We’ve featured nine reader questions in the past, and we’d love to do it again! This week, we’re talking about how to be a banner houseguest and how not to embarrass yourself at work…
Q.… Read more
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Voices: Learning to Breathe

My baby had an extra branch stemming from his heart, constricting his trachea. The surgery that saved him brought another crisis.

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Buy Clotilde’s latest book, The French Market Cookbook!

The fall is near, students are going off to college, and young adults are moving into their first apartment.
Outfitting a kitchen for the first time can be daunting: there’s so much stuff available in cookware stores, what does one really need?
I have put together a selection of (what I consider to be) kitchen essentials for beginner cooks, allowing them to spread their wings and begin their cooking life on a solid foundation.
You will notice that I did not select the cheapest option for each item, but rather I picked models that will last a lifetime.
Certainly each cook will have to adapt the selection to their financial constraints and see what they can afford. But if you’re the parent, the big sister, or the older friend who wants to get them something nice as a housewarming present, this is what I would wholeheartedly recommend.
You’ll be giving them the gift of learning to cook with equipment they can trust, and these are pieces they’ll take with them from one apartment to the next.
They’ll hold that saucepan in their hand for decades, remembering the pasta days of their youth.
For the experienced cooks among you: is there anything you would add to my list? If you had to start again from an empty kitchen, what would you get?

The Essentials

Paring Knife

For cutting out of hand and peeling; I like an 4 1/2-inch blade.

Couteau de chef

For slicing and chopping; I recommend an 8-inch blade.

Cutting Board

Bamboo is pleasant to slice on, and doesn’t damage blades. This model can also be used to carve meats. I recommend a large size because it’s much more comfortable to work on.

Combo of spatula, scraper, and spreader

The best-selling kit from Earlywood, gorgeous and cleverly designed. (The spreader is not a requirement, but it’s super nifty.)

Large Saucepan with Lid

I like cast aluminum or stainless steel, and a glass lid.

Small Saucepan with Lid

To complement the big one: reheat small quantities, boil eggs…

Large Skillet with Lid

Don’t get one with a nonstick coating; they are not built to last.

Large Baking Dish

For roasting meats and vegetables, and baking casseroles, gratins, crumbles, etc.

Colander

For washing vegetables, and straining pasta and grains.

Salad Spinner

Nothing worse than soggy salad leaves: you want to dry them well!

Box Grater

For grating cheese and vegetables, with a comfortable handle.

Vegetable Peeler

To peel vegetables, yes, but also to slice vegetables into tagliatelle and pappardelle.

Baking Sheet and Cooling Rack

For roasting vegetables and meat or fish. Don’t get one with a nonstick coating; they are not built to last.

Nesting Glass Containers

For storing prepped ingredients and leftovers. The large one doubles up as a salad bowl.

Mixing Bowl

For mixing ingredients; I recommend you get the matching lid so it can be used to store ingredients and leftovers.

Digital Scale

More and more recipes use weight measurements, to much more accurate results.

Measuring Cups

For those recipes that still use volume measurements!

Measuring Spoons

For measuring small quantities of condiments, spices, etc.

Nice to Have

Instant Pot

The appliance that rules them all: a slow-cooker, a steamer, a rice cooker, and a pressure cooker. In a kitchen with a tiny cooking range or no oven, this is ideal.

Bread Knife

To slice bread without a fight, and also quick breads and tomatoes!

Immersion Blender and Mixer Combo

Super handy to make smoothies and soups, whip egg whites, chop nuts, and mix dips and sauces.

See also:
• Minimalist Kit for the Traveling Cook
• Inside Earlywood
• Best Gifts for French-Loving Cooks
This post contains some affiliate links. This means that if you choose to make a purchase through them, I will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for your support of my work.
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Gunfire rang out just after 10pm, sending the audience and performers at a country music festival fleeing, with at least 59 dead and more than 500 injuredLas Vegas shooting – live updatesIt is a warm night in America’s gambling capital and more than 22,000 country music fans of all ages, including children and teenagers, are in upbeat mood at the Las Vegas Village and Festival Grounds, run by MGM Resorts. It is the climax of the sold-out Route 91 Harvest festival, “three days of country music on the Vegas Strip”. The singer Jason Aldean is beginning his set, overlooked by the two gold towers of the Mandalay Bay hotel, which has 3,309 rooms and a 135,000 sq ft casino. Continue reading…

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Tourists caught up in mass shooting tell how they fled attack that killed more than 50 people and injured at least 500 moreLas Vegas shooting – latest updatesWhat we know so farBritons caught up in the Las Vegas mass shooting on Sunday night have spoken of the “absolute mayhem”, terror and panic. George French, from Bristol, travelled to Las Vegas for the country music concert where at least 58 people were killed and more than 515 injured. He was close to the stage when he heard shots being fired. Continue reading…

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Prosecution labels Ahmad Khan Rahimi a ‘soldier in a holy war’Bomb in New York City trash bin injured 30 people in 2016A man accused of setting off a pressure cooker bomb in New York City that injured 30 people was a “soldier in a holy war” bent on carrying out a murderous plot with maximum carnage, federal prosecutors said on Monday at the start of his trial.Ahmad Khan Rahimi researched online, bought ingredients and assembled bombs after watching how-to videos, they said. Continue reading…

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Sheriff Joe Lombardo says the number injured by the Las Vegas shooting on Sunday night continues to increase: it stands at 515 and there are 58 dead. Lombardo called the attacker a ‘lone wolf’ saying the attack could not have been prevented because they did not ‘have any prior knowledge to this individual’. Las Vegas shooting: death toll rises to 58 as police name suspect – latest updates Continue reading…

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