Sean Falcon

Building Your Cooking Arsenal

Sean Falcon
Building Your Cooking Arsenal

     I've broken this down into two sections: absolute bare essentials and then a hardware list that you can build over time. A good portion of this list is a one-time purchase. As with most things, you get what you pay for, so buy the best tool that your budget will allow. Instead of trying to buy all of this stuff at once, you can piece it all together over time based on whatever project you're going to be working on. So if you're planning on doing some fish over the weekend, you can go find yourself a good pair of tweezers to help get the pin bones out. There are disposables such as foil and cling wrap that will inevitably need to be resupplied, but those are usually common parts of any kitchen to begin with. They can also be bought in bulk at many wholesale stores. If you're just starting off, you can start with the basics below and then add the rest as you progress.

Absolute Bare Necessities

  • Cutting Board
  • Chef Knife
  • 11" French Skillet, 8qt Rondeau
  • Kosher Salt
  • Cooking Oil

Hardware List

  • Bar Towels - cheap and very useful. I use these as my ‘rag’. They clean, they protect my hands from hot handles, they wipe counters. They can be disposed of if they get hammered. They can be bleached, washed and reused until they fall apart. They save a TON of paper, thereby helping the environment. They're economical. They can be used to dry food. They can protect a counter from decent hot surfaces without burning. Moist ones can be used as a stop-gap non-skid surface for cutting boards. 
  • Slotted Spoons - useful for turning meats and transporting items in and out of your pans
  • Mixing bowls - These come in countless shapes and sizes. If you’re on a budget, just get the big one and you can buy smaller ones later. I’d recommend getting at least two so you can marinate or season meats in one while working with your veggies in another. 
  • Dry Measuring Cups and Spoons - After a while you’ll be doing this by eye, but if you need something exact, these are priceless. You don’t need anything fancy. Just accurate. For the spoons, see if you can find ones made for spices. They’re usually longer and slimmer versus wide and round so they can fit into small spice jars openings. 
  • You can just get big one quart model here. Remember that dry and wet ingredients are measured differently, so this is what you’ll use for liquids. Check the post on why you should ‘gram’ everything out and why this will help you immensely when making brines. 
  • Digital Food Scale - Not just for stoners anymore! Learn why you should gram out your recipes. These are insanely useful. Firstly you can be sure that you’re using the correct amount of anything. Furthermore it allows you to scale your recipes up or down very easily. It’s much easier to figure out what 1/4 of 1 gram is in your head versus trying to do the same with 1/5th of a teaspoon.
  • Utensil Holder - I like to use this to hold my working utensils. Preferable after they’ve had a quick rinse under water to remove any heavy soiling. 
  • Apron - mandatory for me to keep things clean. I usually use it as a wiping surface for my wet hands. Protects your clothing and usually has pockets in front to hold useful items for quick access. 
  • Wood Cutting Board - this is where all of my prep work is done. I try to keep it isolated to veggies on the wood. If I’m going to be working with meats, I make sure to clean the surface before and after with Vinegar. If possible, I flip the board so one side is meat and the other is veg. If I can remember which side is which, it makes it a bit easier to keep one side dedicated to each. If you can afford an end grain board, go for it. It looks great and will play nicer with the edge of your knife blade. 
  • Salt pig - this is a container that I keep my most commonly used seasoning in. Kosher salt. I use my fingers to grab the salt and then season the food, so you want something with a nice wide mouth that you can easily fit your fingers into. Try to find one with a lid that can be easily opened and closed with one hand. I like the lid because my pig is close to my stove. The lid helps keep the salt safe from splattering oil and other liquids that don’t need to be in there. 
  • Plastic Cutting Board - I rarely use these to chop anything, but these are very useful for working with meats, fish and poultry. While you could work with these on your main wood cutting surface, I prefer to keep the salmonella on a surface that can easily go into the sink for proper sanitizing. 
  • Y-Peeler - This is a veggie peeler that looks like the letter Y. I prefer these over the linear peelers. The choice is yours, but you can find the one I use here.
  • Delis - These are fantastic if you like to prep your food / Veggies ahead of time. They can be dated with your labels and stack nicely in or out of the fridge. They’re great for stocks and soups. They can be taken to work and very economical. They’re reusable as well (within limits). 
  • Chef’s Knife - My Current Knife is a Mac. Buy whatever you can afford and then keep it sharp by honing and sharpening as needed. 
  • Powder Free Nitrile Gloves - These are life savers. Super cheap and can be bought in bulk. I was getting really tired of constantly washing my hands all the time, so that’s when I finally broke down and bought these. I never looked back. I was never a fan of handling raw chicken and then giving my hands a quick rub under the faucet with some soap. Did i get it all? Is that little bit really gonna do anything to me anyways? I don’t know. So this removes all of that. Use em when I need them, trash them immediately when done, and put on another pair if I need them again. Cheap and useful. Plus they can be used for any other less-than-desireable situations that may arise around your home.
