The Kitchen Rig: Version 1

In the spirit of The Wardrobe (something we will continue to revisit in the coming months) and inspired by Matt’s comment, it is time for us to build “The Kitchen Rig.”

I think we can keep this one really elemental. While this list won’t handle every dish under the sun, I think there will be a surprising array of dishes that can be prepared using just the following:

The Basics

• One large knife, preferably a “chef’s.”
• One small knife (paring).
• One or two chopping mats.
• One cast-iron skillet.
• One spatula, metal.
• One pot, big enough to boil pasta.

Seem like a shortage of pans? It’s not. You can bake, saute, and fry in the cast-iron skillet—you could even make a cake in there. You can boil water, make soups, and blanch vegetables in the pot. You’ve got the spatula with which to flip, stir, and scrape. (And we’ll presume a few spoons sitting around to stir stuff if a second utensil is necessary.)

I dunno, I would be willing to debate it, but I can’t think of many things that couldn’t be cooked with just this rig. Prove me wrong!