“What equipment should I have in my kitchen?”
I hear it all the time.
My answer?
The limit does not exist.
There is truly no limit to the things and gadgets you could have in your kitchen- every day, something new comes on the market. The real question is what do you need to effectively cook for yourself? And that is a much shorter list.
I’ve cooked four-course meals with just a frying pan, a stockpot, and a baking sheet, and I believe that you really can do a lot with a little in this case. However, if you want to develop a consistent cooking habit, one of ease and accessibility, here is a shortlist of items that I recommend owning.
The Regulars
- Frying Pan: A 10 or 12-inch nonstick frying pan is perfect for just about everything you could possibly be doing in your kitchen. Pan fry, steam, sauté- this will be your main piece of equipment.
- (Stock) Pot: I recommend a 3-4 quart pot (with a lid) for a standard cooking tool. If you’re regularly feeding 1-2 people, this will be big enough for making any kind of grains or boiling eggs. However, if you’re a soup lover like me, a 6-quart pot will be a better size for large volumes. Most quality brands do bundles including this size which is great!
- Baking sheet: I’d rank this up there with a frying pan as seriously important, especially if you’re a veggie lover. The oven is your basic element of heat which means at a minimum, everything you make can be baked or roasted. Therefore, you need a set of baking sheets to do that. Go for ones that have a lip on the outside so that you’re covered for fatty foods like bacon.
- Knives: Your knife may seem arbitrary but in fact, it’s a key factor in making your cooking more efficient. Using proper knife skills can speed up your cooking time and ensure more consistency in your dishes, but that can’t be accomplished if you have a lame knife. I function almost exclusively on my chef’s knife and nothing else.
- Cutting Boards: Nothing goes better with a good knife than a cutting board. But seriously, please don’t cut things on a bare counter or table- that’s gross. Plastic or bamboo boards are the best for longevity and the health of your knife and they clean the easiest.
- Wooden Spoon: Your best bud in the kitchen is going to be a good wooden spoon. These days it’s actually harder to find them as everyone’s making silicone everything but find one. They’re resistant to high heat so they’re durable and can assist with stirring and mixing, regardless of the ingredients.
- Tongs: There are some things a wooden spoon can’t handle, like flipping a steak or properly stirring up pasta, so grab yourself a pair of tongs. Look for ones that are a solid panel on the bottom, have a spring lever, and are covered in silicone at the end. This will protect your food as well as the tool itself since silicone is heat resistant.
- Mixing Bowls: A simple set of three mixing bowls can really come in handy. Use them to marinate meat overnight, to dress a large salad, or in my case, they hold an inordinate amount of heavily buttered popcorn for me to eat on a Friday night. But really, if you’re cooking regularly, you’ll want a set of plastic or metal bowls on hand.
- Meat Thermometer: People ask me ALL the time: “How do I know that my chicken is properly cooked?” The only answer is to temp it. Chicken can easily run the line between raw and overcooked, so a thermometer is the absolute only way to ensure it’s done.
But Wait, There’s More
So these are the items I believe you truly do need to have a regular cooking habit. There are a few more supplemental things I would recommend in terms of additional items that can really boost your kitchen game.
- Microplane: For grating cheese or zesting citrus
- Citrus Squeezer: To get every drop of juice out of that citrus you just zested
- Cast Iron Skillet: Cast irons are extremely utilitarian so this can function as your regular frying pan. They’re just heavy so make sure you have space.
- Dutch Oven: A heavy-bottomed ceramic or cast iron pot that is used for cooking for long periods of time- like making soup or braising meats. It can withstand high temps unlike a regular saucepot so you can cover it and put it in the oven to make yummy saucy things.
Brands like Cuisinart, Kitchen Aid, and Calphalon have a range of kitchenware lines that can be affordable but good quality. Start slow and collect your necessary pieces as you go, and check out stores like HomeGoods and Bed Bath and Beyond to get good deals.
This can be intimidating- I know- but it doesn’t have to be. Contact me for any kitchen questions or advice on how to stock your space!
