Englishman
  
  
  
• Most "oh god, I would never be seen with this in public" (this one was hard as I'm pretty ok with being seen with anything from my lists)
  
  
  
• Most phallic
  
  
• Geekiest
  
  
  
• Would most help me achieve a goal
  
  
  
• Best to bring to a deserted island (in Kitchen & Food list)
  
  Thanks for the fun contest!

Yeah, it looks underbaked, so I would definitely keep it in the oven longer. Dutch ovens really do help. I have a Lodge brand one that works really well and is way less expensive than like Le Creuset. Here’s the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Enameled-Classic-Enamel-Island/dp/B000N501BK You might also be able to snag one at a thrift store for cheap.

I would also use bread flour. AP flour just doesn’t have enough gluten content. If baking longer, using a Dutch oven, and switching to bread flour doesn’t work, I’d play around with fermentation times.

Good luck!

I first tried this out when i was camping last summer and it turned out great, the original recipe below fed about 8 people, so i halved it for my wife and myself so we could have lunch leftovers. Unfortunately, after moving, i no longer have a backyard or the ability to use charcoal, so i had to make this indoors, but the instructions are for camping.

Disclaimer: If you are going backpacking or real-people-camping that isn't essentially getting drunk around a campfire and sleeping it off in a tent, then this is not feasible. Definitely a car-or-cooler-camping or cabin-type recipe due to some of the ingredients being perishable.

Also, believe it or not, biscuits and gravy is INCREDIBLY HIGH CALORIE, so if you're on a diet like me, make sure you have plenty of calories remaining. My plate was two biscuits, half the gravy (from a half recipe), and 2 eggs, ended up at 1161 calories.

Campfire Biscuits and Gravy

• 2pkgs grands biscuits
  
• 1.5lb breakfast sausage
  
• 1/2 cup AP flour
  
• 4c whole milk
  
• 1tsp dried thyme
  
• 1/2tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
  
• Salt and black pepper
  
• Butter, if necessary
  
  Place the biscuits in a cast iron dutch oven and cover. Arrange some rocks so that the dutch oven is slightly elevated from the ground, and place hot coals underneath it and on top of it. If using charcooal, should be about 9 coals underneath and 12 on top. Keep them free of ash and replenish as necessary to keep the heat up, check on the biscuits now and then. They are done when they are puffy and browned. Remove from dutch oven and wipe clean.
  
  Brown sausage in dutch oven over hot coals, if <6tbsp of drippings are in pan, add butter to compensate.
  Whisk/stir in flour and cook until light brown, about 1min. slowly whisk in milk, add thyme and pepper, bring to a boil. Simmer until thickened. Season with S&P to taste.
  

I really want this dutch oven because it's sexy and Le Creuset: ain't nobody got cash for that!

This is my $20 item because I'm pretty sure I'm the only one left on the planet that hasn't read these.

BTW, I think this is the most demeaning reddit raffle phrase ever... C'mon...gimme. ?!?! I'm going to go wash my mouth out with soap. ;D

You guys are BAMFS! (and look delicious. Is that weird?)

Not cauldron shaped, but here's a near two gallon indoor Dutch oven, a two gallon camping Dutch oven, and a gallon and a half camping Dutch oven. Possibly more useful than a cauldron since there is more flat surface on the bottom for searing meat, etc.

There is a Buy It Now auction on eBay right now for a #9 Griswold regular kettle (c/n 792) with a slant logo from 1905-1910 for $118 (US) plus shipping. That's the largest size they made in a kettle I think and I'm not sure on the capacity of the various kettle sizes. Looks pretty rusty, so I'd ask if the cooking surface is just rusty or actually has pitting damage, and maybe get a closer/clearer photo.

You might also look into a Griswold bulge pot from around 1890. There's also one of those on eBay for $89 (US) plus shipping, that looks like it would clean up OK. I can't make out the catalog number to tell you what size it is though.

i know it might not be the same, but I've been super happy with our 6 qt lodge enameled dutch oven and it's way cheaper

​

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B013FDOXJC/

That sure is the truth. I never thought I'd be remotely interested in actual cooking, but I got my first cast iron (a Lodge 5-quart double dutch oven) about two months ago, and I've been finding excuses to use it at least twice a week ever since. It's extremely motivating to have a decent piece of very flexible equipment that actually requires a bit of care.

Since I already had a nice cast iron skillet with a handle, I bought this one a few months ago and love it. I've done a ton of bread in it (It's in the oven as I type) and also some great braised dishes so far and it's been wonderful.

I'm a huge Kenji fan myself. I've cooked nearly half of the Food Lab book, and dozens of his recipes from the website, great stuff!

My thoughts on gifts

Lavatools PT12 Javelin

A Nice carbon steel wok

A good Dutch Oven

A torch for searing, or Creme Brulee

An awesome knife

Another awesome, but cheaper and well rounded knife

The list could go on, and on, and on....just some thoughts though.

If you're considering getting one, I'd go for either this one or this one.

The second is better if you like a handle on your skillet. I got the first one, and it's perfect. It lets me do virtually every cooking task I'd need to, and with proper care ought to last pretty much forever.

Check out /r/castiron for cleaning/reseasoning tips.

Lodge cast iron.

I've gotten a 12 inch skillet ($20 at Target) and a 5 quart dutch oven with a 10 inch skillet lid ($33 on Amazon). I use them almost every day and they're my favorite tools in the kitchen, as well as my sturdiest.

I also got a Saddleback medium bifold wallet that's been perfect for the last couple years. I anticipate many more decades to come with it!

Going through this thread, I've remembered a couple more. I now have 2 Orion belts that I wear almost every day! The first is the hot dipped harness leather belt, and the second is the tan harness leather belt that I got for around $28 on Massdrop.

The last BIFL item I've gotten is a pair of Ex Oficio briefs this Christmas. They've been great so far...hopefully they hold up!

I would suggest a cast iron griddle and a dutch oven/skillet pan combo like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009JKG9M or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LEXR0K

Another less common, but surprisingly useful tool is an immersion blender. It's great for anything from creamy soup to pudding to protein shakes.

I'd say the essentials include a non-stick frying pan, a smaller pot (2-3 qts), a larger pot (5qts+), a cutting board, a chef's knife, measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing bowls, a whisk, heat resistant silicone spatula, stirring spoons, serving spoon, ladle, aluminum baking sheet, tongs and can opener. With all of the above, I can cook ~ 90% of what I usually cook.

I, personally, don't care much for cast iron skillets. They require too much care and too much oil to keep up to snuff. I prefer a nice three-ply fry pan (This is what I own). A couple splurges on my part were a 2 qt saucier (was on sale for $50) which is great for making sauces of any sort because the whisk can fit in the rounded bottom of the pan. I also like the All-Clad 4Qt. Essential pan, with the tall sides and wide top. It's easy to make something a bit larger with this pan.

