> Molecular Gastronomy

It helps to not call it that. It's misleading and doesn't describe what's being done. Most in the industry shy away from that phrase. Modernist cuisine is more accepted these days.

As for modernist chefs, others have mentioned Blumenthal. I'll list a few for you to look into:

• Ferran Adria is the grandfather of the entire movement, and is extremely open with sharing his knowledge with the world. He's done some lectures for the Harvard food and science lecture series. You can find videos on youtube from past years. (From my recommended list for you, I think all but Daniel Humm have done the lecture series at some point.)
  
• Grant Achatz is known for it as well. His creations are definitely a little more out there and conceptual, but utterly stunning to experience. One of the most fun meals I've ever had. If you're ever in Chicago, a meal at Alinea is worth going for if you've got the cash. Do make sure to swing by Aviary (also by Achatz) for drinks and bites, whether you go to Alinea or not. Drinks are each very unique and all good across the board. Don't miss out on the bites. (FWIW Chicago seems to be a city that's open to experimentation, so there's a few other places that do modernist food in town that aren't bad.)
  
• Jose Andres worked under Adria for a bit, but has been doing his own thing in the US. He pays homage to his roots, and does some great tapas. He's got a few locations across the States, so might be worth seeking out. I've only been to The Bazaar in LA/BevHills. Let me know if you want to know more about the food there, since I personally believe there are some things that you must get there, along with some that are good but not as interesting.
  
• Daniel Humm's Eleven Madison Park is also amazing, and worthy alternative to Alinea if NYC is easier. There's definitely differences, but worth seeking out. I haven't been, but I've heard very good things and it's on my list for the next trip to NYC.
  
• Wylie Dufresne of wd~50 is also interesting (NYC but closing soon IIRC due to location issues; may reopen or do other stuff at some point). He uses modernist techniques in an almost invisible way, where something may seem, smell, or taste normal, but it's actually made using something else entirely.
  
  I'm obviously missing a ton of chefs. Due to the history of El Bulli/Adria, there's a lot of modernist cuisine in various places in Spain. The above is by no means comprehensive, but just what I'm remembering off the top of my head as an American.
  
  But on modernist cuisine, the real exceptional chefs are the ones that use them as tools in their trade, instead of doing modernist techniques just for the sake of them. I've had way too many meals where they'd have a component of a dish where they probably thought it'd be cool and hip, but ended up adding absolutely nothing to the dish (Foams are a big problem here).
  
  For modernist cuisine, it really helps to go out to eat and experience it for yourself. Trying to execute without having experienced it is like trying to play Beethoven without any experience hearing it played by others before. This will actually likely be a small price to pay, given the $$$$$ you'll be sinking into equipment. When dining, feel free to ask questions. Waiters at most of these fine dining-ish establishments will know their shit, and will go ask the cooks/chef if they don't know the answer off-hand.
  
  There's also a lot of reading to be done, and you'll end up with just techniques to apply. But with it, you'll be able to do amazing things. For books, The Bible here is Modernist Cuisine, the 50-lb, 6 volume, 2400 page behemoth (at $500, again cheap compared to equipment). You can sometimes find it in libraries if the price tag is an issue. Don't skip to the recipes. Read each one cover to cover (and possibly in order), because learning the science behind everything is more important than following recipes.
  
  You won't find much video, because modernist stuff just isn't food-porn friendly. You tend to not have food sizzling on a hot pan and such. A lot of modernist cuisine is done with extreme restraint and focus, and frequently the results are way more interesting in the mouth than visually.
  
  But really, modernist cuisine is a means to an end. They're using it as a tool to create an experience that likely isn't possible using traditional means. But, the important thing is the experience, and not how it was technically achieved.

I know you said no to utensils, but I think these are possible exceptions:

Microplane grater - Best grater ever. Amazing for garlic, ginger, hard spices, cheese, citrus zest, chocolate shavings, etc. etc. I have one, and would be happy to have another just because they're so useful.

Victorinox tomato/steak/utility knife - This knife is marketed in three different ways because they're just so damn handy. I'd just go for whichever is cheapest, they're all the same. Incredible knife for little jobs that always seems supernaturally sharp. Cuts cleanly through even the ripest tomatoes, sails through thick-skinned limes, dices ginger like no other, slices garlic paper-thin, neat and tidy (and un-squished) sushi rolls, bagels, etc. etc. I have 3 and would be happy to have another. I've given plenty of these as gifts and they're always appreciated.

Silicone spatula/spoonula - Pretty much every other cooking utensil has grown dusty and unused since I got my silicone spoonula. More heat-resistant than plastic or wooden alternatives, so nothing bad happens when you leave it resting on the pan. Insanely easy to clean. Amazing for getting every last bit of sauce/icing/batter/etc. Best thing ever for cooking omelets or scrambled eggs. I wash mine immediately after use every time because I know I'll be using it again soon. I would happily replace every wooden spoon and plastic spatula in my kitchen with one of these. Then I'd have 6, and I would be very happy.

SilPats. Best thing to put on your baking sheet, ever. Also provides a great work-surface for sticky doughs/batters, melted chocolate, caramel, etc. You don't really need multiples of these I suppose, but I certainly wouldn't complain.

Fair enough.

So as a premise, I'm going to give you the /r/cooking answer (which I'd argue is the 'right' answer,) but a lot (most?) people in the US use a non stick for just about everything. Then again, most people cook bad food, so...

Anyway:

>for things like eggs, bacon, burgers etc

So right there I'd stop you and say that a true non-stick (either a Teflon pan or anodized / ceramic) is really best just for things like eggs, melty cheese, etc. Some people (rightfully) claim that eggs can be cooked in a really well seasoned cast-iron; they sort of can, but you have to use so much grease I argue it's more shallow frying than anything else. Properly cooking eggs in a true non-stick pan, like a Teflon coated pan, requires zero butter / cooking spray, etc. You actually shouldn't use it.

For things like burgers, bacon, etc, most of us would argue for either stainless steel (my preference) or cast iron. Cast iron (CI from now on) has some advantages, mainly relating to heat retention for giving awesome sears (like on a steak.) Stainless Steel (SS) can also do that pretty darn well, but not quite as well as CI. SS has the advantage of being more 'reactive;' If you turn the heat up or down, the pan reacts much faster than CI. CI is a diesel truck, SS is a Chevy 2500.

Neither SS or CI 'stick' when 1) properly heated and 2) properly used. Most people just don't know how to properly cook with those types of pans. Start here, and watch this vid on how to properly heat a SS pan. If you do that (and it's actually super easy once you've done it a few times,) you're 80% of the way there. So then your pan is hot, and you put in some oil (I prefer canola.) From then, your meat (like chicken breast, bacon, burgers, steak) goes in the pan and you don't touch it! If you put it in, and then 30 seconds later get all grabby-pokey-lifty, you're going to get really grumpy that that idiot on the internet convinced you to use SS, because it's going to be very stuck to the pan. If you're patient, and simply wait, the meat will get a perfect sear, and release on it's own in about 3-4:00. From there, give it a flip and repeat.

Here's where the advantages of stainless really shine: So after you've seared both sides (let's say of your chicken) you pop the whole pan in the oven for about 13 minutes or so to finish cooking the meat to the desired temp. Then you pull the pan out of the oven, pull the meat out to rest, and then deglaze your pan, toss in some chopped shallot or onion and garlic and maybe mushrooms, let it reduce aminute or two, holy crap get ready to blow the minds of anyone you're cooking for. Drizzle the sauce over your now sliced chicken, BAM.

So that was a bit of a divergent answer, but I felt it was important. When evaluating cookwear, it's not so much just a matter of 'Can this pan cook things,' it's more a matter of 'How do you use your cookwear to get the results you want.


If what you want is a properly good non-stick pan for eggs and cheesy stuff and omelettes, buy this. That'll last 2-3 years if you treat it well (ONLY wash with a washcloth, non-stick safe utensils, etc) For all your other stuff, I'd suggest a tri-ply stainless steel pan, like this or if it's in your budget, All Clad really sets the standard. This guy in 10 or 12" is pretty much the default CI pan for most people.


Feel free to ask questions. As for the pans you mentioned: I've seen really, really mixed reviews on them. I've never cooked with them, but I've handled them and they seem extremely light and thin (that means hotspots, inconsistent heating, and crazy fast reactivity (temps varyingw ildly up and down.) They seem to be jack of all trades masters of none, and I'd personally pass.

Oh goodie, I get to banter on about my preferences first.

My thoughts on the three sets you linked to, don't get them. If you absolutely must get a set of knives, you picked a great brand, but in my opinion all sets have knives you likely won't need and weird sizes to boot. I like a larger Chef and bread knife than is offered in any of those sets.

If I were to start over from scratch on a budget these are the knives I would absolutely have to get, in order of importance.

1. Victorinox 10-Inch Chef's Knife ($27)
   
2. Victorinox 3 1/4-Inch pairing Knife ($6)
   
3. Victorinox 10 1/4-Inch bread Knife ($27)
   
4. Victorinox steel ($17)
   
   If you are a meat eater, I am not, you probably will want a fillet knife as well ($20).
   
   If I had only these knives I would be able to do 100% of the things I need to do. I use these knives nearly every day at home and in a professional setting. They have few drawbacks and many wonderful qualities. I have large hands and love the handles, so I would imagine that would be a non-issue. However getting your hands actually on a knife is a great thing to do before you buy one a.
   
   The only caution I have about Victorinox is that their santoku knife isn't all that wonderful. I use a wusthof santoku and it is ok for limited things, like intricate carving of vegetables where a pulling cut is useful, but a rarely used knife in general.
   
   I would recommend putting them on a magnetic, wall mounted knife holder. I searched for one that I thought looked cool, and the magnet works almost too well, but I love the thing. Alternatively, if you really have to take up counter space, you could go with one of the Kapoosh Universal Knife Blocks that will help you keep your knives sharp and allow your collection to grow and change over the years.
   
   For keeping those knives sharp I would recommend skipping the professional sharpener and getting one of these for $10. If you use your steel every time you use your knifes you should only need to sharpen them 2-4 times per year with heavy home use, more for thinner knives.
   
   I do not like straight wood for a number of reasons. First and foremost after a long period of usage the wood will get shitty. It will splinter, possibly separate from the tang, etc. if left in water or just after a period of washings. Once it gets in this shape all sorts of fun bacteria creep into those crevices. Plus they are more expensive. The only wood handled knives I have are some sort of composite wood with plastic and they are ok. Like the handle, if you can get your hands on some it would be a good idea.
   
   All of the aforementioned knives and accessories could be had for a total around $130-ish on Amazon. You could supplement them with a few things like a santoku, a shorter Chef's knife, or shears (Here's a santoku/shears combo that would be good).
   
   I think the above should cover all your bases, but feel free to ask if you have any further questions. Congrats on the engagement, you poor bastard.

I have several knives.

My most used knife, and the one I like the most is a 8 inch Wüsthof classic. I really like the balance and the grip of this one.

I also have a Mac Chef's Knife, 7-1/4-Inch. This is stamped, not forged, but for just a few dollars more than the Victorinox you get a knife that actually sits and balances well in your hand and it's made of much better steel. I actually bought it in a brick and mortar store for about $20.

It's not as well balanced as the Wüsthof, but I like the fact that it doesn't have a full bolster. It's much easier to sharpen. If I would start anew I would get half-bolster designs for my expensive knives, but it's really no big deal at all.

I also have Tojiro DP Gyutou. The price varies, now it's a few dollars more expensive than the Victorinox, but I bought it cheaper. This is an excellent knife with better steel than the above knives. The grip is fantastic. The balance is good, but not quite as good as the Wüsthof, nothing really gets there for me, but it's good. Again the lack of a full bolster is a great feature of this knife.

Personally now I think that the Wüsthof Ikon lines are better than the classic series, because of the half-bolster design, but I didn't know this years back when I bought my classic.

Also, I keep saying that these knives feel so good in the hand compared to the Victorinox but this is a very subjective thing and people should try for themselves. I know some people love the Victorinox, if that's the case, go for it; personally, I can't stand it. PinchGrip4Lyfe.

I also have a J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef's Knife. This is cheaper than the Victorinox. The balance is pretty good, but the grip is not as good as the knives posted above. It's still light-years better than the Victorinox grip though.

If I had to buy a cheap knife I would get Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch. This is way cheaper than the Victorinox. That being said, I haven't tested it.

My goal here is not to convince anyone that the Victorinox is awful. I know some people really like the grip, but to make clear that at around the same price point there are many knives, and you should get which one feels best in your hand. Victorinox is not the only option for cheap knives, unlike what the reddit gospel says!

Before we begin, I know that by just looking at the length of this that you might find baking bread to be a bit daunting, trust me, it’s not and I’ll do my best to explain everything as best as I can. I will also tl;dr after every section.

I’m writing up this recipe because all it requires is flour (2 types), salt, and water. I know these days butter is quite expensive and going out and buying yeast is a pain (You can buy a big loaf of it at costco but what are the chances that you’re going to use 5 lbs of yeast?). If by chance you have enough money to buy butter and yeast (those recipes are so much simpler), I’ll post those up as well upon request.

