When I was writing cookbooks i called myself a writer who cooks. The most professional (successful) cooks are cooks who write and of course arguably the best of the lot—in North America, at least—is M.F.K.Fisher (1908-1992). But she was a real WRITER. So was Laurie Colwin (1944-1992), a novelist with 5 novels, 3 collections of short stories and 2 chatty volumes of essays and recipes, which I own and read and use. She died too soon (age 48) before she could write more. (I have no such excuse.)
Although I liked to be well equipped in my kitchen, in my middle years when I could afford to be (first on the block to own a Cuisinart), I was inspired late and early by Colwin’s minimalist and practical approach to what you could get away with and still produce excellent (albeit repetitive) food. I have used it as a guide and a reminder. (Lateral thinking.) If you like lists, you’ll love this one.
I found my copies and didn’t write for a while, enjoying the reading. Colwin is delightful. See if you can find some used copies somewhere. (Home Cooking 1988; More Home Cooking 1993)
Here’s her list of what you can get along with, and need to if your kitchen , like Colwin’s, is “smaller then the Columbia Encyclopaedia.” She calls it “The Low-Tech Person’s Batterie de Cuisine”, and says that “most things are frills—few are essential,” pointing out that “most of the world cooks over fire without any gadgets at all.” So—her list:
Two knives—one small, one large. Should be carbon steel.
Two wooden spoons-a long-handled one and a short-handled one.
Two rubber spatulas, one wide, one narrow. (Replaceable every couple of years.)
A decent pair of kitchen shears (can also be used for sewing, cutting flowers and opening parcels).
Two frying pans, one small, one large.
Two cutting boards,one large, one small.
Two roasting pans, a big one for the turkey and a medium-seized one, preferably earthenware, for baking eggplant parmigiana, tossing a chicken, and to double as a gratin.
(“in fact there is no point at all in anything that does only one job.”)
Two soup kettles, one four-quart, one ten. Many uses: making soup. steaming vegetables, cooking spaghetti.
A heavy-lidded casserole, enamel over cast-iron or earthenware, for stews and daubes and chili.
A pair of cheap tongs (no kitchen is complete without them)
One all-purpose grater.
One little bitty grater (cheese, garlic, ginger..)
Mixing bowls. (The more the better, but three in a nest will do)
A sharp-pronged fork—endless uses.
But check her books for her delightful comments.
Oh, she doesn’t say anything about cooking. The sub-title of Home Cooking is “A Writer in the Kitchen.”