• Good quality non stick pans; duo set lids optional but recommend at least one. example or something similar quality.
  
  
• Take care of your pans!!! Actually read the care instructions. Do not let other's cook in your pans unattended. The smallest scratch just grows and everything flakes off and you're not supposed to consume teflon. There are alternatives cookware types though. I enjoy cooking as a past time and having nice cast iron around is fun but I haven't fallen into the habit of using it full time.
  
  
• Variety of non-stick pan friendly cooking utensils. You want these to be strong. You also may want something thin to flip delicate items. Don't buy them if you cannot test their strength in the store. Including a whisk. Just everything should be non-stick friendly.
  
  
• A few wooden spoons also strong. A few silicone spatulas for baking/stirring batter. These are a godsend for scraping anything sticky or oily out of a non-stick pot or glass bowl.
  
  
• Silicone tipped tongs. SILICONE TIPPED TONGS
  
  
• PARCHMENT PAPER!!! Get the giant two pack from Costco. I put this under anything that needs baked. I even line entire casserole dishes. Parchment Paper is made of SILICONE ALL HAIL TO SILICONE. Make cleanup a breeze. But do not cook higher than ~425-F for that long. It does burn under a broil.
  
  
• non-stick two quart pot with tight fitting lid. All of your non-stick utensils will come in real handy. Also non stick large stock pot type pot with lid.
  
  
• I personally haven't looked into plastic materials but in the long term if I ever put money into pantry & fridge food storage I would like to go with commercial kitchen type containers. But as it is right now we get these pretty cool reusable quart sized takeout container from the local Thai place so that's our primary tupperware.
  
  
• Rice cooker to free up your stove burners and cookware. They'll no longer be used for regular rice. I guess if you don't eat rice much it may not be an issue.
  
  
• We do have a couple metal pots that we use our vegetable steamer in.
  
  
• If you get a food processor do not get anything smaller than 14 cup capacity. I repeat, nothing smaller than 14 cup capacity. Even then that might be small for you. I have the 14 cup one and it seems you might like to scale things up a bit more than I. But think of the possibilities. I love a slew of roughage in my chili and bunch of diced small carrots is great texture. That's what I love the food processor for.
  
  
• kitchen speakers :) Something to listen to while you work.
  
  
• Love your knives correctly. sharpen them once or twice per year and follow good care instructions.
  

TL;DR: pear butter recipe and canning instructions, and equipment list.

Make pear sauce. Basically cut the pears up, have a pan going to heat them up until they're soft and use an immersion blender or blender or food processor to pulverize it. You can use most of the pear, cut out the rotten stuff, and anything else that's nasty.

Fill your crockpot up with water, measure how much it takes to fill it up. Now, take a 1 cup measuring cup and measure with a ruler what the water level is after removing each cup. That's the technical way to do it, it can take a while to do it. Why you're doing this is because you're cooking your butter down to half it's volume. So if you start out with 14 cups of pear sauce, you'll want to end up with 7 cups of pear butter. If you know what the different levels are, it makes it a lot easier. Crock-Pot walls aren't straight, that's why you use the water to measure it.

Stir 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger (I usually double or triple, or more, the cinnamon and ginger) into some sugar (like 1/4 or 1/3 cup), then mix it into the pearsauce. Using the sugar keeps the spices from sticking together in clumps when added to the fruit. Start with the crock on LOW if it will be going overnight, or on HIGH if you are starting in the morning and will be around to stir the sauce. Remember, you DON'T USE THE LID on the crock pot. Depending on your pears, you might need to add more sugar, but usually not. I think this normally is what I put in about 20ish cups of sauce.. I honestly can't remember. I just put "enough" in, and I've never had to much. It's a taste thing, I like stronger cinnamon and ginger flavor.


Pull out enough foil to go completely around the crockpot, plus enough to join the two ends together by folding them over together a few times. The bottom of this collar will be crimped around the rim of the crock so the rest of it sticks up about 10" above the crock, which should give enough protection from splatting that will happen later as the sauce thickens into butter. When the sauce is first cooking, I often put some creases in the collar to make the hole at the top somewhat smaller to keep more heat in, maybe a 5-6" opening. Just open it up when you need to stir & scrape edge, then close it up a bit. The longer the sauce cooks, the more often you will need to scrape the sides & stir. I usually just stir the thickened stuff from around the rim back into the rest, unless it goes too long & smells scorched. If you scorch it, just be careful not to scrape it off into the butter.


The total time will depend on 3 things: the juiciness of your pears, how long you cook on LOW vs HIGH, and how thick you like your pear butter. As a rule of thumb, plan on cooking the sauce down to about half of the starting amount, but check the consistency before that & stop when you like it. You can put a tablespoon full on a saucer and put it in the freezer for a few minutes to chill it, as it thickens up somewhat when cooled.


I usually plan  on 12 to 18 hours total cooking time, with maybe 8 of that on LOW. If you are doing it only in the daytime & have it on HIGH the whole time, it could be faster.         IF you get it cooked down to the right consistency but can't can it immediately, you can take the collar off, stir well, put the LID ON and set on LOW or KEEP WARM till you are ready.


Water bath canning is the way to go, processing for 10 minutes for either pints or half-pints. Headroom on the jars should be 1/2".


This is the same recipe I use for Apple butter, sometimes you need to add some more sugar. It depends on what kind of apples you use. Also, the pear butter will get very brown by the end, that's ok.


For the water bath canning. It's super easy. Get a water bath canner. It's basically a big pot with a rack in it. Walmart should have it, Amazon, garage sales, or little hardware stores (like ace, do it best, etc). It should be about $20 if you buy it new.

For fruit butters, pint jars are best, but it's a preference thing. If you want to give them away as gifts, maybe use the 6oz jelly jars. It's up to you. Ball is the gold standard. Again, Walmart, Amazon, the same hardware stores as the canner. They're usually significantly cheaper at garage sales. The jars and rings are reusable, lids are not.

Fill your water-bath with enough water to cover your jars by about an inch. Submerge the empty jars and heat up the water. I like to use hot water to fill the canner, cause it takes a little less time to get it to boil. Once it's boiling set a timer for 10 minutes and keep it boiling. Do the same for your lids, but in a small saucepan.

Once it's boiling, remove your jars and dump out the water that's in them. Put the jars on the counter, I put a towel down, and a wire cooling wrack on top of that. There's a few tools that you can get that help with this. )I'll post Amazon links at the bottom of this.) Fill the jars with the hot pear butter with 1/2" headspace (this means 1/2" from the rim). Minimize air bubbles, you can use a clean spoon to stir the air bubbles out out. Take a damp paper towel and wipe any butter off the rim Place a sterilized lid on each jar, put a ring on, hand tight. Place filled jars back into water bath.

Bring water back back up to boil and let boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner and place back onto the cooling wrack. Once they're cool, check to make sure they're all sealed by seeing if the lids pop. This is the button, like on pickle jars, when they're unsealed it sounds like a clicker, when they're sealed, they're pulled down. They may seal right when you take them out of the canner, you'll hear them pop, some may take a few minutes though. If they're sealed, you can take the rings off, and they are shelf stable (we've had stuff still good over a year later). If any aren't sealed, just put them in the fridge once cooled off and eat it first.


It's not that hard to do, I'm just trying to be detailed.


Now for the promised links.

Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving, 37Th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OEJZSNW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_905HDbGDP5GWY

This is basically a canning Bible, it's a good resource if you're wanting to learn more about canning. Lots of recipes. It's important to get your recipes from official sources, usually you don't want to get recipes from random strangers off the internet until you know what is normal. You don't want to put yourself into a situation where you process something in an unsafe manner. I can tell you that the Apple/pear butter recipe I gave you is safe, and can be compared to other official ones if you want to independently verify it.


Tools:
Granite Ware Enamel-on-Steel Canning Kit, 9-Piece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KHN602/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_945HDb278TD1T

Ball 40801 Golden Harvest Mason Regular Mouth 8oz Jelly Jar 12PK 'Vintage Fruit Design', RM 8 Oz, Clear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YCX4SJ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_I55HDbM3YGXNN

Norpro Canning Essentials Boxed Set, 6 Piece Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DDVMH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_d65HDbNK2VGJX

Out of the "essentials kit" really the funnel and jar grabber tongs is the only thing that you'll need.



If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me or ask on this post. My wife and I have taught a lot of people how to can a lot of different things, it's a skill we really enjoy passing on.

Also, if you buy jars new, they usually come with rings and lids. If you do this again next year and are buying new lids, just make sure you are paying attention to whether or not your jars are "wide mouth" or "regular mouth" those are the two standard lid sizes.

As an avid veggie-eater, here's a few pointers:

1. Choose fresh veggies, not canned or frozen, if possible. Some veggies are okay frozen, like peas; others, like brussels sprouts and spinach, turn into a slimy mess.
   
2. Proper cooking is key. Vegetables shouldn't disintegrate at the touch of your fork, they should still be intact while you're plating them up. I'd suggest, steaming, roasting, or stir-frying most veggies.
   
   a. Steaming is very simple, just get as steamer basket (something like this, they're available at basically any store with home goods). Cut up some vegetables, put them in the steamer, put the steamer in a pot with just enough water to not quite touch the bottom of the steamer, put the lid on and let them cook. Poke them with a fork after a few minutes, and if the fork goes in with some resistance, it's done. Don't overcook. In my opinion, the best veggies to steam are broccoli, green beans, carrots, asparagus, and spinach.
   
   b. Roasting takes a little more work, but is super delicious. You just need an oven-safe pan (a baking pan, a cookie sheet, something like that) and some oil (I usually use olive oil personally). Good roasting veggies include brussels sprouts, beets, carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, zucchini, and squash. Drizzle cut-up veggies with a bit of oil (don't go overboard or they'll get oily and soggy) and the seasoning of your choice (salt and pepper, seasoning salt, balsamic vinegar, or herbs like thyme, rosemary, and sage, just for starters), bake at 375F until they're done (same fork test as steaming).
   
   c. Stir-frying. Good for leafy greens like spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and cabbage, as well as pea pods, bell peppers, green beans, and most other green veggies. Put a bit of oil in a pan, set to medium or medium-high heat, toss in veggies, stir around until veggies are done, season to taste (tastes good with some sesame oil and soy sauce).
   