Finally, I bake all of my pizza on a cheap round pizza pan. It's not the fanciest, but it gets the job down well.

Get this dutch oven!

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Casserole-Skillet-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K

I have it and I love it! I regret not buying it first!

I would still get a stock pot though. I use the inserts as colanders and I love making stock in it, but it's also super convenient for pasta, and I can steam things in it as well.

So my advice, the lodge dutch oven skillet combo and a stock pot. You won't want to boil water in the cast iron. Maybe a small pot too.

Even at 50% off a Le Creuset dutch oven is 150-200 dollar range. If you're looking for an enameled cast iron dutch/french oven, I have been using a Lodge enamel dutch oven for years and it is fantastic and has done flawless work for me.

I'm not going to spend a bunch of time making comparisons, just read the reviews on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Color-EC6D43-Enameled-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1381656285&sr=1-1&keywords=le+creuset+dutch+oven

The red color is currently on sale for $60 flat. Save yourself a hundred and some odd bucks, while not losing out on any quality, and buy a good knife.

Edit: $60 for the 6 quart, $72 for the 7 1/2 quart.

Let's do it in the kitchen.

This contest was MADE FOR ME. My wish list is 90% stuff I want for the kitchen. Edit: I am only linking things that I have tried for myself so I can recommend them.

Have you seen these gloves? Never cut your finger off again! Need to steam stuff but you're tired of burning your fingers removing your veggies? I got you, girl! Love cooking with garlic but you're tired of your hands always smelling like it? No sweat! Tired of always fishing your spoons out of your spaghetti sauce? No worries!

For me, I just need my cast iron pans and I'm a happy girl. My dutch oven is probably my favorite one, I can make ANYTHING in it.

That looks pretty badly damaged. You might be able to use it, but it would be much more difficult to clean & you might actually want to season it like you would a bare cast-iron pot.

I've had really good luck with Lodge dutch ovens. They're not $5, but they generally run about $50 so they're much more affordable than the Le Crueset.

The bread does not go in the pot. The pot goes on top of the bread. Baking bread in a container that constricts its expansion will ruin the crust and destroy the texture of the crumb. Only short breads (muffins, cakes, ect) and soft pullman loaves (no crumb or crust) get bakes in containers.

Looks like you got a DIY version of a cloche baking pot. The cloche simulates a stone oven cooking the bread with infra-red heat (radiation). Whereas a standard home oven cooks using only hot air (conduction).


To use your DIY cloche, you need a baking stone or terra-cotta tiles. Preheat the baking stone and pot to 500F. When they are good and hot, place your bread dough (shaped into a boule) on the stone and cover it with the pot. Bake as per recipe.


Since you are just starting out I am going to recommend against using this technique, because judging the oven temperature and transferring the dough into the hot baking stones can be a bit tricky.


Instead you should buy a cast iron dutch oven and use Jim Lahey's No Knead technique. His method is practically foolproof and produces great bread with less than 20 minutes of time invested per loaf.


The cloche will give you better results for a wider range of dough formulas provided you take the time to learn about bread. I would recommend you read The Bread Bakers Apprentice if you are interested in going this route.

Have you tried making bread in a Dutch Oven? A simple 4-6 qt. cast iron one will do - about $30. Enameled is nicer if you got a few extra dollars - less hassle with rust, but make sure handle can withstand 500° heat. I bet most every rustic loaf of bread posted on this thread was made using this method.

Check out the link I posted below. Took only 3 tries to get something decent. I honestly couldn't believe it worked. Lots of "No Knead Bread" recipes online, but if you want a good book, the library has several.

https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2811041030_flour_water_salt_yeast

I have regular cast iron one, no enamel or colors here. I like it better, actually, since I'm used to cast iron and seasoning it and stuff. I got the big 9-quart one even though I live alone. I just make really big batches of soup then pour the left overs into zip top bags and put them flat on a baking sheet in the freezer (it works like a heat sink and helps them freeze faster). After they're frozen flat, they stack easy. Later, when I'm hungry and too lazy to make a meal from scratch, I just thaw out a bag and warm it up.

And while this won't help most people, the Lodge factory is on my drive from where I live to where my parents live (South Pittsburgh, TN). They have a factory outlet store there and they have an entire section of "Seconds" which are just as good as their normal stuff, it just might have a ding or scratch in it, but they're a good bit cheaper than the normal stuff. Lodge isn't really expensive, but if you're ever in that part of TN, it's a good idea to stop by and stock up on all your cast iron needs.

My parents' house burned down around Thanksgiving and they asked me for pot & pan recommendations as they rebuild. Here's a list I sent them of things that ought to last forever but won't break the bank (no Mauviel, Staub, All-Clad, Le Creuset, etc). #1 on the list is a 12" Lodge skillet, just like the one we have. :)

• 12" cast iron skillet, along these lines: http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-12-Inch/dp/B00006JSUB/
  
• 8-12qt stock pot. Here's a reasonably priced 10qt model: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-76610-26G-Classic-10-Quart-Stockpot/dp/B007HN67KU
  
• 2.5qt sauce pan (optional)
  
• 3.5qt chef's pan (not optional), similar to this (the rounded bottom/edges is critical): http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinox-Elite-Quart-Covered-Chefs/dp/B001BKKB3Y
  
• Stainless roasting pan (root vegetables, turkey, etc): http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP117-16BR-MultiClad-Stainless-Rectangular/dp/B0041Q409G
  
• 5-7qt enameled cast iron dutch oven (we use this as our primary soup pot. We only use our stock pot for pasta or when we're making soup for a really large crowd): http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Island-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK
  
• Cuisinart electric kettle (this is SOOOOOOOOO much more efficient than either the microwave or the stovetop -- we never knew what we were missing until we bought it): http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter-Stainless/dp/B003KYSLNQ
  
• Measuring cups and spoons: http://www.amazon.com/Kitchenmade-Stainless-Steel-Measuring-Stackable/dp/B00IRQNHTK and http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Steel-Piece-Measuring/dp/B000P0W4MC
  
• Pyrex measuring cups (a 2qt and a 4qt)
  
• Nesting glass mixing bowls: http://www.amazon.com/Luminarc-Stackable-9-Piece-Bowl-Set/dp/B000V6W5ZG
  
• Large stainless steel (lightweight) mixing bowl. I'm not sure exactly how big ours is, but it's probably similar to this. We use it when we make salads for crowds, or any time we don't want to crowd whatever we're preparing. http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Group-Mixing-Bowl-13-Quart/dp/B001E0HQSO
  
• Colander (pasta, veggies): http://www.amazon.com/Bellemain-Micro-perforated-Stainless-5-quart-Colander/dp/B00O97D0DO
  
• Strainer (berries, rinsing beans):http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-8-Inch-Double-Strainer/dp/B00004OCLX

Long weekend on the coast was muddy and wet but also a lot of fun. Hiked a bunch, ate a bunch.

