A famous saying goes as such ‘it’s better to have it when you don’t need it, rather than to need it and not have it,’ and this saying goes for many items. However, this article’s focus will be all about the tools that should be residing in your kitchen cupboards and drawers. Let’s talk about all of the essentials first, then slowly go on to the optional tools!
Utensils
These are the tools that make the cook more experienced at home since everyone can just throw ingredients into pots and make them taste somewhat palatable. These are the things that live in your kitchen drawers(if you don’t have those small hanging racks, waiting for their time. Tools like ladles, wooden spoons, spatulas, and others that you can think of.
Knives
Any and every cook should have a knife in their arsenal! This is the first tool that would come to mind if you think of a chef, right? Now, if you only have the budget for one knife, then you should go out and get a Vertoku chef’s knife. This is the knife that will partake in almost 100% of your food preparation – so buy one of excellent quality and make sure you take care of it!
If you want to expand past the chef’s knife, you should seek a serrated knife and/or a paring knife for specific tasks. A serrated knife would be handy for those who love baking and slicing their own bread – the jagged edge of this knife will make light work of the hard crusts. A paring knife is fantastic for those smaller, more delicate jobs.
If you’d like to know more about bread knives, the people over at Foodal can teach you a thing or two! They cover everything a foodie would need and want to know, from essential kitchen tools to the best kitchen appliances that you need to have. They’ll be your main go-to if you want to find anything out!
Spoons and Ladles
Whether your spoons are made of metal, plastic, or wood – you’re definitely going to need these lying around. What else are you going to use to stir your stews and soups? I recommend going for the wooden spoons as a set since they can last forever, and they won’t damage your cookware’s surfaces.
Spatulas
A sturdy spatula (can be made of metal or plastic) is the tool you’ll need if you just want to flip, toss, and serve food. Think of foods like scrambled eggs, pancakes, sauteed beef, stir-fried veggies…the list can go on! If you’re thinking about baking, then a silicone spatula is what you’re looking for. This is ideal for scraping batter and the likes out of the sides of your bowls.
Tongs
The ideal tool that stops you from getting burned whenever you need to move things around in a pan or flip huge pieces of meat. Tongs act like your extended hand since you shouldn’t be touching your food or your cookware when they’re boiling hot. Metal tongs go for really cheap; they’ll last as long as your wooden spoons too!
Cookware
You can’t cook in the kitchen unless you have your cookware – it’s literally in the name! These tools are the ones you use to put everything together. There are different types of cookware for different jobs! You can’t really use a frying pan to make a stew, now can you? Everything will just bubble up and spill out, and you’ll be left with your meat and potatoes.
Non-Stick Frying Pan
Speaking of frying pans, this is definitely something your kitchen needs and deserves. You’ll need this for your morning routine of eggs and pancakes for breakfast, but this isn’t limited to breakfast only! You can use non-stick frying pans for searing meat and sauteeing veggies for lunch and dinner. Be careful not to be rough on its surface, or you’ll just damage the pan!
Saucepan
The perfect cookware for cooking with liquids; the saucepan! This could vary from being quite shallow and broad to being deep and small. You could use the saucepan to boil small pasta, vegetables, and beans or allow your sauces to simmer at low heat. Most of the saucepans you’ll find at your local mall will always be sold in 3 or 4-sets – that’s a great deal!
Unless you’re cooking for a large family, then I suggest you stay away from the stock pots for now. You’re not going to need that big of a batch of soups and stews, and I’m sure you’ll get by with cooking pasta in several batches.
Takeaway
Though there are so many more kitchen tools you’re going to want to have in your kitchen, what we listed are the essentials that anyone and everyone should have! Simple cooking really doesn’t require much. If you have the basic essentials, you can slowly build up from that with the other tools that’ll make your culinary experience much more comfortable.
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