There are a few things that everyone needs in the kitchen. I shall refer to these things as the basics. I shall also be very formal and use words like "shall". You know the kind of things that I’m talking about—they’re the basic kitchen tools even a frat boy would probably have in his dorm room if he happens to be in culinary school. The basics are a whisk, a wooden spoon, measuring cups, measuring spoons, Pyrex bowl, baking sheet, pots, non-stick pan, spatula, and a slotted spoon. If you don’t own the basics you probably don’t own a kitchen either so you can disregard this post and get back to foraging in the woods, gnawing mushrooms right off of the side of a tree.
These 13 tools are the next step in the kitchenry hierarchy. These are the things that are BEYOND the basics. They're things you should have, but maybe don’t. Today is the day you turn the corner from frat-boy kitchen stumbler to home chef.
We shall commence.
1) The Foodsaver
The Foodsaver is a small machine that sucks—I mean that in the kindest way, of course. Basically you shove your food in a Foodsaver bag, shove the Foodsaver bag into the machine and it sucks all the air out of it.
This way you can go to Costco, muscle your way past all the plebes buying individual steaks, head straight to the whole Beef Tenderloin section and head out the door. When you get home with your big hunk of expensive meat, you freeze it for a little bit to make it easier to work with, cut it into individual steaks and then Foodsaver them. Just like I showed you in this post. Pop ’em in the freezer for later use. I usually get about 12–14 steaks from a $90 tenderloin. That averages out to around $6-7 per thick, ready-to-be-perfectly-seared, succulent morsels of meat.
You can Foodsaver anything really, but using it for freezing meat is where it earns it’s place in my already overcrowded kitchen cupboards. I actually banished my breadmaker to the basement to make room for it. You can also order attachments for it that suck the life out of anything. A gadget that goes over mason jars makes marinating meat disgustingly gory, but really fast and effective. Another attachment sucks the air out of wine bottles so you can continue to serve that crappy bottle of homemade wine someone gave you for months on end, while you enjoy the good stuff.
I recommend the CHEAPEST Foodsaver in their line the Foodsaver V2244. It works exactly the same as their more expensive ones and it's smaller so it takes up less space.
2) A Costco membership
See above about the Foodsaver. Once you get a Foodsaver you can actually portion out and freeze the pillowcase sized bag of green beans you bought.
3) A potato ricer
When I was growing up, my mother’s mother used to send her a box of unidentified stuff for Christmas. It was usually weird kitchen stuff. Being a 1950’s housewife, anything other than a wooden spoon or a bottle of Crème de Menthe meant it was weird and unidentifiable to my mother. Since she couldn’t recognize any of it, we would often make up other uses for it. The orange rind peeler became a futuristic ring, good for scratching mosquito bites for example.
Then one Christmas she got what she somehow recognized as a potato ricer. So, for the next few months, we got the gourmet version of mashed potatoes. Only my mother wasn’t exactly sure how it worked so she just smashed the potatoes through the ricer directly onto our plates. For dramatic tableside flare. That’s about the time I decided I hated potato ricers. Gross, dry, wiggly potatoes. Blech.
When I first moved into my own house and started experimenting with cooking I wanted to try a recipe that called for riced potatoes. I was unimpressed with the thought but gave them another try. My life has never been the same since and I truly believe I could end a multitude of wars with these potatoes. Maybe not religious wars, but certainly most other types. Definitely a schoolyard scuffle.
I discovered you’re supposed to rice your potatoes into a bowl, add a ginormous amount of melted butter, stir with a wooden spoon and then add in a ginormous amount of hot milk or cream. Whisk and then watch their faces light up. You can add cheddar cheese, sour cream, cream cheese or sliced green onions as well. But only if you want the person you’re serving to fall completely in love with you. Awkward at a dinner party. Otherwise, just use the butter and milk.
If that description of how to rice potatoes wasn't good enough for you I have an ENTIRE post on how to do it.
