Having the most essential cooking tools in your cupboard will make your life so much easier. Although the kitchen world comes out with sleek, trendy, and exciting kitchen gadgets all the time, that doesn’t mean you need to buy every single one to be able to cook well. In fact, the most basic tools are all you need to start cooking delicious meals. And after you’ve saved all that money on home-cooked meals, you can check out our advanced tier of kitchen tools here.
To help you know exactly what tools to start out with, we created a Kitchen Essentials Checklist for you. This list describes the uses of 20 basic cooking utensils and is perfect for novice cooks or chefs on a budget.
With these items, you’ll be able to cook just about anything and start kicking butt in the kitchen!
Basic Cooking Tools to have in your kitchen
1. NON-STICK FRYING PAN
Every household needs a non-stick pan for breakfast duty since eggs and pancakes are best made on a non-stick surface. It’s also a super versatile pan that can be used for searing meats, sauteing vegetables, and making sauces. Just be careful to use non-abrasive tools on the surface! We like this stainless steel frying pan and this aluminum one. Buying a two-piece set lets you have two sizes around and makes it possible to cook two things at the same time.
2. SAUCEPAN
A saucepan is perfect for when you need to cook something with liquids, such as boiling pasta and vegetables or simmering sauces and beans. A 4-quart saucepan is easy to maneuver and handle, and is great whether you’re cooking for 1 or 4. Try this 3.5-quart non-stick one or this 4-quart stainless steel sauce pan.
3. STOCK POT
For bigger batches of soups, stews, and pasta, you’ll want to have a 12-quart stock pot around. Its base allows for even heating, so your soups cook evenly.
4. SHEET PANS
These pans can get a lot of action, including roasting vegetables, baking meats, toasting nuts, and of course, baking cookies. They also make for an easy clean-up with sheet pan dinners.
5. GLASS BAKING DISH
Glass baking dishes are perfect for baking things like casseroles and enchiladas in the oven. Because it’s microwave-safe, an 8-inch size can fit into a microwave for the times you need to pre-cook vegetables for the quick Microwave & Saute Cooking Method or even to fully cook veggies when your oven and stove are all occupied.
6. KNIVES
If you’re cooking, you’re going to be using a knife. If you only have money and space for one knife, get a chef’s knife. You will use this knife for 90% of your food prep, so buy a nice one and take care of it. However, we highly recommend getting a serrated knife and a paring knife as well since they serve different purposes – serrated knives let you slice through tomatoes and bread with ease, and paring knives are great for smaller, more delicate jobs, when a big knife just doesn’t cut it. (We like to use the Global grand, but buy whatever feels right in your hand!)
7. MEASURING SPOONS
Even if you like to “eyeball” ingredients, it’s handy to have a set of measuring spoons around for the times you need precise measurements. But also, they double as mini spoons for scooping spices and dried herbs! This magnetic set here is narrow enough to fit into spice jars, and they stick together so you don’t ever have to worry about losing the teaspoon or misplacing the tablespoon!
8. MEASURING CUPS
Measuring cups are absolutely crucial If you’re a baker, but it’s also great for everyday cooking. We like to keep a 4-piece set for measuring dried ingredients and small amounts of liquid. A 1-quart glass measuring cup makes measuring liquids a lot more convenient and efficient, and you can also make sauces and vinaigrettes right inside and then simply pour it into whatever you’re cooking up.
9. WOODEN SPOONS
Wooden spoons are not abrasive on your cooking surfaces and they’ll last forever. Just don’t put them in the dishwasher! Choose a set that has a variety of wooden spoons, like this 6-piece set, so that you can use it for different kinds of cooking.
10. FISH TURNER
While this handy tool is advertised as a fish turner, it can be used for anything. The wider base of this tool makes it easy to flip burgers, fish, over-easy eggs, and even pancakes. The thin, beveled edge makes it easy to slide beneath the foods you are flipping, and the slots allow any grease to drain.
11. PEELER
When you’re setting up your kitchen with the basics, you want to make sure you have a good, sharp peeler to remove the peels of vegetables, shave off cheese, or make veggie ribbons.
12. WHISK
While forks and chopsticks can be handy, a whisk is quicker and more efficient for emulsifying ingredients like vinegars and oils. We make vinaigrettes and marinades to season up salads and everything else almost nightly, so a whisk comes in very handy!
13. TONGS
Tongs are like your extended hands and are super useful in the kitchen! Not only are they used to flip big pieces of food, but they also help move ingredients without risking any burns.
14. CUTTING BOARD
A good snug cutting board will protect your fingers during prep work, which is why we like this one. We recommend having some cutting boards, like this plastic cutting board set, to prepare various ingredients and avoid cross contamination. The plastic tablets can be put in the dishwasher for a complete sanitization.
15. COLANDER
Every kitchen needs a sturdy colander to drain pasta and boiled vegetables. It is also used to drain canned beans and freshly washed vegetables.
16. PREPARATION BOWLS OF ANY SIZE
Every kitchen needs a set of prep bowls to help you organize all your ingredients. If you get collapsible prep bowls, you’ll save a lot of space and have the convenience of lids that can seal ingredients that aren’t ready to cook yet. But glass prep bowls can also serve as serving plates!
17. CAN OPENER
A can opener is something you won’t want to forget! Canned beans and vegetables cook quickly and are great pantry staples, but there are also plenty of things that come in cans that require a can opener: coconut milk, curry paste, fruit, crushed tomatoes, etc.
18. ZESTER MICROPLANE
This may not seem like a much-needed tool to have in a basic kitchen, but it makes a huge difference when trying to improve the flavor of meals. A grater is used to grate lemons and limes and to grate ginger and cheese.
19. IMMERSION / BARREL MIXER
Forget the clutter of a blender! Now you can blend soups right in your pot, mix single-serving smoothies and get creamier, smoother vinaigrettes / dressings. It’s so convenient that cleaning is easy too – just pull out the blade for super-fast cleaning.
20. SALAD SPOON
A colander may be enough to dry lettuce, but a salad spinner is much more efficient. Salad dressings have a hard time sticking to still wet lettuce, and people have a hard time with tacos and mushy sandwiches. A salad spinner is the answer to your problems because it will help you remove the water in seconds and save on paper towels. You can also use this tool to dry fresh herbs. And you will have another filter if your main filter is in use!
