It All Starts in the Kitchen Part II
Pigging back on yesterday’s blog post, I wanted to take today to discuss some of the other things you’ll need to be successful in the kitchen. Of course, step #1 is making sure you have the right food available in the first place, which, as you recall, is exactly what I discussed yesterday.
While I gave a fairly thorough look into my weekly grocery list in part one, I just want to clarify that I was in no way insinuating that my list was the perfect list (but I was). It fits my goals and needs, not to mention caters to my likes and dislikes, so I certainly don’t expect everyone to go out and emulate it – although, it wouldn’t be a bad start.
Nonetheless, now that the food is actually IN the kitchen, what comes next?
1. Pots and pans – you know, for your girlfriend to cook stuff in.
Unfortunately, we’ve grown accustomed to eating our meals out of a microwave or toaster oven. Sadly, due to their convenience factor alone, things like Hot pockets, Pop Tarts, and canned Spaghetti O’s have become staples in our everyday lives. Not exactly the foundation of a nutritious diet. And, for the record, ORGANIC pop-tarts, are still freakin POP TARTS!!!!
What’s more, like most guys, I didn’t pay attention in Home Economics class. I mean come on, what were the odds that I’d even touch a frying pan, let alone place it on a stove and use it for it’s intended purpose? Furthermore, I have yet to use a sewing machine.
Needless to say, if you’re going to cook nutritious foods, it’s kind of important to have some quality pots and pans available to cook it in. You can head down to Crate and Barrel, or slum it and go to Sears. I don’t care, just get some.
2. Quality Knives – up until I met my girlfriend, I had no idea how important it is to have a nice set of knives on hand. In no time flat, I can cut up a chicken breast, some fresh garlic, tomatoes/onions, and be eating a delicious stir fry in no time flat, like a ninja.
As well, it’s not uncommon to find myself spending Friday nights just cutting through stuff for the hell of it. Vegetables? Pffft, boring. Aluminum cans? What is this, amateur hour? My dishwasher? Now we’re talkin!
3. An Old School Poster of Cindy Crawford – just because it’s awesome
4. Vidalia Chop Wizard – makes chopping up vegetables in bulk a breeze. It takes me less than ten minutes to chop up all my peppers, onions, carrots, celery, etc for the entire week. A little food prep goes a long ways!
5. Chopping Boards – one for veggies/fruit, one for meat. Trust me on this one.
6. Pyrex Storage Set – I bring at least 2-3 meals with me to work everyday, so these are a perfect for that. Likewise, I also need a place to store all of my chopped veggies, as well as a safe place to keep my frozen fruit. I like to pour all my frozen fruit into one container and keep it in the freezer for easy access. Along the same lines, I keep another large container in my fridge, which stores all my chopped vegetables.
7. Spice Rack – Paprika + dead animal flesh = delicious. Okay, in all seriousness, adding a variety of spices to your cooking repertoire makes things much more palatable. You can only eat plain chicken breasts for so long before youi
8. Pandora or Slacker Radio – playing some of your favorite music while you’re in the kitchen prepping food makes all the difference in the world.
9. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes – a clean kitchen, is a happy kitchen. Laugh all you want, but after my girlfriend reads this, she’s totally going to want to make out.
10. Magic Bullet – There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t use this at least once. Whether it’s for making a quick shake, or for pureeing foods, this is definitely a staple.
11. Foreman Grill – self explanatory.
12. Miscellaneous – measuring cups/spoons, drainer, garlic roaster, steamer, your man card, etc. I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things, but it’s time to go coach. Feel free to chime in below…..
