I’m not a huge fan of kitchen gadgets.
Let me clarify, I’m not a huge fan of not learning the basics if you’re starting out and are serious about learning to cook. I find that a lot of kitchen gadgets enable you to ignore cooking fundamentals like knife skills and techniques. And let’s be real, a lot of them seem like a pain to clean! Have you seen this breakfast sandwich maker, or this vegetable chopper? They’ve got layers and nooks and crannies like nobody’s business.
What I am a fan of is equipping my kitchen with the essentials. When I first started cooking in undergrad (mainly to save money on food), I was a broke college student who could only afford to buy what was necessary. This turned out to be a great opportunity for me to use the kitchen tools I had and develop cooking skills that would serve me well for the rest of my life.
I’ve upgraded my kitchen essentials over the years (i.e. invested in better brands), but the tools themselves are the same. Here are my kitchen must-haves to help anyone who’s starting out to cook or who’s interested. Check them out!
Le Creuset (or any Dutch oven)
A Le Creuset Dutch (technically, French) oven is an enameled cast iron pot and it’s one of the best pieces of cookware I’ve ever invested in. The heavy bottom allows it to retain and distribute heat evenly, making it perfect for searing, stewing, braising, baking, boiling, and frying. It really does it all. Even better, you can serve food directly in them and they come in many different colors!
Electric Kettle
Speed is everything. An electric water kettle boils water faster than the stove-top method. You can have hot water faster for making tea and instant ramen, and even cooking pasta.
Microplane
Instead of using a typical zester or grater, try the Microplane – which is essentially a 2-in-1. Its small, sharp teeth and slender design make it an efficient tool. Perfect for zesting citrus as well as grating cheese, garlic, and nutmeg. Don’t underestimate how often you’ll use a Microplane.
Do yourself a favor and get a scraper. Imagine transferring chopped carrots, onions, and celery from the chopping board to your pot/pan. A scraper makes that process so much quicker, easier, and less messy. It’s also useful if you’re ever baking and working with dough.
Blender
A blender is for more than just smoothies. It’s also great for making sauces and soups, and serves many of the same purposes as a food processor.
Rice Cooker
Rice is a staple at my house. It just ain’t right to cook rice in a pot on the stove. If you need an explanation, Uncle Roger is your guy. 🤣
Knives
You only need these three knives when you’re starting out: bread knife, chef’s knife, and paring knife. They cover just about everything you’ll come across in the kitchen. The serrated blade on a bread knife makes it good for cutting…well…bread, but also things that have slippery skin like tomatoes. A paring knife is good for the intricate stuff because it gives you finer control – ideal for things like cutting and peeling smaller fruits and veggies, and deveining shrimp. The chef’s knife is for everything else, basically your go-to knife.
The Common Stuff
Then there’s the more common items. They’re pretty self-explanatory.
- Pots
- Pans
- Tongs
- Ladle
- Slotted Spoon
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Mixing Bowls
- Can Opener
- Rubber Spatula
- Chopping Board
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