This recipe is adapted from Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery. Mr. Robertson’s method doesn’t require a standmixer but it does require a kitchen scale and more importantly time. I’ve lowered how much water is in the recipe (known as hydration), because more water makes bread difficult to handle and shape. As you get better, feel free to up the hydration, the original recipe has 750 grams of water, I’m toning it down to 675 grams. I have also made some slight modifications to make it easier for those without much baking experience.

stuff you’re going to need:

A kitchen scale

Knife

A jar or similar type of receptacle

Whole Wheat Flour

Bread Flour

Water (hopefully filtered)

A few of big bowls/tubs

Oven safe cooking vessel i.e. tray pan, cast iron pan, dutch oven, baking stone etc

Oven mitts/thick towels to protect your hands

Oil (veggie/olive oil/pam spray)

Starter

Now to create the starter is going to take some time, and by “time” I mean around a week or two. Yes, you have read that correctly. BUT there isn’t much work required (just time is needed) and once you have your starter, you just have to maintain it (meaning you don’t have to do the 2 week from scratch).

1.  First we’re going to make a CULTURE. Mix In your receptacle 50 grams of wheat flour, 50 grams of bread flour, and 100 grams of room temperature water (avg temp is around 75 degrees) with your HANDS. Mix until there are no bits of dry flour, and scrape as much of flour off your hands back into the mixture. The consistency should be that of a thick batter. Cover the with a kitchen towel in a cool, draft free, and shaded spot for 2-3 days.<br />

   
   

2. After 2-3 days, check to see if any bubbles have formed around the sides and on the surface. If not, let it sit until it does (another day or two).
   
   
3. When bubbles have formed (there might be a dark crust that has formed, discard it) and it smells a bit like cheese, your culture has now become a STARTER. Stir your STARTER a little (don’t need to use your hands this time) and then discard about 80% of it, this doesn’t have to be exact. Replace the discarded portion with equal amounts of water and both flours (if you discarded 160 grams of the starter, replenish by adding 40 grams bread flour, 40 grams wheat flour, and 80 grams water 40+40+80 = 160) . This is known as FEEDING your starter.
   
   
4. Repeat the discarding and feeding process once a day every 24 hours at about the same time every day. Be sure to pay attention to the STARTER’s behavior, the volume of the STARTER will increase for several hours after feeding and then begin to collapse as the cycle winds down. When your STARTER rises and falls in a predictable manner, you’re ready to bake.
   
   TL;DR – to create starter mix equal parts water and flour. Leave alone until stinky and bubbling. Discard most of mixture and replenish discarded portion with equal parts water and flour daily until mixture rises and falls in a predictable fashion.
   
   Create your leaven
   
   In layman’s terms this mixture that you will mix into the bread later on that is going to give your bread a lot of flavor and also be the cause of lift for your bread.
   
   
5. Mix 100 grams bread flour, 100 grams wheat flour, and 200 grams warm water (80 degrees microwave the water for about 10 seconds or so) with a TABLESPOON of your STARTER. Wait 8 hours.
   
   
6. After 8 hours your leaven mixture should be bubbly and the surface should be a little wrinkly. To check if it’s ready take a small spoonful of your leaven and drop it in some water, if it floats it’s ready, if it’s not, give it another hour or two and check again.
   
   TL;DR – to create leaven, mix equal parts flour mix and water with tablespoon of starter, wait around 8 hours.
   
   Bread Time!!
   
   
7. In a big bowl mix 900 grams bread flour, 100 grams wheat flour, 600 grams water, and 200 grams of your leaven. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
   
   
8. After 30 minutes, in a cup, mix 20 grams salt and 75 grams warm water and add that to the previous mixture until all the water is absorbed. Cover with towel or plastic wrap.
   
   
9. Your bread is now going to go through it’s “bulk rise” for 3-4 hours (this is based upon the ambient temperature being around 75 degrees). If it’s warmer it’ll be faster, if it’s colder, it’ll take longer). Every 30 minutes you’re going to “fold & turn” your bread. So for example, lets say you placed your dough in a square container. You’re going to dip the hand you’re going to use to turn the dough in water (so the dough won’t stick), shove it in between the dough and the container on one side until you’re able to grab the underside of dough and fold it over the top. Repeat the process for all four sides. You’re going to notice that after about 2 hours, your dough is going to get aerated and softer, be gentler with your turns.
   
   
10. When you see bubbles forming on the sides of mixture and your bread is able to do this: WINDOW PANE TEST, you’re ready to divide your bread.
    
    
11. Flip your dough onto a well floured counter top. Split your dough into 2 or 3 pieces using a knife and do THIS to each piece. Cover each piece with towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes (this is known as bench rest).
    
    
12. After 30 minutes do exactly the same boule shaping you did in the previous step.
    
    
13. Get an equal amount of number of bowls as you have pieces of bread and lube them up with the oil of your choosing. Put the bread pieces in there so that the smooth side of the bread (the top side) is face down in the bowl. Let the bread rise until double in size.
    
    
14. Now this part is going to be broken up into two.
    
    A) If you have a dutch oven or a cast iron combo cooker then
    i) preheat your oven to 475 degrees with your cooking vessel(with lid) inside on the middle rack.
    
    ii) when the oven is ready, carefully, and I cannot stress this enough, CAREFULLY with oven mitts/towel, take out the cooking vessel. Invert your bowl of bread so the smooth side of the bread that you put face down into the bowl when you let it rise is now facing up and carefully place onto/in your cooking vessel.
    
    iii) with your knife, score your bread
    
    iv) with mitts/towels protecting your hands, place lid on cooking vessel and put in oven. Drop the temperature to 450 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes.
    
    v) After 20 minutes, with mitts/towels protecting your hands, take off the lid and let the bread cook for 20 more minutes, or until the top is dark brown.
    
    B) If you don’t have a cast iron pan or a combo cooker
    
    i) preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Then you’re going to have to STEAM YOUR OVEN
    
    ii) when the oven is ready, invert your bowl of bread so the smooth side of the bread that you put face down into the bowl when you let it rise is now facing up and carefully place onto whatever device you’re going to use to transport your bread into the oven.
    
    iii) with your knife, score your bread
    
    iv) Steam your oven, lower oven heat to 450
    
    v) put your bread in the oven
    
    vi) cook for 30-40 minutes until the top is dark brown.
    
    
15. Carefully with mitts/towel protecting your hands, take the bread out of oven and let cool for 20 minutes before devouring.
    
    tl;dr - Mix flour, water, and leaven then letting it rest for 30 minutes. Add more water and salt.
    Let it rise for 3-4 hours “turning and folding” every 30 minutes. Portion dough and let it rest. Shape dough and let it rise. Cook bread.
    
    I've typed this up as fast as I could, so if you see any mistakes or if anything is ambiguous please let me know.

Basically gonna echo most of the answers already posted, but just to pile on:

• 8" chef's knife. 10" is longer than may be comfortable and 12" is longer than necessary, but 7" may start to feel a little short if she's ever slicing large melon or squash. I'm a casual knife nerd and I have knives by Wusthof, Victorinox, Shun and Mac. My favorite.
  
  
• This Dutch oven. Enameled and cast iron just like the Le Creuset that a few other comments have mentioned, but much, much cheaper. I own two and they're both great. I also have the non-enameled version for baking bread, but I don't recommend it for general use unless you're a Boy Scout. Here's an entertaingly-written blog post comparing the Lodge vs. Le Creuset in a short rib cookoff.
  
  
• This cutting board and this cutting board conditioner. The importance of an easy and pleasant to use prep surface can't be overstated. I'm listing this third on purpose; this is one of the most important things your kitchen can have. A recipe that calls for a lot of chopping is no fun when you're fighting for counter space to do the chopping, or doing it on a shitty plastic board.
  
  
• A cheap scale and a cheap thermometer. Seriously, these are as important as the cutting board.
  
  
• Just gonna crib this one right off /u/Pobe420 and say cheapo 8–10" (I recommend 10–12" but that's my preference) nonstick skillet. One note I'd add is that pans with oven-safe handles are a bit more dual-purpose than pans with plastic or rubberized handles. You can't finish a pork chop in the oven in a skillet with a rubberized handle. But one could say you shouldn't be cooking a pork chop on a nonstick pan to begin with. The important thing is to keep this one cheap: you're going to be replacing it every couple of years, there's no getting around that. For my money $30 or less, and $30 is pretty expensive for these things.
  
  
  

• Cookbooks
  

  Nothing inspires cooking like a good cookbook collection. The great news about cookbooks is that they're often bought as gifts or souvenirs and they make their way onto the used market cheap and in great condition. Here are my suggestions for a great starter shelf:
  
  

1. The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt. I kind of hate that this is my number one recommendation, but I don't know your wife and I do know J. Kenji López-Alt. This one is brand new so you're unlikely to find it used and cheap, but as a catch-all recommendation it has to take first place. Moving on to the cheap stuff:
   
   
2. Regional French Cooking by Paul Bocuse. This is possibly the friendliest authoritative book on French food out there, and a hell of a lot easier to just dive into than Julia Child (Julia is the expert, and her book is an encyclopedia). Bocuse is the undisputed king of nouvelle cuisine and people like Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain (so maybe a generation ahead of you and I) came from him. Paul Bocuse is French food as we know it, and yet this book—an approachable, coffee-table sized thing—still has a recipe for fucking mac and cheese. It's outstanding.
   
   
3. Theory & Practice / The New James Beard by James Beard. These will completely cover your entire library of American cooking. Nothing else needed until you get region-specific. When you do, go for something like this.
   
   
4. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. When she died, the NYT ran a second obituary that was just her recipe for bolognese.
   
   
5. Christ, top five. Who gets 5th? I'm going with From Curries To Kebabs by Madhur Jaffrey. Don't get bamboozled into buying "Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Bible" which is the same book, repackaged and priced higher. You want the one with the hot pink dust jacket, it's unmistakeable. This is one of those end-all books that you could cook out of for the rest of your life. It covers almost every diet and almost every country that Beard and Bocuse don't.
   
   
6. Honorable mentions: Here come the downvotes. Pok Pok by Andy Ricker. If you're American and you want to cook Thai, this is the one. Ten Speed Press can go home now. The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Rosen (so close to making the list). I shouldn't need to say much about this; it's the book of diasporic Jewish food, which means it covers a lot of time and almost every possible country. It's a no-brainer. Thai Food by David Thompson (a perfect oral history of Thai food for English speakers, only it doesn't include Pok Pok's precise measurements, which in practice I've found important). Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish. Not for someone who just wants to become a baker, this book is for someone who wants to make Ken Forkish's bread. And for a casual bread baker I can't imagine a better introduction. Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham. Andrea Nguyen is out there and Andrea Nguyen is awesome, but I really like Mai Pham's book. It's accessible, reliable and regional. You don't get the dissertation-level breakdown on the origins of chicken pho that you get from Andrea, but the recipe's there, among many others, and it's fucking outstanding. Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. This vegan cookbook is dope as hell and will really expand your imagination when it comes to vegetables. This could actually have been number five.

When I started out, I relied most of the Fannie Farmer cookbook, to be honest, but something like The Joy of Cooking, Bittman's How To Cook Everything or Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food would be good, too. Joy is classic, simple recipes with clear instructions, aimed at beginners. Brown is excellent at explaining the science behind why reciepes work the way they do. Bittman emphasizes showing a technique, then showing lots of simple variations, allowing you to learn a skill and then apply it to different ingredients.

You might also take a look at Rhulman's Ratio --- for a certain sort of personaility, that book can be like a lightbulb going off. It's all about the common principles that underlay many sorts of recipes. Some people find it too abstract, especially if they're just starting (most actual recipes break his rules a little, one way or another), but if you're more of an abstract logical thinker it can be quite helpful.

But cooking in general can be quite diffucult to pick up from books --- techniques that are quite simple to demonstrate can be super difficult to describe. Youtube/the internet can be your friend, here --- Jacques Pepin, America's Test Kitchen, and Good Eats are all good at demonstrating and explaining technique. Check out the Food Wishes youtube channel, too --- Chef John is a former culinary instructor, and he demostrates a lot of classic techniques in the reciepes he does.

At the end of the day though, cooking's like Carnigie Hall. Think of stuff you like to eat, find a recipe for that stuff, and just go for it. If you start off making things you know and like, then it will be easier to tell if you're getting it right as you go along, and that I think is the most crucial and most difficult part of becoming a skilled cook --- being able to tell when something's ready vs. when it needs 5 more minutes, being able to tell if the batter looks right before you cook it, if something needs more seasoning and if so what kind. All that's mostly a karate kid, wax on, wax off thing --- you just got to keep making stuff in order to have the experience to tell when something's right.

Congrats on starting the process to learn to cook! What are some simple dishes you and your dad find tasty that you would like to learn to cook? I would start there. Get one of them nailed this week, another one next week, double up the following week. The first meals I learned to prepare were: grilled cheese sandwich with a fried egg, sheet pan roasted chicken thighs with potatoes and Greek seasoning, spaghetti with a sauce made from balsamic roasted roma tomatoes and red peppers, eggplant parmesan, chili con carne (this one is great because it lasts for days), blended soups with crusty bread and salad. If you'd like any of these simple recipes, message me and I'll DM them.

If you and your dad enjoy salads, learning the art of the simple salad is a great trick to add more veggies into your life. Learn to make a simple vinaigrette as the bottled stuff is trash. My fav is fresh lemon juice, fresh chopped garlic, a big pinch of of salt, good olive oil, a drop of maple syrup (you can sub a pinch of sugar) and a bit of mustard. Shake up in a mason jar with a lid (you can use an old pickle jar or anything else.) You can play with the ratios to your liking but usually it's 1/3 acid to 2/3 oil. Buy a box of salad greens and dress with your homemade dressing (which can keep in the fridge for a while in mason jar.) Add additional veggies and other toppings later like croutons and cheese, but honestly I just prefer dressed greens as a side to all my meals.

One trick is to get a sheet pan and some foil if you don't have one in your house. You can make a variety of healthy dishes and cleanup is a breeze. Here is a link for some quick and easy sheet pan recipes.

