Your kitchen, no matter how small or spacious, is a workshop. It is a full-sensory workshop to bring nourishment and enjoyment to your body. To sufficiently accomplish this almost daily task of cooking for one, you will need proper tools. Just as you wouldn't use a screwdriver to cut wood, you'll have a much easier time (and more enjoyable) if you equip your kitchen well.

 

If your ambition is not to be a professional chef and you don't have a lot of cash to pour into buying kitchen gourmet equipment, there are ways to outfit your kitchen for one person.

Buying second-hand has been my best way to acquire kitchen equipment for a fraction of buying everything new. If you're like me, you like to treasure-hunt while shopping. It's more than just the bargain, but the thrill of discovery that gives you a rush. Top-of-the-line, European-made equipment can be collected quite economically. I have snatched up ramekins from France, vintage ladles, and a nested set of hand-held strainers for a fraction of the cost of a newly made equivalent. 

Second-hand stores, thrift stores, garage/yard sales, and estate sales (my personal favorite) are good sources for kitchen equipment for the single person. Be selective in where you shop. Locate places which sell items in good condition and not someone's junky garage sale remains. On-line auctions can offer larger, more expensive pieces of equipment such as a food processor or stand mixer providing they are in excellent condition.

Another way to gain kitchen equipment is through family and friends. See if your mom or aunt is getting rid of extra pieces tucked far back in their closets or basements. Senior citizens may, at a certain point in time, downsize or liquidate most of their household items. 

As you are looking around for pieces of equipment, understand you probably will not get everything you want all at once. This is actually good. It allows you to become more familiar with using pieces of equipment as you get them without being overwhelmed with all the equipment at once. You may also begin to realize what you really need as you cook your way through the kitchen. Pay attention to the pieces of kitchen equipment you reach for again and again; these are what you truly need the most.

Choose stainless steel for the majority of your equipment. You may want to have a few plastic items in your cupboards and drawers, but stainless steel is built to last. Many lower quality pots and pans are mostly constructed of aluminum. Aluminum, in my opinion, is fine but not the ideal choice. Aluminum conducts heat quickly. Aluminum is not as strong and sturdy as steel.

If a metal pot catches your eye, you don?t need to be a scientist to figure out its composition. Carry a small magnet in your pocket when you shop. If it firmly sticks to the pot, it is made of steel or at least has a steel coating. Since aluminum is a softer metal than steel, examine the interior of a used vessel for any pock marks, tiny divets in the metal making the aluminum porous to food.

My all-time favorite is a basic cast iron skillet. Read more about cast iron.

Examine the condition of any used kitchen equipment. Previously owned utensils that are in excellent or good condition may be high quality and have been time-tested. Pass over utensils that have deep scratches, cracks, dents, or any other significant flaws. Ignore non-stick cookware in which the non-stick coating is flaking off or is severely scratched. This coating should stay on the cookware and not in your food (which you ingest).

Beware of rust. If there is only a small, superficial bit of rust, lightly scratch it. If the rust comes off easily, it may be OK with some scrubbing.

In the realm of kitchenware, brand names usually suggest quality. One brand name worth recognizing for the person cooking for one is Pyrex®. Pyrex is a long-standing brand name of a special type of glass that can withstand extreme temperature changes. Keep your eye out for glass bowls, measuring cups, and other kitchen equipment marked Pyrex. It is a worthwhile investment.

Pick up a utensil or equipment in question. Is it comfortable to hold and use? Does it feel like a natural fit for you? It should feel like an extension of you the moment you pick it up. If the handle is too short for your hand or a bowl is so light it would move around if you were stirring, it is unlikely that you would use it in the kitchen. Ask any person who practices a skilled trade or craft to indicate their favorite tool, and they will answer with no hesitation. Then ask them for their reason why. Many brand-new, cheap utensils may be an easy buy, but good design and durability are usually sacrificed.

Price should not be the ultimate deciding factor. This may sound contradictory if I am helping you equip your kitchen economically. The factor of price needs to be balanced with the factor of quality. It is far too easy to scan the price points and snag the cheapest. If you consider the quality of the product and buy the best you can afford, then you will probably be happier in the future with your purchase. It will most likely perform better and last longer.

Generally, single people buy kitchen equipment under three circumstances. They are setting up their household for the first time. They are expanding their household and wares. They are replacing equipment that is broken, worn out, or outdated.

Why not buy what you can with an eye on quality? Lower your costs of equipment replacement and increase your ease in the kitchen. In the end, buy the best that you can safely afford.

I am an ardent supporter of ingenuity and innovation. I grew up in a family in which if you didn't have something and needed it right away, you found an alternative for it, borrowed it temporarily, or did without it. I was encouraged to be creative by necessity. 

Kitchen gadgets have the tendency to become quite addictive like potato chips. It's hard to stop eating them even though you don't need to eat them all, right? Like a kid in a toy store, I enjoy perusing kitchen stores examining all the newest kitchen gadgets and gizmos all those shiny objects can entrance me.

There are kitchen gadgets for almost any kind of task you can think of. Some do save time and effort. Some are quite cleverly engineered. However, many for the person cooking for one falls into the category I call "gadget garbage". 

Just like many staples in your pantry, the majority of your kitchen equipment should be at least double-duty or even multi-purpose. Many of these contraptions do just one function and do it very well (the selling point). When considering a new kitchen gadget, interrogate myself with a few questions.

• Do I already have a piece of equipment that can do the same task sufficiently?
• Does it contain a lot of little separate parts/pieces that I will have to store and organize?
• How often would I realistically use this?
• Does this require special care that I don?t want to be bothered with?
• How is the quality and workmanship of the device?

Once you start accumulating various gadgets and contraptions, you begin to realize a basic law of the universe. Things that have matter and mass take up space. Kitchen cupboards are not effective for what I call "place-push-and-pack". You place the item on shelf, it eventually gets pushed further back and eventually contributes to your wonderment as to how your cupboards became so packed. You have to carefully open the cupboard door to avoid an avalanche or to start a mechanical excavation to find the desired object.

As you begin or continue to equip your kitchen, stop in front of your bedroom mirror, open your eyes wide, hold up your hands, and stick out your tongue (be silly for a moment). Why am I asking you to do this? It is to remind you that your most valuable kitchen tools are always with you, and they are free: your hands, eyes, and taste buds. Let them be used. They are there to serve you up some amazing meals.