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Soup Season Starter Kit: Fall Kitchen Tools Worth Owning
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items When the evenings turn cold, a big pot of soup, chili or stew is the easiest way to eat well all week. This is the short list of tools that make batch cooking easier: something to cook it in, a few prep tools that save time, and smart ways to store a...
Sections
3
Cook It: Pots, Pans & Slow Cookers
Prep It: Tools That Save Time
Store & Carry It: Leftovers Done Right
Cook It: Pots, Pans & Slow Cookers
The shortcut for weeknight soups: beans without soaking, stews in under an hour, broth while you work. The 6-quart Duo is the classic size for 2 to 6 people and doubles as a slow cooker, rice cooker and steamer, so it can replace a few gadgets. Learn...
Instant Pot Duo 6 Qt 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker
The no-thinking option: load it in the morning and dinner is ready when you log off. Simple low/high/warm controls mean nothing to program or break, the stoneware insert is dishwasher safe, and 7 quarts fits a big batch of chili with plenty left for ...
Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel
If you buy one pot this fall, make it this. Sear, simmer and braise on the stove, then finish in the oven; it bakes a crusty loaf too. The enamel means no seasoning like bare cast iron, and it costs a fraction of the French brands. It's heavy, so lif...
Lodge Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven 6 Qt
For stock days and giant batches. A 12-quart stainless pot takes a whole chicken carcass for broth, or enough soup to freeze for weeks, and it's much lighter than cast iron. Stainless steel won't react with tomatoes and goes in the dishwasher.
Cuisinart 12-Qt Stockpot w/Lid, Silver
Soup needs a side. A 10.25-inch cast iron skillet makes skillet cornbread for chili and grilled cheese for tomato soup, and browns meat before it goes into the pot. Pre-seasoned, practically indestructible and inexpensive. Dry it right after washing ...
Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet 10.25"
Prep It: Tools That Save Time
A big board gives you room to chop a whole soup's worth of vegetables without things rolling onto the counter. This OXO has non-slip edges and a juice groove, and because it's plastic it can go in the dishwasher after raw chicken. Flip it over for a ...
OXO Good Grips Plastic Carving & Cutting Board
The easiest route to silky pumpkin, butternut squash or tomato soup: blend right in the pot instead of ladling hot soup into a blender. This set adds a small chopper bowl for onions and herbs, a whisk and a beaker. Keep the blade fully under the surf...
Braun 3-in-1 Immersion Hand Blender MQ725
An unglamorous must-have. Nylon, so it won't scratch enamel or non-stick pots, heat resistant, and deep enough to serve a proper bowl in one scoop. The soft handle doesn't get slippery and it's dishwasher safe.
OXO Nylon Ladle, 1 EA
For the stews, roasts and braises that fall cooking is built on. It reads the temperature in about a second, the display flips for left or right hand, and it wakes up when you pick it up. Takes the guesswork out of chicken and pork, and it folds away...
TempPro TempSwift 1 Sec Instant Read Thermometer
The finishing touch: a snowfall of parmesan over minestrone, lemon zest in chicken soup, fresh ginger and garlic grated straight into the pot, or nutmeg over squash soup. Razor sharp and easy to rinse. Every kitchen should have one; mind your knuckle...
Microplane Classic Zester Grater, Black
Squash, carrots, potatoes, parsnips: fall produce means a lot of peeling. A Y-peeler is quicker than the swivel kind on big vegetables, and the soft OXO grip is kinder to your hand when you're prepping a whole pot's worth. Tiny price, used constantly...
OXO Good Grips Y-Peeler
Soup is mostly chopping, and a sharp knife makes it faster and safer. This is a long-time budget favourite with cooks: light, sharp out of the box, with a non-slip handle. It won't win any beauty contests, but it cuts like knives that cost several ti...
Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8" Chef’s Knife Black
Store & Carry It: Leftovers Done Right
Glass containers for the portion that goes in the fridge: they don't stain from tomato or curry, you can see what's inside, and the bases go straight into the microwave (take the lid off). A mixed set of round and rectangular sizes covers single lunc...
Pyrex Simply Store 9-Pack Glass Set
Big bowls with handles are made for chili, stew and French onion soup. These are oven safe for melting cheese on top and microwave safe for reheating, and they stack. Simple white, so they go with whatever plates you already own. Generous size, so on...
DOWAN 26oz Soup Bowls with Handles, Set of 4
For taking soup to the office or school. The Stainless King keeps food hot for hours (preheat it with boiling water for a few minutes first), and the lid holds a folding spoon so you're never stuck without one. 16 ounces is a proper lunch portion. Ha...
Thermos Stainless King 16oz Food Jar w/ Spoon
The trick for turning one big pot into weeks of easy lunches. Freeze soup in neat 1-cup blocks, pop them out, store them in a bag, and reheat exactly as much as you need. Silicone with a rigid rim and lids, so the trays stack flat in the freezer.
Souper Cubes 1 Cup Silicone Freezer Molds, Aqua