   
3. Salads. Listen, people always go on about salads as if they're the healthiest possible thing, but they're only as healthy as you make them. If you can only stand salads drenched in creamy dressing, don't force yourself to eat it because it's "healthy". Also, if you're not used to salad greens, a lot of them might seem really bitter to you (stuff like arugula or kale) and turn you off. If you want to go for salads, I'd suggest some baby spinach and a nice mild lettuce like romaine, topped with whatever other veggies you like raw (radishes, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms...). Throw on some other fun stuff like dried cranberries, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, whatever strikes your fancy. Drizzle with vinaigrette and go to town.
   
   
4. Raw veggies can make good snacks. I'm a big fan of carrots, sweet bell peppers (the red, orange, or yellow ones), snow peas or sugar snap peas, radishes, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. These veggies, especially when bought in season, are delicious and can be much sweeter than you might expect. I'm eating cherry tomatoes out of my garden right now, and they taste like candy they're so sweet. Lots of people also like raw broccoli, cauliflower, green bell peppers, and celery, although those aren't my favs. They might be yours though. If you want, try eating them with a yogurt dip or hummus.
   
   Hope that helps a bit!

I don't have time to make sure it's comprehensive and everything but I can throw some stuff together real quick:


Knives

You really only need 2, a chef's knife and serrated knife. A pairing knife is occasionally useful but rarely necessary. If you really like sharp knives, buy a whetstone and learn to sharpen, cheap knives can get just as sharp as expensive ones.

• https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-Chefs-Knife-8-Inch/dp/B008M5U1C2
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Update-International-KP-05-German-Offset/dp/B0029SMITC/
  
• If you want a pairing knife, just buy an ultra cheap one, it's not something that really needs to be sharp
  
• Here's a cheap and decent whetstone if you want to learn to sharpen knives. Def recommend doing that, there's a million Youtube vids about it, not that hard really https://www.amazon.com/Sharpening-Whetstone-Non-Slip-Sharpener-Waterstone/dp/B074YJRL7T
  
  ​
  
  Pots and Pans
  
  You need four or five things here. I'd say your mainly looking for a large saute pan, a stock pot, and a sauce pan. If you cook eggs you can grab a non-stick saute pan too. Don't use non stick pans for things that don't stick to pans. They wear out fast and they're garbage when they lose their coating. Oh and a sheet pan.
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Finish-Aluminum-Frying-Commercial/dp/B002AGY7OW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=aluminum+saute+pan&qid=1563996953&s=home-garden&sr=1-3
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Standard-12-Quart-Stainless-Stockpot/dp/B01M7RNBZA/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-719-16-Classic-Stainless-Saucepan/dp/B00008CM69/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=sauce+pot&qid=1563997129&s=home-garden&sr=1-3
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Standard-02569-Nonstick-Anodized/dp/B079ZLDG14/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/New-Star-Foodservice-36831-Commercial/dp/B009LA10OA/
  
  ​
  
  Other Shit
  
  
• Possibly the most useful cooking thing ever https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Products-FG1962000000-Silicone/dp/B0000CFO2S
  
• Cheese grater, garlic press, zester all in one https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-40020-Classic-Zester-Grater/dp/B00004S7V8
  
• A wooden spoon, like any wooden spoon
  
• A spoon with holes in it, you probably have one already
  
• A sturdy metal spatula, like this https://www.amazon.com/Winco-TN719-Hamburger-Turner-6-Inch/dp/B001VZAKGM (fucking lol at calling that a "harmburger turner")
  
• Any type of cutting board is fine as it long as it's not glass or marble or something (those are probably the best example of conning rich people with an actively horrible product)
  
• This is better than any colander out there and has other uses too https://www.amazon.com/New-Star-Foodservice-34127-Perforations/dp/B009LLIJCA
  
• Some kitchen scissors, any are fine but these are nice https://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-51-0621-Unlimited-6-25-Inch/dp/B0009XYW9
  
• Any knife steel, a cheap one like this is fine https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Knife-Sharpening-Rod/dp/B07J1TZ4DK/
  
• A ladle and a whisk, you probably already have them
  
• A cheap immersion blender is a great alternative to ridiculously expensive food processors/blenders
  
  ​
  
  This is just suggestions if you don't have the stuff already, I think the real bottom line is that the stuff you already have is likely fine, and being a good cook is about knowledge and technique and putting effort into tasty food for people you care about, not gear.

I'd highly recommend a canning book from a reputable source, for instance the Ball Blue Book or Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving are some very, very good places to start. I'd also recommend starting with water bath canning, and after you're comfortable with the mechanics venturing into pressure canning if you feel like it. Until you are very confident, don't deviate from the recipes at all. No extra ingredients, no halving or doubling recipes (especially jam, pectin's a finicky thing), and no subbing different sized jars. Once you get the hang of it, you can start to fudge a little bit, but at first I'd definitely play it safe and stick straight to the recipe; this is more fussy than regular cooking. Water bath canning is only for high-acid foods, and even tomato sauce recipes for canning require extra lemon juice, so definitely follow your recipe.

As far as equipment, technically all you really need are a pot to hold the jars as they boil, something to pull the hot jars out of the water with, and some kind of rack to keep them off the bottom of the pot (extra canning rings placed along the bottom, a cake rack, whatever works). Nothing else is technically needed, though I tried this method with just the extra rings and with spring-loaded tongs and made quite a mess, then immediately sprung for some toys.

I'd recommend this kit, the polypropolene basket doesn't melt even during long canning sessions and it's small enough to use in an eight or ten quart pot, which a lot of people already have at home. To make sure your pot's big enough, put a jar in the pot and make sure it could be covered with at least an inch or two of water. Taller pots are obviously more helpful than lower, wider ones. The kit comes with three jars, which is okay, and the recipe book it comes with scales down a lot of their most popular recipes so you can just make a few jars to test them out.

I'd also recommend a canning funnel, and a jar lifter. Something to measure headspace is also handy, there's a little plastic doohickey for that (looks like this) but if you don't mind keeping a plastic ruler around, it's not required. A set like this would definitely cover all your bases.

Keep in mind that while the jars and rings are reusable, the lids with the sealing compounds are not. If you feel a canning binge come on, be sure to buy an extra little box of just the lids because you'll be upset if you run out!

Good luck!! I'm still a novice canner myself, and I've only ever done water bath canning, but I've already got taco sauce, jams, jellies, pickles and canned fruit (I love canning pears!) under my belt so I've got at least a little bit of a clue!

1. Cake or birthday related - For keeping my birthday suit clean
   
2. Simon Pegg - You've got red on you
   
3. A book you are eager to read - Anxiously awaiting its release
   
4. Eating Utensils - Emergency rations need no utensils!
   
5. Animal - Jacque Moosteau fits this!
   
6. Purple - Flameless Lavendar candle!
   
7. A game - I have a whole Tabletop list, but Catan will suffice
   
8. A guilty pleasure - Thai tea, yum
   
9. A Tool - Weights are a tool for a healthier me!
   
10. Something from your childhood - Darth vader sheet set... that I want... even though I'm 36.
    
11. An organizational item - Stackable pyrex dishes organize my food mess
    
12. Hobby - Yarn, for my crochet habit
    
13. Nerdy/ Geeky - I have a whole list, but this TARDIS Nyan cat shirt should suffice
    
14. Something Natural - Mmmm Good Earth tea
    
15. Green - Green lame for stripes for my Columbia shorts
    
16. Something you wear - Tap shoes! Again, for Columbia
    
17. Funny - This is funny if you've seen LOST
    
18. Beads, Bees or Beans - It's no longer available, but still on my list - this fabric reminds me of Bees!
    
19. Gardening - Mooquet came from the garden
    
20. Your absolute favorite item on your wish list no matter the price. - This is one small piece to a big Columbia puzzle for me, I can't wait until our October show!!
    
    Happy happy cake day!!!!
    
    I hope that this is what you'll be getting for yourself because mason jars are SUPER useful in tons of ways! :D

What I always suggest is to first decide what you're going to can, how much you will be canning at one time and what size jars you will be canning in.

These are important to know because, as others have said, jellies, jams, fruits, pickles and properly acidified tomatoes can be done in a water bath canner, while vegetables and meats must be pressure canned.

Knowing what size of jars you are going to be using makes a difference in what size of canner(s) you will need. If you're canning for a family, you will likely need to use quart sized jars. But if you are a single person or a couple, you will probably only want to do pint jars.

Too, it's customary that jams or jellies are canned in half-pint jars although it is perfectly acceptable to do them in pints if you will use that much jam in a reasonable amount of time once it's been opened. Large mouth jars (both pints and quarts) and their lids are more more expensive than the regular mouth jars. However, meats and things like whole pickles or pickle spears almost require large-mouth jars.

The jar size also matters because some canners don't work with larger sized jars. Also, very large canners will accept two layers of jars which is great for canning many jars at a time but time and energy wasting to use for small batches.

To get started water-bath canning, the only must haves are:

1. Jars
   
2. Lids and rings
   
3. Stock pot or canner (with lid) at least 3" deeper than your jars
   
4. Jar lifter
   
5. Trivet to keep the jars from touching the bottom of the pot (a layer of extra jar rings works brilliantly for this)
   
   The most affordable places to buy these supplies are going to be somewhere local to you. None are very expensive at all. Some water-bath canners come with a rack inside them, which is both a trivet and a jar lifter itself. New boxes of jars come with lids and rings. The rings (also called bands) are reusable, the lids are not, but anywhere that sells the jars will have more lids. Walmart, Target, K-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, ACE Hardware and places like that will have nearly everything you need for water-bath canning.
   
   As for pressure canning, you will need:
   
   
6. Jars
   
7. Lids and rings
   
8. Jar lifter
   
9. Pressure canner (equipped with lid, gasket, weight, gauge & trivet)
   
   I highly recommend that you read up and shop around before buying a pressure canner. They are somewhat of an investment at between $70 and $400. When you're ready to select a pressure canner, come back and ask and I know everyone around here will help you decide what's right for you. The inexpensive canners are very good but there are also very good reasons to buy a more pricey one and it takes a whole post in itself to discuss them!
   
   Something inexpensive and very nice to have is a little canning set like this no matter which method of canning you do. These tools will be safer to use rather than winging it and will save you infinite amounts of time and frustration. I've seen these same sets at Walmart for something like $8-$10.
   
   I hope this helps!

ooo I like this game.
A small microplane is great.
A good quality paring knife too I love the garnishing set from opinel. Or any opinel paring knife for that matter.
handheld little blowtorch (check amazon, there are some decent ones for under 30$)

as a woman of the cheffy persuasion I always love getting little gourmet ingredients in my stocking too.

Have you ever had "Noble" syrup? https://www.mikuniwildharvest.com/shop/product/noble-tonic-01-tuthilltown-bourbon-barrel-matured-maple-syrup/

the tiny bottles of this product are ridiculously adorable.

