College Vegetarian Cooking_ Feed Yourself and Your Friends - Megan Carle [7]
Baking pans: You will need to have one baking sheet (11 by 15 inches is a standard size, but make sure you have one that will fit in your oven), one 9 by 13-inch pan, and one 8-inch square pan. If you can afford it, it’s handy to have two 9 by 13-inch pans and two baking sheets.
Blender: This is the only electrical appliance we use in this book (except for a microwave, which isn’t required). You could probably live without a blender, but it’s extremely helpful to have one. It doesn’t need to be the mega model. We got one on sale at the grocery store for $13 and it works fine.
Stacking bowls: These are graduated bowls that come in plastic, glass, or metal. They’re useful for cooking (you’ll need them if you bake) and serving (use them for salad). At home we have glass, but we found a set of four plastic bowls at a discount store for $4, and they’re fine.
Colander: Plastic or metal doesn’t matter; just get one large enough to hold a pound of cooked pasta (about 3 quarts).
Can opener: Electric is nice, but handheld works just fine.
Spatulas: If you have nonstick pans, you’ll need a plastic spatula so you don’t ding up the nonstick surface, but metal spatulas are thinner and work better for taking cookies off of baking sheets and getting food out of baking pans intact. Buy one of each if you can afford it.
Measuring cups: It’s best to have a set of stacking dry measuring cups and a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. If you can’t afford both, buy the dry set.
Measuring spoons: Trust us on this one: buy a set with the measurements stamped into the metal or plastic. If the numbers are just printed on, they’ll wash off after a while, and then you go nuts trying to figure out which one is which.
Other stuff: Aluminum foil and plastic wrap are essential for cooking and storing food—you should always have some on hand. Zip-top bags are also seriously useful; get the heavy-weight ones if you are using them to store food in the freezer.
HELPFUL ITEMS
Large spoons: Either metal or wooden (wooden if your pans are nonstick). These will save you a ton of time you’d otherwise spend fishing out little spoons when they slide into a pan full of food.
Rubber scraper: Scrapers are helpful if you plan to do any baking. We like the ones made of soft rubber rather than hard plastic because they bend, making it easier to scrape everything out of the bowl.
Cutting board: Cutting on the counter will dull your knives and tick off your apartment manager. Get either wood or plastic, whichever you prefer. Both work fine.
Grater: This can save you a lot of time. We like the box graters with three different grating sides and one slicing side.
Garlic press: If you hate the smell of garlic on your hands, this is a must-have. It’s so much faster and easier than peeling and chopping garlic.
Hot pads or oven mitts: These come in very handy. You can use a kitchen towel instead, but if the towel is even the least bit damp, you’ll feel the heat immediately.
Pastry brushes: Again, these are not necessary, but they do come in handy. We use pastry brushes the most with pastries. (Who knew?) They’re especially good for brushing dough with butter or egg whites, but they can also be used to baste food in the oven or on the grill. We bought a set of three for $1 at the dollar store.
Vegetable brush: A vegetable brush is a good investment if you eat lots of firm fruits and vegetables with their skins on (apples, potatoes). Buy a brush especially for this purpose—don’t use your dish brush or scrubber. That’s just gross.
Vegetable peeler: You can peel fruit and vegetables with a knife, but we say why bother? Vegetable peelers are so cheap it seems silly to hassle with a knife.
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