In other news all my bread making supplies will be here tomorrow. Picked up a Lodge Enameled Dutch Oven since it would be the most flexible if I don't stick with baking. Hopefully I'll have results to show off on Sunday or Monday.

3 pans I use the most:
Iron Skillet. It's good for manly items like steaks. Also a grill pan now that I think of it. Skillet with a cover, I use this the most. When a recipe says you need to cover your skillet and simmer, this is the guy for you. Dutch Oven, this pan is my favorite. It's really good for a lot of recipes. This one would probably be the last on the list, because I would consider it advanced, because you use it to braise meat, but you could use a crock pot and it would be much easier.

Note: I just picked links for pictures, I'm not recommending these specifically

Yes! You just want to be careful it doesn't have the feet on the bottom, that you can use it like a regular baking dish. Something like this would work great.

Utopia Kitchen Pre Seasoned Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Dual Handle and Cover Casserole Dish, 5 Quart

At $26 you can buy two whole barely exceeding your budget and bake two loaves at once. I've been very pleased with my cheap Utopia Kitchen dutch oven. I bought a 7 qt. size and wish I had gone with the 5 qt. size so I could get two in my oven at once.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X6ZBE42/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fOXQAb5KGPWC6

Thanks. You and others have really given me a reality check. Much appreciated. I'd be very grateful for your thoughts on these:

What about this combination?

Skillet - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000LEXR0K?keywords=lodge%20cast%20iron%20combo&qid=1458281902&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

Smaller frying pan - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Circulon-80675-Infinite-Anodised-Skillet/dp/B000GQOW8Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1458282021&sr=8-3&keywords=circulon+frying+pan

Smaller saucepan - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brabantia-Titanium-Casserole-Glass-Lid/dp/B00QFMVF1U/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1458282106&sr=8-19&keywords=anodised+sauce+pan

This is the one I have. http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DOL3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Handles/dp/B00063RWYI

I bake of loaf that is 775g of four, and 70%. It goes just up to the edge but doesn't touch them. It's perfect for that size or smaller. It is a pretty big loaf.

this is better than any store brand, pretty much the best you can get without spending 2-300 on a creuset

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Color-EC6D43-Enameled-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK

i got mine for 40 but 50 is still a great deal

Get an Instant Pot. It is a good enough slow cooker, but it is an outstanding pressure cooker, and for the big majority of what you do that is better than a slow cooker. (And if you really want to hit that $150 mark, add a cast iron dutch oven)

I ended up getting a lodge (cast iron) enameled dutch oven on amazon pretty inexpensively (It's 43% off right now) - And have been super happy with it.

I'm not sure how the pressure cooker would work, as this recipe calls for a bunch of time in the oven with the lid open a crack.

Let me know how it goes!

"Oven safe up to 400 degrees F"

That tells me there's a coating on it that when it gets too hot, gives off fumes. I would stay away from this one.

My recommendation is something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-91601-02-Hummington-Eco-Friendly-Multi-Size/dp/B00H9U7Y5S/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1452959859&sr=1-2&keywords=green+ceramic+pan

The ceramic pans are AWESOME

That's what I've been doing for many years and it works great once you get the temp regulation down. I prefer one with a wire bail type handle, rather than the two stubby side handles, like this one, because you can pick it up with one hand if need be.

The Amazon Basics ones are awesome, beautiful and sometimes go on sale for $35.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Enameled-Covered-Dutch-6-Quart/dp/B073Q9K2H3

Thank you! Do you use a spray bottle to wet the top?

I was having problems with the the slashing in a 500 degree dutch oven (ow hot!), but my brother pointed me towards a cast iron dutch oven from Lodge that has a flat lid. That means I use the "lid" as the bottom. I dump my bread out onto the lid, slash, and then put the "bottom" over the top and I'm good to go. It's kinda hard to explain - just look at this.
I even found another one that's oblong so I can do baguettes :)
Thanks again! I'm looking forward to baking this weekend!

thanks, those look great. any idea how they perform compared to something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Enameled-Classic-Enamel-Island/dp/B000N501BK

Parchment paper is mostly just useful for moving the dough around once it's out of the banneton (or whatever else you let it rise in after shaping). You can also find pretty cheap dutch ovens online that'll be just as effective, such as this one — there's no need to get a fancy expensive one like Le Creuset.

A dutch oven will change how you cook camping. Look them up on-line, and there are thousands of great recipes. This is a great size for a 4-8 people 12 inch Dutch Oven.

Made the most killer beef stew while camping last week - dutch ovens are a ton of fun.

Also, it's great to make chili and freeze it, then pop that in your cooler to keep other things warm. Works for meat balls as well, just reheat over a camp stove with a jar of sauce (or make your own). Pesto sauce freezes nicely and can go with all sorts of things. Lastly I highly recommend pre-marinating skewers of meat to grill over a camp fire.

If you keep it well seasoned it will be fine. For cleaning I just wash my gently with water and little soap, dry and wipe with canola oil after each use. I haven't ever had a problem.

The pot in the picture is a Lodge Dutch oven. The lid doubles as a skillet, makes a nice piece.

5 qt might be a bit small for a recipe of that size. Any chance you could simply scale it into a smaller loaf?

Also, if you do get a 5 qt, I might recommend this one instead, since the flat lid allows you to place your dough in and then use the pot as the lid and slide it into the oven.

I have a big 6-7 quart lodge dutch oven that has become my go-to for pretty much everything. All cast iron works with induction.

It’s like $60 on Amazon and will last forever if you treat it right.

Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Classic Red Enamel Dutch Oven (Island Spice Red) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N501BK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HVNRCb36A2J04

This is my list:

• kitchen aid mixer ($350)
  
  
• Dutch Oven ($50)
  
  
• good digital scale ($20)
  
  
• good thermometer for the kitchen ($10-20)
  
  
• Mixing Bowl set ($20)
  
  
• Bakers Couche ($15)
  
  
• Banneton ($10) (x2)
  
  
• Commercial Food Storage ($5-10) (x4 because I use these a ton)
  
  
• Bench Scrapper ($5)
  
  
• Measuring Cup (2 cup size)
  
  
• Measuring Spoons
  
  
• Pizza Steel Or Stone ($40-80)
  
  
• Loaf Pan
  
  
  Total = $620 (no tax)
  
  
  add in an awesome workbench table for 300 and you are good to go.

