Crock pot
I have a huge skillet that I got at Costco that I absolutely love, when I say huge I mean its hands down the biggest pan I have ever seen in my life, I can set it on 2 burners at one time on the stove. It works as a wok, as a skillet, I can fry up over a half gallon of egg whites at one time in it, I love that pan.
also a big roasting pan is one thing I consider a must. just way to many things you can make in one not to have it.
Are you doing appliances?
Gas stoves >>> electric stoves >>>>>>>>>> glass top stoves.
I have a kitchen-full of miscellaneous crap, but there’s a basic set of stuff that I use all the time and that I would have to have if I were to start over:
[ul]
[li]12" cast iron skillet, well-seasoned[/li][li]10" cast iron skillet, ditto[/li][li]12" non-stick heavy aluminum saute pan[/li][li]12" stainless steel skillet with heavy clad-copper bottoms and decently thick sides[/li][li]8" non-stick heavy aluminum omelet/saute pan[/li][li]6.5 quart enameled cast iron dutch oven[/li][li]5 quart cast iron dutch oven[/li][li]2 stainless steel saucepans (~2 quart and ~ 3 quart) with heavy clad-copper bottoms and decently thick sides, plus lids of course.[/li][li]4 to 5 quart saucepan with pouring lip and strainer lid (thin/cheap OK on this one – mainly for boiling modest amounts of pasta)[/li][li]10 quart stock pot with lid[/li][li]1.5 quart windsor-style saucepan (mine’s a heavy anodized aluminum Calphalon number that was a promotional item many years ago)[/li][li]16" anodized aluminum or stainless steel roasting pan and rack (I actually have a few roasting pans – I love the depth of the Calphalon roasting pan I’ve used for years – much less chance of sloshing pan juices out of it by accident) but I added a heavy stainless steel KitchenAid model a couple of years ago specifically because it was much shallower and thus allowed better air circulation for roasting turkeys and such in our new convection ovens).[/li][li]2-3 heavy cookie sheets/jelly roll pans – something heavy enough not to warp when you put 'em cold into a hot oven.[/li][li]1 good-quality 8" chef’s knife[/li][li]1 good-quality 3.5" paring knife [/li][li]Honing steel for the knives above (I bought a Wusthof set with just these three items – most of the other knives we’ve acquired over the years never get used, with the exceptions noted below).[/li][li]1 serrated offset bread knife[/li][li]1 other serrated knife for cutting soft fruits/vegetables[/li][li]box grater[/li][li]potato ricer[/li][li]4-6 mixing bowls of various sizes (I like having a few metal ones around for situations where I need heat-resistance – most of the others are plastic)[/li][li]KitchenAid stand mixer and sundry attachments (I use the grater and meat grinder more than most of the others)[/li][li]Large electric griddle (for making pancakes mostly – mine’s big enough for 8 small pancakes at a time)[/li][li]Wooden spoons, rubber spatulas, nylon turners[/li][li]Metal and nylon tongs[/li][/ul]
One thing that will never darken the door of my kitchen again is a non-stick pan coated with Teflon. Yucky. To make a “sticky” pan into a non-stick, just remember to put cold fat into a hot pan- then add your food and it won’t stick to the pan.