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

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
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.