Kitchen Essentials for the Beginner and the Pro
What are the essential tools for cooking? Domestic CEO reveals her must-have lists for both beginner and expert home cooks.
Amanda Thomas
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Kitchen Essentials for the Beginner and the Pro
Every kitchen needs the essential tools. Whether you are an amateur home chef who loves to cook, or you just need to heat up a pizza or fry an egg once in a while, equipping your kitchen with the best tools will make your tasks much simpler.
To help create an efficient kitchen, I’m going to share two lists with you. The first list covers the absolute basics – items that are perfect for first-time apartment dwellers, bachelors who are tired of picking up fast food every night, or newlyweds ready to embark on new culinary adventures.
The second list is for the seasoned veteran who already has the standard tools, but now wants to expand into the world of kitchen accessories that will help step up her gourmet game, while still offering the best bang for her buck.
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The Basics
Assuming you’ve got tableware and cutlery covered – so you’ll be ready to eat whatever wonderful items you cook! – here is a list of the basic kitchen tools you’ll need to create some pretty easy meals.
- A non-stick frying pan
- A medium-size cooking pot with lid
- One or two spatulas…or “pancake flippers,” “turners,” or whatever you were raised calling them!
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoons
- Microwave safe cookware. I personally like glass Pyrex, since it can be used in the microwave or the oven. An 8×8 pan should be perfect.
- Cookie sheet, if you plan to bake cookies. You can also bake a pizza on this instead of right on the rack, to keep from making a mess in the oven.
- Whisk. This handy tool works well for mixing scrambled eggs or other liquids.
- Set of good knives. This is well worth the expense, as cutting with cheap, dull knives is frustrating and can be dangerous. More kitchen knife accidents happen with dull knives than with sharp ones!
- Pizza cutter. Maybe not an absolute necessity, since a knife can do the job, but it sure makes things easier.
- Tongs. These are helpful for many things, like tossing a salad or serving spaghetti.
- Can opener. You don’t need the electric kind – in fact, I prefer the hand can opener – but I have learned the hard way not to buy the cheapest one you can find; spend a little more so you won’t be replacing this every year.
- Bottle opener – gotta open a bottle of beer!
- Wine opener – or, you’ve got to open a bottle of wine!
Ice cream scoop. Again, not essential, because a regular old spoon can work, but it’s nice to have one.- Cutting board. It’s easier to clean a cutting board than to wipe down the kitchen counter all the time. I use a dishwasher-safe cutting board whenever I cut any type of meat (and I want that thing sanitized before using it again!) I also designate one board for meat only, and have a second cutting board on hand for veggies, fruits and other foods.
- Strainer. This is handy for draining pasta, washing fruit, rinsing veggies, etc.
- Food storage containers, for any leftovers. Keeping food contained and covered makes it last longer. and is definitely more appealing than just throwing an uncovered bowl of leftovers in the fridge!
Ice cream scoop. Again, not essential, because a regular old spoon can work, but it’s nice to have one.For the Home Chef
I love to cook. I love creating something delicious to serve to my family, and enjoy trying new foods, new cooking techniques, and new kitchen tools. I even love to wander around in Sur le Table or Williams Sonoma to investigate all the great new gadgets. Yes, I am a foodie!
Now, I know there are some really individualized cooking tools out there, like an olive pitter or a melon baller, and I even own some of those things. But this must-have list is comprised of those kitchen accessories that I use at least once a week, and that I feel like I couldn’t live without. After all, I can buy my olives pitted, and cut my melon in chunks!
- Food processor. I use this all the time. In fact, I bought my first food processor before I even had my own kitchen! This amazing appliance can shred cheese, slice veggies, or mix hummus in 30 seconds flat. We make homemade salsa in our food processor, and whip up a quick olive tapenade for unexpected guests. The list is endless…
- Crock pot. At least once a week, I prepare a meal in the crock pot. I absolutely love how easy it is to throw ingredients in the pot in the morning and forget about it; when it’s time to eat dinner, the food is ready to go. As the weather is now turning cooler, making soup in the crock pot is one of my favorites.
- Electric knife. Yes, I know those knife purists out there would scoff at this, but I enjoy how easy it is to cut up my Thanksgiving turkey, slice a brisket or roast, or easily cut nice, even slices of a hearty bread with this handy kitchen tool.
- Citrus squeezer. This is a tool I just recently purchased. I love to use fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice in lots of recipes, but hated having to drag out my electric juicer to handle this job – so this citrus squeezer is perfect! I also use it for adding lemon or lime to a glass of water, but keeping out the seeds. Plus, this tool is perfect for getting every last drop of juice out of that wedge of fruit, again without adding those pesky seeds.
- Salad spinner. We eat salad almost every day, so this tool is essential in my kitchen. I do not like to eat wet lettuce, and hate wasting paper towels on drying my lettuce. The salad spinner solves that issue, and is also great for rinsing and spinning all sorts of other fruits and veggies.
- Meat pounder. I have owned a meat mallet for years, but actually saw this nifty tool at my friend’s house. I like this better than the meat mallet, as it makes it so easy to pound chicken to a nice thin piece that cooks in minutes.
- Silicone basting brush. Kudos to whoever invented this nifty kitchen tool. I have had my share of regular bristle basting brushes over the years, and much prefer the silicone brush. No bristles left on my food!
- Kitchen Aid mixer. If you are a baking addict, then this would be the first item on your list. I have only owned my Kitchen Aid for about 5 years, but as soon as I got it, I wondered how I ever lived without it! (Before this, I always had a handheld mixer.) The Kitchen Aid makes mixing, baking, and even shredding meat a breeze.
- Cookie dough scoop. Here is another item that I did not have until a few years ago. I always used a regular cereal spoon (just like mom), but the cookie scoop makes scooping out dough less messy, and keeps the cookies all relatively the same size and shape.
- Panini press or electric grill. This is an appliance that is used over and over in my house; in fact, we’ve taken our panini creations to a whole new level. Really, just about anything can be slapped between two pieces of bread and then popped in the panini maker to get heated and pressed! We make cheese crisps, quesadillas, wraps, and even hash browns in the panini press. My one recommendation would be to get a press that has removable grills, for easy clean-up. I do not have removable grills, so we’ve learned to line both sides of the press with aluminum foil, especially when there is ooey, gooey cheese involved…which is, like, always.
So, there are my lists for tools that will help you create the most efficient kitchen. I know there are other cooks out there with a completely different list of must-have kitchen tools and accessories, though, so please share your tips with me and other readers on the Domestic CEO Facebook or Twitter page.
Photo of pots and pans and hanging tools courtesy of Shutterstock. Photo of blue tools courtesy of Domestic CEO.