And just like with the Foodsaver, I've gone through a LOT of potato ricers from the most expensive, restaurant quality ones to cheap plastic ones. And I've found the very cheapest one to be the best. I love, love, LOVE the $13 plastic Fox run potato ricer. It also comes in metal but I haven't tried that one so I can't personally recommend it but I'm sure it's great as well.
4) A really good Chef’s knife
Not much to explain here. They say a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp knife, but I’ve cut myself with both so, either way, be careful and don’t watch television while chopping. My personal brand of knife is the 8" Wusfhof chef’s knife. It’s the only good knife I own. The rest are just crappy bread knifes, and one little paring knife. And now that I think of it, I've somehow lost one of my bread knifes.
5) An easy-to-use knife sharpener
There’s a difference between a honing steel and a knife sharpener. You should probably own both. A knife sharpener actually reshapes the blade of your knife by cutting away bits of it. That’s what makes it sharp again. There are electric knife sharpeners and simple handheld ones that you just pass your knife through. Probably 100 passes or so if your knife is really dull.
The honing steel (or sharpening steel) is the long stick thing that you run the knife down at a 22 ½ degree angle. Whenever you watch a tv show or movie where they’re trying to make someone look like they know what they’re doing in the kitchen, they have them quickly run a knife up and down a honing steel. It doesn’t necessarily sharpen the knife, so much as gets rid of the burrs and wiggles the knife sharpener puts into it.
First you sharpen, then you use the honing steel. Then you’re supposed to cut your knife through a single piece of paper with ease. Which I have never been able to do. I don’t use much paper in my cooking anyway.
6) Butcher’s twine
You won’t need this a lot, but when you need it, you need it. I use it mostly to tie around steaks that are a bit raggedy to keep them in shape so they cook evenly. Also to tie up roasts of all kinds. And occasionally for playing cat’s cradle.
You DON'T need to buy something specifically called Butcher's Twine. As with a lot of things, just calling it something special means they're going to jack the price up. All Butcher's Twine is, is 100% cotton twine. As long as you're using 100%, unbleached, cotton twine you're good to go.
7) Non-stick pizza pans for the BBQ
I realize that not everyone has the kind of personality that drives them to build their own pizza oven but if you love pizza you can still get that fire oven taste by cooking pizzas on your BBQ. Seriously. All you need is a non-stick pizza pan for the BBQ. When I bought them myself, prior to building my pizza oven, I actually said out loud in the grocery store, “this is stupid.” But sometimes there are things you have to buy on the off chance that they aren’t stupid. That they are going to work. This was one of those things. In fact, they are a bona fide miracle. If I were on better terms with the Pope I’d definitely mention these pizza pans to him.
If you're going to buy a non stick pizza pan for the BBQ you have two options. A pizza pan WITH a long handle, or you can go with a pizza pan without a handle. I prefer the pizza pan with the long handle, but it's up to your own preference.
8) Mortar & Pestle
Seriously. How the hell are you going to grind your spices? For the love of God.
9) Good old fashioned cookbooks
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook
America’s Test Kitchen’s The New Family Cookbook
Just go buy ’em. Don’t ask questions. Basic recipes like gravy, roast chicken etc. Tried and true techniques. No it’s not food porn like you might get with trendy celebrity chef cookbooks. Just no-fail recipes for the starter cook. GREAT cheese soufflé recipe in the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook by the way.
10) Pepper Grinder
Get yourself a pepper grinder because fresh cracked pepper makes everything better. Especially steaks! Trust me. You can buy whichever one you like but the bigger it is, the less you have to fill it. Also, if you're buying an investment pepper grinder make sure when you flip it over, the grinding mechanism is made from steel not plastic. In a lot of cases a pepper grinder might look really cool and probably even be expensive but it still has a plastic grinding mechanism. Make sure you aren't paying only for cool design, but also quality.
I use the Classic Peugeot Chateauneuf Pepper Mill with adjustable grind.