  • Plastic Shopping Bags for Garbage - The plastic bag thing has been my go-to method for a long time. I usually come back from the store with some sort of bag, whether it be something that was holding my produce or a standard Publix plastic bag. Now that you cannot get plastic bags in California anymore, it’s become a bit tougher, so I use the open garbage can method when I can. The idea is that I’m gong to be generating a lot of garbage, whether that be food scraps, used wrappers, or anything else. So the bag on the counter would help by basically providing me with a counter top trash can. I can move it around where it’s needed and just knot it up and trash it when it’s full. What I’ve found most helpful is when my normal garbage bag is pretty empty and I’m working with something that will smell horrible in a  short amount of time. Usually meat juice or fish. Mmmm. Let’s say you buy a couple packages of chicken thighs from the store and you toss them in the trash. They’re gonna stink within a day. They you’re going to be forced to either throw out a perfectly good bag before it’s full, or suffer from a wretched smell every time you open that lid. Using the bag method allows you to put potentially horrible smelling items into it’s own bag for separate disposal. If you live in an apartment complex, it’s especially useful as you can take that bag directly out to the dumpster and get rid of it immediately. 
  • Restaurant Style Cling wrap - Any cling wrap will do, but if you’re serious about cooking, chances are you’re going to be wrapping lots of stuff for either short term or long term storage. What you want here is the table top roll that sits in the box. The downside is that it takes up some counter space, but I find it invaluable. You can quickly ‘roll’ big roasts up before covering with foil for the freezer. It gives you a second set of hands since you can pull it out, but leave it still attached to the roll, then roll your food, then cut the end to your desired size. 
  • Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil - This is another kitchen essential. Splurge and get the good stuff here. I go with Reynolds Heavy Duty. The key word here is heavy duty. I rarely buy standard thickness foil, and if I do have any lying around, it’s usually just to line the bottom of a sheet pan with. Heavy duty is great for tenting food to keep warm and what you’re going to want if you’re going to protect food from freezer burn. I always recommend to buy the biggest roll you can because while the up front cost might be a bit more, it’s going to last you a lot longer.
  • Non-Stick Foil - I swear I didn’t know this was a thing. I don’t remember my food ever sticking way back when, but I guess it did. Anyways, this stuff is great for roasting or baking things on a non stick surface that isn’t a pan. 
  • 1/2 sheet pan - I didn’t know how important this was until I actually had one. These serve as my go -to tool when I need to put anything in the oven. Most commonly for finishing meats once they’ve been seared. If I’m roasting mushrooms, they’re most likely going to be on some foil and on a sheet pan. When combined with a rack, they perfect for resting meats or just providing a place for food once they’ve been cooked. They come in several sizes. The most common size for me is called a ‘1/2 sheet pan’. It’s around the size of your standard baking sheet. If I’m cooking for one, then a 1/4 sheet pan is my go to. I always try to put some heavy duty foil on them regardless of what I’m doing. It helps keep them clean to the point where I can just trash the foil and return the sheet pan to the cabinet. 
  • 1/2 sheet pan racks - Racks, racks, racks. These things are the best. Again, I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I bought it. They’re pretty much just racks to put food on, but once you have them, you’ll be surprised how helpful they are. The key part is that you can use them for roasting things as well. You get the advantage here because now your food is elevated from the cooking surface. you get better airflow around your food which helps a bit with more even cooking. Foods won’t sit in their own fat and the bottoms won’t burn. If you cook something in a hot oven, say 450º, you’ll get burnt spots on the bottom of the food if you don’t flip it. The rack eliminates those burnt spots. Plus once the meat comes out of the oven, you don’t have to transfer it to anything to rest. Just take the pan out and let it sit. 
  • Small Wooden Spoon - From eggs, to soups to sauces, the wooden spoon is my most commonly used kitchen tool. I prefer a small one, only a little larger than a spoon you’d eat with. The wooden part is key here. I try at all costs to avoid metal on metal contact with my pans and using wood solves that problem. No scratches to worry about and easy to clean. Wood also has it’s own anti-bacterial properties which is always a good thing. 
  • An oven set to 350º - This is the temperature I like to use to reheat or bring food back up to temperature before serving. It also happens to be the most common setting when you just press the ‘on’ button for your oven. Assuming theres no dial… It’s hot enough to heat room temp or warm food in a reasonable time and low enough to where it won’t over cook your food during this process. 
  • Cast Iron Pan - the god of meat searing if you’re not grilling. They last forever, are easy to clean, get better with age and you can get them rocket hot. The only thing I advise against is using any type of acid in these. I never build sauces in them and pretty much use them exclusively for browning and searing meats or veg. They have natural non-stick tendencies which is another plus. People like to cook eggs in then, but I usually avoid that. Not that it can’t be done, but it’s not a method I usually use. 