Another trick: get a large box of kosher salt and never look back. Use that to season while cooking and season finish dishes. Table salt is terrible. Last trick: taste as you go. Never wait until right before serving to taste your meal. This helps you season and also helps you learn seasoning skills as you go.

I would also say at the beginning, it's fine to use partially prepared foods as a starting off place. For example, in college I would buy pre-cooked pizza crust and add my own toppings (sauce, mozzarella, veggies). I would also buy pre-made pasta sauce and add to it by sauteeing first onions, then other veg like peppers and summer squash and then tossing it with pasta I cooked and parmesan on top (don't get the stuff in the green can, get a block of good parm and a microplane grater). A good one to try this with is jarred sundried tomato pesto (pro-tip! With all of your pasta, reserve some of your pasta water and splash it back in at the end spoonful by spoonful, makes a creamy and unified sauce.)

Here is a list from Bon Appetit for meals everyone should know how to cook. Most are quite simple.

Not sure if you'd also like to prepare lunch and breakfast, but for lunch, simple sandwiches are easy and healthy: get a loaf of bread, condiments you like, deli meat, sliced cheese, and various veg like lettuce/tomatoes. For breakfast, scrambled eggs on toast, oatmeal, and pancakes (use a mix at first) are a great place to start.

Here's some good resources that I usually tell people about when they ask what can help them cook more better.

• Alton "The Man" Brown. His book, I'm Just Here For The Food, is fantastic for those of us who are just getting into cooking. He teaches you how to cook, not how to follow a recipe...because they're two totally different things. You can find Good Eats, his show, around on the web too...it's like if Bill Nye had a cooking show. Just great stuff.
  
• The Start Cooking blog has recipes, but focuses more on beginner techniques and information. When you're getting started you'll ask yourself stuff like... What kind of knives should I have? Or... How do I get that giant pit out of an avocado without getting green crap everywhere? Or even... How do I mushroom? Which is the kind of existential question I know I've asked myself a dozen times or more.
  
• Working Class Foodies - They make some really good food, have some good tips, and it's all done on the cheap. Definitely a good channel to subscribe to on the YouTubes.
  
  And as for getting comfortable with using your knives, here's my advice. Make sure you have a GOOD knife. You can go to a restaurant supply store and get good knives for cheap, if you aren't at a spot where you can part with the cash to get superknives. Having a good, sharp knife is extremely important. Getting familiar with terms and handling is important, too. And finally, just cut stuff. Buy some potatoes and get to cutting...slowly at first, but once you get more comfortable pick up the speed. Make some mashed potatoes, hashbrowns, home fries, french fries, whatever. If you get sick of potatoes, use carrots or peppers. Just get some experience under your belt and you're well on your way.
  
  Good luck!

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

I do a lot of sharpening, and have used many kinds of stones, jigs, and gadgets. Many of the jigs and gadgets are junk, or slow, or high-maintenance.
For basic kitchen knife maintenance, it's worth it to learn to sharpen freehand with inexpensive waterstones. If you want to spend more money for better tools, spend it on nice big diamond stones. Don't spend money on sharpening machines, jigs, or gadgets. My personal sharpening setup is three 3x8 EZE-Lap diamond stones (Coarse, fine, and super-fine), and a leather strop with chromium oxide buffing powder. With this I can turn pretty much any piece of steel into a long-lasting razor blade. EZE-lap makes some nice double-sided diamond stones too that look great for kitchen use. Knife steels have their place (touch-ups between real sharpenings), but are not a complete solution on their own, and can be bypassed entirely.

For knives, anything that's not super low-end is good. It should feel great when held correctly. Most home cooks who've spent $200 on a fancy chef's knife would be just as well off with something like a $55 Henckel's Classic. Knives like that are good steel, easy to sharpen and easy to use. Most good knives require thoughtful maintenance. If someone needs a cook's knife but will not take good care of it, get them a Victorinox Fibrox. They're cheap, good-enough knives with handles that can survive the dishwasher. I also like knives from Wüsthof, Global, Shun, Mac, and many others. Modern knives are mostly excellent. As long as you avoid ultra-cheap options and exotic gimmicks, it's easy to go right.

This could get long.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If I were to build my kitchen from scratch, it would be pretty much what I have today w/out having to go through all the old, cheap stuff that I wound up buying getting rid of because it was low quality and wore out or broke or didn't work as well as it should have. So as follows:

All Clad Stainless:

• 12" skillet
  
• 1.5 qt pot
  
• 3 qt pot
  
• 8 qt stock pot (I have the 12 qt but most people won't use something that big
  
  Cast iron:
  
  
• 12" skillet
  
• 8" skillet
  
• other cast iron pieces for grilling that most people won't use
  
  Enameled dutch oven (Staub):
  
  
• 3 qt round cocotte
  
• 7 qt round cocotte
  
  Various Appliances:
  
  
• Kitchenaid mixer (hand mixer first, then stand mixer)
  
• Cuisinart stick blender
  
• Coffee maker (I have a Cuisinart, but I'm not stuck on the brand)
  
• A toaster oven (again, I have Cuisinart, but check reviews)
  
• An electric kettle (no brand specific)
  
• Vitamix (optional - I love mine and use it daily)
  
  Knives:
  
  
• Shun 10" chef knife
  
• Shun 4" utility knife
  
• No name super-thin flexible fish filleting knife that debones poultry like it was butter
  
• Honing steel
  
• Magnetic strip for storing knives
  
  Other misc stuff:
  
  
• Fish turners in all sizes
  
• Good set of bamboo (not wooden) spoons/spatulas
  
• Set of silicone scraper/spatulas
  
• Oxo tongs in various sizes (at least short, med, long)
  
• A mandoline slicer
  
• Epicurian cutting boards
  
• Microplane grater/zester
  
• A variety of mesh strainers (I use them more than colanders)
  
• Thermopop instant read thermometer
  
• A good quality probe thermometer (the kind you leave in the oven)
  
  Bakeware:
  
  
• A basic set of Corningware
  
• A couple of half sheet pans
  
  
  Fun things to have if you think you'll use them:
  
  
• Pasta maker or attachment for your Kitchenaid
  
• Ice cream maker
  
• Bread machine
  
  These are the things that I have right now that I'd get from the start if I were starting over from scratch. I have other stuff, but it's been gathered over time and I'm sure I've left out a few things, since I'm kind of working off the top of my head. Oh yeah, like a good set of storage stuff (Rubbermaid or similar) and a garlic press ... and ... and ... :)

1. Cardomom can come in purple too, apparently. That would probably be black cardomom, the green pods on the right are green cardomom. That whole picture shows the ingredients for chai.
   
   
2. Green chilis will give you similar heat to chili powder, but I'd just recommend picking up some dried red chilis and making your own powder. You can get large bags for cheap at an indian grocer. You can make your own chili flakes from this too. Cloves and cinnamon together can substitute allspice.
   
   
3. Yes, some indian spices are very close to morrocan / thai spices, and there are plenty of spices used in other kinds of savory dishes (italian and oregano, mexican and cumin) or sweet dishes (cinnamon, cardamom) and so on. You've got a much better stock than most people do when they start cooking.
   
   
4. There are plenty of online resources for subbing spices. Just read up when you have to.
   
   
5. Just start with what you have, and if you are missing something, grab it. I have over 100 spices at home and probably use 30 of them frequently. Just figure out what you like and run out of by learning new dishes. You might want to either grow an herb garden, or stock up on leaf spices (thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, basil, savory, majorum and so on). These are generally better fresh but dried can still impart flavor. I also enjoy different table salts (black lava salt, pink salt) for different flavors.
   
   
6. You really learn this by making dishes. The more you cook, the better you will be able to remember how spices go together. Also, there's "Culinary Artistry" or "The Flavor Bible" for most spices you will encounter. This book lists all different foods and spice and what is traditionally mixed with what.
   
   
   
7. Just have fun with spice! It really is a learning process, but once you get the hang of it, it really makes all the difference in cooking. You can make wonderful dishes very easily if you master the use of spice. Good luck!
   
   Edit : 8. Wear gloves, and just try not to be careless. You will probably injure yourself cooking in one way or another, but you can take precautions to minimize the injury. I have about 8 cuts on my hands from my chefs knife, but they all happened because I was either drinking or was half awake. I've burned myself from pans, but again, it's because I was being careless.

> Knife sharpening. I've tried searching this sub for knife sharpening suggestions and while the most common suggestion is to pay someone to do it once or twice a year, I've read horror stories and I'd like to learn myself either with a sharpening stone or a system made to guarantee the angle. Any suggestions here?

Lot of options here. You can find places that will do knife sharpening. There's one near me that's just a small storefront but they do work for local restaurants and regular Joe walk-ins for a flat rate of $6 a blade.

However, it's really pretty easy to get into doing your own sharpening. Can find decent starter stones on Amazon, for example, as well as good online tutorials that'll give you the process. From there it's just hands-on time.

Doesn't matter if you're not perfect the first time you do it - can always go back and put a better edge on a knife later when you get better at it. Probably most important thing is to know how to hold and maintain an angle - conveniently you can come up with good rules of thumb using trig. For a typical western angle of 22.5 degrees per side, you need to hold the spine up off the stone 3/8" per inch of blade height. For a more typical Japanese angle of 15 degrees it's 1/4" per inch of blade height. Just have to take a look at what that is with a ruler, then you can put your thumb up against it and find where you need to "lock in" and hold it.

I enjoy doing it myself, picked it up pretty quickly over the summer, and I'd say my knives tend to have a better-than-new edge on them. 1-2 times per year seems sufficient, maybe 3 - really depends on type of steel and use.

waterstones for sharpening and a honing rod for western knives (guessing that's what you have).

Something cheap but good for value like a King 1k/6k to get you going first.

Once you get better, you can always upgrade to nicer stones like Shapton, Naniwa, Suehiro, etc.

I use Japanese knives so I don't have a honing rod and can't recommend you one.

​

Gist of it

Soak stone 10 mins

Start 1k grit side, run each side 5 - 10 times (look up what a burr is)

Start 6k grit side, run each side 5 - 10 times (polishing)

optional - you can also strop it to make it sharper using newspaper, cardboard, leather

hone the knife (5-10 passes) end of every week after use

​

There are really good playlists like Korin or JKI but they can get pretty serious, detailed and sometimes overwhelming.

I like to watch Burrfection where it's more casual content.

Plan 1: Grab a general purpose beginner's book like Ruhlman's 20, How to Cook Everything: the Basics, or The Four Hour Chef and get cracking.

For the record, I would start with Ruhlman since he's the most oriented towards principles, techniques, and general purpose stuff. Bittman's great, but he mostly teaches via recipe which isn't that helpful when you're just barely starting out. Ferris' book is incredible and I would wholeheartedly recommend it, but it's huge and filled with a lot of rabbit trails about learning styles, foreign languages, memorizing playing cards, and shooting 3 points. If you like watching Tim Ferris ADD on neat stuff (and I do) it's a great read, but it definitely isn't only about cooking.

Plan 2: Get this poster. Ideally here. Get the veggie if you need it. Buy the stuff, make the stuff. This won't be quite as much initial layout as buying a book, and it's not nearly as intimidating. But it's not nearly as detailed so you're going to have to do a lot more guess-and-check type stuff and be ready to throw out your mistakes, which is probably going to cost more and be more frustrating in the long run.

tl;dr - Ruhlman

Disclaimer: links are for convenience only. I receive no benefit other than sharing my favorite sources.

Hmm, a lot of times trouble with cutting things is mostly an equipment issue-- aka, a blunt knife. Is your supermarket an Asian one? They often have really good, sharp knives for not very much money. If not, it may be worth getting something like this. There's a bit of a learning curve, but with a sharp knife you'd improve rapidly!

I'm an amount-eyeballer too, so that makes it easier to give you some of my recipes, haha. This one is a nice alternative to a tomato sauce that doesn't require a lot of chopping and comes together very fast:

• Put your salted water on to boil for the pasta.
  
• Slice 1 medium onion: Halve the onion lengthwise. Cut off the tops of each half and peel back the skins to the root. Holding onto the root, slice thinly crosswise, so that the slices are ~1/8" thick. Basically, follow up to step 4 of this image, making thinner slices and not cutting off the root ends because they make a nice handle.
  
• Smash 4 garlic cloves: Bash each clove with the side of your knife. The papery skins will fall right off.
  
• Take a 12-inch skillet and pour in ~3 tbsp of olive oil, just to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet. Put over medium heat. (Meanwhile, start cooking your pasta as soon as your water is boiling). Once the oil is hot, throw in the onion, the smashed garlic cloves, a filet or two of anchovy (the kind that comes in a tin packed in olive oil), ~2 tbsp of drained/patted-dry/lightly smashed capers, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Salt and saute until fragrant and the onions are softening and the anchovies have started to dissolve.
  
• Add about half a glass of white wine to the pan and then add ~3 large handfuls of roughly-chopped kale or other hearty green. It should take about 5 minutes for the kale to wilt down, during which time your pasta should be finished-- again, undercook it by 1 minute. BEFORE YOU DRAIN YOUR PASTA, save about a cup of the starchy water.
  
• Add your pasta to the skillet with ~1/3 of the pasta water, a handful of fresh-grated Parmigiana cheese, and a pat of butter. Turn up the heat. Toss until the pasta's done, adjusting the consistency of the sauce with additional water if you need to. Take off the heat, adjust seasoning (salt and pepper), and add the juice of one lemon, stirring to coat.
  
• Serve with additional cheese and cracked black pepper.
  
  Good luck with your pasta voyage!

