A cast-iron skillet. A favorite among chefs because of the way it
retains heat, this is also an excellent tool for replicating the effects
of outdoor grilling indoors. Lodge brand is a good option.
One large metal pot. Nothing fancy; just something you can use
to make sauces, soups, beans, rice, and anything else that can’t be
made in a skillet.
A stockpot. Though this takes up a lot of space, it’s essential,
especially when you start making stocks.
A Dutch oven. My favorite cooking vessel, this is fantastic for
braising, cooking pasta, frying, you name it. The Le Creuset brand
is incredibly resilient.
A wok. A wok takes up extra space, but when you try the wok
recipes in this book, you’ll understand why for much of the world,
this isn’t just an essential kitchen tool, it’s the essential kitchen
tool. (See Grace Young for wok-buying details.) Mixing bowls
Assorted mixing bowls are omnipresent in restaurant kitchens and
should be part of your home kitchen too. Use them for tossing
salads (see Jonathan Waxman’s technique), storing ingredients,
whisking dressings, sifting dry ingredients into, and allowing dough
to rise.
A regular spatula, a rubber spatula, a whisk, and a spider
These are handy tools to have. A regular spatula can be used to
flip things, and the rubber spatula can be used to fold ingredients