On blenders, I've never had luck with a < $100 blender and my vitamix would be on my short list of "If you were stuck on an island with 1 kitchen electric ..."
I cook a lot (for a family of 5) and my minimum/essential kitchen items for us are:
- 2 knives (I use Global but I like Victorinox too) + Henckels sharpener
- Cast iron skillet
- Wok
- Small non-stick pan (my wife prefers little/no oils)
- 2 Pots
- 1 steamer basket
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 pizza stone (or some unglazed tiles from Home Depot)
- KitchenAid stand mixer
- Vitamix 5200 blender
- 1 large Rubbermaid tub/lid for rising bread dough
- 1 slow cooker / crock pot (you can get em for as little as $20)
As for books, I've collected a few here and there but the ones I refer to the most are The Professional Chef (referenced in article), The Magnolia Bakery cookbooks, and Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (amazing bread a pizza dough for busy people).
It's an interesting topic and I honestly haven't done much research on it.
I really only cook 2 things in our slow cooker: (1) meats in some sort of sauce (usually chicken or pork) which we use with chopped/raw veggies for tacos or salads and (2) steel cut oatmeal (we set it on low the night before with diced apples + cinnamon).
I cook a lot (for a family of 5) and my minimum/essential kitchen items for us are:
- 2 knives (I use Global but I like Victorinox too) + Henckels sharpener
- Cast iron skillet
- Wok
- Small non-stick pan (my wife prefers little/no oils)
- 2 Pots
- 1 steamer basket
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 pizza stone (or some unglazed tiles from Home Depot)
- KitchenAid stand mixer
- Vitamix 5200 blender
- 1 large Rubbermaid tub/lid for rising bread dough
- 1 slow cooker / crock pot (you can get em for as little as $20)
As for books, I've collected a few here and there but the ones I refer to the most are The Professional Chef (referenced in article), The Magnolia Bakery cookbooks, and Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (amazing bread a pizza dough for busy people).
http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutioni...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Magnolia-Bakery-Cookbook-Old-Fashi...
http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-J-A-Henckels-Sharp-Sharpener/...