If you love to read, then I completely back up those who recommended J Kenji Lopez-Alt's "The Food Lab". He also spends some time on /r/seriouseats, which I think is really great. Food Lab is great because it explains not only HOW to make a recipe, but the WHY a recipe works the way that it does, and allows you to expand your cooking skills. His is not the only book that does this, but I've read Salt Fat Acid Heat and The Science of Cooking and a good portion of the tome that is Modernist Cuisine, but Kenji's style of writing is exceptionally approachable.

But my actual suggestion to someone who wants to go from never cooking to cooking healthy meals at home is to watch the recipes on Food Wishes, because he shows you what each step of the recipe is supposed to look like, and his food blog is not filled with flowery stories, but helpful tips.

Another great online resource that I used when I started cooking about 5 years ago was The Kitchn. They offer up basic technique videos on how to cook proteins and vegetables that are really simple to follow for beginners.

My advice to you is this: don't feel like you need to dive immediately into recipes. First learn how to season and cook a chicken breast or steak consistently, and roast the different kinds of vegetables. Then just start jumping into recipes that you want to try. And don't be afraid to ask questions here :)

>Unrelated question, I read that meat should be poached with the liquid starting cold and then gradually increasing the heat so as to cook the meat evenly. However when grilling or baking an oven is required to be preheated, and I read the reason is again, so that the meat cooks evenly. Sorry if this is a dumb question, I know the medium of cooking is different but why is this contradicting?

Let's start here. You can safely ignore advice for starting things cold in any aqueous cooking method (poaching, braising, making stock, boiling vegetables) -- whether it starts hot or cold will have minor differences when it comes to when and which compounds move from your solids to your liquids, and other details like clarity of your final liquid (e.g. a broth or stock). These are fine finicky details however, and will have very little effect on the final flavor of your dish. When it comes to poaching meats, what matters it the final temperature of the meat. The closer the temperature of your poaching liquid is to that target temperature, the better -- whether it starts hot or cold when the protein goes in. The same basic principles apply for meat cookery when grilling or roasting, with the added caveat that you usually want to create a crust through the maillard reaction and caremelization, which requires high heat. Hence the very best methods are a combination of low and high heat, such as Sous Vide and Reverse Searing.

As for categorical learning, there are lots of resources!
One of my favorites is the website Serious Eats which is very science based and has plenty to learn sorted by technique or by recipe.

I personally learned with Alton Brown -- seek out the show Good Eats, or check out some of his books 123

There is no right or wrong way to learn to cook. In fact, the only real way is to just get in the kitchen and cook. Yeah, you will screw some stuff up, burn some stuff, and maybe make some truly awful food. But you will make great food as well.

Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food is a great primer on the science of cooking. I read it in culinary school, and it was a great distillation of the main concepts (which cuts are of meat are good for braising, searing, roasting, etc. and how to properly perform each technique). If you end up enjoying Alton Brown's style, I would also recommend Fish on a First Name Basis for fish cookery. Lastly, Cook's Illustrated is a wonderful resource on food and cooking. The yearly online membership is only approx $25, and you get access to all previously published recipes and equipment reviews.

In terms of equipment, the knife I personally use is the Victorinox 10-inch chef knife. Japanese steel is great and all, but for the same price you could get this knife, a good electric knife sharpener, and a honing steel and still have some left over. The best knife is a sharp knife after all. I would also highly recommend a T-fal non-stick pan for a solid multi-purpose first pan.

Finally, for an herb garden, I generally try to aim for either expensive or infrequently used herbs for indoor gardening. The reasoning behind growing expensive herbs is pretty straightforward. I primarily grow infrequently used herbs to avoid wasting what I wouldn't use up when cooking (as you mentioned is oft a problem). In my region, basil, sage, thyme, tarragon, and oregano would all be good candidates to grow. Parsley, cilantro, and bay leaf tend to be cheaper at the market in my area, so I usually just purchase those.

The steel in the victorinox is definitely softer. Here's my current suggestions for people thinking about buying cheaper knives.

(Copy and pasted from something I've posted before, but with some updates)


TL;DR: In the category of budget knives. For longer lasting edges, Tojiro DP Santoku or Gyuto for $43 and $52 (now $62) respectively, or the Augymer for $30. For easier maintenance, Kai 6720C or Henckels Forged Synergy for $32 and $35, respectively.



As a caveat, budget knives of all sorts are not going to have the fit and finish of higher priced knives. For Knives that are easy to obtain lump you into two categories that have pros and cons, German hardness and Japanese hardness. Which is mainly a trade off between sharpness/edge holding vs durability/ease of maintenance. Although you can sharpen really soft metals to be stupid sharp and a really acute angle, it will not last long at all. But when the edge gets rolled over from a cutting session, it can be easily honed back into place. Harder knives can still be honed back into place, but techniques and tools are slightly different--I would never touch my harder knives with a grooved steel.

German hardness is usually around 56-58 hrc. Hard enough to hold an edge for a bit, but soft enough to not chip and easily steel/hone back into place.

The Victorinox Fibrox at about 55 hrc used to be suggested all the time when it was $20 and even when it was about $35. But now that it is $40-45, that's just too much for what is a very cheap knife.

A couple knives still in this range, which are better quality than the fibrox anyway are:

Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch at 57-58 hrc for $32

https://www.amazon.com/Kai-6720C-Wasabi-Black-8-Inch/dp/B000YL4NY4


So this one is actually made with Japanese steel by the same company that makes Shun. But, because it's hardened to only 57-58 hrc, I'm lumping it in with the german steel category.

and The Henckels International Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef's Knife at about 57-58 hrc for $32

http://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Forged-Synergy-8-inch/dp/B000FMVS4A

Henckels International (not regular Henckels) used to be really bad because they made their knives to 53-55 hrc, which is way too soft to hold an edge to get through a cooking session without nearly constant honing. I've heard their international classics are still being made w/ the crappy steel.


So your choice between these two are having that big bolster (which I'm not a fan of) and general aesthetic.

Japanese hardness is usually at least 59 hrc, with a good chunk in the 60-62 range. This means potentially better, longer lasting cutting performance between honing/sharpening. The tradeoff is that it becomes more difficult to get to this stage without specialty tools or sending it to a professional sharpener. At this point I personally don't even consider knives under 59 hrc, unless it's something that really takes a beating.

For the cheapest price point, while still having quality. I would really only recommend the Tojiro DP at 60-61 hrc. It used to be about double the prices, but the grinds also used to be more even. Either way, it's still a great buy.

The chef/gyuto is $52 (now $62 hopefully it'll come back down soon)

http://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS/

And the Santoku is $43

http://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Santoku-6-7-17cm/dp/B000UAPQEA/

So the main difference here is whatever knife shape you prefer (and the price). I've gotten some cheaper harder steel knives, but I've had to do way too much touching up to be recommended.

There's also the Augymer 8" "Damascus" for $30 allegedly hardened to 62 hrc:

https://www.amazon.com/Augymer-Japanese-Professional-Stainless-Sharp-Damascus/dp/B01H6KWUWC/

I'd be really afraid of fit and finish problems, and generally lower tolerances throughout the process of making this knife. You can even see the uneven grind on the Amazon page. I'd also assume that the hardness is a tad lower than specified (maybe 60 hrc), but it should still be a pretty good knife if you want to pinch your pennies. This could be a great knife with some TLC, especially if you send it to someone who knows what they're doing.

An excellent book for you at this point would be Jacques Pépin's Complete Techniques. From the description:

"Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques features everything the home cook needs to perfect: poach an egg, whisk a perfect hollandaise, knead a crispy baguette, or bake an exquisite meringue with the perfection and efficiency of a professional chef. Featured throughout the book, Pepin's classic recipes offer budding masters the opportunity to put lessons into practice with extraordinary results."

It also covers things like knife technique and other fundamentals, which you mentioned.

As far as French cooking goes, although they've been around awhile, two books that are still definitive on the subject are Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Volume One and Volume Two. All three of these books (Pepin plus these two) are foundational to learning about cooking. There are others, but these will give you a very good start, and will increase your cooking skills and knowledge exponentially.

If those aren't enough, you can also check out The Professional Chef, which is a fantastic book of recipes and techniques put out by the Culinary Institute of America. It's a bit spendy, but worth it if you want to learn. The Amazon links are provided for reference; if money is an issue you can quite easily find all these books used.

So most of my cookbooks are either text dense reference manuals or obnoxiously difficult like The French Laundry Cookbook, but here's a few that are relatively simple with excellent photography:

La Cocina - Cookbook from an organization in San Francisco that teaches low income people to successfully grow food businesses. Photos are incredible.

-

The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook - Excellent photos with a lot of obscure produce.

-

Ad Hoc at Home - Thomas Keller's family style recipes with wonderful photography.

-

Flour Water Salt Yeast - Focused on baking bread and making pizza, but a lot of step by step photos and some awesome pictures of the final product.

NYT no knead bread - best if you have a Dutch oven (you can get one amazon for like 30 bucks)

Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls - best cinnamon rolls ever, I usually half the recipe. For frosting, hers is a bit too extravagant. I just use powered sugar, melted butter and water/milk til you get the consistency you like

Sourdough Starter Recipe - it cuts out buying yeast and the need to prove it. This will also serve as a catalyst for other types of bread in the future.

FWSY - the Holy Grail of bread cooking books

And as someone already pointed out r/breadit

Also, not sure what country you're in, but try catching the Great British Baking Show on Netflix (streams in US). I've been watching it recently and it's definitely inspired me to bake all sorts of goodies.

Good luck!

If you like reading, a couple books that I'd recommend would be The Food Lab and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. They'll help you understand a lot more about the tools and ingredients you want to use and learn how to use them. There's plenty of recipes too! These are both award winning books that I think should be in your local library too if you don't have the money to buy them! Happy cooking!

The meal prep subreddit might give you ideas too on big batch meals.

Do you think your dad might help you cook or help you learn? It could be a cool thing to do together and maybe you could help him learn somethings and give him some autonomy!

I have a couple of small, yet invaluable, kitchen tools that I couldn't do without. You can put together a great cornucopia of kitchen tools for her.

1. Tongs
   This is great for turning, mixing, flipping, serving, etc.
   
   
2. Microplane
   This goes well beyond cheese. This is great for grating ginger, garlic, etc.
   
   
3. citrus press
   Such a great time saver.
   
   
4. silicone spatulas
   The silicon tip allows you to use it for high temperatures and the flexibility is key when you're scraping a mixture out of a bowl. Speaking of bowls...
   
   
5. bowls
   
   You sound like a winner. Let us know how it goes.

Go to the bookstore first. Check some basic cookbooks for recommendations. A good one can be found in the America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook, I'm sure others exist. Take notes, or if you don't have a good cookbook, buy it.

A good cookbook will not only tell you what you should have, but also why you should have it. As much as possible buy good quality gear, it works better as well as lasts longer. Keep in mind when selecting your skillets that you will want both slope and straight sides, and you will want quality stainless steel and non-stick versions, as well as a fair sized cast iron skillet.

There are several lists here with lots of useful tools. One standout that is missing in the lists is a cast iron dutch oven. I prefer enameled though Mom used the plain.

Hope this helps, congratulations on the new place!

Ok I think if you want to take your cooking game to the next level start with this. Learn how to use cast iron and cherish it. It might seem hard at first but it's actually really easy. Will last you years if properly taken care of.

If you want to just cook to survive, and have a pan that is easy to clean and not worry about too much, get this. And to be honest this is pricy for a non-stick pan. I would go to your nearest Walmart and get a non-stick pan for 20 bucks or something.

When it comes to knives; invest in a few good ones. Learn how to sharpen them. Wash and dry them straight after use, take care of your knives. Good knives are like babies, they will last as long as you take care of them. Go Japanese, take a look at Global. Global's bread knife also does the job pretty fucking well, also good for butchering down some meat when the going gets tough.

If you're feeling like a big boy, go for a 10" Masahiro - this will keep you sorted for all your veggie needs forever and ever. This small peeler from Fiskar is also an underestimated legend in my kitchen.

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

this one has pretty good reviews. and you would have enough leftover to buy a sharpener.

https://www.amazon.com/Profession-German1-4116-Stainless-Ergonomic-Restaurant/dp/B07TKM8R97/ref=sr_1_70_sspa?

or

https://www.amazon.com/IMMEK-Kitchen-Stainless-Dealing-Vegetables/dp/B07DX57KXZ/ref=sr_1_73?

Or, Here is a Henckels knife that is only $47.

https://www.amazon.com/J-HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-31161-201-Classic/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=sxin_3_sp_qu_bss_is?

​

​

Sharpeners

https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Sharpener-Electric-Serrated-Stainless/dp/B07BJ6VQ85/ref=sr_1_84?

I have one of these and Love it! but it's a bit pricey on a budget. so maybe next time. get the cheap on now and get something like this later. Mine has lasted me 10 years so far and is still going.

https://www.amazon.com/ChefsChoice-ProntoPro-Sharpener-Sharpening-Euro-American/dp/B007IVBET0/ref=sr_1_24?

also, to help keep the edge sharp on your knife... Don't put it in the dishwasher! hand wash only dry and put away. also if you cut anything acidic, tomatoes, orange, lemon etc. rinse the blade well and wash as soon as you get a chance. the acid will dull your knife pretty quickly.

I usually tell people to check out How to Cook Without a Book. It has some recipes, but it's more about giving readers a better understanding of techniques, how to put something together from what you already have on hand, and what things you should just keep around at all times because of their usefulness. As opposed to a lot of books I've seen that give a list of things to buy which will then need to be prepped with tools you might not have.

edit: If you got money to spend and really dig the art and science of cooking there is also Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. At just under $550 USD it's the most expensive and most beautiful cookbook I've ever seen.

