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Beginner’s Cookware for your Kitchen

If you have relocated to the US from India or any another country, you may want to begin with basic Kitchen Cookware for temporary use. If your work brings you to US and you are going to stay here only for a few years, it would be wise investing in cheap, affordable & durable cookware which you can discard when you return to your home-country. You maybe a new homemaker or a Student or a Bachelor and you are on a tight budget. Whatever be the scenario, here is a list of Affordable Cookware needed for your beginner Kitchen.

Essential Cookware

  1. Frying Pan – A good size to begin with is 10″.
  2. Saucepan – Recommended sizes are 1 qt, 2 qt and 2 .5 qt.
  3. Sautepan & Skillets – Atleast 12″ size is recommended. Choose one with lids.
  4. Pots/Stockpots – Large Covered Pots 3 qt or bigger are recommended.
  5. Pressure Cooker (Must for Indian Kitchen)
  6. Tava or Flat Griddle
Beginner's Cookware

Beginner's Cookware

 

Non Stick Pots & Pan

A must for your daily cooking needs. You will need nonstick frying pans, saucepans & skillets. Frying  pans are needed for scrambling eggs, shallow frying fish and meat. Smaller Saucepans are useful for making Tea/Coffee and the bigger ones for Stews and Curries. Skillets are needed for stir-frying vegetables and meat.

Try a beginner non stick cookware set from Target like Chefmate 8 piece Cookware Set. Target often sells good quality stuff when compared to other Retail Stores and you don’t have to shell lot of money.

Stainless Steel Cookware

Stainless Steel Skillets and Saute Pans are useful for sauteing vegetables, browning chicken and meat, making Fried Rice, stir frying Noodles and so on. Stainless Steel saucepans are useful for deep-frying, boiling & blanching vegetables, making sauces and gravies. Ikea has affordable Stainless Steel Cookware Sets like this 5-pc Stainless Steel Cookware Set.

Rice/Pasta Pots and Colanders

You will need big stainless steel pots for boiling rice, noodles, pasta and for draining, you will need Stainless Steel Colanders. Here are a few good ones

  1. 3 qt Stainless Steel Pot at Ikea
  2. 5 qt Rice/Pasta Pot with Lid at Ikea

Tava/Griddle

You will need a tava or flat griddle for making Chappathis, Dosas and other Indian Flat Breads. Cast Iron Indian tavas are best as they can retain high heat. If you can’t find a Tava, you can buy an Electric Griddle. Look out for Black Friday Sales and you can buy a griddle for around $10. If you don’t have a tava or griddle, you can use a non-stick frying pan.

Pressure Cooker

Pressure Cooker serves multiple uses like boiling lentils and pulses, cooking meat, cooking rice, making biriyani etc.

Extras

You will need Kadai, Idli Maker and Puttu Kudam for occasional use in your Indian Kitchen.

 

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Chefmate 8 piece Cookware Set

I bought this Chefmate 8-pc Cookware Set from Target as a basic Non-Stick set for my kitchen. The set includes a 1 qt Saucepan with Glass Lid, 2 qt Saucepan with Glass Lid, a big 3 qt Saucepan with glass lid, 8″ Frying pan and 10″ Frying pan. As shown in the picture, the 3 qt pot has 2 handles whereas the smaller saucepans have single handles. These are good as a beginner set.

The material is Aluminum but it has non-stick coating. I have been pleased with this set. I got this cookware set for $20 during a Sale at Target. The original price was around $45. I have used this for 3 years and it is still in good shape. I use the big 3 qt Saucepan almost daily for cooking vegetables, chicken, meat and so on in my Indian Kitchen. It is a perfect size for my household. The 10″ Frying Pan can be used for scrambling eggs, frying fish, sauteing vegetables and so on. The smaller saucepan can be used for making Tea/Coffee, Boilng Eggs, cooking Gravies and so on.

I would recommend this set for all Beginners in the Kitchen. It is also great for Bachelors. If you don’t want to waste hundreds of dollars on Non-Stick Cookware, try buying this basic non-stick cookware set. Even if you use it for a year or two, it will be well worth the money.

Chefmate 8-pc Cookware Set

Chefmate 8-pc Cookware Set

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5 Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set

This is probably one of the least expensive Cookware Sets I have owned. I bought this Stainless Steel Set from Ikea as a beginner set for my kitchen. The set includes a 1 qt saucepan, 1.5 qt saucepan, a bigger 2.5 qt saucepan and 2 lids.

As shown in the picture, the 2.5 qt pot has 2 handles whereas the smaller saucepans have single handles. These are good as a beginner set. I used the smaller pans for 2 years and then the handles broke. I wish these pans had two side handles instead of one. I have used the smaller pans for making tea, coffee, instant noodles and for boiling eggs.

The bigger pan is really good and it has lasted despite frequent use. The lids used to be glass but now they have replaced it with Stainless Steel ones. The whole set is only $9.99. So, it is good for basic use even if the handles won’t last for long.

Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Stainless Steel Cookware Set

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Stainless Steel Saucepan at Ikea

Here is a good 3 qt Stainless Steel Pot (Snitsig) which I found at Ikea. This saucepan is big enough for making Payasams (dessert), Tea, Coffee, Soup and so on for 8-10 people. The handles are comfortable and are useful for lifting and holding on while stirring. You can also use this pot for boiling rice, noodles, lentils, pasta and so on. The lid helps in bringing the contents to a quicker boil.

It is available for $11.99 at Ikea. This Pot will easily last for atleast 2-3 years and is a good investment for your kitchen.

Stainless Steel Saucepan at Ikea

Stainless Steel Saucepan at Ikea