I also love getting infused salts.

A tiny pestle and mortar might be cool too! They are around 10$ or so.

Also a little cast iron pan. And then suggest that she bake a chocolate chip cookie in it and that you top it with ice cream and you eat it together. Then you're pretty much a hero.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LMS3-Miniature-Skillet-3-5-inch/dp/B000LXA9YI/ref=sr_1_27?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1449512537&sr=1-27&keywords=cast+iron+pan

plus it's cast iron, so will last forever. like your love. (aww)

I know the feeling. The minutia of every day life is overwhelming sometimes. It can get better though. Not perfect, but definitely better.

​

Regarding food, cooking, etc - first off, there's nothing saying you have to eat 3 meals a day. It's not a rule, it's just kind of how we usually grow up thinking we're "supposed" to eat. But it's totally not necessary. As long as you're getting adequate calories/nutrients it doesn't matter to your body whether you eat 3 meals or just one or what time of day you eat or anything like that. Food is fuel.

​

About the groceries, I totally feel you there. There's too many choices, too much information, it's overload. So the easiest way to deal with that is to eliminate some of the choices and simplify things. Focus your meals on protein and produce. So shop around the edge of the store, get you some meat/protein you like, some sort of produce to go with it, and maybe some fruit or dairy if you're feeling fancy. Buy yourself one of these, put your veggies in the bottom, your meat on top or in the middle, salt, pepper, spices if you like them, and then stick that sucker in the oven for an hour or 2. Super easy, low effort tasty meal. Even better if you make a LARGE batch, and then you have meals for the next two or three days and don't have to cook again until then.

​

Simplifying where ever possible is the key to dealing with this shit.

​

Little routines help as well. For example, the teeth thing, make it a point to always brush your teeth right after you get out of the shower. Morning, afternoon, whenever you take a shower, right then as soon as you get your naked self out of the shower, brush your teeth. After you it a while, the brain will just go on autopilot and you'll find yourself doing it without having to try so hard to remember to do it.

​

Take a look at your environment too. Is it cluttered and full of crap you don't really need? If so, take baby steps to get rid of all that junk. That stuff weighs on you mentally and emotionally. And just fucking looking at it sometimes is exhausting. Like where to even start?! It's paralyzing, exactly like what you're describing. And it makes you feel like shit - like you just keep asking yourself "why is all of this so damn hard?", and then it just goes downhill from there. But it is fixable, in tiny little 5 minute doses. Carve out small spaces for yourself, just a little bit at a time, like one day make sure your bed is cleaned off, and then the next day pick up the clothes off the floor, just one little step, one little five minute window of activity at a time. It's much more doable and less overwhelming when you think to yourself, "Well I only have to pay attention to this for five minutes" than if you're thinking, "Oh god this is going to take hours" because then of course we don't want to get started and nothing gets done.

​

And you can do the same thing with the driving. It doesn't have to be a lot, just little windows of practive here and there. Start by driving around the block. Or just practice reversing down the driveway a few times until it starts to feel more comfortable. Like all the rest of it, it doesn't have to be a huge effort, just little ones that you stick with more or less over time.

​

And forgive yourself when you forget something. It's going to happen. The thing to tell yourself is that just because you fucked up doesn't mean you ARE a fuck up. You're just an imperfect human being like the rest of us, and from time to time you're not going to live up to everything you expect from yourself. That's ok though. That's just being a person.

These days I use a stainless steel steamer basket for most things I make with the Instant Pot.

Something like this

You should be able to get one right now at Walmart. It won't cost more than 5-10 bucks.

Why a steamer basket is better than the free trivet that comes with Instant Pot:

• Sits a bit higher than the free trivet: allows you to catch (or use) more liquid without immersing the food in liquid
  
  • If it's too high for you, you can use a hack saw or file to trim the legs to the height of your liking
    
• Fine mesh: allows steam to pass through just as easily, but smaller food pieces will not fall through
  
  • Also, you will be able to easily steam loose peas, beans, corn, etc.
    
• Conforms to the pot interior better: food pieces will not fall through the gap between the pot and the basket
  
• Easier to lift out food: the central handle on the steamer basket makes it easier to lift out done food, reducing the chances of spills and messes
  
  Basically, a steamer basket does everything the free trivet does, but better. And it lets you do things you can't do with just the free trivet. It might be one of the best value upgrades / hacks you can do for your Instant Pot.
  
  Edit: Sorry, somehow missed the part where you said you have a steamer. I would avoid using plastic in the IP. Suggest you get an all stainless steel one for IP usage.

Amazon might not be ideal for anything but the airlocks, but here goes:

Airlocks, pack of 3 for $5.39 at the moment.

Lids, probably available for the same or less at your grocery store.

As for grommets, the hardware store is your best bet. They're classed by their internal and external diameters. Internal diameter (ID) is what you're going to squeeze the airlock stem into, external (ED) is the size of the hole you've drilled in your lid. The ones I use have an ED of .5 inches. I don't remember the ID, but that's more flexible. Easier to jam a tapered stem into a rubber hole than it is to make the grommet fit into an inflexible hole in a plastic lid.

Just match the ED to whatever drill bit you're using, and you'll be fine. Oh, speaking of, none of this is going to work without a drill. But the cheapest drill you can find will work just fine. I like a spade drill bit for making clean holes in plastic lids, but other types will work just fine. If need be, you can remove burrs left in the hole with a hobby knife or file.

I'm afraid I'm made this all sounds harder than it actually is. It comes down to:

1. Drill hole
   
   
2. Put grommet in hole
   
   
3. Put airlock in grommet
   
   If you attempt this and have any trouble, feel free to PM me. I stumbled a bit with this at first and would be happy to help you DIY it.

1. Not cake, but candy!

3. Something Borrowed

6. Purple

9. Does kitchen tools count? :D

11: Organizational item

12: Hobby

14: I think this is something natural!

15: Green :)

20: My favorite item! I really need it maybe that's why its my favorite haha

Bonus: These?

Happy happy cake day ! Thank you for the contest :)

I also try to minimize leaving the house. I like DIY projects so I made airlocks using plastic mason jar lids.

You can also get the entire mason jar fermenting lids pre-fab ready to go

I got silicone seals to make them airtight.

I drilled 9/16" holes and inserted plastic grommets.

Then I use 3 piece acrylic airlocks. I think that 3piece makes it easier to clean and acrylic is sturdier than plastic but that's just me. They make plastic ones.

I found this to be pretty cost-effective especially since I don't already own any reCAP lids. It was an easy-peasy project. Just be sure to clamp the lids to something otherwise you can't drill proper holes.

I am super happy with them; they work great and I didn't have to leave the house ;)

Edited because I hit "save" prematurely

I love all of my kitchen Gadgets and it is hard to choose just one that is my favorite. I really love my pasta machine. I don't use it every day but I use it a lot to make fresh pasta. I also love my new spiral vegetable cutter. I can now make all sorts of healthy dishes and they look great too!

I have wanted one of these for years especially now since i have to eat all healthy and stuff :)

Let's do it in the kitchen.

From Season 8: A New Way with Turkey

TESTING NOTES


**


WINNER
Rated as RECOMMENDED:

• Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with Rack - $119.95
  
  > This heavy, sturdy pan features good handles and an efficient, gently flared interior shape, making it especially easy to stir and deglaze. It was also the best at browning. Comes with sturdy nonstick U-rack.
  
  Amazon Link
  
  
  
  Three others were also rated as RECOMMENDED:
  
  
• Cuisinart Chef's Classic Roasting Pan - $79.95
  
  > Very good on the stovetop, but testers saw some uneven browning in the pork loin test. Excellent handles, good heft, and an overall solid feel were more than enough to overcome that small demerit. Comes with useful V-rack.
  
  Amazon Link
  
  
• KitchenAid Gourmet Distinctions Roasting Pan with Rack - $49.95
  
  > This pan shined brightest in the potato test, but buckled a bit on the stovetop with both the turkey drippings and the pork loin. It has some of the winning attributes of two pans above, but wasn't quite in their class for heft and performance. Comes with U-rack that has awkward hinged handles.
  
  Amazon Link
  
  
• Granite Ware Oval Roasting Pan - $15.70
  
  > Very fast, even, deep browning on the potatoes, but this pan's thin bottom made it highly temperamental on the stovetop. Also, testers found the raised, patterned bottom to be problematic when deglazing. No rack included.
  
  Amazon Link
  
  **
  
  
  
  RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS:
  
  
• Farberware Classic Accessories Large Roasting Pan - $34.95
  
  **
  
  NOT RECOMMENDED:
  
  
• Metro Roasting/Lasagna Pan
  
• Anolon Accessories Stainless Steel Roasting Pan
  
• Metro Stainless Steel Oval Roasting Pan with Domed Lid
  

Depends on the food item and your infrastructure.

Drying is good for a lot of fruits and for herbs and such.

Cold storage. We have multiple freezers. A stand up 23 cu ft, a 19 cu ft chest plus the regular fridge freezer and the freezer on the back/beer fridge in basement. We have been buying half pigs and half or 1/4 cows for the freezers and we freeze a lot of vegetables. Sweet corn does really well frozen, so do a lot of the squashes and green beans.

Canning. Canning does quite a lot of foods. There are two types, pressure canning and water bath canning. The water bath canning is for high acid, high sugar, low risk foods like jellies and most tomato sauces if prepared correctly. Pickling is also usually water bath. All the low acid, higher risk stuff goes in a pressure canning systems.


Root cellar storage. Cool/cold room storage. If you have access to the right conditions, this is a great way to store lots of stuff like potatoes, carrots, beets, etc.

Some sources to get you started:
The starter book that is indispensable for canners: Ball blue book

The more advanced Ball full book
You can find either one at a book store, online, or at most used book stores.

USDA site has a lot of info. You want tried and tested recipes and methods. Botulism sucks. https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html


Purdue University has a really good set of links and add ons to the USDA guides as well. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/usdacanning/

You can also search the (food item, canning, extension) and there is probably a state agricultural extension that has some guide for it.

NDSU has a good guide for freezing stuff. It will get you started. Each food item will have specifics to getting a good freeze. Some things need blanched and some don't. Some need to be pre-frozen spread out on cookie sheets then dumped in a bag and some don't, etc.