Most are ceramic coated cast iron which retains heat just like the plain cast iron ones. Lodge makes a great ceramic dutch oven at a very reasonable price.

They're just as good for browning and deglazing - if not better as acidic liquids (vinegar, tomato sauce) can be used to deglaze without any concern.

Thats the fun part :)

currently I'm looking into getting a dutch oven / skillet combo to reduce the types of pots/pans.. like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LEXR0K/ref=psdc_289818_t1_B01C4MPTWK

Okay, a couple of things: First, it would probably help if you could get a dutch oven or combo cooker. For example, this one. For bread baking, you use the shallow part as the base, and the deep part as the lid. There's less risk of burning yourself this way.

Second, it wasn't clear from what you wrote already, but make sure that your starter is sill active when you mix it into your dough. This usually means using it within maybe 4 hours of feeding it. Or, if you're letting it ferment overnight, then feed it a smaller quantity so it's still rising in the morning.

Third, you don't actually want it to form a dry skin before baking. Many recipes have the final proof done upside down in a basket, so what will be the top of the loaf does not have much chance to dry out. Generally, you would shape it and immediately transfer it to a basket (banneton) for final proof. Some folks use a bowl lined with floured cloth instead. After the proof is over, transfer it directly to the dutch oven, slash the top if you want, and bake immediately. This means preheating the oven while the dough is still in the fridge.

I feel like pot/pan wise I could live quite comfortably with just my 10 in cast iron skillet and a medium enamel coated cast iron pot (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Le-Creuset-Signature-Enameled-Cast-Iron/dp/B0076NOGPY/ref=sr_1_1?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1404657044&sr=1-1).

The skillet has high sides so can be used for more than just browning/frying.

The pot can also go into the oven and thus can be used for roasts and braises.

Henkels and Wustoff are sort of the OG "great knives" manufacturers. Global is also well thought of. Some people are huge fans of the cheap plastic handles chef knives you can get on amazon.

The thing i would say is that it is 100% worth it to go somewhere that you can hold the knives in your hands before you buy. there are few things worse than buying a $300 set of knives only to find out you hate the handles

as for cookware Jest2 is right you cannot go wrong with all-clad for skillets or saute pans that will see a lot of direct wear. but things like a large enamle dutch oven you can get away with THIS cheaper lodge option. I also feel like you can probably look at less expensive stock pots (or pasta pots) because they just don't wear out.

True cast iron is nice for many things, but for stews etc, that involve deglazing, and or acidity I prefer an Enameled cast iron piece - the lodge one I linked is serviceable and pretty inexpensive. If you want the gold standard, get le cruset but they're very pricey.

1. You'll probably want at least one non stick pan for eggs. Teflon is not harmful provided it's not heated to around 500F. It's used in medical implants and is totally inert in the body.
   
2. Generally it's better to go for quality, but you don't have to go all out. For any of the big premium price names, there's a mid priced brand that's virtually the same product. Stuff on the very low end tends to be trash.
   
3. You should have around a 10" nonstick pan, an oven safe 12" pan you can use at high temperatures, a 4-6 quart pot or dutch oven, and maybe a larger stock pot. Supplant that with some baking sheets and you've got enough to cook for 4-6 people or so.
   
4. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WULC3I https://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Tri-Ply-Stainless-Cookware-Everyday/dp/B003L0WE78 https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Skillet-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-Silicone/dp/B00G2XGC88 https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Enameled-Classic-Enamel-Island/dp/B000N501BK https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B0049C2S32 https://www.amazon.com/Checkered-Chef-Cooling-Stainless-Dishwasher/dp/B06Y5F3NGY https://www.amazon.com/Vollrath-Economy-Mixing-5-Quart-Stainless/dp/B07BB3SPR2 https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-Chefs-Knife-8-Inch/dp/B008M5U1C2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00151WA06 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002HDXVO https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GRFHXVQ
   
5. I'd say follow your interest in recipes more than anything. Motivation is a big deal, and if you think the food is boring you'll be tempted by the drive through.

This is what we mean. :) Dutch Oven
Mine is ceramic coated in purple. Great for stews and baking bread!

Don't use a crock pot. It's not the best tool for the job. I'd definitely suggest a [dutch oven] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073Q8DY3F). They're incredibly versatile. I've done stovetop lasagna, enchilada soup, pulled pork, carnitas, and tons of other things. My slow cooker has sat unused since getting my dutch oven.

Here's Chef John's carnitas recipe. This is where I started, but this will get you tender pork. Use spices that sound good to you, and then sauce at the end.

They are awesome! Amazon has good prices on them

I keep recommending this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LEXR0K

I have a different 5 qt Lodge that is a good size for the loaf you're looking to bake. I like this one more because you can bake the loaf in the lid.

Easy recipes huh?

Well, I am from Louisiana, born in NOLA, love to cook.

Jambalaya:

Celery (stalk)

Onions (2)

3lbs of smoked sausage (Conecuh or sim)

Chicken soup base, chicken stock or water

Long grain rice

Olive oil (any oil. Or shortening or butter or margarine)

Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne)

Prep:

You need a generous pot (I use a 6qt) with a thick bottom (avoids burning) here is mine.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-6-Quart-Island/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527677444&sr=8-3&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven+6+qt

Chop your celery and onions up (smallish, but not tiny) I leave the leaves on the celery, prefer to have it for a little garnish value when using in rice dishes. So I just chop right off the whole stalk and add leaves and all. You want to put equal amounts of celery and onion, about half a stalk of celery. I chop onions in two halves then dice face down each at 90 degrees.

Slice your smoked sausage to no larger than 1/2” - (bite size)

Combine in pot with just enough olive oil to keep it from sticking, high heat initially then turning down as the sausage begins to cook, cook medium, covered, stirring often, until onions are changing to translucent and celery is softer and sausage is leaking.

Measure out two cups cups of rice and add to mixture, measure out twice as much water as rice and add. (Any seasoning you add to water will flavor the rice, so I tend to substitute chicken soup base or chicken stock for my water to give the rice some flavor)

Stir until well mixed, add seasonings. (Dash salt, dash pepper, half dash cayenne or Cajun seasoning (Tony chachere’s w/e).

Bring to a full boil, cover, then turn off, and ignore for twenty minutes.

This makes enough for dinner plus guests and leftovers.

You want to make sure that you get the sausage and veggies sautéed well, because the cooking stops when you add the water. What you have then will be what you get when the rice is done. The rice will cook, but be prepared for a mushy rice the first few times. When you bring the mixture up to a boil, the longer you cook it, the gummier and mushier the rice will be. This isn’t a problem for most folks, but if it bothers you then keep in mind that after adding water, bring up to boil quickly and as soon as it does, cover, turn off, and let the magic happen.

