Cooking Utensils

[Salida Scarlett]

<br />This subject has no doubt been discussed before, but like me, there may be other newbies on the forum that having been wondering about cooking utensil issues. One of the problems as I am discovering concerns weight of the utensils. I have some pretty weighty ones, including a couple of cast iron ones. In fact I have a WHOLE LOT of heavy utensils. Oh dear, what to keep and what to sell or give away? And/or what to buy?<br /><br /> Lately I've been thinking of replacing what little bake-ware I will need to be taking along in my RV kitchen with the new silicone stuff. I used some of it the last place I worked at and it's pretty nice with easy cleanup and obviously light weight. <br /><br />What are some of y'all's experiences on this and also, dinner, glasswear, and other kitchen and dinnerware?&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/confused.gif" /> b'cuz frankly, I don't know where to start. <br /><br />(btw, I don't even have yet, still in the planning stages) <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Scarlett

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

Hey Scarlet,&nbsp;<br /><br />I am so old fashion I just can't do the silicone stuff, I had a friend give me a whole set for Christmas and I just couldn't use it. I keep (1) 14" cast Iron pan, and soon an 8-10 quart cast iron dutch oven, I have a 4 quart enamel pot, a 1 quart enamel pot and one 12" enamel skillet. I have a stainless coffee&nbsp;percolator, that I use for most hot water needs....For utensils I have a large long metal spatula, a bbq fork, 1 lg ceramic knife, (1) very sharp fillet knife, (1) slotted spoon, (1) solid spoon, I bent this a little more than how it came to make it a semi ladle as well. I also have a wooden spoon, I love this thing, it was hand made out of cherry wood, was softer than a baby butt when I first got it, I love the feel of it, I wanted of this man kitchen tools, but it wasn't practical. I have one of those roll up cutting sheets. <br /><br />I have often wanted other kitchen cook wear, &nbsp;but I keep what I use the most.&nbsp;I have a few luxury gadgets, a&nbsp;citrus&nbsp;press, &nbsp;meat tenderizer called a deni (link below) &nbsp;, a chefdini (link below), and a hand held coffee grinder that I use for so much more than just coffee.<br /><br />http://www.lowes.com/pd_356368-2018...chenGadgetsTools-_-3583410+&amp;"cagpspn=pla"<br /><br />https://www.chefdini.com/?gclid=COLs0NHx-LMCFVCd4AodAG8AWw<br /><br />http://prima-coffee.com/grinder/har...pspn=pla&amp;gclid=CMXlnrPy-LMCFUOK4AodqGQAmw<br /><br />all my cooking stuff fits into an 18 gallon rubbermade tote, with room to spare....<br /><br />edited to add that I recently acquired a campchef oven/stove so I will be adding some bakeware,<br /><br />http://www.lowes.com/pd_163612-4436...lsOutdoorCooking-_-3710110+&amp;"cagpspn=pla"<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

 

[VanTrekker]

<p>I cook quite a bit and don't need a lot of utensils...&nbsp; I use paper plates/ bowls&nbsp;and plastic silverwear to eat with.&nbsp; Here is what I keep on hand for regular cooking use...<br /><br />Used for food preparation / storage<br /><br />- A fajita sized cast iron skillet for breakfast skillets or Mexican dishes such as.. fajitas <br />- One good sized non stick skillet for most everything including stir fry meals.<br />- A cast iron dutch oven.&nbsp; It rarely gets used though.<br />- Several wooden spoons<br />- A cutting board for cleaning fish or [after sanitizing well] prepping veggies<br />- A plastic&nbsp;pancake turner&nbsp;and a large plastic spoon (big enough to scoop out soup)<br />- Several fillet knives for cleaning fish, cutting veggies, trimming meat<br />- A few plastic storage containers<br />- An assortment of various sized freezer bags for fresh fish as well as storing ingredients for the "omelet in a bag"<br /><br /><br /><br />Here are the appliances I have in the van for cooking.<br /><br />- Toaster oven (works great for appetizers, tiny meat loaf, baking a stuffed pork chop, etc.)<br />- Microwave&nbsp;oven (it makes a great storage cupboard and seldom gets used)<br />- A two quart Crock pot (I love it for homemade soups.. tonight it's split pea and ham soup)<br />- Butane briefcase sized stove (best for very hot cooking like stir fries but only works above 30 degrees)<br />- A screw on burner that fits on a 1 pound propane bottle (for general cooking)<br /><br />V.T.</p>

 

[Rollin]

I&nbsp;recently bought a spork, a bowl and plate all made out of&nbsp;titanium. They are all feather light and will last&nbsp;until&nbsp;my&nbsp;grandchildren's&nbsp;grandchildren are old and grey&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" />&nbsp; I also carry a 8" Swiss diamond nonstick fry pan , 8" lodge cast iron skillet, &nbsp;enameled&nbsp;stock pot ,&nbsp;alumi-&nbsp;mini tea kettle, bamboo cutting board, one each bamboo round&nbsp;and flat spoons, Wusthof&nbsp;Santoku knife, can opener,&nbsp;scissors, wide mouth&nbsp;thermos&nbsp;and some bamboo chop&nbsp;styx's.

 

[Salida Scarlett]

<br />I really enjoyed reading about the kind of things you guys cook with,....... even more than I like looking at what other people put on the check out counter, lol! <br /><br />Some of these things I've never even heard of, like a "spork" for example, as well as the Swiss diamond fry pan, (gotta put that one on my wish list, pretty pricey). Gotta have something like that for frying eggs. There were some really fab ideas here. I guess it all depends on how and what we cook and how much room we have to cook in. <br /><br />One of the things that's gonna be hardest for me to adjust to, is hot water frugality. I like the one pan rule if I can just stick to it. I'm getting to the place where I hate washing dishes anyways, (didn't I always?) but more so since my dishwasher bit the dust. I remember how hard it was when I had to clean up pots and pans when we went camping with the kids, back in the day, even with a stream of mountain water close by. Now that I'm solo,obviously much easier! <br /><br />On the plus side of silicone vs weighty bakeware, I liked the lightweight, easy to clean bread pans and cookie sheets. A word about cast iron, two things I will never give up, my cast iron skillet and the&nbsp; antique 4 or 5 inch deep Wagner cast iron skillet passed on from my late mama....I use for lots of things from small beef roasts, or roast chicken. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing, guys..<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Scarlett<br /><br />