Interesting root cellar idea that can be done fairly cheap. https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/root-cellaring/a-precast-septic-tank-root-cellar-zbcz1503

Root cellar list of what to store and what conditions. https://extension2.missouri.edu/mp562

Best way to get started: get a big ass boiler and a couple of dozens of pint mason jars and a couple of dozens of 1/2 pint mason jars. Start with a couple of batches of different pickles/pickled vegetables. Make a batch or two of jams and jellies. If you get a couple dozen wide mouth jars you can practice a little freezing as well. The idea is to build up your equipment.

For a full canning rig you need all kinds of stuff and if you really get into it usually large stuff. Like the ginormous pressure cooker that holds a goodly number of quarts or two full courses of pint jars in it. something like this guy. But you can start with whatever you have available. If you do the water bath stuff and start to get into it and want to get into pressure canning you should get a larger pressure canner that will do at least 6 quarts at a time. We have a medium one that we can do a limited batch of stuff in, or one round of jars and then a huge one like I linked to. Just slowly build up your equipment as you can and get the best quality you can when you buy stuff. If you try and do the I will buy the cheap one, and see if I like it, it costs you more. Usually the cheap one is crappy and wont do a good job. And you will either decide it is not worth the trouble or will eventually realize the quality one is worth the money and buy it anyway.

Get a good set of tools. You can can without them, but shouldn't. Decent set with the basic pieces.

I also find that a pair of the latex coated gloves are helpful. We have one person pull jars form the hiow water bath (keeping them sterile) and the second person will put the funnel in and spoon the food into the jar. You have to wipe the top of the jar and place a heated lid on it and screw the top onto the jar. The jar will be close to 200F. I will be the jar person and wear the heavy latex coated glove on my left hand to hold the jar stable and to screw the lid on so I don't get burned. Never have seen anyone give the tip before, but it works really well and I have less burnt fingers and fewer spills or dropped jars that way. Something like this.

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

Oh I love this!

1. Cake related
   
   
2. Simon Pegg is in the new Star Trek movies and I happen to have a bunch of star trek stuff on my list!
   
   
3. I'd love to read this book
   
   
4. I have a lot of eating things on my new UK wishlist but I don't have an address there yet I really hope they hurry up in assigning my room already!
   
   
5. Animal!
   
   
6. Purple!
   
   7.A game!
   
   
7. This isn't just a guilty pleasure, it's like..my everything that is good and right with the world
   
   
8. Nail art tools!
   
   
9. I made so many friendship bracelets as a kid and just started doing it again
   
   
10. Does Team Rocket count as an organizational team? ps.. new and used.
    
    
11. My new hobby is sewing but again that's from my UK list and I don't have an address yet. But my long time hobby is knitting
    
    
12. Pretty much everything on my list is nerdy or geeky
    
    14.Jade is natural right?
    
    
13. This has green in it and I'm dying to own it. I can't find it anywhere!
    
    
14. Something to wear
    
    
15. I think this is so funny looking and I love it!
    
    
16. Beads!
    
    19.Gardening and for my mother
    
    
17. I want this watch so much but there's no way I can afford it.
    
    I think you're picking up these!
    
    And happy cake day!!

I would start with reading about safe canning from this site. Make sure since you do not have a pressure canner, you are only doing things that are high acid, like pickles and jams. That site has a ton of info on all that sort of stuff.

You can can with any large pot you can fit your jars in with something under (can be a canning rack, some rings put together, or people have even used a folded towel) just to keep the jars from the bottom to prevent breakage, and 2 inches over the top of the jars with a bit of room for the boiling water. Anything to pick the jars up out of the hot water is very helpful. If you can spend another 10 bucks or so, you can get a kit like this one that has the lifter, lid magnet, and funnel. You can usually find them at places like Ace hardware, wal-mart, Tractor Supply....if not, a butter knife works good to get the bubbles out of jars, and just a good ladle and steady hand works in place of the funnel. You might have to make something work with grill tongs or something to pick the jars out of the water.

I started with Pickles. Salsa is a good one to start with too. Lots of people do jellies and jams and such, but I have never due to not really being able to use sugar due to a diabetic.

Please read up on safety though especially since you do want to gift a lot of these, make sure you do the times properly for your elevation.

It seems daunting at first, but it is so much fun and very addicting.

Corn oil, peanut oil and sesame oil are best for the temperatures needed for really good stir fry. And, as they're listed above is ascending in flavor and cost; corn oil being worst for taste and best for cost, while sesame is best for flavor and worst for cost (somewhat subjective there in terms of which tastes best).

Also, this sums up pretty well how and why to heat a wok properly. Short story: round bottom is better with open flame, flat bottom is better with electric (with open flame being vastly preferable if available).

The best way to get authentic stir fry in your situation is with a round-bottom wok and a wok ring placed over your gas burner cranked to max. Just make sure to get a good wok, nothing with non-stick coating (unless you like eating poison :)

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/

Under $10

Under $20

$$$ I have this guy on my own wishlist! It's good for canning low-acid items like green beans and beets and etc.

As a bonus, here's a fun book: Put 'Em Up. I have it and it's great! Also, you can make things like jam with little sugar by using pectin, or if you aren't into jams and preserves, you can pickle things and can sauces. It's just generally awesome.

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!

I have glass containers similar to the Anchor Hocking, but from a competing brand. I agree, they're very easy to clean and it's nice being able to see what's inside without opening them.

I also use glass wide mouth pint canning jars with plastic lids. They fit in my lunch box better than the containers above.

I got this canning gear kit off Amazon. I think it has the measure thing. I'm thinking that because I used fresh tomatoes that I didn't steam and peel, the filled the can artificially high.

Still learning but I've been getting amazing advice from everyone great, you all are great!! ❤️

Looks like it would be a decent kettle, but as others have said here, having a lid is a benefit that you would miss out on. I really like the idea of this mini, milk pitcher sized kettle for travel though. For me, I need more volume for my pours. I would strongly recommend the Japanese-made FINO Kettle. It's available in 1L or 1.2L sizes and it is extremely well built and the 1L version is pretty compact. And it works on all heating surfaces.

http://www.amazon.com/Fino-Pour-Coffee-Kettle-4-Cup/dp/B000EVPGSQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415680848&sr=8-1&keywords=fino+kettle

This is the kettle that I use. It's an inexpensive ($20) 21.5 quart steel/porcelain canner, and it works great. It's also recommended in How to Brew by John Palmer, which is an excellent resource.

Also just found this active groupon for a brewing equipment kit. I bought this same deal over a month ago, and I'm about to bottle my first batch with it. It's a great deal, and I highly recommend Midwest Homebrewing. The recipe kit that comes with the deal is a quality kit, and the people are very helpful.

If you like fish, I'd recommend this recipe: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/ginger_steamed_fish_with_troys_hana_style_sauce.html.

I recently made it with my SO. It was pretty easy, and we loved it. Instead of bass, we went with cod. You don't need a bamboo steamer. I used a metal steamer that I already had for steaming veggies. You can find one on Amazon. I highly recommend it as a kitchen essential. http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-175-Stainless-Vegetable-Steamer/dp/B001FBCP7O/

1. I got a Canning Pot from my fiance as a super awesome surprise gift =3
   
2. I will be needing a Canning Kit to do it correctly, i've been told.
   
   Thanks for the contest :D

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.

Rice cookers - you've already got great info below.

For Woks - it depends on what you want to put into it, as expensive /can/ mean better - but there are good entry level woks that will do almost everything a 'professional' grade will. Flat bottom Woks are going to be better for electric - but I've had no problem (with the right ring) converting my round bottom to work on electric well. Though you'd have to season it yourself - I'd recommend something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001VQIP4/ref=psdc_289834_t1_B002AQSWMU and either get flat bottom or the ring to go along. IMO - you really want to stay away from Teflon/non-stick on a wok - it takes away the ability to move things up the side to remove them from some heat as you add things into the center (which is part of the good part of a wok). As well - you cant get a sear on teflon - and frying can be a touch harder. The worst part for me was the 3-4 hour process to season the wok the first time - but after that its been a breeze to clean (even when my gf somehow burned stuff in it).

EDIT: Updated the link i put the wrong one in

Fleet Farm if you have one near you has the best prices on jars. If no fleet farm Kmart, Walmart, Target, grocery stores and hardware stores all have jars. The jars will be cheaper at the "Big Box" stores jars come with lids and rings. You can reuse the rings as long as they are not rusty or dented. The lids you can only use once. The first thing I would recommend canning is a jam. You don't need a pressure cooker for jam. Usually use pint size jars are used for jam. I prefer wide mouth jars.
I use quart size jars for everything. They make good drinking glasses and can be used like Tupperware. I own countless jars. I would recommend buying these storage lids for use after you open up canned food for storage in the refrigerator. I also love my cuppow it makes any jar a spill proof drinking glass. Nothing says "classy" like drinking out of a bell jar!

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!

Sure!

This is the popcorn popper I'm using to roast (not pictured)

This is the Sweet Maria's sampler pack (4 lbs of green coffee for roasting). Mine specifically came with these four coffees:

• Java Kopi Sunda
  
  
• Sumatra Toba Batak Peaberry
  
  
• Ethiopia Sidama Deri Kochoha
  
  
• Colombia "Dos Payasos de Tolima"
  
  Now on to the equipment:
  
  
  Bonavita BV3825ST 1-Liter Stovetop Kettle
  
  American Weigh Black Blade Digital Pocket Scale, 1000 by 0.1 G
  
  Taylor Classic Instant-Read Pocket Thermometer
  
  Chemex Coffee Maker 8 Cup Classic
  
  Chemex Coffee Filters - 100 Chemex Bonded Unbleached Filter Squares FSU-100
  
  Hario MSS-1B Mini Mill Slim Coffee Grinder
  
  
  I also have a bodum french press and an aeropress. The scale is big enough to measure coffee, but not big enough to brew on, so keep that in mind if you are thinking about getting one, but it was pretty cheap and I don't mind pre-measuring the coffee and water rather than doing it while i brew. I also have already had some issues with the thermometer head rotating, throwing off the measurement, but it's not really a huge deal because it's easy to rotate it back and I usually just bring water to a boil and then let it drop 10 degrees regardless of what the temp actually says. Overall, loving all my new goodies!

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.

Although my electric kettle sees the most use, I'm a big fan of stovetop kettles for some situations.

I like the gooseneck variety for controlled pouring. puerh_lover linked to the Bonavita kettle which everyone seems to like a lot. I also really like the Japanese-made Fino kettle:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVPGSQ/

Finally, I'd recommend looking into ceramic stovetop kettles as a nice alternative to stainless steel. Joyce Chen has long produced a version of this:
http://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-90-0007-Ceramic-2-Quart/dp/B00IRAOJQG/
Or investigate Lin's Ceramics for really nice (and pricey) ceramic kettles.