Edit spelling

This is a good list. I would add a few things to it. A cast iron pan, which can be found at goodwill for super cheap or For $25 from Amazon, and an enameled dutch oven . Which you can use in the oven or on the stovetop.

This is really the best answer. I'm sure you could find an electric one, but it would never last a lifetime. A cast iron skillet, properly cared for, will last several lifetimes. Here is the one I have, but you could find one cheaper.

Unfortunately, non-stick, by its very nature, is not long lasting. There are some things that you can do to extend the life of the pan, however.

The first is to only use wood utensils in the pan (even silicon and rubber can leave behind trace amounts that can reduce the life of the pan). Second, never heat the pan up past medium and don't leave the pan on the burner without food for more than 5 minutes while you're pre-heating the pan. And also, try to introduce oil/fat into the pan and coat the pan with a thin layer before anything else.

As far as recommendations are concerned, I recently picked up this:

Gibson Home 91601.02 Hummington 2-Piece Ceramic Non-Stick Fry Pan Set, Green

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H9U7Y5S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They probably won't last more than a couple of years, but at $16 for both, I think $8 a year is a good deal. I've had them since Christmas and they still work like the day I got them.

if anyone is looking for a full size - i LOVE this one i got on amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00019H602/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d

I'd consider the 5 quart Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven and a skillet. I have the dutch oven but haven't bought the skillet yet. Reviews suggest that the lid from the 5 qt dutch oven fit the 10.25 inch skillet

I haven't had any issues with sticking but I've always used a circle of parchment paper underneath the bread.

This is the one I bought -- working great so far!

Everyone on this sub is a lodge fanatic, I chipped my lodge 1st day.

Bought a Tramontina for $30 around black Friday and been happy with it. Looks like amazon has one for around $48 shipped . Lifetime warranty.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0153NNMB2/ref=psdcmw_289818_t2_B006GC1XDY

I'll throw in a vote for Lodge as well. I have two of 4 qt round that I find work perfectly for baking bread. I also have an 8 qt Le Creuset I picked up at an estate sale. It's awesome, but I don't think I'd ever pay full price.

C'mon OP...

• Bialetti Moka pot
  
  
• Lido 2 hand grinder
  
  
• Lodge cast iron skillets one large one small
  
  
• Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven
  
  
• All clad copper core sauce pan
  
  
• Miele washing machine
  
  
• Miele C2 vacuum cleaner
  
  
• Vitamix 5200
  
  
• Duralex glasses - tumblers??
  
  
• Zojirushi NS-LLH05 rice cooker - only 1 left!
  
  
• Cuisinart Perfectemp Kettle
  
  
• OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale
  
  
• OXO Good Grips Cutting board
  
  
• Corelle winter frost dinnerware set
  
  
• Light my fire titanium fork-spoon-knife - spork?
  
  
• Darn Tough socks
  
  
• Exofficio briefs
  
  
• Felco 2 Secateurs
  
  
• Wahl Peanut beard trimmer
  
  
• Dualit Toaster
  
  
• P38 can opener??
  
  
• Zwilling J.A. Henckels knife set
  

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Double-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1497469709&sr=8-5&keywords=lodge+cast+iron+dutch+oven

That's the one I use. When I bake my bread I actually use it upside down, so I put the dough in the lid. It makes it a lot easier to insert and remove the bread without burning the shit out of your hands.

Buy the Lodge 5 qt double Dutch Oven, it's designed to be used for baking like that.


But also buy a Lodge enameled dutch oven, for stews and roasts and the like.

For cooking issues in a real crisis, I made one of these burns very little wood, small sticks/twigs/woodchips. I made mine out of an old computer case, but any sturdy sheet metal will do. I also have a trangia which runs on alcohol. And a dutch oven which can be used over a campfire or buried with coals. For home heat, I have built a rocket mass heater before, they work great and stay warm long after the fire is out, but I rent now, so I have a small woodstove I can quickly hook up to the chimney if need be. Not that you asked about any of that =]

Yes, the no knead bread recipes calls for the bread to be covered for the first half hour of baking. Baking in a pot or dutch oven this way mimics a commercial steam oven. The higher humidity inside the pot is what allows this bread to bake so nicely in your home oven. I imagine that the bread would be quite dry if you didn't bake it in a pot. Here is an excellent, inexpensive dutch oven that would be perfect for the no-knead recipe. If you are seriously interested in this also have a look at this article and this recipe. And this Book is fantastic, but not necessary to get started.

I got my standard Lodge 10" skillet for $14 at Walmart.

Amazon sells a reasonable Le Creuset alternative for b/w $38-50 depending on whether it's on sale or not (instead of ~$300) and IMO looks nicer and is a little bigger. https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Enameled-Cast-Iron-Dutch/dp/B073Q9K2H3

Edit: The reason I know the price variation for the dutch oven is that it's been stolen once so I had to replace it and I've bough 4 others for friends and family that have liked mine.

I don't really like stainless steel but Costco's cheap teflon and ceramic pans would be a good deal at double the price.

French dutch ovens can be expensive, but if you settle for a Lodge dutch oven, it'll be a fraction of the cost. I personally own one and I picked it up for about $60. Works great.
https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Enameled-Classic-Enamel-Island/dp/B000N501BK

If you are going to get a dutchie - I'd go with enameled. You are limited in what you can do with a naked cast iron DO. No acids = no braising.

The 10.5 inch round griddle is another go to - I use it for tortillas, pancakes, crepes, warming my homemade English muffins. The occasional egg (they work well for making omelets too).

The Green enameled 6 qt Lodge dutch oven is super cheap right now. Just sent one as a wedding gift, 38 bucks. The other ones are 50-60 bucks.

Finally, I love my side dish master I use this for small sides (think 2 or 3 people). I also use it EVERY time I use my grill. It can be used for oven to table dishes too (think single serving enchiladas). And it's the new heat enhanced material - so it doesn't rust. They say you can put it in the dishwasher - but I don't have one.

This is what I have. link. I think that it works pretty well with putting some coal over the top of it. At least I have not had any problems with it.

Why buy just one dutch oven when you can have a complete cast iron set for under $30?

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B06W2JMRF6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_joe0AbKQ98G2H

Love my Lodge combo set and use it often. (The only challenge is finding good excuses to buy more pieces, when I have no more need!) The dutch oven makes wooonderful bread. 😋❤️🍳

I used amazon and purchased his recommendations.

