Essential Tools and Equipment You Must Have in Your Kitchen

Cooking is an important part of our lives. After all, we all work to get some bread on the table at the end of the day. A home-cooked meal is much better than eating saturated fat-laced junk from the outside. For all the cooking fans and self-acclaimed chefs out there, cooking is like a sport.

And as for any sport, a champ may feel incomplete without his/her kit or accessories, and so does a cooking enthusiast without proper equipment.

Even for regular people who just cook to get by, falling short of any essential tools they need to finish preparing dinner can be frustrating.

So let’s review a few essentials and restaurant small wares that are mandatory for any kitchen.

Must have kitchen items list

1. Knives

A basic necessity for any kitchen is a set of knives. There are different types of knives facilitating different types of cutting actions suitable for various food materials. You have seen teethed jumbo knives to slice meat, smaller ones for hard veggies, and even smaller blades to cut little fruits and veggies.

2. Chopping boards

You will need a set of these in various sizes to comfortably chop any kind of consumables.

It is preferable to have a wooden board for chopping vegetables and a plastic board to cut meat. Make sure you get a good quality one that turns out to be a lasting investment.

Meat boards especially have asides to collect any seeping meat juice.

3. Lemon squeezer

Lemon is a garnishment that suits many dishes, and if you don’t have a lemon squeezer in your kitchen, it can be quite a hassle to clumsily squeeze lemon with your bare hands.

4. Colander

This comes in handy when trying to drain any kind of preparation. It is also useful to wash all your veggies together. Go for a fine-meshed colander if your cooking style involves more work in this area.

5. Peeler

Peelers offer a hassle-free way to peel off your veggies. They not only peel but also assist in slicing vegetables like cabbage and similar eatables to lay on your salad.

6. Whisks and tongs

Whisks deserve a dedicated place on your racks as they arm you with a variety of recipes. You should ideally have 2 of these. A small one to cook for yourself and a larger one for when you have company.

Tongs are multi-purpose tools that you must have in your kitchen. You can use them for flipping steaks and agitating pasta.

7. Pans

You can barely cook anything without a pan. You should stack different types of pans for cooking different types of foods. You should also have a non-stick pan to make omelets and pancakes.

The remaining pans can be of stainless steel for regular cooking.

8. Grater

Graters are very useful in the kitchen. They are also helpful in slicing different veggies. They come in many shapes and sizes. Preferable buy one with a collecting box so that you can collect the grated or sliced foodstuff.

9. Blender/mixer

Again a very crucial piece of equipment, a mixer or blender is something you just cannot cook without. It deserves a prime spot in your kitchen as it can blend all kinds of foods, making your work much easier.

It comes with a set of different tops to blend different foods. One can be used for making soups, other ones can be used for shakes, and so on.

10. Food processor

This is the elder cousin of a blender. It is much more powerful and a lot more versatile. You can use it in different modes to prepare various types of mixtures. They can be used to make gravies, shakes, etc.

You can choose between blenders and food processors. If you are on the experienced side of the cooking spectrum, you may opt for food processors.

11. Hand blenders

A hand blender is an essential application in the kitchen. Mild blending operations can be performed by hand blender like blending fruits to make shakes.

12. Stand mixer

These are specially designed to make all kinds of dough. They are especially helpful if you make your own bread or are into baking stuff like Pancake mix & waffle mix.

13. Baking Pan

Again as the name suggests, it’s used for baking delicious food items. You can bake any type of cake or muffins on this tray.

These are some of the basic essentials you need in your kitchen to be well-equipped to make any kind of food dish. There are many such devices you may require if you are a professional chef, but for regular cooking enthusiasts, this list will do just fine.