Well, on the extreme side, "The Professional Chef" textbook I believe is the one used by the culinary institute of America. I picked one up off Amazon for $36 just for the hell of it. It's really interesting and reads more like an academic text than a cook book. It can be quite intense though.

A much more popular choice and a much easier read would be "The Food Lab" by Kenji Lopez-Alt who is a writer for serious eats. The book has plenty of recipes but does an unbelievably amazing job explaining the science and reasoning behind the choices that are made as well as various "experiments" that kenji does to answer cooking questions. It definitely teaches technique and really helps put you in the right "mindset" for cooking without a recipe.

Here are links to both.

https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Chef-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0470421355

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087

You can get really great knives for a very good price. In fact, the knives that America's Test Kitchen recommends are all under $30.
Chef's Knife
(the all around workhorse)
Forschner/Fibrox Chef's Knife {$30}
Paring knife
(I use mine sometimes, for trimming)
Forschner/Fibrox paring knife {$10}
Serrated knife
(I use mine for bread and watermelon)
Forschner/Fibrox bread knife {$25}

As for spices, I use very few, and buy them as I need them for recipes. The ones I go through fastest (other than salt and pepper) are cumin (for Mexican and Indian cuisine) and nutmeg (uhh, I bake a lot).

Whenever I need to buy a new basic or fancy gadget, I always check out America's test kitchen. Sign up for the free two week thing, and look up ALL the tools.

Finally, my favorite guide to all the things you need comes from smitten kitchen. Seriously, check it out. Super awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087

https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527/

Both are incredibly clear, well-illustrated and written, and provide not only instruction on basic cooking techniques, and help a novice cook select the equipment necessary for a successful kitchen. SeriousEats.com and AmericasTestKitchen.com are great resources as well if you're not keen on buying a cookbook.

Alton Brown's Good Eats is also a great how-to resource presented in a friendly, informative and entertaining format.

Finally, I like to recommend You Suck At Cooking to people who say they can't cook. Yes, the videos are mainly comedy skits involving ridiculous things being done to produce, but there are actually some really good nuggets of information skillfully hidden in the chaos of what's going on. It barely qualifies as instructional, but it certainly is entertaining and involves food.

King's generic 1000/3000 dual stone is a great buy for the price. I had one that lasted for years before it was too dished/clogged to put an edge on anything. Then I needed a flattening stone to bring it back to fighting condition.

Though, if you have the spare cash, Kramer's waterstone set is amazing. You can get a very good edge with the King stones, but that Kramer set has a very different feel.

Also, you'll want a nagura (if you don't get the Kramer set that comes with one). A lot of the king stones offered on Amazon come with one. It's used to clean/condition the stone, flatten out smaller imperfections (over the heavy cleaning stone above), and make a slurry to really polish on your high grit stones.

Also Also, one shout out to Upon Leather on Amazon. I picked up a strop from them that is very good quality leather, with more polishing compound than I will ever need, and a no-shit handwritten thank you note in the box. Just need to mount it to a piece of scrap wood and you're good to go.

I came here just to recommend the RH Forschner-Victorinox knives. Get a chef's knife, a paring knife and a bread knife. That will cover the vast majority of your knife needs.

Cook's Illustrated rated them very highly. I can attest from my own personal experience, they are inexpensive, comfortable, and easy to keep sharp. It's amazing you can buy a knife this good for so little money.

Get a Victorinox steel ($9), and also pick up an Accu-sharp knife sharpener, also highly recommended by Cook's Illustrated, and me as well: http://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-1-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1229911994&sr=8-4

EDIT: You may also want to add a (quality) pair of kitchen shears. Very handy thing in the kitchen.

If you start out with these 6 pieces, you will be well on your way to a very well equipped kitchen.

So a few off the top of my head:

1. The Professional Chef. Geared towards professional chefs but a great resource.
   
   
2. On Food and Cooking. A classic. Not really a 'cookbook' per se but rather a book that discusses history and food science.
   
   
3. The now out-of-print Williams and Sonoma Mastering Series. Specifically, their book on sauces - the others are solid but not quite as good. Those books were how I personally learned to cook. (still can find used)
   
   
4. The Flavor Bible. Obligatory. Eventually you grow out of it a bit, but it's still a great resource to have around.
   
   
5. Flour Water Salt Yeast. I just got this book recently this last Christmas, and I've been enjoying it quite a bit.

Here is a Shun 8" chefs knife in Damascus for $99.95 & FREE SHIPPING!

It has great ratings, is a very nice looking knife. I agree that Damascus is a great look and they seem to be a bit lighter.

It looks like you have plenty of awesome ideas here. I am going to make a recommendation of a really excellent book for deciding what flavors pair well together and how to balance a flavor pallette: Culinary Artistry. It's a terrific resource for people who are trying to move away from recipe-based cooking and into creating their own dishes. It's reasonably accessible-- some of the sample menus are a bit 'out there' but the fundamentals are strong. You might enjoy it!

I have not personally used this knife, but I've heard really good things about it. Also heard that it's razor-sharp. I'd like to get one sometime but I have Calphalon Santoku that I picked up at Marshall's that I'm pretty happy with for the time being.

I'd definitely pick up a microplane to go with your box grater when you get the chance, this is a super nice one that's kind of the gold standard.

Fantastic for hard cheese, really the only tool for zesting citrus, and also great for getting a quick garlic or ginger paste.

The super hardened steel in "professional" knives are much more difficult to keep sharp. They make sense for professionals, because they won't wear away to a nub with heavy use, but unless you're actively using, honing and sharpening your knife for 60 hours per week, they're completely unnecessary.

Here's a perfect starter kit for the home chef:

• Global Chef Knife
  
• Whetstone
  
• Sharpening Steel
  
  Don't waste money on expensive sets unless having a butcher block stand on display in your kitchen to impress your guests is something that matters to you. Put your money into a good quality chef knife that's easy to keep sharp and the tools to keep it that way.
  
  If you don't trust me, take it from Anthony Bourdain.

A cast-iron skillet. Soon, your awesome searing skills will be no match for your puny kitchen fan. Just make sure you look into how to care properly for the thing.

As for cookbooks, like other people in the thread mentioned, Joy of Cooking and Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything are great tomes of quality recipes. I would also recommend something along the lines of a culinary school textbook. I'm a big fan of The Professional Chef. This cookbook focuses a lot on technique and theory, but it's very thorough and still has plenty of recipes and delicious looking pictures.

The great thing about cooking is that there is no template! Do what tastes good to you! That said, there are plenty of cookbooks for beginners that will give you basic ideas. This book by Michael Rhulman will give you several recipes for each of 20 basic cooking techniques. It's a great base to start from.

On wine, I completely jettisoned the idea that whites are for some things and reds are for others. You should drink what you like is the bottom line and be less concerned about pairings. If you like reds then just have a light bodied red, like a Burgundy, with chicken or fish and save the big Boudreaux for your steak. Likewise, there's no reason you can't have a nice oaky Chardonnay with a tomato based pasta, etc.

Full knife sets are a scam. You don’t need two different size chef knives and a santoku, you don’t need a serrated paring knife, or any of that crap. You’ll never use them and they’ll just sit there in your knife block, and you will have spent 50% of your money on knives you never touch. Here’s all you need, in your price range:

A henckels 8 inch chef knife - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004RFMT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1510433354&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=henckels+chef+knife+8&dpPl=1&dpID=31OX1pDMIvL&ref=plSrch. you’ll use this for 90% of the things you cut. Veggies, meat, whatever.

A tojiro bread slicer. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001TPA816/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1510433463&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bread+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=312P9gZ10AL&ref=plSrch. this thing will eat through crusty breads, tough squashes, pineapples, etc, and you can also use it to cut paper thin tomato slices with those sharp teeth. It’s good quality and cheap, I just bought one myself and love it. I accidentally cut my dish brush and a cloth when washing and drying it the first time. That’s how sharp it is.

A victorinox paring knife. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0019WXPQY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510433648&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=victorinox+paring&psc=1 - for when you need to do fine cutting work

If you have a good reason, you might add a boning knife or something like that, but these 3 knives are all I use 99.9% of the time. The only other thing to add is a sharpener and honing steel to keep them sharp.

If you’re not a professional chef, you can get away with a cheap (decent) knife sharpener like this one - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004VWKQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1510433817&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=knife+sharpener&dpPl=1&dpID=41bRTplVVXL&ref=plSrch]

You don’t need to spend a bunch of time and money on stones to sharpen your knives properly unless you’re super interested in that sort of thing. Use this sharpener once every few weeks or so and it’ll keep your knives sharp enough to get everything done.

If I were starting a new kitchen from scratch, those are exactly what I’d buy to get started. Treat them well and sharpen them occasionally (except the bread slicer, it’s hard to sharpen but cheap enough to replace every few years when it starts to dull), and they’ll last you a long time.

This is a really good read - these are the opening lines of the book’s introduction:

> Anyone can cook anything and make it delicious.

> Whether you’ve never picked up a knife or you’re an accomplished chef, there are only four basic factors that determine how good your food will taste: salt, which enhances flavor; fat, which amplifies flavor and makes appealing textures possible; acid, which brightens and balances; and heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food. Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat are the four cardinal directions of cooking, and this book shows how to use them to find your way in any kitchen.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat

Here's what you really want:

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman: pretty much everything you'd like to do as a normal home cook will be in here. Debone a chicken, choose the best meat, veggies, fruits, how to cook every vegetable, fruit or meat you're likely to use, in different ways, with variations. Breakfasts, dinners, deserts, technique, theory. It'll cover about everything you'd want to learn.

If you want to go a bit further into theory:

Ruhlman's Twenty: twenty topics for the home cook to study and learn, with applicable recipes. The basics every interested cook ought to know. Think, Salt, Water, Onion, Acid, Egg, Butter, Dough, Batter, Sugar, Sauce, Vinaigrette, Soup, Sauté, Roast, Braise, Poach, Grill, Fry, Chill.

That'll get you pretty far, I reckon.

If you haven't cooked much, I would recommend picking up Alton Brown's book 'I'm just here for the food' It covers cooking from a science and chemistry perspective, and understanding why something happens makes you a better cook. It also helps keep you from developing bad habits, or working on erroneous information (like
browning meat 'seals in juices'.) Also some very good recipes.

Link: I'm Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/158479559X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_g-7eAbXGFVZ5R

For the 'what do I need part' you can get enough equipment to get started from a thrift store, and cast iron skillets are cheap. A skillet/ saute pan, stock pot, mixing bowl and baking sheet will cover most things. For spices I would at least stock garlic, pepper, kosher salt. Lawry's can work in a pinch although I otherwise avoid spice mixes. If you're making Christmas treats, you're probably going to want cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, vanilla, maybe allspice/ mace depending on the recipe. Buying those and the rest of your groceries at Aldi or Trader Joe's is more economical if there is one nearby. International food stores/ Indian groceries sometimes have much better prices on spices as well.

My go to for the holidays is the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe, it's all over the internet. Favorite cookies anywhere when they're fresh out of the oven :)

A lot of the comments are focused on learning simple techniques and skills, and having a basic understanding of processes. Check out this book by Michael Ruhlman.

From the blurb: " Twenty distills Ruhlman's decades of cooking, writing, and working with the world's greatest chefs into twenty essential ideas from ingredients to processes to attitude that are guaranteed to make every cook more accomplished. Whether cooking a multi-course meal, the juiciest roast chicken, or just some really good scrambled eggs, Ruhlman reveals how a cook's success boils down to the same twenty concepts."

I use my Global 20cm Chefs knife for ... everything. Basically everything. I have tried a few different brands. My knife rack has Wusthof, Henckel and a few other (cheaper) ones. I go to the Global every time.

This is very subjective. My other knives are also very good, I just prefer the Global. It's light and quite thin, holds an edge better than the others. It suits me well. IMO that's 99% of what people are saying when they tell you one knife is better than another of comparable price, that it suits them well.

See if you can borrow a few knives from friends and work with them for a bit and see what you like.

jeez, it's a good knife for the money but let's not pretend it's what it's not. it's a good entry level knife and that's what it's designed for. at the $100 dollar range you're going up against good consumer knives (not saying the global is better because global handles suck).

it doesn't hold an edge as long, it's weighted poorly and the blade is stamped.

this will be better in *almost every way, also someone suggested the tojiro which is good too.

I am the owner of the /r/ATKGear subreddit which posts past winners for kitchen gear and ingredient taste tests from the show America's Test Kitchen. Here is a list of all gear winners.
But if I had to pick one item it would definitely be the Victorinox Fibrox 8-inch Chef's Knife. I have been happy with mine for two years now and it is always the one knife I reach for when there is some slicing to do.
I have nothing to do with amazon.com nor any retailer there - feel free to shop around for one elsewhere :)

Get the 10" model. It's $2.05 more.

8" will be a bit short for prepping things if you use the "tip-fulcrum method" (google that for info/videos). The angle of the blade on a longer knife is just more manageable. 8" also is a bit short for those other things you use chef knives for because you 'don't have anything else more suitable' for cutting cakes, or bread, large roasts and steaks.

I'm a big Victorinox fan (which also makes Forschner). Forschners with the rosewood handles are my knives (Since 1985) - the balance feels better. The Fibrox is good too, just feels a little light in my hand. Forschner Rosewood equivalents will run about $5 more than the Fibrox.

The steak knives look good. I'd get them. *Handwashing recommended - don't put them in the dishwasher even though they are dishwasher safe. The handles can separate over time (heat/moisture).

> Victorinox

Here's some good options for Victorinox pairing knives

Here's a Victorinox Classic 8" Chef's Knife as well

I'd suggest look around in a store/hold a few to get what feels right in your hand. What feels best in someone else's hand is going to feel much different in yours depending on the size of your hands.

