The Basic Cookware Every Kitchen Needs

Going off to college or leaving home for the first time can be exciting and scary. Part of leaving home for the first time includes no longer having mom to cook those great homemade meals. You might not be able to cook like your mom right away but you can at least make sure you have all of the stuff you need to imitate her cooking. Even if you just plan on eating spaghetti, mac and cheese and top Ramen most of the time, there are still a couple of basic things you need just to make those things.

Pots and pans- Pots and pans are the most essential things you need to have in your kitchen, even if it's just to make pasta and macaroni. Start with a stockpot for spaghetti, a large saucepan will also work if you aren't cooking for a lot of people. A large saucepan is essential if you want to make pasta in it so get at least a 2.5 quart. This will still be a little small but you can work with it. Also make sure you get a smaller saucepan to reheat that sauce or to make that top ramen in.
Next you need a skillet or two. I prefer to have one smaller one to make eggs or a grilled cheese sandwich in, but you also want a larger one that you can brown meat in or sauté stuff in.

Bakeware- Everyone needs a cookie sheet even if you don't plan on making cookies. You can make garlic bread on it, broil hot dogs or a frozen dinner. You also should plan on getting a 9x12 casserole dish. You can make all sorts of things in it and you never know when it will come in handy.

Cooking Utensils and serving utensils- The next thing your kitchen needs are some utensils you can cook with. You will need a wooden spoon, silicone spatula, pasta fork, and a ladle. The wooden spoon and spatula will help you stir the food while you are cooking it. You can easily find a pack with a few of these things together at a superstore like target or Walmart or at a store that sells lots of kitchen products like Bed, Bath and Beyond.

While these things are just the basics, they will be a good foundation to start off with. As you get more familiar with the kitchen you can add stuff as you go along or eventually get a cookware set that will have all the stuff you need.