Cooking From Scratch

New cooks can set up their first kitchen for less than $500 with a bit of planning, ingenuity -- and a few donations.

June is a month of new beginnings. Marriages. Graduations. New jobs. New homes.

New kitchens.

This is the time when many young people discover they'll need more than a hot plate if they're going to feed themselves.

Yet setting up a kitchen doesn't have to cost a ton of money. With a bit of resourcefulness, thrift and care, it is possible to equip a starter kitchen for less than $500.

Randi Haman, a Baltimore native and recent graduate of American University, and her roommate, Lindsay Levine, have stocked the kitchen in their Washington, D.C., apartment the old-fashioned way: "We went around and asked," says Haman.

"You'd be surprised how many relatives are willing to donate extra things to your new apartment," she says. Her family members contributed a microwave and pots and pans, and Levine's parents gave them a set of knives. They also received Joy of Cooking, their favorite all-purpose cookbook, as a housewarming gift.

When high school health-education teacher Merrill Bender moved into her new apartment in Catonsville, her parents donated pots and pans, colanders, a microwave, a Kitchen Aid mixer, a cookbook and a coffeepot.

Saving on those items enabled Bender to spend well less than $500 for flatware, canisters, a microwave cart, spice racks and cutlery. She even had enough money to buy a George Foreman Grill for $25 and a Weber grill for $60.

But even if you don't have family with kitchen appliances to spare, there are still ways to find bargains. One place to look is at consignment shops like the Clearing House Ltd. in Cockeysville.

Given the parameters of a $500 budget, Clearing House owner Jan Wittenbach came up with a set of Eddie Bauer dishes for eight in a hunter-green color scheme for $89, an 86-piece set of Oneida silver-plate flatware for $105, a large green-striped pasta bowl for $12, a set of green Dank mixing bowls for $27, a salad set for four with a serving bowl for $16.50, a color-coordinated tablecloth and set of four napkins for $26.

Another place to find discounted name-brand cookware is on the Internet. Check out cooking.com for deals on high-end kitchen products.

And don't forget discount stores like Wal-Mart and Target, which stock many affordable items for the beginning cook.

But what to buy?

Knives

While it's fine to buy inexpensive dishes or measuring spoons, professionals advise new cooks to invest in at least one good chef's knife.