Equipping the Kintsugi Kitchen: Starting from Nothing (Equipment edition)

A lot of this stuff can be found in thrift stores as well as dollar stores! Thrift stores are less reliable in terms of what they'll have in stock at any given time, of course, but every Goodwill I've ever been to has had bundles of (often pretty good quality) silverware and utensils for just a buck or two, plus assorted dishes, pots and pans, and appliances for cheap. Just make sure it works before you take it home, obviously.

(another advantage of thrift store shopping is the Aesthetic, if you're like me and hate overly-matchy and shiny sets of stuff and enjoy horrible tacky novelty mugs :P)

 

@adisagestar - +1 for tacky novelty mugs. One of my siblings found one for a pregnancy test that's pretty funny on its own, but shows a result when it has hot water in it. Probably the best thrift store find I can think of.

Also, for pans and pots at the Goodwill in general - Yes, definitely on this one, must second. Avoid anything with a coating. Stainless steel and aluminum are your friends.

I wouldn't buy a coffee machine there, but some people are braver than I. But coffee machines can be had for under ten dollars, so it's up to your 'ick' comfort level...

 

Yay! for getting basic stuff at thrift stores

Boo! for Goodwill, which has become "upscale" and no longer has treasures mixed in with the junk.

Be careful with buying coffee mugs, because those things will breed and you will soon have an entire cupboard full.

Electric drip coffee makers have a single point of failure--the soldering on the thermal siphon where the water is heated. Those things will always eventually start to leak and there is no way to test for that leak at the thrift store. It's almost impossible to fix that leak. If you're going to buy a coffee maker, they are so cheap that you should just buy the cheapest new one.

 

I'm going to add storage containers to the list. They are very cheap and if you are going to live cheap you are going to make some food in bulk and will need something to store it in.

 

Just a thought… I don't have a dishrack, I just have two dishtowels I fold and lay on top of my cutting board and then set dishes on that to dry. If you're needing to pinch and save money, that could be an option.

(Or if you're just like me and have no counter space or storage space to keep the dishrack)

 

In the dish drying vein, sometimes its cheaper to do dishes by hand and then use the dish washer as a drying rack/ area. (I learned that from one of my room mates in college. At home, ours stores all the tupperware my mom hoards)

 

i tend to keep ice cream tubs and other food tubs that are halfways stable and come with an actual lid, just put them with the dishes once youve finished eating the food that came inside

my personal experience is that you can never have enough spoons and bowls, but we're talking basics here, so...
the nice thing about the round lidded containers is that you can also use them as bowls ::D

also, try to see if you can get your hands on wooden cutting boards -- not a bad thing if you cant, but cleaning the plastic ones once youve gotten them worked in is almost impossible, some stuff always stays in the cuts, and the wooden ones dont care.

 

actually using the dishwasher for dish washing, however, takes less spoons (heh) than not using it

 

Going for the least cost aspect (the main, but not only, consideration of the thread), dishwashers are very expensive to get and to operate. For low-spoons people they may be worth the money cost.

For cutting boards - see this from the US gov on food safety. Cutting boards and food safety.

 

Speaking of cheap storage containers: 42 piece set of rubbermaid tupperware on Amazon for $15.99 USD.

I can not emphasize enough that if you are going to invest money in anything, it should be a good chef's knife. Better yet, a set of the Big Three: chef, utility, and pairing. Don't sweat if you can only afford one though. A good quality chef's knife that is properly maintained can last literal generations.

Last thing I don't see on the list that I consider a kitchen basic is a crockpot/slowcooker. Hell in some instances you could actually replace the "working stove" requirement if you have a crock pot, and it's great for low spoons no brain cooking and fancy applications both, and they're usually pretty cheap. This 6 quart is made to be portable and is under $25. If you have only yourself to worry about making food for, you can get a smaller one for even cheaper.

 

seconding the crockpot, mine has saved my butt from starving many a time when i didn't have the energy to actually prep a meal!

i would also suggest, if one can be found at a thrift store (i found one and it made my day) a rice cooker--the price isn't really worth it IMO at, say, walmart or target, but if you can find a rice cooker with a locking lid for not too much, i've found mine to be invaluable and when used in combination with crockpot, i've made tons of easy meals that last quite a while

 

A crockpot is nice, but it seems like something you'd get after you've got the very basics sorted out.

 

I am adamant a crockpot is a spoonie's best friend. If you have alternating blah and not so blah days, you can do make ahead freezer meals on the good days, and just toss it in on bad ones. If you have a bad patch with more blah than not so blah days, you can raid your cupboards for shit you have lying around and dump it in. You don't have to precook your pasta (and I think it works with dried beans too, so that solves the soaking issue) and depending on the recipe you don't have to precook your meat either. Most are simple to clean, with removable ceramic inserts to which food doesn't really stick unless you leave it on there forever, and can take the place of several cooking implements, only dirtying a couple dishes (the crock insert and the plate you serve on) rather than several pots and pans for one meal, which saves on dishes. Most new ones have an auto shut off feature, so you can't over cook, or leave it to burn like if you get distracted with oven cooking. And depending on the size, and what recipe you're using, you can make a lot of food at once (seriously, a 4 quart crock is A GALLON OF FOOD. A GALLON FOR ONE PERSON), so you spend almost zero effort, and get good food for a week.

DO NOT UNDER ESTIMATE THE SLOW COOKER!

(I am not kidding you when I say that I have one 6 qt and just got a double with two 2.65 qt inserts just so i can cook a full course meal in the crocks).

 

Crockpots are also an absolute blessing during the summer if you live in a place that retains heat way too well and doesn't have air conditioning. Also, if you have an unreliable stove or oven (or one of those tiny shitty things with one burner than can fit a loaf pan at best) they're super useful. And! You can have food cooking while you're at work or school and come home to a meal. That's amazing if you have to work a lot. (You should always soak or preboil your dried beans, though. That's genuinely important.)

They may not exactly be a starting from nothing appliance for everyone, but they're worth considering.

 

Sorry if this has been brought up, but a pair of cheap tongs is great so you're not poking your food with a fork and fighting it to get positioned correctly.

 

Aw, but poking it with the fork is half the fun! So is the, "pick up this hot food without dropping it or burning yourself," game.