Proofing Basket
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K020L9S/ref=sxr_pa_click_within_right_garden_sr_pg1_4?psc=1

3 Quart Dutch Oven.
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Island-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1456853737&sr=8-3&keywords=dutch+oven

Both work great!

Kind of an FYI for /r/breadit and OP.

I bake my bread in a dutch oven, but my fathers' been looking for one, also for bread.

Just bought a Lodge 4 qt. dutch oven for my father last night after watching the price change 3 times over the last week. From $57 down to now $32. This is as cheap as you're ever going to find it if you want to get one.

Is a hand blender really essential? I would add these things:

non-stick skillet

enameled dutch oven

normal kitchen tools

stockpot with steamer insert - many other options for this kind of thing too

And then probably a couple of normal saucepots.


If you want to roast poultry it's nice to have a roasting pan, too.

Lodge is considered one of the best cast iron cookware companies. You can buy a 5qt for under $40. For a couple more dollars you can get a double dutch oven which includes a skillet lid so it's actually a dutch oven and a skillet. I got it for Christmas last year and use it more than anything, highly recommended for under $50.

When you are in the market for a new dutch oven and don't have a ton of money to spend, get a Lodge.

I have one and it's super. It is pretty comparable to a Le Creuset at a fraction of the price. I have made many a braised dish in it and scraped the heck out of it and no chipping yet!

What's your chicken recipe? I got this pretty baby about a year ago and have been making slow-cooked chicken to feed my family:

• One onion
  
• A half-dozen cloves of garlic
  
• Carrot or celery if it's around
  
• Family pack of chicken breast
  
• Family pack of chicken thighs
  
• 1qt. chicken or turkey stock to cover
  
• Spices
  
  Quarter the onion & roughly chop the other aromatics. Layer them in the bottom of the pot. Alternate laying a breast & a thigh into the pot, and every time you complete a layer, shake adobo, salt, black pepper, & other spices to taste. Continue layering chicken and spices, remembering to alternate breasts & thighs. Cover with stock, put on the lid, and cook for 8 hours at 215F.
  
  When it comes out, it's pull-apart tender and the connective tissues have rendered. I can drain off the stock, re-boil it briefly to sanitize, and re-use it. This week's batch used turkey stock left over from Thanksgiving.
  
  I generally get 3-5lbs. of cooked chicken (16-20 servings) for <$10.00 worth of meat & vegetables. Takes sauces, dressings, and spices easily; goes in salads, tacos, wraps, sandwiches, etc.

I use this Dutch oven: Lodge L8DOL3 Pre-Seasoned Dutch Oven with Dual Handles, 5-Quart by Lodge http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00063RWYI/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Hw1ntb0XX86N9

As for the parchment paper, it has a certain temperature that it can go before it starts to burn/blacken. I've gone up to 450 degrees with no problem.

Parchment paper is great because it helps me transfer my bread into the Dutch oven without damaging or ruining the air bubbles in the bread.

As far as I'm concerned, the paper does not alter the taste of the bread!

lodge 12 inch, 8 qt .

The little recipe book said use about twice as many coals on the lid as on the bottom. But I was using an open fire, and found that I hardly needed any coals on the bottom at all, due to the heat built up on the bed of the fire pit, but I needed as many coals on top as I could possibly fit. It was kind of like a blazing hot shitty game of jenga to deal with, but biscuits turned out awesome!

Woot is a legit company. They're owned by Amazon. It's about the same price on Amazon if you count Woot's $5 shipping and have Amazon prime. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012N7G60/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lUT-yb2Z3SFMG

The expensive brands in that same price range:

All-Clad, Le Crueset, Henckel, and Mauviel.

This five piece set is worth it's weight in... well, copper. Cuz copper is super expensive.

At a much more reasonable price range you've got Cuisinart, Calphalon, Lodge, Victorinox and a few others.

-------

Here's a list of things they could get (an entire kitchen revamp) for under $1000:

A $300 knife set with 4 steak knives (note: the 7 piece classic set is available from Costco online for only $80 if you have a membershit, same blades, no fancy handles. The steak knives can be got for $10-15 each, so the entire set is like $130 if you don't want rosewood)

Anova sous vide cooker for $110. Toys are fun.

Lodge enameled dutch oven for $60

Mauviel carbon steel pan for $40 (needs to be seasoned), or a pre-seasoned Lodge for $20

Lodge cast iron for $10-20 (depending on 8 inch or 10 inch).

Scrapers (super important!) and maybe silicon handles for $10

and the most important thing they'd want, is the Calphalon tri-ply set for $225 (which I think is also cheaper over at Amazon).

An Instapot (combined pressure cooker + slowcooker + ricecooker, this thing is like a slowcooker on crack). You can also opt for just a regular $30 slowcooker, too.

If they don't care about fancy looking handles, the Fibrox handles actually have a great grip, and Victorinox knives are sharp as shit.

Other things:

OXO good grips tools/spatulas/measures/everything for about $100 depending on what they want.

The Costco membership would probably be worth it just so you can buy the Victorinox knives (and I think also the Calphalon pans?)

---------

Total price: ~$1000 if going with the rosewood handles (I personally didn't bother), and instapot (I would highly recommend the instapot, though!)

If going with regular handles and instapot, $850 <--- my choice

If going with regular handles, instapot, but no sous vide, $750 <--- probably most economical choice

If going with regular handles and regular slowcooker, and no sous vide ~$650

Just regular Victorinox Fibrox knives, and Calphalon Tri-Ply set and one cast iron skillet: ~$400

Lodge makes some inexpensive ones that aren't as good as but at least comparable to Le Creuset from what I've seen

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Island-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1409173482&sr=8-7&keywords=lodge

Also, something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-3-Quart/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1409173593&sr=8-6&keywords=lodge

or this would work too with regards to the bread and you could use the Le Creuset for braises:
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DOL3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Handles/dp/B00063RWYI/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1409173593&sr=8-12&keywords=lodge

However, non-enamled cast iron comes with some caveats of what you should cook in it without a solid seasoning built up and extra care to avoid rust.

Right. It’s the lodge 4 qt.

