Being a bachelor a good portion of my life, my kitchen was based around myself. I only needed what was good for me. Then I got married, and the woman I married only knew recipes that started with “Set your microwave on high”.

When we moved into our new place, I knew it was time to put a real kitchen together and after some trial and error, here is what I found to be the ten things I need to be able to cook consistently and deliciously.  Now obviously you need a stove, refrigerator, sink, and garbage can, but this list is about those other things that usually do not come with the house when you buy it.

1. Cutting boards – You cannot have too many. When your making a dinner for a family of four, there will be many times you will need to use more than one board. Two cutting boards is the minimum. You should have one for meats, and one for everything else. Everything that meat touches, can spoil and contaminate other food.

2. A frying pan – How are you going to make that big breakfast on Sunday without a frying pan? It is a family must. The bigger the better and if you can find one with a metal handle that will fit in your oven, even better!

3. Sauce pans – And I mean pans! One is not enough.  There will be many times that you are cooking where you will need more than one.  Example, your making spaghetti sauce, and when your done, what are you going to boil spaghetti in?

4.  A quality knife set – There is nothing worse than chopping vege’s with an old dull knife to only have to also use the same one to cut up some meat.  Get a good set with separate vege, meat, bread, paring, etc. knives.  Make sure you also have a sharpener.  This will make cooking much easier and prep time quicker.

5. Storage containers – Everything from Tupperware to freezer bags.  There is nothing more unorganized than a refrigerator with last nights leftovers sitting in the pot it was cooked in staring you in the face.

6. A prep station –  This doesn’t mean you have to build a new counter in your kitchen.  If your kitchen doesn’t have an area when you can comfortably prepare food (i.e. NOT the counter by the sink) then buy a portable cooking station.  You see these in all of the big stores.  they are usually a large wooden cutting board on wheels with shelves and hooks.  You need an area with elbow room to confidently and comfortably prepare your recipes.

7. Matching dish-ware/silverware – So you finally get settled and invite mom and dad over for your first dinner in the new place.  You cook up a delicious meal and then serve it up on different style (and/or size) plates, silverware from five different collections including the one you bought at a yard-sale in college.  Presentation is a major factor in cooking, and you just made your first meal look like slop from a cafeteria.

8. The cheapest of cheap paper plates – For me, these are a god send when cooking.  You know those flimsy, thin paper plates?  They are made of basic paper and you would never serve a meal to any guest with them.  However, when you are preparing food and need a place to put ingredients these are perfect.  For example, your recipe calls for chopped onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, whatever, but they are added at different times.  Preparing these ingredients ahead of time and putting each on a different plate will not only make the preparation easier, you will not have to dirty (and therefore clean) yet another dish.  Paper is a renewable resource.  Your not really hurting the environment by using them.  Nobody is cutting down an ancient redwood to make these plates.

9. A Crockpot (slow-cooker) – A home is not a home without this hardware.  Family life is busy and sometimes you just will not have time to cook a good meal when you get off of work.  With this, you can cut everything up and throw it in the Crockpot, go to work, come home, and there it is, all ready for you to serve.  A Must!

10. A good, solid, expandable table – Have you ever gone to dinner at someones beautiful home, marvel at their kitchen, decor, appliances, etc., only to find out that when dinner is served, everyone is squished on to a table obviously picked out to serve only the number of people who live in the household?  Or some rickety old thing that wobbles and probably has followed the owner since their college days?  Having a sturdy, expandable (leaves) table that is in good condition allows your guests, and your family to enjoy a meal without bumping into one another, or accidentally spilling milk due to shaky table legs.  Put the money away every week, when you buy the one you want, you will swear that your food actually tastes better just because of the table!