It's easy to be swayed by the dream. The dream of effortlessly slicing tomatoes and onions into dishes of your own devising. "If only I had the right tools," we think, "I would cook at home all the time! My food would taste so much better! Life would be so much simpler!"
This attitude was lampooned in a South Park episode (also mentioned in the article) when Stan's father purchases a Margaritaville Frozen Drink Maker (basically a very expensive blender). When Stan tries to return the blender because their family can't afford such an extravagantly useless appliance, he falls down the rabbit hole of toxic assets and CDOs.
The truth is, there is very little that you need in order to equip your kitchen for 99% of what you will be doing in there. It may not be flashy, it may not impress people, but it will get the job done. And imagine how smug you will feel, knowing you can equip an entire kitchen for the price of one preposterously expensive Shun knife!
1. A big knife.
This should be something with a blade about eight inches long, and sturdy. This is the knife you will end up using for pretty much everything.
You must keep it sharp, so either buy a Ginsu-style "never needs sharpening" knife, or a simple and easy-to-use knife sharpener. My go-to knife for over a decade was a "never needs sharpening" store brand chef's knife that I bought at Safeway for about $6. It worked great! Now I have a low-end Henckel knife which I bought on sale at Target. I religiously sharpen it using a cheap but effective plastic knife sharpener.
2. A decent cutting board.
This can be either plastic or wood, as you prefer. It should be generous in size, but not gigantic. Somewhere in the middle of the range.
If you buy a wood cutting board, get a bottle of mineral oil from a pharmacy. Oil the board about once a month, to keep it in good condition.
If you prefer a plastic cutting board, you can keep it from slipping on the counter by placing it on a tea towel or paper towel.
3. A skillet.
The specifics don't matter, but it should be at least eight inches, and have sides at least two inches tall. You can use this to cook just about anything on your stove top, including pancakes, eggs, bacon, browning meat, reducing sauce, making home fries, stir fry… the list goes on.
4. A pot.
This should hold at least three quarts of water.
5. Three pans for baking things in your oven: 9x13, 8x8, and a cookie sheet.
This trio will handle just about anything you need to bake.
Photo credit: Flickr/Chloester