[Amazon Link](Lodge Pro-Logic 4 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Pre-Seasoned Pot with Self-Basting Lid and Easy Grip Handles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001DJVGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i14PBbD6Y510S)

ok i will offer you two BIFL versions. the first one being BIFL on a budget and the second being a much higher dollar BIFL cost.

quality on a budget- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CF8YO/ref=cm_ciu_pl_B0000CF8YO_mo1ZWCPZP5I7S3B

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Color-EC6D43-Enameled-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857337&sr=1-1&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-4-Inch-Fibrox-Straight-Paring/dp/B008M5U1UE/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857377&sr=1-1&keywords=victorinox+paring

http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Wooden-Spoon-3-Piece/dp/B008H2JLP8/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857407&sr=1-2&keywords=wooden+spoon

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-12-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUB/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857459&sr=1-1&keywords=lodge+cast+iron

higher dollar items include-

http://www.amazon.com/Global-G-2-inch-Chefs-Knife/dp/B00005OL44/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857561&sr=1-1&keywords=global+knives

http://www.amazon.com/Shun-Premier-Chefs-Knife-8-Inch/dp/B003B66YKA/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857613&sr=1-2&keywords=shun+knives

http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Classic-2-Inch-Paring-Knife/dp/B00005MEGH/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857640&sr=1-3&keywords=paring+knife

http://www.amazon.com/Le-Creuset-Signature-Enameled-Cast-Iron/dp/B0076NOGPY/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857680&sr=1-2&keywords=le+creuset+dutch+oven

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-12-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUB/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1371857717&sr=1-1&keywords=lodge+cast+iron


I own the cheaper BIFL items i listed and they have been AMAZING so far. you really cant beat the quality/ price ratio for the cheaper things i listed. if you want a better chef knife all the options i gave you would be excellent but just know that you could go crazy looking at all the different brands.

I use one of these and I've been pretty happy with it. Not quite Le Creuset, but works just fine.

The question is what can you not do with a dutch oven especially the double dutch oven with skillet lid? This is what I have and love using it for anything you can use normal stock pot for, skillet, ect.

https://smile.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Double-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K/ref=sr_1_10?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1526430290&sr=1-10&keywords=dutch+oven

Audiophile stuff tend to be very $$$ and its the sort of the stuff they like to buy on their own to buy the very best for the price, I wouldn't suggest you buy that.

>-very into biking

calling /u/thirty-five-

>likes cooking - esp breakfast, italian and east asian food.

Same as audiophile, people tend to buy their own shit. I dont like having excessive kitchen gadgets cluttering my space. BUT fancy ingredients are always welcome. Saffron, truffles, high-end olive oil, hazelnut oil, Limoncello, Prosecco...

Edit : I saw that your budget is 200$ dang,

• does he have an enameled cast iron pot? If not, get him a le creuset dutch oven. This is 300 CAN$ so I imagine its possible to find it for 200ish american somewhere.
  
  
• does he have a kitchen mixer? If not this is a very good one : kitchen aid artisan 5 quarts I cannot see the price right now for some reason so I dont really the price range. As I recall they were around 270$ US but maybe theyre discounted right now. I dont know; I cant see the price.
  
  
• Does he have crappy pepper&salt mills? Peugeot makes the best this is 80$ so you can add other stuff too
  
  
• Mortar and pestle are all the same but the material so you can get him a pretty granite one. Just choose an appropriate size. This is not a gadget. This is a base kitchen tool that he will use. I thought it was hipster shit but its very very useful. (if he doesnt already have one)

Just get one. It's totally worth it. If you cook soups, stews or braise meats you can use them for that too. Multipurpose, baby! I use mine all the time. I got mine for bread but have since moved on to baguettes so I use it more for the stuff mentioned above.

I recommend [this one](Lodge EC6D43 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6-Quart, Island Spice Red https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N501BK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3Q4oybQAKHVA5)but you might be able to find it cheaper other places. I think I got mine for $59 a few years ago.

This is what I'm getting. The advantage of a combo cooker is that you can use that skillet side as the base where you place the dough. This makes it much easier to load, especially if you are going to want to move on to scored loafs.

Also, Lodge makes enameled cast iron as well. It's good stuff too.

http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2011/06/06/dutch-oven-battle-lodge-vs-le-creuset/

4 Quart non-enameled

4 Quart Enameled

I know they're not terribly high-end, but I like Lodge.

This isn't a crock pot but I find this works better than all the crock pots I've had in the past and it's much more multi-purpose... minus a warm setting. Reasonably priced and on par with top end Le Cruset. My suggestion is the Lodge Dutch Oven

You sure you want it? If you can pay cash then I'd sell it for 220, I was just going to post it on amazon and ebay used for 240 with shipping to undercut amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0076NOGPY/ref=olp_f_used?ie=UTF8&f_used=true&f_usedAcceptable=true&f_usedGood=true&f_usedLikeNew=true&f_usedVeryGood=true

If there's an extra $30 in your budget, I just got this one

I haven't used it yet, but I hope to use it for baking and/while camping.

I use this guy. The Lodge double dutch. Bonus, you can use the lid to make rolls!

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Double-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K

I'd go with a cast iron skillet, cast iron dutch oven (this one's lid doubles as a pan so it's sort of a 2 for 1 deal), or a decent knife.

The cast iron stuff should be at walmart for the same-ish price if you don't want to deal with shipping.

If properly cared for, any of those things should last a long time. The cast iron could potentially last for generations.

If you're into it, dutch oven cooking over a campfire or using charcoal is relaxing and you can cook everything from breakfast through dessert in there. I have an 8qt deep dutch oven from Lodge and it's a nice way to cook a group meal on a lazy day in camp.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L12DCO3-Deep-Dutch-8-Quart/dp/B00008GKDW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406222714&sr=8-1&keywords=lodge+8qt+deep+dutch+oven

Amazon is a great place for cookware.

Off the top of my head I would suggest (in order from most necessary to least necessary):

• http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-8-Inch-47520-5-2063-20/dp/B000638D32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427651819&sr=8-1&keywords=victorinox+knife
  
• http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Thermo-Spot-Indicator-Dishwasher/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427651834&sr=8-3&keywords=saute+pan
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B000G0KJG4/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1427651900&sr=1-1&keywords=baking+sheet
  
• http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Specialty-Nonstick-Dishwasher-Cookware/dp/B000EM9PTQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427651834&sr=8-2&keywords=saute+pan
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Island-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427651859&sr=8-1&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven
  
  I can speak for the knife, baking sheets, and lodge that these are all things I use often (and in the case of the sheets and the dutch oven) and for years (I just got the knife). The dutch oven is expensive, but damn if that's not a great cooking vessel.
  
  If you do get a knife, make sure you get some cutting boards as well!
  http://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-International-PCB-1812-Cutting/dp/B0001UJVTK/ref=sr_1_12?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1427652198&sr=1-12&keywords=cutting+board

Here's a similar device for half the cost. It doesn't have its own timer or heat source, so you have to put it on a stovetop, in an oven, over a campfire, on a grill, or somewhere else that heat is generated; and you do have to remember to open the lid and eat what you cooked at some point (although it turns out humans have a built-in timer for this called "hunger.") And if you want it to build a head of pressure you have to put a couple bricks on the lid.

