Wondering if your kitchen is stocked with the basic essentials? Are you moving into your first college apartment and wonder what basic kitchen tools you should consider getting? Well, I’ve designed a list that’s perfect for you! Here is my basic kitchen equipment list that every kitchen should have. If you have an opinion I’d love to hear it – make sure to comment below!
- Pots and Pans – 1 or 2 non-stick skillets, 2 regular skillets, 1 or 2 sauce pans (smaller pots with long handles), 2 regular pots (deep stock pots, like for making pasta)
- Long Handled Wooden Spoons – For stirring hot liquids on the stove
A solid can opener should not be flimsy. They should never rust.
- A good solid can opener – I like the oxo brand
- 1-2 heat resistant rubber spatulas – For scraping out bowls and stirring on the stove
- 1-2 sturdy whisks
- Turners – These are also called spatulas or pancake turners. You should have at least one so you can flip your pancakes, grilled cheese, fish, and various other
A serrated knife has teeth like a saw instead of a clean smooth edge
foods. Get a heat resistant plastic one so you can use it with your non-stick pans.
- A long chef knife – Your all-around utility knife
- A serrated knife – For slicing bread, cutting tomatoes, and cutting cakes
- A paring knife – For slicing small fruits and peeling
- A couple cutting boards – One small one for
I have two paring knives. One is serrated.
everyday use and one large one for dishes with lots of cutting and for slicing bread, preferably wood or a thick sturdy plastic. Pass on those skinny little plastic flimsy mats – they might not protect your counter from scratches and are useless against a serrated knife.
- Sharp, sturdy kitchen shears/scissors
- A vegetable peeler – I have two. The straight standard style I use for apples. I like the Y-style for everything else.
Get peelers that are comfortable to hold and don't rust.
- At least 3 stainless steel mixing bowls – One should be bigger than the other two – that way you can use it as ice bath.
- A plastic strainer/colander
- Metal tongs
- A ladle
Sheet pans are almost indispensable using your oven
- A slotted spoon
- 3 to 4 sheets pans for baking in the oven – Skip the cookie sheets. Get the ones with the raised edges, traditionally called jellyroll pans.
- Thick pot holders – Get ones that you can toss in the washing machine
- Microwave
- Toaster – Not always necessary. If you rarely eat toast, you can always toast your bread in the oven or on a skillet. I mostly use mine to warm up bread that I keep in the freezer.
Many times your friends and family will have an extra pyrex casserole dish they've acquired over the years they can just give you
- Pyrex casserole dishes – You only need one, but having a couple can be handy if you like making lots of food at once and freezing them or eating leftovers throughout the week. I like pyrex dishes because they are oven and freezer safe, can be used in the microwave, and can handle hot foods. They are also easy to clean. You can find some sets that come with lids which is great for freezer storage. Corningware is great too as they are normally oven safe and are great for fridge storage.
- Large pitcher style measuring bowl with a good spout – I use mine all the time and is great for making pancakes. This can also be used as a mixing bowl, saving precious cupboard space.
- Ice cream scoop – If you plan on making lots of cookies try to find smaller sized ones to help speed the scooping process. Ice cream scoops of various sizes are great for creating fun effects with sorbets and ice creams for plated desserts. Spring for the commercial grade scoops you can normally find at professional bake shops like Fran’s Cake and Candy. They may cost a little more but they will last a very long time without pieces breaking or getting stuck.
- Rubber bands and clothes pins – Great for keeping bags sealed. I prefer rubber bands over clothes pins because the seal is really tight. You can also use rubber bands to help you open stubborn jars and keep your tools, cords, and
Microplanes are basically wood files and are great for grating zest
wires organized.
- Microplane – This little guy is super handy, easy to store, and easy to clean. Basically it’s wood file, but in the kitchen it’s a zester and grater. I use mine all the time for lemons and fresh ginger. The cover advertises that it can be used for cheeses too, but I’m guessing only hard cheeses like parmesan since the grating edge is so fine.
- A kitchen timer with a thermometer probe –Kitchen timers are essential to make sure your pasta doesn’t get over cooked or so your cake doesn’t get over baked in the oven. If you get one with a thermometer probe you’ll get more for your money and you can use the thermometer for taking the
Even if you don't bake, the thermometer on the timer can help you judge when meat is properly cooked
temperature of meats or for making icing.
- A fine mesh sieve that hooks on to the bowl – especially if you’re going to be baking
- Liquid measuring cups – just make sure they are heat resistant, microwave safe, and easy to read. That way you can use them for multiple purposes.
- Dry measuring cups and spoons – for those recipes you can’t use a scale, you should have a basic set of these. At the very least get a 1/4
Sieves are great for draining pasta, vegetables and straining tea and come in different sizes
measuring cup (you’re better off getting all the spoons) and you can measure just about anything. Better yet, see if you can find collapsible cups and spoons to save space or, even better, find adjustable tools that you can adjust to the different sizes with just one tool.
- A cork screw - spring for a fancy Brookstone one if you don’t have great upper-body strength, I love mine and you’ll never need another cork screw again
- Plastic wrap – Everybody should have
I've never had a problem opening a bottle of wine with this cork screw
a roll of plastic wrap in the cupboards for wrapping up leftovers and for creating temporary covers. You can also wrap doughs in plastic wrap for freezer storage.
- Parchment paper – While parchment paper is a baker’s best friend, everyone could benefit from parchment paper. You can use it to substitute aluminum foil for when baking in the oven – from reheating leftovers, baking frozen foods, and also for wrapping up foods and doughs for the freezer. Parchment paper can also be folded into cones for creating one-time use piping bags.
- Aluminum foil – Despite the obvious environmental ramifications that plastic
Parchment paper is reusable too. Discard it when it turns brown.
wrap and parchment pose, I only really feel guilty about using tons of aluminum foil. I try to rarely use my aluminum foil and when I do buy it, I seek out recycled foil. Aluminum foil is a must for keeping your pans clean when cooking greasy foods in the oven, for individual portions (think steaming fish and vegetable packets or baked potatoes), and can also be a temporary cover.
