The Recession Registry
By Timothy R. Schulte - CTW Features | posted on February 18, 2012 at 7:00am
Get cooking – and keep your budget in check – with these go-to kitchen tools
Plain and simple, Americans eat out too much. With all the “50 percent off!” offers sent to our inboxes, it’s no wonder. According to the first ever “Dining Out” survey conducted on behalf of daily-deals site LivingSocial, the average American eats 4.8 meals per week (dining in and carryout).
Um, aren’t we in a recession?
Well, your pending nuptials – and the inherent gift-registering process – is a great time to get reacquainted with your kitchen. Or introduced.
Focus on a few items that offer quality and functionality, without cluttering the kitchen, and you’ll be dining at Chez You sooner than you think.
Multifunction Pans
First homes aren’t big, so you’ll want pieces that offer plenty of function without taking up a ton of space.
Together, the Le Creuset 2-in-1 Pan is a 2-quart lidded saucepan; separately, it’s a saucepan and frying pan. The enameled cast iron design offers great heat retention and long-lasting wear protection, so you’ll have plenty of years of soups and pasta sauces, or fried eggs and stir fry, depending on how you use it. Of course, the smart design means it takes up minimal cupboard space.
Le Creuset 2-in-1 Pan – Bed Bath & Beyond, $209.99
No grill? No worries. A cast iron skillet will sear the heck out of a steak, giving it a great caramelized crust, and will roast it to perfection in the oven. The next morning it will fry up bacon and eggs for breakfast. And it will work just as good 50 years from now as it does today. There isn’t a more versatile pan you can have in the kitchen.
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet – Crate and Barrel, $27.95
No-Nonsense Knives
Kitchen novices armed with a registry scanner are quick to zap the knife block with the most handles sticking out of it. They should be doing the opposite.
There’s no sense in getting stuck with a bunch of knives you’ll never end up using. Go for a starter block that only comes with kitchen shears and a knife sharpener, then build your knife collection to suit your needs.
A great Chef’s or Japanese-style Santoku knife is a great go-to, but this Nakiri knife is the best of both worlds, offering the all-around versatility of a Chef’s knife with the slice ‘n’ dice quickness of a scalloped-blade Santoku. As you find yourself needing specific-need knives, go for ‘em. You’ll have about a dozen knife slots to fill, after all.
Wüsthof Classic Black 3-piece Starter Set – Crate and Barrel, $29.95
Wüsthof Classic Black 7-inch Nakiri Knife – Crate and Barrel, $89.95
Name Recognition
It’s OK to name-drop … or name-scan, if you will. There is an abundance of celebrity chef-emblazoned cookware available these days, and that’s a good for two reasons. One, the name adds an assurance of quality (Giada DeLaurentiis says this pan is awesome!). Two, it gets you excited to use it (I’m going to go braise some beef like Mario Batali!). In addition, going back to multifunctionality, there’s nearly limitless possibilities on what you can do with a piece, whether it’s a grill pan, roasting pan or dutch oven. And, for oven-to-table readiness, they look good, too.
Giada De Laurentiis for Target;
Mario Batali for Crate and Barrel