If you can't see how this is going to be exactly equivalent to the fancy thingie with a cord, heating element, and blue LEDs, you might want to reconsider your plan as in that case it doesn't sound like you're actually planning to slow-cook anything.

If you're serious about doing this and saving money, you can often pick up an old Dutch oven at swap meet, yard sale, Goodwill, thrift shop or craigslist for about $10.

I have a fancy electric slow cooker and an enameled Dutch oven; I far prefer the Dutch oven because it is easier and more convenient to use, and I've occasionally regretted that it's a $300 enamel job and not the $35 cast iron because you can take cast iron camping, make your stew, make dessert on the lid, brush everything off with a wire brush at the end, and not worry about your pretty enamel getting chipped, scratched or stained.

Only if you have no access to any other heat source would I bless the electric thingie.

What is the difference between the one you posted and this one? The lid? Looks like the lid can flip over and be used as a pan?

I use this one. I would advise against enamel coated and also the 7qt. Larger isnt always better. If you have high hydration dough, it could spread the loaf out too wide. the smaller oven will limit how much it can spread.

I use the lid as the base and put the deeper part on top. just makes it easier to score it and get it out without accidentally burning yourself.

This is literally in my amazon wish list

I actually bought one of the Lodge enameled dutch oven and it is THE TITS. I bought it before I met my FH and since I've moved in with the boy even he's converted. My boyfriend and I use it weekly and it is fantastic. It really keeps the heat and cooks things evenly and cleans up really well. This is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Island-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1458631753&sr=1-1&keywords=lodge+enamel+cast+iron

Look on Amazon, Tramontina has a wide range of enamel colors and most of them have stainless steel knobs instead of whatever that is.

I like this one.

For unenameled dutch oven, go Lodge.

Get a double dutch oven like this. You can use it for cooking pretty much anything. In the oven, it can do the same job as a crockpot. You can use the lid as a skillet. I use one for roasting whole chickens every week or two.

I got a lodge. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000LEXR0K/ref=s9_simh_awgw_d0_g79_i2/177-9282087-0962937?aid=aw_gw&apid=1635131742&arc=1201&arid=1V0BKB0ABYTNVHFS5G80&asn=center-6&pf_rd_i=aw_gw&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1635131742&pf_rd_r=1V0BKB0ABYTNVHFS5G80&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_t=1201

I use it all the time and the seasoning is pretty resilient

Thanks! 5 Quarts

> I researched dutch ovens about two years ago and came to the conclusion they weren't worth the money

You certainly know what's best for your own situation, but I can tell you that my enameled dutch oven is a workhorse for me and looks to last for decades (already had mine over 10 years). Again, YMMV, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss them in general.

I have a Lodge dutch oven that works really nicely and is very inexpensive compared to Le Creuset: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N501BK/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00006JSUF&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1MP0B87KHG10R83F04M1

Happy to help! The links below are pulled right from my amazon order history.

I don't have a picture of the pre-proofed dough, unfortunately, but I would say that it filled about half of the proofing basket. The baskets themselves are 9 inches, however.

Kasskonnen KK-010 Round Brotform, 9-Inch, Light Brown https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002O1WD94/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_AiyCyb48RH107


Regarding the Dutch oven, it is a 4 quart Lodge.

Lodge P10D3 Pro-Logic Cast Iron Dutch Oven, Pre-Seasoned, 4-Quart https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001DJVGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9hyCybK8EK52P

Do you really need a set? In the few years that I've been cooking daily I've been entirely happy with:

• A $70 Cusinart high-sided stainless steel pan
  
• A $25 T-Fal 12" Non stick pan
  
• A $15 Lodge cast iron skillet
  
• A $60 Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven
  
• A $40 Cusinart sauce pan
  
• Some $20 random crappy large-ish pot I use for pasta and haven't bothered to replace yet
  
  Those have covered 100% of my cooking needs without me ever feeling like I've compromised in some way.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Double-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1541623210&sr=1-7&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven
Use this, except use it upside down so it is easier to load.

A dutch oven, a campfire, and/or charcoal briquets. You can "stack" dutch ovens on top of each other, with each oven being a size smaller than the one below it. They do make aluminum dutch ovens, intended to be used by horse or mule pack trains. They are quite a bit lighter than cast iron dutch ovens. Other items that go along with dutch oven cooking are a lid lifter and a lid "rest." You can control the temp of the oven by the number of briquets on the lid.

BTW, the type of lid with a lip all the way around, so that one's briquets don't roll off is really de rigueur. You don't want the type with a "rounded" dome lid.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Lifter-Lifting-Carrying-Ovens/dp/B0000TPDJE/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/132-7088107-2513867?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0000TPDJE&pd_rd_r=a15db4a3-c5ec-48ae-a51c-e7e82a6be9e0&pd_rd_w=jZOKH&pd_rd_wg=dy07K&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=K9CA053T5P8AKZW5BS1A&psc=1&refRID=K9CA053T5P8AKZW5BS1A

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-A5-11-Camp-Dutch-Black/dp/B07DR5GTQD/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_3/132-7088107-2513867?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07DR5GTQD&pd_rd_r=218eacb9-5d6c-4dad-91cf-e16da1dbf183&pd_rd_w=FCwCZ&pd_rd_wg=fzNzP&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=SCQYZACAA61WGGX4V72E&psc=1&refRID=SCQYZACAA61WGGX4V72E

https://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Cast-Dutch-Handles-Handle/dp/B00019H602

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L12DCO3-Deep-Dutch-Quart/dp/B00008GKDW/ref=pd_cp_468_3?pd_rd_w=TDeqb&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=8VGGH6PZZKBJ4R0A6D24&pd_rd_r=875f9396-8df3-4c2e-8746-b23d663c901f&pd_rd_wg=E7Hfs&pd_rd_i=B00008GKDW&psc=1&refRID=8VGGH6PZZKBJ4R0A6D24

https://www.amazon.com/Bruntmor-Legged-Pre-Seasoned-Camping-Flange/dp/B01MSDAZ16/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_468_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Z9HYH8Z0DMHWE7J87NES

It is a Lodge dutch oven. The one pictured here is the 6 qt, and it is big enough for most things. You can buy them from the Lodge website, but got mine from amazon. I prefer the Lodge enamel coated ones to the Le Cruset ones, an they are a fraction of the price.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N501BK/ref=ox_ya_os_product

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N501BK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_xqMUBbW7TSQEQ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00063RWYI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_hrMUBb7XNG2YA


Comparatively cheap and good quality. I use the first.

Dutch ovens are the bomb.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8DD3-Double-Dutch-5-Quart/dp/B000LEXR0K

This one has a lid that's also a skillet. It's pretty cheap too and will last long after you're dead.