A kitchen in Southeast Asia, where cuisine is as sophisticated as it is ancient, might have in it a coal stove, perhaps five pans, and a mortar and pestle. The French chef, however, could fill an entire pantry with only her mold; bombe, brioche, madeleine, cassoulet, parfait, savarin, petit-fours, charlotte -- the list could go on and on. The cook's batterie de cuisine can include an implement designed for every conceivable chore. If she likes, however, she can survive with much simpler equipment, so long as the knifes are razor-sharp, and the pots heavy and good.