  • 11" Stainless Steel French Skillet - If I had to buy only one pan to cook in, this would be it. Big enough to sear healthy sized cuts of meat. Small enough to not waste a ton of oil to sear a small cut. Sides high enough to build a pan sauce. You can cook for one or you can cook for three and it’s aesthetically pleasing as well. This pan differs from a traditional fry pan in that the sides are flared and the edges are not rolled. This allows you to easily toss your food which IMO is far superior to mixing with a spoon. The odd sized measurement of 11” gives you just that slightest bit of room you were looking for. If I could only buy one, this would be it. 
  • 2-4qt Saucepan - These are essential for building sauces and soups. If you can only afford one, I’d say go with the 4qt. Better to have more than less. You can build a nice soup in here as well as a Sunday Gravy. I’d recommend the 4qt because you’ll be cooking other ingredients in there besides the liquid. Things like bones and meats take up room, so it’s better to have it than not. If you can afford a second one, then the 2qt is the next size to buy. It takes up less space and can be much more efficient when cooking smaller batches. It’s a great compliment to the larger pan in that you can build separate components in it and then combine it into the larger pot to get your final product. With both of these, make sure your pan has rolled edges for drip free pouring. Nothing is worse than having a reduced stock roll down the side of the pan and get burnt onto the bottom. 
  • 8qt Stockpot - this is for large batch meals but very essential. You’ll use this to build brines, stews and sauces. There is a lot room in this pot, so it lends itself nicely to using bones or other large ingredients that wouldn’t fit in your 2 or 4 quart saucepans. Again, rolled edges here for drip free pouring. 
  • 8qt Rondeau - This is the ONE SINGLE POT / PAN that I would want to be stuck on an island with. It's a lower, wider stock pot. It's big enough to sear steaks with the bone still in, deep enough to make a soup and wide enough to easily work in. You can fry, braise, steam, sear, saute or any other term you can think of in this thing. It's an all-in-one-wonder of a pan. You will not regret buying it. Trust me.
  • 10” non-stick pan - Admittedly, I don’t use non-stick very often. The idea of teflon slowly leaching into your food doesn’t really turn me on. Regardless, it’s still an invaluable pan to have when the situation arises. I mainly use this for scrambling eggs or delicate fish. The plus side is that you can get away with using less fat to lubricate your pan. The downside is, you cannot use these pans for high heat searing and cooking. They’ll let off a noxious odor when they become too hot, which is another negative for me. If you keep your stainless steel clean and at the right temperature, you should be able to cook an omelet without issue.
  • Metal Scrubby - This is what I use to get the real tough stuff off of my steel pans. I use it sparingly
  • Non-scratching nylon sponge - This is what I use to clean my stainless steel. They’re soft enough to not scratch the mirror-like finish of the outside of your pans and strong enough to get the baked on mess off of the interior of your pans. They’re cheap and economical. I like to cut mine in half since I rarely need to use the entire surface area of the sponge. I’ll dedicate one half to being used with my stainless steel cleaner, and the other half exclusively with dish soap. 
  • Dawn Dishsoap. Plain old Dawn. - Tried and true. I don’t need all the fancy-platinum-super-ultra-triple-quadruple-squared-concentrated-blow-your-mind-amazing dish soap. Just plain old Dawn always does the trick.
  • OXO dish brush - I like the brush here over the sponge. It comes with a stand that holds it vertically which allows the water to drip down into a tray below. There is an opening on the back with a rolled lip that allows you to pour out any collected watery goo. The soap goes inside of the brush and is then dispense via pressing the soft rubber button in the middle. The pressure dispenses your soap into the middle of the brush. Warning: if you’re cooking eggs, I’d advise to use your sink’s water pressure to blast whatever remaining egg is in the pan. Once it gets stuck in the bristles, it likes to stay there. Also, if you’re cooking with anything that stains (hello Tumeric…), you’ll probably want to get most of that off beforehand. If I’m cleaning heavily soiled pans, I’ll start off using water pressure and the metal scrubby to get the gunk off and then use this brush to finish the cleaning. 
  • Barkeepers Friend - The ultimate tool for cleaning your stainless steel pans. Pure magic in can. You can find this stuff for under $2 pretty much anywhere. I’ve created a tutorial on how I clean my pans with it. But rest assured, no matter how crappy your pans look: this will make them look brand new. You can use it as much or as little as you want. Using it weekly will help maintain your pans and keep them looking nice and new. Admittedly, I don’t want to spend any more time doing dishes than I need to, especially after a long day of cooking, so sometimes my pans start looking less than righteous and need a good work over. Throw on some headphones, pour a good sized glass of whatever your favorite drink is and zen out until they look brand new. 
  • Glasslock Containers for leftovers - I prefer glass over plastic here. Glass won’t stain and offers better heating options in my opinion. Some can even be used in the oven. They usually come with snap top lids. Some of those lids even have a small pop-top that you can open to help vent if you’re using it in the microwave. 
  • Headphones - Pretty much at the top of my list here. Music moves the soul and makes the food taste better. Extra points if you live in a house where you don’t have to worry about neighbors. A speaker system is great for this. 
  • Glass of wine or your favorite drink - Because why not?

