In the Kitchen With....

In this week's New York Times column, The Minimalist*, Mark Bittman offers his advice on how to equip a kitchen to handle almost any cooking requirements -- without breaking the bank. Since I'm in the market for some new pots, I read the article with interest.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I have a fairly well-equipped kitchen. All I need to round it out are some pots and one or two other items, like a mandoline (even though Bittman considers this among "the almost luxury items") and a whetstone for sharpening knives (something I've been meaning to invest in for a while since my chef's knife is woefully dull.)

A must-have item that I don't have and don't plan to buy is a food processor. I recently bought a KitchenAid 5 qt. Artisan stand mixer -- considered a "can live without" item in Bittman's view -- and love it. So I'll make do. My recent cookware research led me to Cuisanart as an affordable, quality option for pots. Now I think I'll head to Bowery Restaurant Supply, as suggested in the article, to pick up what I need. I'll report back when I give those items a test run.

Here's the list of recommended essentials. How many are in your kitchen?

1, 3 and 7 qt. saucepans
Pot cover for these
10" nonstick frying pan
14" steep-sided skillet with handles
13"x18" sheet pan
Nonstick loaf pan
Roasting pan
1-1/2, 3 and 5 qt. mixing bowls
Measuring cup
6" strainer
Peeler
Skimmer
14" aluminum colander
Wooden spoons
Slotted spoon
13" solid spoon
Bread knife
8" chef's knife
Paring knife
Heat-resistant spatula
9" tongs
12" whisk
6 oz. ladle
12"x18" plastic cutting board
Instant-read thermometer
Can opener
Japanese mandoline
Microplane grater
Salad spinner
Food processor
Coffee/spice grinder
Whetstone
Measuring spoons

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