1. Cook turkey
   
2. Slice turkey
   
3. Make delicious sandwiches
   
   Post-thanksgiving is my favorite time for lunches because I get to make delicious turkey+cranberry sauce sandwiches using extra rolls :).
   
   If you're stuck at #1, it's really not that hard, and you basically just need a roasting pan, butter + seasonings, a meat thermometer and several hours of patience. I forget the specifics, but basically rub butter + seasonings under the skin and inside the body cavity (optionally put in stuffing to sop up the drippings and help season) and baste (squirt drippings) occasionally (I'm lazy, so I actually just wrap the turkey in foil to prevent leakage). You can also pressure cook it, deep fry it and I'm sure there's a crock pot recipe out there.
   
   As for #2, you can get a fancy meat slicer or just go at it with a good knife. I like the breast on sandwiches and eat the rest of the meat by itself.
   
   This recipe by Alton Brown looks decent and fairly easy. I have my own recipe, but it's nothing special.

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.

Welcome to the coffee world fellow Utahn!
As others have said, either the Aeropress or a pour-over cone would be my recommendation for what to start with. Pick up a gooseneck kettle to use with either.
Get a decent burr grinder. A hand-crank grinder works really well if you are only making one or two cups at a time.

As for the coffee beans themselves, I'm not sure of the selection of roasters in Utah county but next time you are in Salt Lake make sure to go to Publik. If you can't find anything of quality in your hometown, a number of roasters ship coffee or have subscription services (Sweet Bloom out of Denver is really good) or you can check out /r/roasting and roast your own beans.

P.S. You will notice that most people recommend that you brew coffee with 205° F water. Lucky for you, water boils at 204° F at your elevation, so don't worry about a temp-controlled kettle or anything, just boil and brew.

Chuck roast. salt and pepper the roast and put in roasting pan and add beef broth till about half way up the meat. cook at 350 for 1.5-2.5 hours till it starts to pull apart.

that's all that's really needed and it will taste great but if you want to make it even better start by searing the meat in a cast iron pan with a little oil.

you can also throw pretty much anything else in with the roast, onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms. and I like to add Worchester, balsamic vinegar, and hot sauce to the broth.

Here is a rough outline of my process..

I use an oolong tea.

I boil 4 cups of water in a pot to make a concentrated tea solution with 3 tbsp of raw tea and a steep time of 6 minutes.

I pour about a cup of regular sugar into the tea into the pot.

I had moved this mixture into a jar cleaned with a mild soap and boiling water.

The mixture is then diluted with 8 cups of tap water to cool to a temp under 80.

With this batch I used 2cups of a starter liquid from a previous batch which looked healthy and acidic enough to stop any growth. I did keep that batch covered and used it for the others but there is a possible contamination risk at this point for sure.

After the scoby was poured in I immediately covered it with a cotton dish towel from the last batch with the same side down and rubber banded the sides. I imagine there is a chance for something to be transferred at this point as well.

Then I let this one sit for 4 weeks.

This creates nearly a gallon in a 1 gallon glass jar as shown. The type of jar I use is a Home Brew Ohio One Gallon Brew Jar.

Hope this helps.

DO NOT GET A ROUND BOTTOM WOK

I'm telling you this because I have a round bottom wok, a stove similar to yours, and a wok ring, and I don't like it and I want to buy a flat bottom wok, but I'm too cheap and will just keep putting up with the difficulties.

The main reason why it doesn't work well is because the burners simply don't output enough heat. When I try to get some browning by laying everything in an even layer up the sides of the wok, it only browns on the bottom half, and anything on the walls don't brown well at all, it just kind of simmers. You can get things a bit hotter by removing the wok ring and keeping the wok right on top of the steel grates, but then you have an unstable and very hot wok. Not a huge problem if you're careful, but certainly not ideal. Also, the wok ring barely fits over my steel grates, and it looks like it will barely fit over yours. They slide around quite a bit if you like to toss/shake the pan while you stir fry.

So with a flat bottom wok, which I don't have an am only assuming here, you can spread things out further on a surface that is hotter, so you can get better browning. Plus, you will have a much more stable wok to work with.

I like to steam green veggies like broccoli, spinach, asparagus, green beans, etc. Get one of these things, put it in the bottom of a pot, put about 1/2 inch of water in the pot, bring water to boil, add vegetables, cook for ~5-15 minutes depending on veggie type and quantity, toss veggies halfway through, and enjoy.

I will add 1/2 tsp butter and sea salt. It doesn't take much, the vegetables are full of natural flavor. If you're cooking fresh spinach, garlic powder is a good addition.

"can and freeze jars" look like this.

I've done endless batches of chili in them, but don't think it's tempered glass or anything. They do not go from freezer to microwave. It's best to let them thaw out in the fridge the night or two before and move to a lunch container to reheat later that day. I like borosilicate glass food storage containers with the plastic snap lid

Also, because you're not pressure canning, I would buy these plastic lids and reuse them over and over.

(non-payola amazon link because of photo and server uptime, buy them where you want.)

I really like clear 8 oz mason jars for overnight oats. It's the type of thing I like to be able to see through! I bought these lids because they are easier to clean & open than the banded metal version for needed for canning

Ball Regular Mouth Jar Storage Caps Set of 8 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000BYC4B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ddAPyb2WY6CKY

I use these lids on quart jars for sous vide yogurt with great success:
https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Wide-Mouth-Plastic-Storage-8-Count/dp/B000SSN3L2

Just keep them above the water line like this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26442386/Yogurt%20with%20Plastic%20lids.jpg

Hand (finger) tighten regular lids for creme brule and submerge like this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26442386/SVCB.jpg

We have a cheap one from Crate and Barrel but we really want this Joyce Chen wok or this basic wok from Sur La Table. Or this Mauviel wok because I like the shape and Mauviel makes nice pots, but I’ve never used their carbon steel. The Joyce Chen is definitely my number one pick.

For my own recommendation I would say do an extract beer can kit. You'll get about 40 bottles of beer out of it.

Almost everything below you can get at your local homebrew shop. In fact, many of these items might be part of a "beer starter kit" etc. I do recommend getting the 5 gallon carboy instead of a kit with pails. You'll thank me later. pails can get messy.

1. Coopers Brew Can Kit ($15) *comes with yeast you need
   
2. A 5 gallon carboy (I recommend a big mouth plastic one) ($20)
   
3. An Airlock for your carboy ($5)
   
4. A 4 foot blowoff tube to attach to the airlock center column ($5)
   
5. An empty 2L pop bottle to use as the blowoff container. (free)
   
6. 1KG of sugar *and some more for bottling later ($2)
   
7. A Hydrometer to take your Specific Gravity readings and a container for the hydrometer $25
   
8. A 5 Gallon pot $30 (I highly recommend you follow the kit or use 3 gallons of water during the heating/boiling as I have done...dont try to boil 5 gallons in a 5 gallon pot)
   
9. An Auto-Siphon for siphoning the beer. $13
   
10. A Wine Thief for stealing the samples from your beer (which you read with the hydrometer and then drink) without disturbing the beer too much and risking infection. $13
    
    Total $128 by my guestimates, but you do get 2 cases of beer out of it and $113 worth of brew equipment. Hell, in Ontario the two cases of beer can easily be more expensive than $128 lol... Not cheap, but everything here you will use over and over and over again (except of course the sugar and the brew kit)
    
    ---------------------------------
    
    The Coopers Can Kit comes with instructions to make your beer, a hopped extract and yeast.
    
    After you make your beer it'll be a few weeks before the fermentation is done (which you'll know by hydrometer readings)
    
    In that time you can start getting your stuff together for bottling and carbonating them.
    
    You'll also need (for bottling) 48 empty clean bottles (cleaned and then sanitized with star-san solution) NON TWIST OFF TYPE
    A handheld Beer capper
    Bottle caps (box)
    
    
    I gotta run, but this was fun to type out. If you need any help, glad to help ya.

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Here's a beach in Tel Aviv, Israel. I took this picture when I went with some friends for my 16th birthday.

Here's a little tiny skillet (Kitchen wishlist) that would be perfect for making eggs over the campfire in the morning :)

try this:
http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-175-Stainless-Vegetable-Steamer/dp/B001FBCP7O/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1426356535&sr=8-7&keywords=steam+cooking

just put frozen vegs in, eggs on top, ready to go

you can also add potatoes but you to chop those a bit first because otherwise they are not done at the same time

staple meal of mine because its easy to cook and clean (just single pot) and u dont have to watch it plus lots of veggies and protein

edit: does not work w/ frozen fish for some reason, the boiling water spills over (not sure why, has to be the fish obv)

You'll be just fine with 200.

Any starter kit from your local homebrew shop, or from any major site like midwestsupplies.com, northernbrewer.com, or morebeer.com.

The starter kit will be about $80-100 depending on what's all in it. But I'd actually recommend trying to stay to the lower end of that range, so he can customize in the future.

The only things that doesn't include is a pot and bottles. For a pot, get a 5 gallon stainless steel pot on Amazon to start. They are $30. And for bottles, just drink craft beer (not twist-offs) and save the bottles.

So I'd recommend these:

• http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-basics-equipment-kit.html
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Stainless-Steel-Stock-Pot/dp/B000FRJJSM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415399480&sr=8-1&keywords=5+gallon+stainless+pot

I have some pretty weird hobbies (knives and knife sharpening included). I actually don't remember watching videos specifically about roasting in a Whirley Pop, but I think this video is fine, although it's also sort of a plug for a company. I also stir way more than this person.

I would recommend just starting with figuring out the brewing process of coffee before diving into the roasting side of things. A very quick turn-off for a lot of people is the sort of laxative effect coffee has on people, and it's quite bad for some people.

The "minimum" brewing equipment I would recommend is a Melitta pour-over cone, gooseneck kettle (a beaker would probably also work), Hario hand grinder (buying pre-ground is okay, but not great), and scale. If you live in the Bay Area or Boston area, I have recommendations on where to buy beans. If you're anywhere else, I can suggest mail-ordering beans or other nationally supplied coffees.

I've been out of the game for a bit, brewed quite a lot with my brother but the last few years he's not lived close and I haven't kept up.

I'm looking to get back into it. But living in an apartment I'll probably start with 1 gallon batches.

I've got a brew pot that will definitely be big enough so I'm set there. I also have some one gallon jugs that I could probably just add an airlock to but I'm thinking of getting some wide mouth ones just to make cleaning easier (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07115V3F7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1).

