No matter your level of culinary experience, there are certain things that every student must have in their college dorm room kitchen. Whether you eat pizza every night, or opt instead for the selection of Weinstein or Kimmel, there will come a time when having some kitchenware will come in handy. So I’

ll save you all the hard work and compile a list of kitcheny goodness that is bound to make back to school shopping a cinch:

But a quick side note: I can’t express how important it is to pay attention to your cookware labels. Teflon and non stick coated cookware are not to be used with metal utensils. You will scrape off the Teflon and run the risk of releasing terrible fumes that can make you and your roommates really sick. So please be careful with your non stick pans! If you want to be really safe, don’

t even buy them. Alternatives tend to be really expensive, but if you want to just purchase some good stainless steel, cast iron, or forged hard anodized pans instead. If you must (and I do admit that I have some nonstick myself), please outfit your kitchen with silicone or wooden or bamboo utensils.

ESSENTIAL

Cutlery
A set of knives and forks and spoons
Any decent set of knives will do. But in actuality I’ve survived the last week simply off an army knife. Get a set of 5 or 6 from Ikea and be done with it.
A chopping board
Cookware
6-8 qt stockpot (great for big batches of pasta and soups and chilis)
2-3 qt saucepan
9 to 11 inch skillet
3 mixing bowls
A large salad bowl
Appliances
Rice cooker
Coffee maker
Tea kettle
Toaster
Tools:
Spatula
Mixing spoon
A whisk
Peeler
Can opener
Bottle opener
Measuring cups–If you’re kinda OCD like me, get a metal one dry ingredients and plastic pyrex cups for liquids
Measuring spoons
A strainer, pasta pot insert, or colander
GOING A BIT FURTHER
Cupcake tins
Two nine inch cake pans
Cookie sheets
Rolling pin
A grill pan
A chefs pan
A wok
Cheese grater
Tongs
Hand mixer
A variety of sizes in both spatulas on mixing spoons
A nicer peppermill
Instead of knife sets, investing in a good chefs knife, a serrated bread knife, and a paring knife
Deep fry pan
9 x 12 inch casserole dish, or two, if you really like things lasagna and ziti
ALRIGHT, THIS MAY BE GOING A BIT TOO FAR:
Pie pan
Tart dish
Springfoam cake dish
Mortar and Pestle
Separate peelers for both soft and hard fruits and vegetables
A super nice peppermill with adjustable grating settings.
Salad Spinner
Lots of ramekins
Egg poacher pan
3 ply, heavy bottomed, stainless steel fry pans
Some Le Creuset pieces. They’re muy expensive but the stove top to oven capability means versatility, and there are just a crapload of one pot meals that are made a helluva lot easier in these babies.
Ice cream maker (I have one and its an awesome hobby to pick up. You’re friends will appreciate it as well)
A bread maker (don’t have one, but this is a serious investment for the very near future)
Some notes:
Feel free to experiment, maybe you never cook and you just want to get your feet wet. Even that first list could be cut down to size, to probably one pot and one pan and a few of the other items. But if you’re excited to have a kitchen and start cooking for yourself, the above list should be a really good starter. I’d also suggest checking out the forums at chowhound.com and epicurious.com, and if you’re a baker, the joyofbaking.com can answer any and all of your questions. Also, have a conversation with your roommates about this, since there’s no reason for a room to have four colanders. Discuss it and split the costs.