 

 

Oils, Salts and Seasonings

  • Canola Oil - My go to cooking oil. It has a neutral flavor and a high smoke point. Others include peanut oil for deep frying and avocado oil for super high heat frying. 
  • Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Healthy and tasty. Spend the money here on a good one. I primarily use this for finishing foods. It’s only for adding flavor. It has a very low smoke point so I would recommend using a low to medium-low flame / heat setting if you do decide to cook with it.
  • Kosher Salt - The god of seasoning. Larger flakes that adhere to the food nicely and easy to pinch between your fingers. Make sure you get a pure salt here. I use Diamond Crystal. There are other brands out there, but I avoid the ones that use anti-caking agents. Salt should just be salt. 
  • Table Salt - I really do not use this too often, but I like that it has iodine in it. So I use it to season pasta water from time to time. You can use this at your table to season any under seasoned food, but the goal of this website is have your food perfectly seasoned once it hits the plate. Good restaurants won’t have these on the table. 
  • Granulated Onion - The secret weapon. Onion powder brings out the natural flavors in food, much like salt does. Just like salt, you never want to taste it. You want to use it to elevate what’s already there. Make sure you’re using pure onion powder. No salts, or agents or anything else like that. I prefer granulated onion over onion powder but I use both interchangeably. In my experience, the amount you use is the same between the two. 
  • Filtered Water - I try to cook with filtered water whenever possible. Everything has a flavor to contribute so I treat my water the same as anything else. Where you live will affect the flavor of your water. There are countless filtering mechanisms out there and I’ve found that they all taste a little different. Your mileage may vary, so use what works for you and your palette. 
  • Ice - The fridge that came with my apartment doesn’t produce ice. Fantastic. There are two types of ice in my opinion: clean ice and dirty ice. Dirty ice is what I’d buy at a gas station to fill a cooler with. Is it safe to use in a drink? Probably maybe. If I had my druthers, I’d use clean ice for anything my food touches (such as shocking blanched vegetable) and dirty ice for icing down stocks or rapidly cooling anything that won’t touch the ice directly. I’m finicky like that. 
  • Fresh Cracked Black Pepper - I use this for finishing a dish. It’s important to note that pepper burns, so I avoid using it on meats that are going to be seared. It’s worth it to find actual black peppercorns instead of pre-ground pepper. You’ll get a better flavor from something that’s fresh, you can control the size of the grind and you can use the whole peppercorns in sauces and brines.
  • Red Cooking Wine - The rule here is to always cook with a wine that you would drink. Now that doesn’t mean you need to use a $100 bottle of wine. But there are certain varietals that lend themselves better to certain applications. I usually stick with Shiraz as my daily cooking wine. You can use Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon but take caution as some of those wines will develop strong flavors that may not work well with your dish. Check my post on here on that.
  • White Cooking Wine - I lean towards dry white wines here like a Sauvignon Blanc. Again, Trader Joes Charles Shaw is pretty good for this application. 
  • A good Vinegar - Sherry is one of my favorites for finishing vinegars. It can really open up a dish and add a lot of dimension with just a few drops. Check this post to read about all the different varieties and their applications.