If you'd like a steak knife set as well, I'd suggest getting a couple of workhorse chefs knives, maybe a paring knife and a peeler, and a set of steak knives. Wusthoff, Shun, Global, etc are awesome but as you said, they're pricey. A great everyday use knife is the Victorinox chefs. You'll see other people recommend this knife to you as this thread gets older. I think it's ~40 on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0061SWV8Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1426016330&sr=8-1&keywords=victorinox+8-inch+chef%27s+knife&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=21K%2Bg5wqYhL&ref=plSrch

Stainless steel tri-ply pans, well reviewed by Cook's Illustrated and many bloggers:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-10-Piece-18-10-Stainless-Steel-TriPly-Clad-Cookware-Set/11072505 $229

Victorinox Chef's knife. Cheap, and again very well reviewed by Cook's Illustrated and many bloggers:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000638D3220 $27

Victorinox serrated knife:
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-47547-4-Inch-Fibrox-Handle/dp/B00093090Y/ref=pd_sim_k_7 $25

Victorinox paring knife:
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-47508-4-Inch-Paring-Knife/dp/B0001V3UYG/ref=pd_sim_k_2 $8

Cheap and well reviewed knife sharpener:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004VWKQ/

To round that out: a cheap non-stick pan (they wear out, don't sink money into this), some silicone spatulas, Pyrex bakeware, and maybe a cast iron or mineral steel skillet.

You can see a theme with my recommendations. You can have very high quality kitchen stuff, without breaking the bank.

Best of luck :)

I'm definitely no pro, but I make a few loaves every month (and use a ton of the dough I make for pizzas). I swear by This book. Everything I've made from it has been great, and it has good sections on basic techniques.

Otherwise, follow this no-knead recipe.It really doesn't get any easier than that, and the bread that comes out is fantastic.

I have a nice Chicago Cutlery Landmark Santoku knife (geez, name is longer than the knife) and a Kitchenaid Santoku (red).

If you would have asked me a year ago which one was better, I'd say the Chicago knife cuts better but both do okay. However...

Then I got the AccuSharp 001 Sharpener. This thing works so well it makes me fucking terrified of my knives, they're so sharp. Now I very, very much prefer the Chicago knife, just because the extra weight the knife has makes it feel much more under control, and the balance feels like it helps makes cuts more deliberate.

The only comparison I have is a golf driver - sometimes the superlight ones make you hit worse off the tee, because you can muscle them around easily and your swing can go all crazy. With a heavier club, it keeps you on path and is more difficult to go off-plan.

Consider that sharpener basically a throwaway. You'll probably be able to use it for a year with normal household use, flipping the stones halfway through. Toss it and buy a new one instead of trying a sharpener that will last forever.

I decided to teach myself cooking over the last year, and I can say that one good knife will be better than a block of knives. I do 99% of all my work with with 2 knives, a Santoku and a Partoku. I occasionally need a paring knife to carve pumpkins, peppers, etc..and I use a bread knife for my homemade bread, of course, but the bulk is done with the larger one.

If I didn't already have a block of generic-brand IKEA knives from before I started enjoying cooking, I'd have 4 knives, Santoku, Partoku, bread and paring. Get the sharpener I linked and a matching set of knives because they look nice and it'll help you from cutting yourself by getting used to the same balance across them.

My amateur $0.02, interested in any corrections or further insights from the pros.

The victorinox fibrox or the ja henckels international are both 50$ or less. Both of good steel and will hold an edge.

J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL 31161-201 CLASSIC Chef's Knife, 8 Inch, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PgFIDb5198GNF

Not all steel will hold a edge OP. If it’s not properly hardened and heat treated like many cheap knives you will sharpen endlessly and not get results.

50$ will get you good knife with good steel but it won’t be a super steel. This is the price point where a home chief can get performance to last. Higher end is nice but not needed.

I really like this product. Works well, is cheap, easy and works on any knife (including serrated).

http://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-1-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

My knives are pretty awesome but definitely not high end (Victorinox)-- I've had good results with the combo.

perfect, I was at the very place about a year ago.

I was watching America's Test Kitchen and they tested the Victorinox 10 Inch Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CF8YO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

I bought the 10" because I already had many 8" chef's knives.

They come in other sizes that are right for you.

I bought it (it was on sale for $35!!!!), I will never buy another brand knife.

You will not be sorry! It's the best knife I've ever owned and a MASSIVE savings over the super duper expensive ones. (read the reviews)

Victorinox 8" chef's knife.

For a bit more you can also get a Tojiro DP gyuto which will offer a bit better performance and the edge will stay sharp longer. In my opinion it's a better knife but has a little bit less bang for the buck when compared to the Victorinox.

At least that's the case in the US. Those prices from amazon.ca seem a bit crazy with the Tojiro being cheaper.

Another thing to consider is that the Victorinox is much easier to care for because you can use a steel to keep the edge sharp. The Tojiro on the other hand might chip if you use a steel on it and in the long run will need whetstones to maintain. A cheap combo stone can be had for about 30 USD.

Also you might want to check out r/chefknives if you want more information.

I recommend buying a single quality chef's knife and a pairing knife for finer work.

Inexpensive pick:
http://www.amazon.com/R-H-Forschner-Victorinox-8-Inch-Fibrox/dp/B000638D32/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1_s9_rk?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&s9r=8a5850a4189e98760118ecb694da07af&itemPosition=1&qid=1229892744&sr=8-1

Expensive pick (the one I use):
http://www.amazon.com/Global-8-Inch-20cm-Cooks-Knife/dp/B00005OL44/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1229892885&sr=8-1

Also consider ceramic if you don't want to sharpen:
http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-Revolution-5-Inch-Slicing-Knife/dp/B000ESJGZS/ref=pd_sim_hg_5

Pairing Knife:
http://www.amazon.com/Forschner-Victorinox-4-Inch-Paring-Handle/dp/B0001V3UYG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1229893245&sr=1-2

You will want a serrated bread knife as well.

whatever you do, don't buy ridged knives that saw through foods (ginzu, etc). the knife should simply glide through most food effortlessly without sawing.

Don't buy a full set, as you should be able to get by with just two. These are tools and the more you keep your use to just the knives you have, the more adept you will become with them.

Go into a fine cooking store and put a few knives in your hand to see what feels natural.

Enjoy!

Personally, I'd recommend just getting her a really nice chef's knife, which will be able to do a lot of the jobs in the kitchen. Without going into the more niche brands, I think something like a Shun or a Global will be reliable, and will last a long time if kept well.

I know it's slightly above your budget, but something like this would be great:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000Y7KNQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525853566&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=shun+chefs+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=216dk1aAM4L&ref=plSrch

I'm from the UK so don't know American shops, but I imagine any decent-sized kitchen shop will have these about. Are Williams Sonoma/Sur la Table a possibility?

Any Victorinox should last a year or so, but if you can scrape together the money or when you're flush post-grad I think the Shun is the best knife for the price. It will last you a lifetime which is a well made investment if you ask me.

But for 30$ for a chefs knife - the Victorinox or maybe the OXO is the best bet

OXO uses shit steel but it's good when it comes and probably for a year

Amazon has a stone for 30 bucks. It's perfect. It comes with a stand and a case, is great for sharpening both western and Japanese steel, looks beautiful and doesn't break the bank. The brand is called a king stone or something like that. It stands up really well to professional use. My sous even dropped his and one side cracked in half but it still works beautifully.

http://www.amazon.com/King-Sided-Sharpening-Stone-Base/dp/B001DT1X9O

A skillet will have angled sides
A Saute pan will have vertical edges

Cast iron, Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, and Aluminum are some material choices. Each of those will come with different or no finish options. Like Non-stick, Hard anodized, or enamel.

So cast iron will be think and heavy. Great at non stick and even heat distribution. Avoid acids.

Stainless and Cast Iron are great because you can do a lot of damage to them and still be able to bring it back to new.

From what you say I would get a Cast iron skillet and a Stainless saute pan.

Cast Iron $16

I hear great things about All Clad for stainless. But its hard to say if its a good match for you without a price range. The Cast Iron skillet is a good start though.

Also for me at least non stick is only good for eggs or other low heat applications.

If you really want to learn the ins and outs of taking recipes to the next level, I strongly recommend the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat. I've been a pretty serious home cook for about fifteen years, but this book has really opened my eyes to how easy it can be to get amazing, flavorful results with some fairly basic techniques.

Get this book: https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527/ref=nodl_
(Most libraries have it too)
It teaches you the general techniques and then gives you recipes to try. I’ve been cooking since I was 10 (40 years ago), and I’m still learning interesting new things. And you will ALWAYS be able to woo potential love interests with a good homemade meal ;-).

Give sous vide a try--it's the gateway drug of modernist techniques, because you really only need a probe thermometer, freezer bags, a pot of water, and maybe an oven to do it. It'll let you know just how worth it the whole world of modernist techniques are. And then you'll feel compelled to actually get an immersion circulator and a vacuum sealer to do it easier as you become increasingly addicted to it.

Things that are helpful for modernist techniques but aren't particularly esoteric and won't break the bank: A steel plate, propane blow torch from the hardware store, whipping siphon, pressure cooker. The next step is chemistry, which means thickeners (carageenan and agar agar were my first purchases) and gels (sodium alginate and calcium chloride), and recently I picked up some meat glue (transglutaminase). After that it's buying expensive lab equipment to feed your habit, which I haven't stepped into yet [because I don't have a house for it]. I want a pacojet.

As for resources, my first book was Cooking for Geeks, then the Modernist Cuisine book set from Nathan Myhrvold (and have it signed by him "For Science!") which is the bible, but free options include their website, Seattle Food Geek, molecular recipes, this YouTube playlist from Harvard and the usual science-based cooking resources like Good Eats, America's Test Kitchen, and Chef Steps.

For starting I highly recommend the Lodge cast iron combo set! It's all the cast iron I can justify having (though I do get excited when I see cast iron on sale...). For $37 you get a skillet, pot (also useful as a high-sided pan), and dutch oven. I use the skillet daily for eggs and everything else. A dutch oven is a handy piece of hardware, I use it to make the most delicious sourdough bread. 😋

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_RiICzb5EXWA2Z

Also get yourself a pair of handle mits for ease of use:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00JG5PVUY/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_5rICzb6SHVMM0

Stones jki or king 1000/6000 double. Like this. https://www.amazon.com/KING-KW65-Combination-Whetstone-Plastic/dp/B001DT1X9O/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=king+1000%2F6000+whetstone&qid=1574593937&sprefix=king+1000&sr=8-3


Can’t really get a good knife for 50$. They really start at 80min. But he can improve his existing stock immensely and learn how to care for better knives before purchasing

I would get a good, sharp chef's knife. The Victorianox can be had for cheap ($29.95) and is quite good.

I would also recommend a high temp silicone spatula, tongs, and an instant read thermometer. All of these items are small, very useful, cheap, and easy to maintain.

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

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

If you're just beginning then you can get away with a 1000/6000 combo stone from King. They're like $30 on Amazon. If you're buying a new knife, then it's unlikely that you'll have any major chips to fix with a sub-1000 stone. The 1000 grit is fine to set the edge on a knife that you take care of.

At some point you'll want to add a low grit (and probably upgrade from that King stone), but for now I think you're better off getting a budget stone and learning how to use it. If you've never sharpened before you're probably gonna gouge the shit out of it at first...

I just picked up a Lodge Combo Cooker and I am curious to know what the best way to season it would be. I heard that it helps to just cook up like 5 pounds of ground beef to get a good surface.

Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat has a handy flavor wheel chart that explains flavors by nationality. It's pretty handy, I actually photocopied mine and hung it on my kitchen wall. The rest of the book is super interesting too, definitely worth purchasing.

I use this knife 99% of the time. Sounds like the Ceramic knifes are your problem. Get a decent steel knife, hone it regularly, and it'll treat you well. No need to spend more than $50.

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Inch-Fibrox-Chefs-Knife/dp/B0000CF8YO?th=1

Honestly, the knives at Ikea are pretty good too. That's an easy route.

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

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

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

Get this dutch oven!

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

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

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

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

A Microplane Zester is a great tool for just this purpose. It is pretty easy to clean and can be used for cheeses and zests. I use mine all the time.

Does your Dad enjoy creating recipes? If so, I would look at buying him this book: Culinary Artistry

It's a great resource, think of it like a mix/match reference book that's intuitive and allows you to learn and use classic flavour pairings while opening up your creativity. It let's you start experimenting without making major composition errors.

I know I'm a bit late to this, but for a great all around knife at a even better price there is no better than JA Henckels 8 inch chef's knife, in my opinion. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004RFMT/ref=sr_ph_1?qid=1449898321&sr=sr-1&pi=AC_SX118_SY170_QL70&keywords=8inch+chef%27s+knife#

Culinary Artistry This is one of my favorite books. It has some recipes, but the best part of the book is the flavor profiles. Ingredients, flavors, and tastes and are complimentary. So, if you look up asparagus, it will list other items and spices that pair well with it.

Eventually, you are going to get to a point where you no longer rely on recipes. You rely on experience. This is the kind of book for that level of cooking.

America's Test Kitchen complete TV show book or their Cooking School book are both excellent as large compendiums of a variety of recipes all of which have been thoroughly tested, are well-written, and have two or three paragraphs explaining why the recipe is the way it is. These are books I would recommend to anyone looking for a big book of recipes to cook at home and get good results.

