Setting up a first kitchen

The instinct when kitting out a kitchen is to buy a set. Sets are reassuring — one purchase, one box, everything matching. They are also how people end up with four pans they never use and no sieve.

A better approach is to buy a small number of pieces properly and add specifics as you discover you need them. This is the list we give people setting up for the first time.

Buy these well

• A chef's knife. The most-used object in the kitchen. Spend here before anywhere else.
• A wooden board large enough to actually work on, not a side plate with a handle.
• A non-stick frying pan, 24cm or 28cm, with a thick cast base.
• A cast iron or heavy-based casserole, around 4 to 5 litres. Stews, curries, rice, bread, roasts.
• A medium saucepan with a lid.

Buy these, but do not agonise

• A paring knife and a serrated bread knife.
• A wooden spoon, a silicone spatula, a fish slice and tongs.
• A colander and a fine sieve.
• A box grater and a peeler.
• Two mixing bowls, one large and one medium.
• A baking tray and a digital scale.

Skip for now

• Knife blocks full of knives you will never use.
• Single-purpose gadgets — avocado tools, garlic presses, egg slicers.
• A full set of matching pans. Buy the third and fourth pan when a recipe demands it.
• Specialist bakeware, unless you already know you bake.

Cook for a month with this list and you will know exactly what your kitchen is missing. That is a far better shopping list than anything written in advance.