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BOWLS

Mixing bowls of various sizes

MICROPLANE

A superfine grater

FOOD MILL

Great for passing tomatoes. A food mill lets all the big-money stuff fall through and leaves the seeds and stems uptown. Also great for mashed potatoes or anything you need to purée.

FISH SPATULA

A flexible metal spatula with large holes and a sharp edge

BOX GRATER

COLANDER

MEASURING CUPS

Dry and wet

MEASURING SPOONS

MESH STRAINER

MISE EN PLACE containers

Various shapes, sizes, and colors (they’re cute!)

SALT CELLAR

A salt dish. Don’t try to cook with a salt shaker!

SPIDER

A wire scooper to get things out of hot liquid easily

SPOONS

Large metal ones, with and without holes

TONGS

WHISKS

Big and small

PANS

• Large and small sauté pan with curved edges

• Large, straight-sided sauté pan

• Pasta or stockpot—a large, deep pot with a lid

• Straight-sided, wide shallow pot with a lid

• Large and small nonstick sauté pans

• Various sized saucepans with lids

• Baking sheets

FOOD PROCESSOR

IMMERSION BLENDER

For puréeing right in the pan

ELECTRIC MIXER

SPICE GRINDER

A.k.a. a coffee grinder used for spices only

KITCHEN SHEARS

PARCHMENT PAPER

SILICONE MAT

PASTRY BAGS

Disposable ones (or just use zip-top plastic bags)

TWINE

JAPANESE MANDOLINE

For slicing ingredients super-thin (use with caution, respectfully and lovingly!)

“THANK YOU FOR COMING” BOWL

A trash receptacle within arms’ reach so you don’t have to go back and forth to the garbage all the time.

MY BASIC PANTRY

Setting up your pantry is a bit of an investment. I know that cooking at home is supposed to be cheaper than eating out, but like anything, you need the right supplies to get started. (If you’re going to play golf, you have to buy golf clubs, right?) Once you get yourself squared away with some high-quality basics, the cost of cooking goes down exponentially (and when you’re cooking with good stuff and enjoying it, the fun factor goes up!). Here’s a list of what I keep in my pantry all the time. Of course, you don’t have to go out and buy all of this at once, but this list gives you an idea of what you ultimately want to see when you open your cupboard. Start with the things you’ll use the most often and build from there. With some or all of this on hand, you can whip up a delicious meal anytime.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

KOSHER SALT

BACON OR PANCETTA

(or both)

FRESH PARMIGIANO

GARLIC

ONIONS

(BTW, when I say onions, I’m referring to onions about the size of a tangerine)

CRUSHED RED PEPPER

BAY LEAVES

DRIED PASTA

(some short, some long)

RISOTTO RICE

(Arborio or Carnaroli)

POLENTA

DRIED LENTILS

CHICKEN STOCK

CANNED BEANS

(cannellini, chickpeas, and black beans)

CANNED TOMATOES

NUTS

(almonds, pine nuts, and walnuts)

RED WINE VINEGAR

BALSAMIC VINEGAR

DRIED PORCINI MUSHROOMS

TOMATO PASTE

DIJON MUSTARD

BREAD CRUMBS

CAPERS

CORIANDER SEEDS

FENNEL SEEDS

PIMENTÓN

(smoked paprika)

ANCHOVIES

CORNICHONS

TABASCO SAUCE

UNSALTED BUTTER

EGGS

MILK

FLOUR

SUGAR

(white and brown)

BAKING POWDER

BAKING SODA

HORSERADISH

TUNA FISH

KETCHUP

MAYONNAISE

SOY SAUCE

SAMBAL OELEK

(Vietnamese chili sauce)

SRIRACHA

(Asian hot sauce)

A FEW WORDS ON FANCY WORDS

Like I said, I’m not big on fussy language, but there are a few terms and Anne-isms that will help you follow my recipes.

BIG FAT FINISHING OIL

This is your big-money extra virgin olive oil, the good stuff. Heat changes the flavor of olive oil, so this is the oil you want to use when you’re after a pristine, green, olive-y flavor to drizzle on pasta, salads, soups, or anything really, just before serving. There are tons of different kinds of olive oil, so experiment with them. You may want to have different big fat finishing oils for different purposes—play around and decide which ones you like best.

BIG MEAT

Any big hunk of meat, usually red meat or game.

BRAISE

A technique for cooking tough cuts of meat low and slow in liquid.

BROWN FOOD

What you get when you take the time to sear meat