What other gear should I pick up as a necessity or as something that would simply be nice to have?

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.

You could use frozen but I like to buy fresh so that it steams faster. If you don't have a steamer you can get one REALLY really cheap at any home/kitchen store, they're like $5-7. Here's one on Amazon as an example:

http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-175-Stainless-Vegetable-Steamer/dp/B001FBCP7O/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1413872936&sr=1-1

If you absolutely can't get one, boiling is OK... just put the vegetables so that they're maybe half-submerged in water. Cover and cook on medium heat for a bit. Check every so often. Depending on how soft you want your veggies it could take 5-15 mins.

Another option is the microwaveable veggie bags, though personally I can't eat THAT much in one sitting.

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.

I hope you don't have an electric stove, because round-bottomed woks absolutely will not work on one. If you have a gas stove, you need to find a wok ring that will fit over one of your burners.

I also highly recommend a strainer dohickey like this one. Get one with nice big basket on it (mine's about 7" diameter, I definitely wouldn't get one smaller than that).

I have a pickling kit that has special tongs for mason jars.
This is what I bought, you can get them at walmart thought, thats where I got mine.

Regular tongs will of course work, but make sure you have a great grip as to not drop anything lol!

My youngest daughter and I are going to start pickling this summer (So we can make our own home-made fried dill pickles).

Some Mason Jars would be pretty awesome.

Also, since we live in the South, we can go full redneck and drink sweet tea out of them when we're done.

Go cheap. There's really no point in spending a ton of money on a wok unless you want it to look nice/have some brand recognition. Those cheap carbon steel ones are thin and heat up super quick - exactly what you want in a wok. Serious Eats and Cooks Illustrative both recommend this wok for $36 and Spruce Eats recommends this one for $24. I own the second one and have had it for a couple of years now. It does a great job.

It won't get the same effect but you can. You just want to invest in a large metal stock pot, it's about the same price as a crock pot and allows you to make massively oversized crockpot meals. I love these, I just scale the recipe up as big as I can go into the pot, low on a crockpot is 190 and high is 250. I go to 200 which is about as low as my oven goes and just simulate a slow cooker on a bigger scale. Hope that helps and if you have any questions DM me or something.

Ball even makes a kit that comes with a perfectly fitted funnel and a few other canning accessories, for a fraction of the cost of this one. The funnel size is nice, I can get my fingers through it to pack tobacco down as I fill a jar. The other accessories are nice if you do canning.

Steam your eggs!
Of course you can buy a dedicated electric eggcooker, but it’s exactly same as steaming...

Get a steam basket, maybe like this and use it to steam your eggs. I steam for exactly six minutes, but try out your own preference!
Cold water after steaming, easy to peal!

Welcome!

The definition of a hard boiled egg depends on the consumer - varies depending on what consistency you want! Here is a recipe with some guidance for you u/jackschocolatecake.

WHAT YOU NEED

Ingredients
6 large eggs, cold from the fridge
Cold water
Ice

Equipment
Saucepan
Timer
Slotted spoon
Bowl

INSTRUCTIONS

Place eggs in a large saucepan. Cover them with cool water by 1 inch. Cover pan with a lid and bring water to a rolling boil over high heat; when the water has reached a boil, set the timer for the desired time. Boil for 6 – 7 minutes over medium-high heat for perfect hard boiled eggs.

HOW LONG TO BOIL EGGS

• For soft-boiled eggs: 4 minutes
  
• For slightly soft-boiled eggs: 5 minutes
  
• For custardy yet firm soft-boiled eggs: 6 minutes
  
• For creamy hard-boiled eggs: 7 minutes
  
• For firm yet still creamy hard-boiled eggs: 8 minutes
  
• For very firm hard boiled eggs: 9 minutes

I have 4 of these, great cost, easy to clean

Home Brew Ohio One gallon Wide Mouth Jar with Drilled Lid & Twin Bubble Airlock-Set of 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07115V3F7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Th6wCbT5RZX6M

I love this miniature skillet. It’s so tiny and cute.

Edit: someone already said tiny skillet!!!! So I’m changing mine to gem-shaped candy/gelatin molds

Well, if he can get past the gadgety-ness of it, an electric grill (so he can do it year round!) and rice cooker might be good.

http://www.amazon.com/George-Foreman-GR136B-2-Serving-Classic/dp/B00LU2HXRK/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1449489548&sr=1-2&keywords=george+foreman+grill

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-RC3406-Cooked-Cooker/dp/B000UWD9OW/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1449489490&sr=1-5&keywords=rice+cooker

That with a vegetable steamer (if they don't already have one) opens up the door to lots of easy and healthy meals.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunsella-Vegetable-Steamer-Stainless-Steel/dp/B00KYDZHSI/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1449489827&sr=1-9&keywords=steamer

Also, maybe a simple cookbook could help?

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Cooking-Two-Cookbook/dp/1936493837/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1449463366&sr=8-4&keywords=cooking

As for Blue Apron, I wouldn't recommend it. Their meals are delicious, but most of them have a lot of steps and might be overwhelming for someone that doesn't cook much.

The Fino has been a great starter kettle for me. Price is a good 45% lower than the Hario and while it's a little smaller (1 liter), it's perfect for individual use.

Made in Japan.

I trust Lodge to make good pre-seasoned cast iron. For the most part Amazon.ca has prices that are reasonable enough for me since I already have prime for the free shipping - http://www.amazon.ca/Lodge-LMS3-3-5-Inch-Miniature-Skillet/dp/B000LXA9YI/

Bummer about the salsa. If you grow/make that kind of stuff regularly, canning is great next step. You can water bath can in any lidded pot deep enough to cover the jars with an inch of boiling water when they are sitting on a wire rack/trivet, but the dedicated pot and equipment are worthwhile.

For the marmalade, I think you need to heat it all through adding a bit of extra water, laddle it into sterilized canning jars, then process according to the Table 1 here (depending on your altitude).

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 your pourover of choice is v60 then a gooseneck is pretty crucial. A kalita wave would be more forgiving, you'd probably be able to get away using any old kettle. I like the fino kettle because it does the same thing as the hario buono for $10 less.

For sure with electric ranges, but gas ranges work good with a burner adapter like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00012F3X6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_W.PJBbA6EERC9

Ever used a wok ring? Other than stability, are they any benefit?

Not having a 15000 BTU burner, I'd like a way to get more heat on my wok. I was wondering if that would help with that by letting me set it over the burner sans grate and concentrate the heat.

Purchase a 5.5 gallon pot you want but without anything added to it.

https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Stainless-Steel-Stock-Pot/dp/B000FRJJSM/ref=pd_sim_79_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000FRJJSM&pd_rd_r=6PQ2AMFEHC2QZZ0F78MZ&pd_rd_w=34FEi&pd_rd_wg=um6x3&psc=1&refRID=6PQ2AMFEHC2QZZ0F78MZ

Then purchase a weld less ball valve. https://www.amazon.com/Weldless-Stainless-Steel-Valve-Spigot/dp/B0028ZLEE6

and a weld less thermometer
https://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-800-770-Brew-Thermometer/dp/B008FEPE18/ref=pd_bxgy_328_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B008FEPE18&pd_rd_r=222Q1R1CKYW4HFP57VT9&pd_rd_w=m7gkT&pd_rd_wg=pyRcb&psc=1&refRID=222Q1R1CKYW4HFP57VT9

Then purchase a step bit: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dlawngarden&field-keywords=step+bit

Make sure it has the correct size.

Then purchase this bit for drilling pilot holes in metal: https://www.amazon.com/Century-Drill-Tool-26208-Cobalt/dp/B004UUFAYW/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1481229448&sr=1-1&keywords=1%2F8+stainless+steel+cutting+bit

Drill the pilot holes where you want the ball valve and thermometer, then use the step bit to widen the hole to the correct size.

I have been using this exact setup with an 8 gallon pot for 5+ years and it doesn't leak one little bit. Also you can choose whatever size pot you want, just remember that you should probably leave the thermometer at least an inch or so from the bottom and keep in mind the bottom water will be hotter than the top.

Definitely, yeah. Temp control is really not as important as pour control in this arena, so make sure to look at one of these or one of these if you want to save some money.

That must have been a fun find!

Fortunately, we can all get lucky, but I know it's more fun to stumble on cast iron in a store unexpectedly. (I found this link only because your post set me to googling ...)

Experience tip- these lids wear out and rust after about 5-10 cycles. Next go around buy all plastic lids instead. They don’t rust, are PC safe and are much easier to unscrew when you’re removing the lids to spawn IMO.

Something like this

Thats a good idea that came out awesome. As far as drawer hardware for this one you need to find a baby skillet and use it as the pull..... just found this Lodge LMS3 Miniature Skillet, 3.5", Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LXA9YI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4cqmDb1Z3E966

This is a real decent stovetop kettle with a great pour: https://www.amazon.com/Hario-VKB-120HSV-Stainless-Stovetop-Original/dp/B000IGOXLS

Electric kettles aren't that expensive if you don't get one with temperature control. I use a simple electric bonavita kettle without temperature control : https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Electric-Featuring-Gooseneck-BV3825B/dp/B005YR0GDA/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1543086763&sr=1-3&keywords=bonavita+kettle which looks like it's cheaper than the Hario above. They also have a stovetop model: https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Stovetop-Gooseneck-Kettle-BV3825ST/dp/B005YR0IBU/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1543086763&sr=1-4&keywords=bonavita+kettle

If it were me, I'd probably go with something like this:

• Cast iron skillet - https://smile.amazon.com/Lodge-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUB $20
  
• Nonstick skillet (mostly for eggs and the like) - https://smile.amazon.com/Ozeri-PFOA-Free-Stone-Derived-Non-Stick-Coating/dp/B00GG5FBKW $21
  
• General purpose saucepan - https://smile.amazon.com/Cuisinart-Classic-Stainless-Saucepan-719-16/dp/B00008CM69 $17
  
• Stock pot - https://smile.amazon.com/McSunley-606-Stainless-Stockpot-Metallic/dp/B01CS5C49Y $15
  
• Half-sheet pan - https://smile.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B000G0KJG4 $12
  
  Total: $85, leaving you some headroom for another saucepan or a specialty pan (cake pans, roaster, casserole etc.)
  
  That said, I'd take a good look around thrift stores, craigslist and the like too.