My personal favorite is Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. The food in that book is just so wonderful -- pretty much perfect examples of every dish attempted -- and the recipes execute it perfectly but are generally not too complex or difficult for a home cook. If we had to eat food from just one cookbook for the rest of our lives I think we would all give priority to huge compendiums with 500+ recipes in them, but if we had to choose from single-author cookbooks with ~100 recipes or so, I would pick Ad Hoc at Home.

Can't go wrong with Shun, but one good 10" chef's knife is gonna chew up nearly your entire budget. That said, mine cuts like a dream and holds its edge quite nicely.

Those paring knives are exactly what I was talking about, I was being lazy and not linking things. I have 2 fibrox knives that I used 90+% of the time even though I have a nice Shun that is supposed to be better. If you can I would highly recommend holding some knives to find what is comfortable for you. My hands are much larger than my SO, such that for her the fibrox handles aren't as comfortable but there's a Chicago cutlery knife that is similar that she likes better because of the handle shape.

Try some of the recipes on the left sidebar here: http://www.breadtopia.com/ As already suggested, the ATK (cooks illustrated) one is great.
I also got a lot of great recipes to try from the book that I checked out from the library: http://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X

and I just use regular gold medal or king arthur unbleached flour.

I have a Suisin 10.5" High-Carbon Steel Gyotou and a 5.9" Petty from the same line. I use a very basic 2-sided King Stone, and it sharpens soooooooo easily. High carbon steel, to be fair, sharpens way easier than stainless. It also holds an edge pretty damn well for how easy it is to get them so sharp!

A lot of good suggestion here, but let me add this book...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936493527/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480906841&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=americas+test+kitchen+cookbook&dpPl=1&dpID=51otfjwt5fL&ref=plSrch

Great instructions, and plenty of pictures to help you along.

1. Learn how to "mise en place", that is the concept of "things in place". This is arguably the first thing necessary to be a good home cook. When you look at a recipe, figure out all the things that you need before hand and put them into little cups, or bowls or what have you. Yes, it makes cleanup a little more hectic, but it's worth it. should look like this
   
   
2. Learn how to use a knife. This is relatively simple to do, but most people who have not been trained will use it wrong, and will end up being both ineffecient and possibly hurting themselves a lot. Take a knife skills class, or do some youtube searching on "basic knife skills". Also, get a decent knife. If you don't have one, get a Victorinox Fibrox 8" Chef Knife It costs under $40 and is a hell of a bargain. Learn how to hone, and learn the difference between honing and sharpening. Honing you do with a steel. Sharpening should usually be done by a professional in a knife shop.
   
   
3. Read "I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking" by Alton Brown. It's a great place to start, and is both a fun and very educational read.
   
   Beyond that, you might look into recreational cooking classes at night in your area! They can be inexpensive and are often very good!

Check out Alton Brown's website:
http://altonbrown.com/

particularly his guide on knives. cant stress how much a good knife will change how you cook. seek out Tojiro knives on amazon, good and reasonably priced. I would recommend a santoku or something like this

Yeah, Victorinox is a "college graduation present" knife. It's a good value and great for beginners but falls far short of better knives. I upgraded to Globals a couple years ago and the difference is unbelievable.

I would go with things that start looking at techniques or at "why things happen."

Books I'd recommend:
I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown

Cooking School published by America's Test Kitchen

And of course Jacques Pepin's Essential Techniques. The ebook is particularly nice.

One thing I liked a lot at that age was vintage cookbooks. The pictures in something like The Cooky Book were downright magical.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936493527/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought this book for my teenage brother and he uses it almost every day. He used it to cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey 2 years ago at 16. It is super user friendly and tells you why you are doing each step so that you can apply it across the cooking world. It's almost a text book of cooking.

As others have mentioned, my first move would be to check her knife and make sure it's decent and sharp. A good knife with a kept edge should cut vegetables more effortlessly than any press chop.

Maybe look at some quality, thin ground Japanese style knives such as this

Edit: I also would recommend Global knives, either the 8" chefs or the 7" santoku. They are sharp and light and some people find them very ergonomically pleasing. You (she) can try before you buy in stores like Bed Bath and Beyond or William Sonoma.

As others have said, practice.

With that said, books like Ratio and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat have also been a huge help to me.

They both teach you more about what things work well together rather than how to follow particular recipes. Ratio is about what flavors compliment each other and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat demonstrates how the combination of those four elemental units in cooking can up your game across the board.

It isn't a cookbook, but a book on how to cook. Alton Brown's I'm just here for the food 2.0. Love it. Also have several of his others in the series which are equally good IMO.

My girlfriend has the global, I have the victorinox, well this victorinox https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0061SWV8Y/ref=pd_aw_sbs_79_of_11?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=A4BG18WH50RHMJ8BWKTA

When I was shopping a couple years ago I was told this one has the same blade as the victorinox you listed just a different handle.

Anyway, I like both for the most part with a slight preference for mine. And since it's 60ish bucks cheaper it's definitely a better value to me.

Lodge makes this Dutch oven/skillet combo. I love it.

Lodge Combo

There's a number of excellent tutorials about how to season them. I find the Lodge to be a bit "bumpier" than other coast irons I've used. This means it takes a lot of costs of seasoning to create a smooth surface. Canola oil is the classic choice, with flax seed oil being the new kid on the block. I've tried both, and I think canola is bit easier to get a good seasoning with, but once perfected, the flax is seriously glossy. Eggs sliding around glossy.

the chef's knife is going to be your go-to blade, so get something decent. i'd recommend the Tojiro DP Gyutou. it's more expensive than the victorinox fibrox but has a vg10 steel core. edge retention is much higher and it requires less honing; this is a great value for the money.

for a paring knife, the victorinox fibrox will do.

i'd also suggest a slicer. a tojiro dp is a great choice for this as well.

i consider these three the core blades in a kitchen. (personally i also use a santoku quite a lot, which rounds out my own "core four", but it's not necessary.. and you'll hear lots of pretentious people tell you that, over and over again)

for the serrated knife just get something cheap at walmart; same with shears.

You're also less likely to cut yourself with a sharp knife, because it won't skid along the edge of that tomato. And for me, one of the advantages of owning a really sharp, high-quality knife is that it makes prepwork fun. Dicing onions is no longer a pain in the ass; bunched herbs melt away into chiffonades; garlic tumbles into tiny lil' cubes.

When I cook for my friends in their kitchens, and the only knives they have are steak knives, or a truly crappy serrated-edge chef's knife from Walmart, it makes that sort of prep-work... much more work-like, because I don't trust the knife, and I don't know if the blade will snap or slip off the onion and nick an artery. One time, I made dinner for a friend in her apartment, and her knives were so cheap I ended up making dinner for her with my pocketknife, because I just couldn't cut an onion without fearing for my life.

But yes! Wusthof is great, Shun knives are gorgeous (but also about as expensive as most high-end knives). If you're looking to upgrade, get the 30-dollar Victorinox Lomotil mentioned. It's the knife I use every day and it keeps its edge quite well for a stamped blade.

Sorry, yes. I should have been more clear. Thank you.

Here is the Amazon link for those interested. It seems it's currently 45% off:

Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774273X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4AtYzbWA2Q3G2

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

What about this combination?

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

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

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

I just bought this combo cooker off Amazon a few weeks ago and I love it. Like everyone says, the more you use it, the better it is. I have used it to sear steak, cook fish, fry bacon and eggs, make skillet potatoes, a giant cookie, a deep dish pizza, etc...and that's just with the LID part of the cooker which doubles as a skillet.

I love the fact that it's two separate pieces that combine to make a dutch oven which I have made some pretty awesome crusty bread in.

Cast iron isn't some magically cooking device and like everyone says...don't listen to the people that say you need to pamper the crap out of it. Just USE it! It's so easy to use, it stays hot and it's easy to move your food into the oven to finish cooking. Did your get stuff stuck to it? No problem! Usually while it's still hot I just poor some water it and it sizzles that stuff right off! If worse comes to worse, I have a scrubber I use only for the pan and after it's dry I just wipe it with some canola oil. It's a lot more low maintenance than people think as long as you use common sense. Don't scrub it with soap and don't leave it sitting in your sink with water in it.

Tangentially related, I would get his books as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Version/dp/158479559X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291527138&sr=1-4 (This one is about cooking)

http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-More-Food/dp/1584793414/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291527138&sr=1-6 (this one is about baking)

Read through those and you'll feel much more confident.

If you are cooking meat, I'd suggest getting a probe thermometer: http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-1470-Digital-Cooking-Thermometer/dp/B00004XSC5/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291527262&sr=8-2

You'd be amazed how good any kind of meat tastes just with some salt and fresh pepper cooked to the exact right temperature tastes...

A while ago my wife had bought me a book called Kitchen Sense by Mitchell Davis. This book was packed with incredibly useful information. I wound up losing this book in a move and have been very upset.
The other book I use a lot is called Culinary Artistry. This book doesn't have many recipes but a great wealth of information about putting flavors together.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Science-Cooking-Peter-Barham/dp/3540674667
Explains science behind cooking methods

http://www.amazon.com/Modernist-Cuisine-Art-Science-Cooking/dp/0982761007/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406300067&sr=1-2&keywords=Modernist+Cuisine
Best of all haven't read but i just know it is the most best and complete book

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=le%20cordon%20bleu&sprefix=le+cordon+%2Cstripbooks&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Ale%20cordon%20bleu
Explains classic recipes and techniques

I have this one and love it https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_AI7WzbE5ZFV7M

The long handles mean you have 2 well functioning skillets in addition to the oven capability. The smaller size hasn't bothered me but I also plan on getting a 6qt enameled in the future so you'll have to decide what's best for you.

I have tried to use the application a few times. From my experience, it seems limited. I think as more information is added you will begin to see more depth.

If you are interested in flavor pairings I suggest you check out the book Culinary Artistry. It has a huge sample of flavor pairings. It is a great book that is easy to navigate.

https://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Artistry-Andrew-Dornenburg/dp/0471287857/ref=nodl_

I don't know about other brands, but I know Le Creuset sells a multifunction pot where the lid is a skillet and you place it upside-down onto a base that turns it into a dutch oven. The bigger one is like $350. (I used to work there.)

OP: I'd go with a dutch oven and a cheap nonstick. The nonstick will barely weigh anything and should be relatively small (I wouldn't go bigger than 10") so it should be portable. The nonstick is a small addition for way more convenience.

Edit: Boom, Lodge multifunction. Best $30 you'll ever spend.

The mac and cheese recipe from Modernist Cusiine is supposed to be phenomenal.

>As for the mac & cheese: it was both the best and the easiest I've ever made. No gloppy sauce, remarkably intense cheese flavor (you get the "flavor release" concept when you eat it), and the pasta absorbs it thoroughly.

Basically, the difficulty in mac and cheese is that you want the cheese to be both creamy/melty and delicious. The problem is, there isn't much overlap there. Cheeses that melt really well aren't delicious (Velveeta) and cheeses that are delicious don't remain creamy when melted (Cheddar, Gouda, etc).

The typical solution to this is to take good cheese, and then use some roux to add to the melted cheese to make it creamy. This works (as is evident in her recipe). However, it's not perfect. You need a fair amount of roux which dilutes the flavor of the cheese.

Nathan Myhyrvold and his team avoid using the roux by creating an emulsification of the cheese by melting it with beer, iota carrageenan and sodium citrate. That pretty much turns whatever cheese blend you are using into something that melts like Velveeta. They use similar techniques to make home made cheeze whiz out of real cheese.

The end product people are describing as steps beyond any other mac and cheese they've ever had in terms of the cheese flavor. There is also a 'flavor release' that everyone mentions that makes sense when you try it.

I'd give you first hand impressions but Amazon hasn't shipped my book yet :(

Nice! Life changing book for me, along with his James Beard award winning Twenty (http://www.amazon.com/Ruhlmans-Twenty-Techniques-Recipes-Manifesto/dp/0811876438)

Here's a great knife sharpener: AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener.

I tripped upon it in some article about the highest rated items sold at Amazon. I bought it and it is awesome. Here's a link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004VWKQ

First off, everyone should read this before spending a good bit on a knife:

Honestly, at that price you should consider the aesthetics you liket, because diminishing return to quality sets in pretty quick at around $70 then again around $120-$130.

This is a really solid value Knife, though I'm kinda meh on the handle:

If you pair it regularly with this guy: if will outperform a way more expensive knife with poor upkeep.

In terms of bang for your buck, this is the best one out there. Not only does it have every recipe you could want, it also covers the why and how of every basic step. Published by the Culinary Institute of America (the best culinary school in the world.)
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Chef-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0470421355

https://www.amazon.com/Global-G-2-inch-Chefs-Knife/dp/B00005OL44

Great balance and grip. Easy to clean.

I would say the go-to beginner stone that is recommended is the King 1k/6k.

Not the best stone in the world, but it's cheap and does a decent job. If you end up enjoying sharpening you will upgrade before too long, but as a utility this guy does fine.

Sure you can send them off to shun, but then you are without your knives for a few days. And realistically, after a month of use without sharpening, any knife is going to be less than spectacular.

Culinary Artistry and a notebook.

Culinary Artistry has lists of ingredients, what pairs well with them, and the best ways to cook them. The most basic, most helpful guide to cooking independently of cook books.

America's Test Kitchen has some awesome books too. Got the Cooking For Two one from my Reddit Secret Santa last year and it's been fantastic.

I don't have it but I imagine the Cooking School Cookbook from them would be pretty much exactly what the OP needs.

The missus got me a Global chef's for Christmas. Wicked sharp, holds a great edge, balances well, and looks pretty cool as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Global-G-2-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife/dp/B00005OL44

$40 Chef's Knife

$15 Cutting Board

$40 Cast Iron Dutch Oven

$10 Stainless Steel Cooking Utensils

$99 Food Processor

$205 is the best I could do.. you could probably get a cheaper cutting board.. but.. that was the best large plastic one I could find..

