This can be an inexpensive enameled pot, such as the kind used for canning. Since you fill it with water, a light vessel might be easier to handle than a heavy one. This isn t required, but if you re pressed for time, it s useful for cooking beans, since it reduces the cooking time by half. Utensils Knives Good kitchen knives are the most important utensils to have. You should also have a sharpening stone and a steel for keeping the sharp edge on the blades.
Dull knives make chopping vegetables time-consuming and dangerous.
You should have a 10-inch stainless or carbon steel knife, a couple of paring knives, and a serrated bread knife. Carbon steel keeps a sharper blade, but will rust if you don t keep it dry and will color when you cut acidy fruits. So I would recommend stainless as the most practical. It s especially useful for grating vegetables. Not essential, but if you have one with a dough hook it can save time with breadmaking.