When we first started considering the cooking classes we weren’t really sure what all we would need in terms of supplies and equipment. Since it was meant to be a “mobile” cooking school we wanted to have everything we might need at any given site without relying on being in or near a fully stocked kitchen. The format of the mobile cooking school described in Instructor’s guide could certainly be used in classes offered in a “regular” setting, but our goal was mobility. Also, I think most educators could piece together enough equipment and adapt to teach the classes in the mobile setting. But, we had the grant funds to use, so we went to work creating 4 supply tubs to take with us wherever we might be going.
We wanted to be as prepared as possible with out being overloaded. We used the 4-H Food Challenge equipment list as a guide for our proposal and made a few minor adjustments to come up with our supply list. We had an awesome intern, Rhonda Katterhagen, working with us who really loved shopping. She did a lot of research to find the best deals. Since we were in a “pilot project” and weren’t sure how many classes we would do or how long the project would last, our goal was to purchase mid-range quality items and see how they worked. Rhonda found a lot of great deals at discount stores. We also purchased items online and at regular department stores. Overall, we spent about $500 per box (in 2014).
Most everything has lasted really well, but we decided recently to purchase a few new things to replace items that were showing signs of over-wear from more than 2 years of use and abuse. We replaced the 5, 2, and 1 quart saucepan set and the 8- and 10-inch skillet set with a 12-Inch All Purpose Pan and a 5 Qt. Chili Stock Pot. If I could only have one of the 2, I would go with the all purpose pan, for sure, but the stock pot is nice to have too. These probably cost more than than the saucepan and skillet sets, but we have found them to be more useful (we hardly ever used the 1 and 2 quart saucepans or the 8 inch skillet, and the 10-inch skillet was often too small for our recipes). These will be much more durable, as well. And, now that this project has become a mainstay of our programming, we feel it was worth the cost.
We also replaced the electric skillets after more than 2 years of use. We spent a little more on the 16-Inch Electric Foldaway Skillet. Unlike the basic electric skillets we purchased the first time, these have a base that can fold and store inside the skillet. Although the capacity is larger, it actually takes up less space in the tub. Of course, the utensil set was used a lot too, so we recently replaced it with a basic 5-piece silicone set.
Although the supply list has only 1 bamboo cutting board listed, we actually had that (which we hardly use) AND 2 sets of the flexible plastic cutting mats, 4 color coded large mats and a 4 color coded small mats, in each tub. These have also begun to show wear and we have been replacing them with some of the mats we have for incentive/give-away items.
At first we had knives in each of the small boxes inside of each tub. But, after awhile, we started keeping them all together in one box. This helps keep up with them better, and is actually safer. None of the participants have ever cut their hands in class, but I nicked myself a few times while cleaning up in a hurry. Which, by the way, another extra item we purchased and make available for anyone who wants to use them in class, is a supply of cut-resistant gloves. We also started keeping all of the kitchen towels and hot pads/oven mitts together rather than in each box. Because they have to be laundered after each class, putting them back in the boxes after the boxes had been stored away was a pain.
The fold-flat dollies with bungee cords really helped to move the boxes from storage to the vehicle and vehicle to site and back. But, being the klutz that I am, I popped myself with the bungees a few times. Then, we found some fold flat 4 wheel hand trucks like this that are amazing! They carry a really heavy load and are super easy to handle and maneuver with no bungee cords needed!
One last tip to share: we taped a supply list inside of a sheet protector to the lid of each tub. This made re-stocking the tubs after a class sooooo much easier. After awhile, I got to where I could pretty much eyeball the supplies and see what needed to go in each box. But, the list is a good double-check and really great when volunteers want to help. Packing the boxes is a little bit like playing a game of Tetris…but the list helps with that too. We’ve joked about drawing a diagram for how to pack a box…but that is still on the “to-do” list.
Well, it’s pretty obvious with the equipment, we have lived and learned. If you have any questions about the specific things we purchased or how we actually use the items on the list, don’t hesitate to contact us at mobilecookingschool@ag.tamu.edu