Budget shopping

How I shop when the number matters: what to keep on the shelf, which cuts do the most for the money, and which gear is worth its price.

Guides

Budget gear picks

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• Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet

  Budget pick

  If I could keep one pan, it would be this. Cast iron holds heat, so meat browns instead of steaming, and it goes from the burner into the oven. It's heavy, and it wants drying and a wipe of oil after every wash. In return it'll outlast you.

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• Nordic Ware half sheet pan

  Budget pick

  Most oven recipes assume a half sheet, and this is the plain, heavy aluminum one. Heavier pans warp less at high heat, which keeps oil from pooling in one corner. Buy two. Add a wire rack that fits it and you also have a cooling and draining station for fried food.

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• 3 quart stainless saucepan with lid

  Budget pick

  Rice, sauces, beans for two, and a small batch of pickling brine. What matters is a heavy base so the bottom doesn't scorch on low, and a lid that sits tight so rice steams properly. Brand matters less than those two things.

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• Victorinox Fibrox 8 inch chef's knife

  Budget pick

  An inexpensive chef's knife, NSF certified to the sanitation standard written for commercial kitchen equipment, and stocked by restaurant supply houses. Stamped blade, light, takes an edge easily, and the handle grips when wet. One good 8 inch knife does nearly everything a knife block does.

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• Honing steel

  Budget pick

  A steel pushes a rolled edge back into line, so the knife cuts like it did last week. A few light strokes before you cook. It doesn't remove metal, so once honing stops helping, the knife needs a real sharpening on a stone or by a sharpening service.

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• Large plastic or composite cutting board

  Budget pick

  Big enough that food stays on the board and off the counter. Plastic and composite boards can go in the dishwasher, which makes one the obvious pick for raw meat. Put a damp towel under it so it doesn't slide.

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• ThermoWorks ThermoPop instant-read thermometer

  Budget pick

  An instant-read is the only way to know chicken is at 165 F and pork at 145 F. Cutting it open and looking is a guess, and I don't guess with chicken. This is an affordable instant-read with a readable screen. Buy any decent one, but buy one before you buy anything else on this page.

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• Clip-on deep-fry and candy thermometer

  Budget pick

  The instant-read checks the chicken. This one rides the side of the pot and watches the oil for the whole fry, so you see it drop when the cold chicken goes in and see it come back. Get one that reads past 400 F and clips to a thick pot wall. Dial or digital, cheap is fine. Before the first fry, stand it in boiling water: it should read about 212 F at sea level, a little lower up high.

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• Digital kitchen scale

  Budget pick

  Grams are more repeatable than cups, especially for flour, salt and rice. It is also the most useful coffee tool after the grinder. Look for one that reads in 1 g steps up to about 5 kg and has a tare button. A 0.1 g model is nice for coffee but not necessary.

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• Hario V60 dripper

  Budget pick

  A cone dripper for pour-over. The plastic one is cheap, nearly unbreakable and holds heat better than you'd think. It makes a clean, clear cup, and it rewards a steady pour. Use the papers made for it.

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• AeroPress

  Budget pick

  Forgiving, quick to clean, and it packs into a bag for travel. It brews one strong cup at a time and handles a wide range of grinds and recipes. A good pick if you want one brewer and don't want to learn to pour.

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• French press

  Budget pick

  No paper, so the cup comes out heavier and fuller. Coarse grind, four minutes, press, and pour it all off the grounds right away so it doesn't keep brewing in the pot. Glass ones break. Ask me how I know. Get steel.

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• Bialetti Moka Express

  Budget pick

  Stovetop coffee, strong and close to espresso without an espresso machine. Cheap, simple, and parts like the gasket are easy to replace. Buy the size you will fill every time, because a moka pot doesn't brew well half full.

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• Timemore C3 hand grinder

  Budget pick

  A burr grinder is where better coffee starts, because blade grinders make powder and chunks in the same pass. A hand grinder gets you even burr grinding for much less than an electric one. Expect about a minute of cranking for a cup.

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