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“You don’t have a baking sheet?!” I perhaps too aggressively questioned my boyfriend as he sat on the couch drinking wine in an attempt to ignore my kitchen-related outbursts.
It was a Friday night and this was the final straw in what had been a less than ideal lasagna making process. I should have known when he told me I had to bring my own skillet to his place that things wouldn’t go according to plan, but hindsight is 20/20.
What began with a simple skillet lead to a pot far too small to fit lasagna noodles, a mixing bowl that sufficed but would never allow for most purposes AKA making a cake, and finally, a nonexistent baking sheet for the night’s garlic bread. I could blame myself for not taking inventory of his cookware before I offered to make dinner, but is it so ridiculous that I would assume that a 28-year-old guy would own basic kitchen supplies? He seemed to think so.
After the lasagna saga, my weekend continued smoothly. I got ambitious and decided to be a good person and meal prep on a Sunday afternoon that was plan-free. Nothing extensive just a chicken and veggie bake with minimal effort on my part.
I started rummaging through the cupboards at my house on a mission to find a baking dish. The problem with this is that when I say my house I really mean my roommate’s house that she owns, thus the majority of the contents belong to her. And for the second time that weekend my confusion and anger peaked when I could only find an 8×8 pan that would never fit the amount of food I was trying to make.
I don’t understand.
How is it that two people closer to 30 than they’d like to admit don’t own adequate cookware? Is this a common thing that I’m only now for some reason discovering? It can’t really be the norm, can it?
Sure, I could give the bf a pass because he’s a boy who lives on takeout and rarely cooks, but the girl I live with who I know cooks fairly regularly? No excuses. Because even if you don’t regularly cook, surely you’ve managed to collect a hodgepodge of pots and pans through your years of college and roommates and parental hand-me-downs, right?
I don’t even care if the items you use don’t match or are great quality! No one’s expecting you to own a $2,000 copper core full set of cookware on your post-grad salary.
But you should still have something for the one or two occasions when you’re trying to impress a date and want to cook them dinner, or the parents are in town visiting and you want to show them that you can actually feed yourself, or maybe it’s midnight and you’re a bit drunk and you just want a God damn freshly baked cookie. (The premade dough from the package though, obviously. Let’s not get crazy.)
Listen, you’re an adult now and it’s beyond time to deal with your kitchen. We’ve all heard the list of benefits that cooking for yourself provides, and I’m not here to preach. But have a little pride, put in a little effort, and learn how to make one thing really, really well.
And at the very least get yourself the necessities so when you give up on the new recipes and meal prepping, you can mix up a batch of brownie batter with the sole intent of eating it directly out of the bowl. .
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Whatever Lola Wants
Outward appearance of being a hot mess with just enough Type A personality to not be a complete disappointment to my parents. Almost as good at avoiding commitment as I am at holding my liquor.
@LauraMeinert
Pro tip from someone who grew up in the restaurant industry: Go to a restaurant supply store and buy better products for cheaper. you don’t need all clad everything. The one thing you should spring for is a good sharp chef’s knife and learn how to hold and use it properly it saves a lot of headache.
Good advice above. I would be hesitant to recommend commercial cookware if you want longer-term pots and pans. I have a few Vollrath pots that are good but they need to be replaced sooner than later.
I beg to differ, I have had the same Vollrath pans for years now (I cook 6 days a week) and mine are in great condition. It is more so about the thickness of the bottom with commercial that you are going for. Most johnny home owner pots & pans are very thin and people are dumb so they tend put cold water in hot pans etc warping the shit out of them. Or using metal utensils on a non stick pan, that is the easiest way to make the pan useless.
Awfully critical of the kitchen supplies of the two people whose kitchens you were using, while it seems meanwhile that you have no supplies of your own. Though I do agree with your point.
This was all I could think while reading this.
I got a fucking huge mason jar cold brew coffee maker thing and now my societal class rank has skyrocketed to Lower Middle Class
Having nice things, and allowing your friends to see the nice things, is worth ruining your future with massive amounts of credit card debt
All you need is a well seasoned cast iron skillet. That’s it. And a teflon spatula for said skillet.
All Clad and Le Creuset were an investment but worth every penny.
Just got the all clad set for our wedding. It’s next level. I also really love when I come home to a pot in the sink with food stuck to it……
Bar Keepers Friend is the best for scrubbing anything out of stainless.
All Clad really is the best. Though it’s even better when you can get it at the factory’s annual outlet sale.
A minimal assortment of bakeware is fine. You don’t really need 3 different sizes of muffin pans if you don’t bake or a sous vide for cooking. But everyone should have a 9×13 Pyrex with a lid.
For not too expensive, but high quality – the Gotham steel pans are the shit