Beef stew. The pressure cooker version is great too, but the edge definitely goes to the Dutch oven, if you have the inactive time.

This is in addition to bread (no knead or otherwise). I've had way better results in my combo Dutch oven than any other method.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001DT1X9O?vs=1

This is the whet stone you want. The 1000 grit is rough enough to significantly shape your knife while the 6000 grit is easily fine enough to give you that perfect edge.

Maintain the edge with a ceramic honer. I bought this one cheap on amazon and it works fantastically

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000B8FW0O/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1449894385&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=ceramic+honing+rod&dpPl=1&dpID=210frq6ZrKL&ref=plSrch

If you want a good inexpensive non teflon pan that will last forever I suggest a lodge cast iron skillet.

This dutch oven has a lid that doubles as a 10" skillet.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-Cooker/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1394343050&sr=1-1&keywords=lodge+cast+iron

If you like the dutch oven you might want to consider the reversible griddle/grill.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Single-Burner-Reversible-Griddle-10-5-inch/dp/B000E1WA7Q/ref=sr_1_47?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1394343097&sr=1-47&keywords=lodge+cast+iron

10" is a good size for cooking for one or two people. The 12" pans are a lot heavier and so i tend to stick with the 10" unless i really need the surface area, and then i often use the griddle.

If you want to get serious, don't get a set. You're paying too much for a bunch of knives you won't use.

Invest in a good chef's knife (French, German, or Japanese... whichever you like best), a decent paring knife, and a cheap serrated bread knife. You should be able to do everything with these.

I can't say enough about this knife. It will be the sharpest thing you own, and with free lifetime sharpening, you never have to worry: https://www.amazon.com/Shun-DM0706-Classic-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B0000Y7KNQ

If you're looking for a knife just as good as the Victorinox for the same price range, look at the Mercer Genesis same steel as Wusthof and Victorinox, much better fit and finish than the rubber handle of the Fibrox.
However, if you really want to step up a level in quality to a more mid-range knife, look at the Tojiro DP Gyuto

LOL, no really, i had to go look them up. Your chefs knife is the most important thing in your kitchen and you get what you pay for.

For $50 you can get a good 8" chefs knife. Like this one Learn how to use it, care for it and keep it sharp. You can add a paring knife and bread knife at some point to cover all your bases.

The [Modernist Cuisine](https://www.amazon.com/Modernist-Cuisine-Art-Science-Cooking/dp/0982761007/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3N7LB10S5PIHV&keywords=modernist+cuisine&qid=1568141180&s=gateway&sprefix=modernist%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-3) books have won awards for their amazing photography. There is also an At-Home version for less $$$. Both have fabulous photography that I think would fascinate a kid. I think there are also books that contain just the photography for less $$$, but not sure about that.

I had to buy knives when my roommate moved out a while ago, and was very happy with these choices:

Kyocera Ceramic Paring Knife

Victorinox 10" Chef's Knife

Henckels Steak Knifes

The chef and paring knife are all you really need for food preperation, and the serrated knifes are good for when you serve meat that needs to be cut, like steak.

I love the JA Henckels classic chef knife. It's a workhorse, keeps a nice edge, looks good, and affordable. Pair it with a honing steel, and you should be able to cut anything you need for years to come.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004RFMT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480777137&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=ja+henckels+chef+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=21A8SR38R2L&ref=plSrch

A popular one recommended by reddit is the Victorinox Chef's knife..

It's very highly rated by America's Test Kitchen. I own one myself, it's light, well balanced and keeps a very nice edge for a $30 knife.

Love my Global. It's pretty much all I use.

Get it from Amazon and return if you don't like it.

I used this link for mine a couple of years ago: https://www.amazon.com/Global-G-2-8-inch-Chefs-Knife/dp/B00005OL44

The price fluctuates. It's $99.95 now. We paid just under $130.

Don't know if you're a chef or home cook but I honestly feel that everyone should start with a Victorinox and decide from there if you really need to shell out the money for a $200 Shun. They're cheap, durable, and come sharp. If you're clever and know how to use a honing steel they're more than up to the job for 90% of people.

http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-40521-10-Inch-Fibrox-Handle/dp/B0000CF8YO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333828921&sr=8-1

If you're a chef and decide you want to move onto a more serious piece later, you've only spent 30 bucks and have a loaner or backup knife. Just my two cents.

Get yourself a King 1000/6000 stone. and a King 300 stone these are pretty much considered some of the best bang for your buck out there and will give you everything you need in whetstones.

Tojiro DP Gyuto is now $55 at http://www.chefknivestogo.com/todpchkn18.html
Really fantastic knife. This one is kind of short but if your SO is petite it could work. If you can stretch your budget to $65, this longer one at amazon would be better: https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS

If you’re just cooking for yourself, you don’t need a whole set of knives, just one really good one. Here’s an amazon link to a great, all purpose chef’s knife that’s under $50.

I also second The Joy of Cooking, and would like to add the following to your list:

• Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
  
  
• Alice Waters's The Art of Simple Food
  
  
• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Everyday and The River Cottage Meat Book
  
• Any of Alton Brown's books, some examples here and here
  

My copy is at least 10 years old, but the information is still solid today. The Professional Chef.

I would also contend Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking is an excellent source for understanding basic flavors, mother sauces, etc.

I think Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food is a really good starting point.

It does a fine job of explaining why and how different cooking methods work, and pairs multiple techniques with recipes. I think the way they're presented is really good for someone who is learning.

Just some bits and pieces that might help:

You need to learn the quirks of your stove/oven. They aren't all the same. Gas vs electric is a huge difference, but even two gas or two electric setups can be different from each other. Just because a recipe says you put something in on X temperature for X time doesn't actually mean that's how it's going to work for you. At my last apartment, my oven ran hot and things went from done to overcooked extremely fast. At my new apartment, it's the exact opposite. Get a meat thermometer and accept that it'll take some time to figure out your setup.

For dishes you make on the stove, or one sheet pan meals in the oven, the #1 rule is do not crowd the pan. If you add too many things at once, your food is going to steam in the water that its neighbors are releasing, not sear. You want them seared for that Maillard reaction. This is related to the Chinese phrase wok hei.

Better seasonings helps a lot. Subscribe to Penzeys emails, the owner hates Trump and has been doing crazy giveaways every time he gets mad at Trump (I'm not trolling or shilling, he really does do these giveaways.) The spices/herbs/seasoning mixes are high quality and they make a huge difference.

Hands down the best book for learning the WHY of cooking, not just the how, is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

If you have a limitless budget, Modernist Cuisine is great. It's a 5 book collection and the photography is beautiful. The first book is about history and fundamentals. The whole series is incredibly thorough, bordering on obsessive.

For bread/yeasty stuff specifically, Flour Yeast Salt Water. It gives some informative advice for making things like bread and pizza dough, and has recipes to go with it.

Husband and I made Pizza dough straight from this book and the resulting pizza was delicious.

The Flavor Bible and Ruhlman's 20 are both good guides to that kind of thing - not really about recipes, more about techniques. Flavor Bible has a really useful section where you can look up different ingredients and it will list the other ingredients or favors that will complement it. Both are also available digitally if that's your thing.

I love my Global knives; I chose them mainly because they are a single piece of stainless steel and I get skeeved out about bacteria hiding (so you could
put them in the dishwasher if you wanted to, tho I don’t). They were fairly affordable and have a modern / minimalist style.

Currently I have the 8” chefs knife and bread knife (just amazing). We lost a santoku and a western paring in a cross country move and I will probably replace the paring with the exact same and the santoku with another regular global chefs knife just because I like the look; I don’t think they were substantially better than a competitor of the same style and I didn’t have much use for the santoku.

Using the /r/pizza subreddit got my pizza making to stellar levels. I only get pizza out when I am lazy. Here is what I learned.

Dough: Get this book http://www.amazon.com/Flour-Water-Salt-Yeast-Fundamentals/dp/160774273X and follow the technique sections to the letter. Get rid of the sugar and rise for longer, like 12 hours longer, the dough is much better without it.

Sauce: Get a can of CENTO san marzano whole peeled tomatos, put in strainer and rise all the "tomato water" off. Put in blender for 20 seconds dump in large frying pan, add salt and pepper, heat for 10 mins. That's it.

Cheese: Always grate your own, period. I prefer whole milk, low mosture.

Pan: If you don't have a stone or steel I like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Oneida-Commercial-Inch-Pizza-Pan/dp/B000P9TQEM/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&qid=1459369211&sr=8-32&keywords=pizza+pan

Temperature: I use 500 degrees for 13 minutes and it works like a champ.

That's it. Go be a pizza God!

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is not exactly this concept. But would definitely be a great tool for building skills, concepts, and what kit you actually need.

It's not a required tool, but I love having my microplane around.

Having a nice sharp knife makes all the difference.

https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS

I thought I was just terrible at cutting foods but a good knife almost made me chop em like a pro.

I have a chef's knife and a Santoku, and find myself using the Santoku more even though it isn't nearly as nice ($14 Chicago Cutlery vs. a $90 Shun).

I also have a cleaver that is super useful for dealing with whole hens and racks of ribs.

Have never run into a situation in my cooking where I needed anything else.

If you want to learn bread (trust me, you do), Flour Water Salt Yeast is amazing. Very in depth of why each specific reaction occurs, what will happen if you do x instead of y, etc. Also, the ebook is only like $3.

Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774273X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_H8zKzbEDERZ01

You can order a new Lodge skillet from Amazon US and have it shipped to Switzerland for $48 total. I'm not sure how common cast iron cookware is over there but you can typically find them in thrift shops somewhat easily. They're a solid chunk of metal so wear and tear isn't really an issue although you might have to clean and re-season them.

Although carbon steel knives are the sharpest and arguably the sexiest in existence, they are simply overkill for most home chefs. Take a hint from the fact that you cannot use them in any restaurant for sanitation reasons. You need professional quality stainless steel knives that any good chef would use.

Here are my recommendations:

The Mercer 9" Chef that was part of my culinary school kit is all that most people need for an all-around Chef's Knife. It is the baseline for the professional world, so you know that is meant to take a beating and perform. It's miles better than any bullshit you'd buy at retail stores, and at $45 it is worth a try. I still use mine as the workhorse when I don't feel like putting my good knives through hell.

If you are willing to spend more, then I highly advise going with a Global. They are a perfect mix between Eastern and Western styles. The hard Japanese steel can be sharpened to a finer angle than German steel, yet hold its edge for a long time (mine's gone over a year under heavy use without a sharpening and still puts everything but my Shun to shame). The weight and balance make it so easy to use it is by far the most practical knife that I own. I cannot tell you how many of my friends want one of these after using mine. And at $100 it is worth every penny.

You really don't need to spend any more than that.

To fill in your collection, buy them as you need them. Do not buy a set of anything other than steak knives.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Well explained the why's of using each element. Very well organized and good recipes to try. Uses basic ingredients too, so won't break your budget.

amzn link

Ruhlman's Twenty. Interesting, informative, and includes some fantastic recipes to illustrate the techniques discussed.

Either a Wusthof Classic: http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Classic-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife/dp/B00009ZK08/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1404885127&sr=1-1&keywords=chefs+knife

or

A Shun Classic: http://www.amazon.com/Shun-DM0706-Classic-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B0000Y7KNQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1404885127&sr=1-2&keywords=chefs+knife

Both in the 8 inch range

Both are fine knives and will make any foodie/cook/chef very happy.

bread flavor is mostly a function of time and temperature, at least for yeasted breads. as yeasts ferment in dough and consume sugars, they produce a variety of flavor compounds.

this is a good book if you want to explore the topic.

edit: here is an infographic from a yeast manufacturer. note "fermentation" has the strongest effect on flavor.

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School

It's a pretty good book.

Edit: formatting

Can't believe no one mentioned this yet: get him a good knife if he doesn't have one. This one seems to be popular.

If you're going to just buy a cheap knife and sharpen it, this $8 handheld sharpener will get it razor sharp every time. It just takes off a ton of material with every sharpening.

I would never use it on my nice knives, but it's effective. I use it to sharpen fish filleting knives.

hey fellow cook de passionelle!! my recommendation is the 10 inch victorinox fibrox chefs knife . I got the review from Americas test kitchen and it's features were the tipping point such as dish washer safe and stainless steel and virtually unbreakable. it's on the higher en d of your budget but it's worth it and keep your eyes out for a sale. amazon has it for 38 usd https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000CF8YO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466613578&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=victorinox+fibrox+chef+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=31s8L88ww6L&ref=plSrch#featureBulletsAndDetailBullets_secondary_view_div_1466613617564

Here's the link to the best seller on Amazon
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B001DT1X9O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473204965&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=whetstone&dpPl=1&dpID=31Qk1WY1gnL&ref=plSrch

The expensive brands in that same price range:

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

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

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

-------

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

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

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

Lodge enameled dutch oven for $60

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other things:

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

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

---------

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

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

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

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

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

I've taken a number of culinary classes (Hobby).

They recommended Mercer Knives.

https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Renaissance-6-Piece-Tempered/dp/B004A8NMEO/

https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Genesis-6-Piece-Tempered/dp/B000IBU9FW/

They're really great knives for the money and hold an edge quite nicely.. I own a few of them..

​

The chef instructors described them as the perfect knife for a professional chef starting their career and should last for many years.

​

Professional chefs are particular about the knives they use.. Henckel, Shun & Global were popular knives but you pay more for 1 knife than the whole set.

https://www.amazon.com/Shun-DM0706-Classic-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B0000Y7KNQ/