I spent about 75 or so on amazon, not counting the mill. I picked up a goose neck kettle as well. You can certainly get away with any kettle or pot or whatever you heat your water in, but the goose neck does make it easy to control how much water you pour and where exactly you want it. This is the on I picked up. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005YR0IBU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01

If you can justify, I would go all out. For me personally I had been buying coffee from a shop lately, so if I use my chemex everyday for two months I will break even with what I would have spent at a coffee shop.

If you haven't already, check out /coffee and check out some other opinion and options there!

I'm Anne...I'm new here. I just did my Intro the other day, but when I first found this sub I gifted some folks because I got really excited!
One thing on my list that I really really really want is a new saucepan!. My sister guilted me the other day because my saucepan's coating is flaking and she said I was going to give my family cancer. : (

/u/sharkoraptor, the greatest predator of all!

Any thoughts on the Ball plastic lids seen here? I use plastic lids on jars for storing dry goods like coffee. I've used them recently for storing tobacco, since they're only 1 piece lids and I can write on them with a dry erase marker (can do that with a metal lid too, but it's easier to see on white plastic). I was wondering if they are airtight, some say yes, some say no, and I have noticed my tobaccos drying out a bit in them. Your thoughts?

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.

Excellent for sausage patties. I like using the lid from my Graniteware oval roaster with this grill to make really tender chicken breast & other meat. https://www.amazon.com/Granite-Ware-18-Inch-Covered-Roaster/dp/B000050AVC/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_79_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4HPK5TQNKKZ6ZTXBGYZQ

I use a cheap $20 stainless steel 5 gallon (actually I use 2 of them to get a full boil now).

http://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Stainless-Steel-Stock-Pot/dp/B000FRJJSM

Looks like 7.5 gallon pots get you above $50. Mine are that thin stainless steel material (not the super thick you find in $200 pots) and my first one has held up for 5 years so far.

I've never used an iron suppliment, but as an FYI they charge a whole 30 bucks for a small chunk of cast iron. You could just as easily get a small (3.5 inch) cast iron pan for 5 bucks, scrub it with steel wool to strip the finish and boil it in water to get your iron.

I like to use a mix of stuff, simply because some things hold water, or produce steam, better than others.

• 5 gallon stock pot (cooks large amounts of pasta, potatoes, cauliflower, etc.)
  
• 4 quart steamer (great for steaming vegetables)
  
• Set of pots and pans, with lids (heat up, or cook, just about anything, and multiple things at once)
  
• Portable casserole dishes, with lids (bake'n'go)
  
• Set of cooking utensils
  
• Set of measuring utensils
  
• 2x Locking, freezable, storage/transport containers, large
  
• 2x [Locking, freezable, storage/transport containers, small] (http://smile.amazon.com/Popit-Little-Big-Box-Container/dp/B00CMTDVD0)
  
  Everything I linked is made from metal, and rates highly on Amazon.

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.

• 5qt pot
  
• 3qt pot
  
• 2qt pot
  
• 1qt pot
  
• A large non stick and a small one.
  
• A large SS Saute pan with lid
  
• A large and small SS skillet with curved walls
  
• A wok
  
• 10" cast iron pan
  
  You may think wow thats too many pots. But that is what came with my set and I use them all the time. Sometimes I wish I had more pots. I still need a stock pot though...
  
  Not the right store but for an idea of price I would look at these sets/items
  
  
• 1
  
• 2
  
• 3
  
• 4

A couple of the regular books mentioned already here would be good. Jars and lids are always appreciated in my house. Other ideas....

one piece lids for storing the opened jar in the fridge.

plastic storage lids works for me too.

In order of importance, in my opinion. Now, while the grinder is pricey, it's very important to producing an exceptional cup. But I'd personally start lower grinder-wise to garner more appreciation for good grinders (unless budget ain't a concern, in which case go for it).

Lido E Grinder (all the Lido series grinders are back ordered I think)

V60 Dripper

Fino Pour Over Kettle

AWS Pocket Scale

[V60 filters (although I notice no difference between this and folded #4 filters that are much cheaper)]
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U7EOYA/ref=twister_B00Q60WESO?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

Video on technique

Where I personally like getting beans, but there are a lot of places for that

a lot more pricey, but won't ever start a fire.

>Pan Detection w/Auto-Off if No Cookware is Detected for 60 Seconds

Some of them only heat metal pans, and don't transfer heat to anything but metal like this one.

> Compatible with All Induction-Ready Cookware

You'll need to buy pans/pots that are induction-ready cookware, they can be more expensive than normal cookware.

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-719-16-Classic-Stainless-Saucepan/dp/B00008CM69/ref=sr_1_18?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1457380342&sr=1-18&keywords=induction+cookware

^ $20 for a saucepan for soup, pretty expensive, but opens your door to cook other stuff, make tea, etc.

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!

quart or 1/2 gallon mason jars will hold about 1 and 2 days worth of dry mix each, just line up 7 of them. If you don't like the metal lids, you can also get plastic lids for them.

Get a few Tupperware or Rubbermaid food storage containers like are used for flour or sugar, like somebody else linked. 2 or 3 should be enough for a week or 2 worth of powder.

Food-grade 5 gallon bucket. Lowes and Home Depot both sell white food grade buckets for about $8, the screw on gamma lids (cost extra) make it really handy. Some grocery stores/bakeries will give away their used buckets they get cake frosting in.

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

I just bought this one from Amazon and I'm very happy with it.

Can't compare with other gooseneck kettles since this is my first one.

I brought this a while ago for same reason. It worked pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07115V3F7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A miniature (3.5 inch) skillet! It's so cute and my husband would love it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LXA9YI/

(It's on my Apartment Stuff list)

Depends what you're making, honestly. I use my wok on the stovetop for browning ground beef all the time. But for proper stir fry? No, that's not hot enough. You'll want a wok ring, natural lump charcoal (not the briquettes), and somewhere outside to get it going. I use an old steel wash tub with the rack from my oven on top.

Piggybacking for OP:

For a round-bottomed wok on a gas stove, highly recommend getting a wok rack that holds it in place, and also helps the flame focus a bit (though not too noticeable for a home gas range).

Mason jars are really great for basically everything, and the smaller sizes, too. If you're using them for dry storage, get alternative lids.

It looks like there is special stand sitting on the burner.
Link

The best kettle for the dollar is this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000EVPGSQ/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ya know, a cheap and easy to find solution might be a veggie steamer basket or steamer rack.

Check out the sidebar, it has all kinds of info! This is the go to website for all things canning, I only trust tested recipes (meaning I don't do some mashed potato recipe I found on someone's blog).

I have only water bath canned before, but I have heard that All Americans are the way to go for pressure canners though there are cheaper options depending on how much you plan to do.



There are a couple things I always suggest for people who show an interest in canning.

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

A small tool set

If you have time, I got a couple of these precisely so that I could do small batches with whole fruit additions without worrying about neck size. Just got them but they seem OK so far (have a gallon with peaches and another with apples in secondary right now).

Second on the air tight lid. These are great if you’re using glass jars: https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Regular-Mouth-Storage-Caps/dp/B0000BYC4B

We use a big pot like this for canning jam; it's deep enough for the jars to be submerged and the wire rack holds the jars so they can be pulled out of the water easily. If you don't actually can the jam, it should keep in the fridge for a few weeks until the shower as long as it is going to be eaten there. You can also freeze jam instead of canning it.

I got this one a while back. It's the most affordable I've seen, and works great. I heat my water in an electric kettle then pour into the gooseneck.

This works outstanding for me. I can do 10 eggs at a time.

Norpro 175 Stainless Steel Vegetable Steamer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FBCP7O

You can often find canning jars without lids at garage sales and thrift stores. You can buy lids at any hardware store, or other store that sells canning goods.

Some jars have wide mouths, some have regular mouths (it's based on the diameter of the jar opening. You can buy these plastic lids
http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Regular-Mouth-Storage-Caps/dp/B0000BYC4B

or you can get the more typical metal lids and bands. http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Regular-Mouth-Lids-Bands/dp/B000BWY314/ref=sr_1_9?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1405299770&sr=1-9

The plastic ones are easier to use for storage because you don't have to wash both the lid and band. But since you aren't canning anything, you can reuse the metal lids and bands as many times as you want---as long as they are not rusty.

A wide-mouthed funnel like this makes it a lot easier to pour rice in.
http://www.amazon.com/Ball-1440010770-Home-Canning-Funnel/dp/B00203K1MW/ref=sr_1_40?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1405299891&sr=1-40

You could also pour your rice into plastic freezer bags and stick them in the freezer or fridge.

Another option (probably the best)--buy canisters at thrift stores or garage sales. They're expensive new, but cheap used.

Oh, another option! Store rice in plastic Coke bottles. Or old glass iced tea bottles.

Don't buy more brown rice than you can eat in 6 months. The oil in the hull can go rancid (best if you freeze or refrigerate if you can). But the hull and the oil are very good for you.

The typically recommended options for stove-top would be:

1. Hario - 1,2
   
2. Fellow - 1,2
   
3. Oxo
   
4. Bonavita
   
5. Kalita - 1,2
   
   If you just want a standard stovetop kettle then you'll be fine with most reputable brands since there really isn't much that can go wrong with them.
   
   Edit: I just realized I'm not in /r/coffee. If you're not doing pour-overs then pretty much any kettle will work. I'd probably go with a $20 Cuisinart or something.

I got a 2-pack off amazon. I think these were the ones.

They’ve been working great! I just need to stop over-filling them.

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.

This is what I have. It's kind of light and flimsy but my wok sits in it without wobbling off the stove. There's probably much better out there.

New Star International NCWS9 Steel Wok Rack, 7¾-Inch and 9¾-Inch Reversible Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00012F3X6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_l3ppDbM2XH8NY

I got a case of the wide-mouth Mason jars at a garage sale. Then I got these.

You can easily see what is stored, they take up less room, things like chili and spaghetti sauce won't stain them and the dishwasher makes quick work of cleanup.

Light, heat, and oxygen destroy the nutrients once you make the juice.

So keep it cold, in the dark, and sealed off from air. It's best to fill an entire jar/container that you can then seal with a lid. People often use mason jars.

Personally, when saving juice, I make it in the morning and drink it before going to bed. But many people say if properly sealed, you're good for 24 to 48 hours.

Roasting is good, but this also works well http://www.amazon.com/Sunsella-Vegetable-Steamer-Stainless-Steel/dp/B00KYDZHSI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452469837&sr=8-3&keywords=Steamer+basket

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Brew-Ohio-Drilled-Airlock-Set/dp/B07115V3F7/

I have these ones, they're glass and the lids fit well.

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

A collapsible vegetable steamer or a steamer pot combo. Maybe your kitchen set already has this, but my boyfriend hadn't even seen one, ha.

