If you have a beginning cook on your Christmas list, here is a brief, basic checklist of the equipment they should have to outfit a kitchen, as recommended by Evanston cooking teacher Jacalyn Linko:
Pots and pans:
Look for those that can go into the oven as well as on the stove. Buy a 2-cup saucepan, a 4-cup saucepan, a 2-quart saucepan, a 4-quart Dutch oven, an 8-inch frying pan, a 10-inch frying pan, an omelet pan; and a large roasting pan.
Knives:
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6- or 8-inch chef`s knife, 4-inch paring knife, sharpening tool. Knives should be high carbon steel.
Baking equipment:
Loaf pans, muffin tins, round cake pans, a baking or casserole pan, jellyroll pans, pie pans and a 9-by-13-inch pan. Strainer (doubles as flour sifter); set of mixing bowls; rolling pin; pastry brush; two cookie sheets;
set of stainless steel measuring cups; set of stainless steel measuring spoons; 8- or 16-ounce glass measuring cup.
Odds and Ends:
Apron, potholders, cheesecloth, string, cheese grater, spatulas, medium- size wire whisk, cutting board, cooking rack, colander, hand mixer.