Do they make mini skillets that are the size of a refrigerator magnet?

Edit: It looks like there is a small 3.5 inch egg and sauce skillet on Amazon for $5. Not quite small enough to be a knick-knack, but it would make an excellent paperweight/magnetic clip holder.

I'll probably mock something up.

This is literally in my amazon wish list

FYI the Bonvita Stove top gooseneck is even cheaper $35

I have a lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven and while I've never used a le creuset, it does all the things it's supposed to do and is pretty sharp looking too at a fraction of the price.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012N7G60/ref=twister_B004QM8SMA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Originally I'd have recommended a steamer. However, you can get one of these and then go with the pressure cooker. Looks like there's inserts for it to do steaming as well, so there's that also.

https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Regular-Mouth-Storage-Caps/dp/B0000BYC4B

Thanks!

They come in all different sizes, they are always in the canning section. They have been around for years.

These are the grommets and these are the lids, and it looks like you can just buy the whole thing already assembled.

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

You didn't mention a budget but since others have recommended kettles in the mid to high price range, I'll suggest something in the low price range that performs just as well:


Fino Pourover Kettle

https://www.amazon.com/Fino-Pour-Coffee-Kettle-4-Cup/dp/B000EVPGSQ


And to go along with it:


LavaTools Instant Read Thermometer

https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-PT12-Javelin-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B00GRFHXVQ


I've used both since I got into specialty coffee and don't have any complaints.

http://www.amazon.com/Fino-Pour- Coffee-Kettle-4-Cup/dp/B000EVPGSQ

Fluctuates between 20-30 and it's good enough for pourover.

In my fridge, they're in half liter mason jars with screw tops (here: http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Wide-Mouth-Plastic-Storage-8-Count/dp/B000SSN3L2)

I harvest from my starters. So if I'm going to make a 5gal batch, I'll normally make a 2L starter and harvest 0.5L, pitch the rest.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/equipment-how-to-buy-a-wok-which-wok-is-the-best.html

And this is the wok they recommend.

sounds like you want a Roasting pot of some sort..

Doesn't Forkish recommend at 4 or 5qt dutch oven? 7.5 seems a bit big. I got the 6qt Lodge dutch oven off of Amazon and it has worked well.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012N7G60/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Try using a bench scraper when shaping instead of hands, and use a little more flour esp on the sides of the boule to prevent sticking. Here is a YouTube video for instructions.

I use a Dutch oven like this one and get consistent results.

They make a plastic lid for Ball canning jars, if it helps: http://www.amazon.com/Jarden-1440036010-Ball-Plastic-Canning/dp/B0000BYC4B/

You can pick up one of these at pretty much any grocery store or supermarket I've ever seen. You can steam anything with it. Just drop it into a pot of shallow boiling water and cover.

As I've already said elsewhere here, skip the wok, go to a restaurant supply store, and get a carbon steel skillet. They're very much like woks, in that they're thin, cheap, and made from carbon steel. The important difference is that it's shaped flat on the bottom to work on a normal range, rather than round like a big metal bowl. You don't need a wok spatula, use whatever utensil you like. I'm partial to silicone tipped tongs.

A rice cooker is nice but making rice on the stove isn't that difficult. Something to pick up if you can, but not a priority or something to worry about not having. Calling them "very multi-purpose" is down-right dishonest. Yeah you can cook a poofy pan cake in it, and you might once, and yes, you can steam a small amount of stuff in it, but really it's for rice.

It's good to have some extra glass or strainless steel bowls lying around for prep.

If she cooks, I can think of a few things for the kitchen.

• Roasting pan.
  
  
• Ramikens.
  
  
• Rasp.
  
  
• Recipe box.
  
  Or even food like rotini or raspberry jam.
  
  

they just look like mini cast iron skillets.

Dude I just made some for like $20 for 8 lids and still have a ton left over I can make. All you need is a drill to make the holes in the lid and boom professional made jars. Picture of the lid. http://imgur.com/gallery/wqLtyFS

Links to products:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SSN3L2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_S80mDbEPKHC9Y

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J5N2JJH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_d90mDbMG9WXKG

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FJTZSVL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_t90mDbZRZMTXN

I like the enameled version of it. Cast iron can leech a metallic flavor into tomato or acidic based soups/stews from what I hear. The enameled version is about $50.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Color-6-Quart-Dutch-Emerald/dp/B0012N7G60/ref=dp_cp_ob_hg_title_4

I just have a steamer basket like this that I put over a pot of boiling water

I use something just like this for starters and experimental batches. morebeer has 1 gallon fermonsters in plastic.

I like using these to ferment:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07115V3F7

I'll be honest with you, the 365+ wok is nothing special. All teflon coated woks perform exactly the same, so there really isn't any benefit to choosing one ikea wok over another. The teflon coating eventually wears off, and then you'll have to buy a new wok anyway, so my suggestion would be to just get an actual carbon steel wok and learn to season it properly. When properly seasoned, carbon steel woks last forever.

I've been using this https://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-22-0060-Uncoated-14-inch/dp/B0001VQIP4/ref=sr_1_23?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1491957309&sr=1-23&keywords=wok

and this https://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-1408186/Sur+La+Table+Professional+Carbon+Steel+Wok;jsessionid=6E724508C0926F8F9CC8C614DFB2F733.slt-app-02-p-app3?cat=TCA-257771_Woks

for almost 8 years now.

This is the most BIFL quality and with a small cable lock, would lock securely.

I've been using this one for the past two years and it has served me very well. I was even able to mark the sides with a punch to tell me how many gallons. I would also get a spray bottle for your sanitizer because it's so much easier. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FRJJSM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Storing buds for months in a ziplock bag will diminish the herb's potency and buds will get more harsh (as you've stated). However, unless mold starts growing, I don't believe there are additional health effects from smoking older buds.

I believe the best way to store buds is in an air-tight mason jar with a 62% Humidipak to maintain the right humidity (prevents buds from molding or drying out). You can find mason jars at Walmart or at a craft store. I'm not sure where you can buy the Humidpaks except for online.

I've thought about this for sometime because i want to build out a van so i can do ski touring, and theirs not always a shower available. Anyways, I've thought maybe a 5 gallon pot with a thermometer, being heated on a burner might work. I don't think it would take long to heat up considering that it only needs to be heated to 39C / 102F or so. You could at this point poor that into a pump sprayer, or use a portable shower head and put the pump right into the pot. As to how to do it in the van, i've thought maybe if you sat on a small bench in a portable plastic tub, or built your own wooden tub to your own dimensions. Then just either pour out the water, or pour into a greywater jug. If you built your own tub, you could even install a little drain into it with a rubber stopper.

Ahhhh... one of 'dem 'der fancy ones. I've only used ones like this outdoors with wood fire and/or charcoal. Not the kind I would imagine working well indoors.

It's a pot made for for canning, so it's literally made for boiling water for an extended period of time. It's food-safe as well, if that's your intent.

Does it flip open and closed? It looks like a vegetable strainer

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Vegetable-Steamer-Basket-Handle/dp/B00KYDZHSI/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=vegetable+strainer&qid=1574193704&sr=8-4

I bought this set of 2 1-gallon jars w/airlock on amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Home-Brew-Ohio-Drilled-Airlock-Set/dp/B07115V3F7/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549129969&sr=8-3&keywords=1+gallon+fermenter

Actually looks like the 6” model in the pic based off the pour spouts and space taken up on the cutting board underneath.

Edit: yup 6.5 pictured https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Skillet-Miniature-Individual-Desserts/dp/B000LXA9YI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8

These are $4 on Amazon!

Lodge Miniature Skillet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LXA9YI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_FfJbBb3MS2HMF

What's your price range? The Hario Buono Kettle runs for just shy of $40 on Amazon right now, and the Fino Kettle runs for just under $30.

If you're really tight on money though, you can always look for one of those tall silver-plated tea pots with a long spout from a local antique store. I picked one up for $3 and used that for years before getting myself a Bonavita. It's a little unwieldy but it gets the job done, and pours much cleaner and slower than a normal kettle.

get rid of the skin before you run it through the food mill and everthing will be fine. if you have a lot of tomatoes, set up a steamer while you work the mill. as an idea: a boiling pot with water and a steamer basket.

$5 on amazon, 3.5"
https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Skillet-Miniature-Individual-Desserts/dp/B000LXA9YI

It's for eggs, reheating meals, or melting bries if you're fancy. I take it you do not own pans or cook much.

Search amazon for "cast iron cookie"

https://smile.amazon.com/Lodge-LMS3-Miniature-Skillet-Black/dp/B000LXA9YI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=cast+iron+cookie&qid=1567359155&s=gateway&sr=8-3
9.6 oz and will cook a filet mignon

Having bare iron and enameled iron in your arsenal basically makes you a cooking superhero. Amazon has a green 6 quart Lodge dutch oven for less than $40 right now. Link

Just go to Target or whatever and get a steamer basket for $5. Or Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-175-Stainless-Vegetable-Steamer/dp/B001FBCP7O

I got these 1 gallons from amazon and use them for fermenting peppers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07115V3F7/

I use this teapot warmer, and kettle. I make my own candles to get the temperatures where I want them, depending on tea type.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IMNRO3S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV3825ST-1-Liter-Stovetop-Kettle/dp/B005YR0IBU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1509732268&sr=8-4&keywords=bonavita+kettle

I highly suggest one of these if your stove can fit it http://amzn.com/B000FRJJSM

I should also mention that one of the downsides of boiling your driftwood is that you remove most of the tannins. If you're in it for the tannins (blackwater aquarium), this might not be the best method.

New non-electric gooseneck for $27, pair this with an $8 plastic V60 and get free shipping, or New (in damaged packaging) electric gooseneck, Delivered for $39. I'm not sure you can ask for much cheaper unless you hunt thrift stores for used stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LMS3-Miniature-Skillet-3-5-inch/dp/B000LXA9YI
Not a bad price but I can see that adding up if you plan on having lots of guests.

Cheapest option right now is this 11"x7"x4" Plano waterproof case which went on sale yesterdaay at Amazon for $17, down from $25. Place the bud in any small container/baggie and the case itself will keep things smell-proof.

Otherwise get a plastic ammo-style box (like this $5 one, which isn't waterproof or smell-proof) and put your bud in a small 4oz mason jelly jar (or 8oz) with a plastic cap. That jar is smell-proof, but you can't really find affordable individual jars - they usually sell in a 12-count for $8, and plastic lids usually come in an 8-pack for $8-$11.