11) Cuisinox “Elite” saute pan
The number one workhorse in my kitchen is my Cuisinox “Elite” saute pan. It’s around $100. It’s hard to describe why it’s so much better than other stainless pans, but I’ll try. It cooks evenly and quickly adjusts itself to temperature. Unlike my other favourite pan, the cast iron pan, the stainless pan reacts better when you have to turn down the heat. If you’re cooking onions for instance and you suddenly realize they’re going to brown when you don’t want them to, if you turn the heat down the pan loses heat more quickly than a cast iron pan. Some might not see this as a positive, but for certain purposes, I do. It cleans easily and because of the metal handle can go from stove to oven. Food sticks enough to it to get a good sear, but it doesn’t stay stuck there forever. It’s like a perfect combination between a non stick pan and a too much stick pan. If you don’t have a good stainless pan, as soon as you can afford one … buy one.
I have the 11" Cuisinox Elite Frypan.
12) Maldon salt
I first heard about Maldon salt several years ago from my friend Michelle. It was harder to find then, but I sussed out a box at a local specialty food store. A box about the size of a deck of cards was $10. For salt.
I’m gonna be honest with you now. I love my $10 salt. I’m going to be even more honest with you. I’m really not sure I can taste the difference between it and a regular container of sea salt, but much like my Chanel lipstick, it makes me feel good when I use it. Makes me feel special. How big of a loser do you have to be for SALT to make you feel special?
It’s a beautiful, crystal flaked sea salt that you can crush up and sprinkle with your fingers. This salt isn't the kind of salt you'd use for salting your water or even in a recipe. It's a seasoning salt for when your dish is done.
At the moment, Amazon has 2 box deal on Maldon salt for $11.
13) Stone baking sheet
Easily my most favourite thing on any given day in my kitchen is my stone baking sheet. Now, I’ve owned pizza stones, and other stone cooking pieces, but none of them impressed me. So when I opened this from my mother for Christmas one year I think I might have said “What did you get me this stupid thing for? These things don’t work. I hate them. I wanted a pasta maker! You’re the worst mother ever.”
Turns out the thing is great. Love it. It’s a “Pampered Chef” item. It’s completely non stick, but things still brown on it. This is the go-to pan for my Sweet Potato Fries and pretty much anything I want to get crispy, but be able to remove from the pan without a bout of swearing. You wash it with just hot water and the oils from your cooking soak into the stone over time creating a beautiful non stick surface. Plus it gets all mottled looking, which I happen to like.
14) BONUS ITEM! Pasta attachment for Kitchen Aid mixer.
Now that I think of it, I really should add the pasta roller attachment to this list. It's only applicable if you own a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I know you think making pasta takes a long time. I know you think making pasta is hard. But it's not. In fact, a few weeks ago I was watching my 6 year old niece and my 9 year old nephew and in the hour that their mother was gone we made pasta from scratch and cooked it. Granted, we didn't let it rest quite as long as it should have but who cares?? It turned out fine!
The reason we could make it so fast was because I had the pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid. It flattened it out and cut it up in no time.
If you don't believe me, here's my post on How to Make Pasta with easy step by step instructions plus a video.
I own The Triple Set Pasta Attachment that includes the roller, the spaghetti and fettuccine cutter.
Questions about what I kitchen gear I like or don't like? Ask away in the comments.
I shall now bid you adieu.
Dan
As a vegan, the food saver is not needed here. Same with your cookbook recommendations and Costco membership. Necessities in our house: stand mixer, bread machine, good spatulas.
Karen
Don't forget the Foodsaver isn't just for meat! I use it for sealing everything that goes in the freezer. Vegetables, pie dough, lasagna, ... :) ~ karen!
Karin in NC
I've thought about a Foodsaver in the past BUT...1) very small kitchen and small freezer means no room for the Foodsaver or more than a couple of items in the freezer, so why? and even more importantly 2) I am focusing on really reducing the amount of plastic in my life and in my home, so a Foodsaver just isn't on my list.
Cred
True. The only real life person I know who uses a foodsaver, besides my mom who only every kitchen gadget ever made whether she needs it or not, is my friend who is also vegan. She uses it to make smaller portions of dry goods bought in mega-bulk, mind you she has 6 kids so they buy everything in bulk.
JulieD
Also to store garden seeds.
marilyn meagher
I can't live without my rasp from lee valley.
TONI
YOU MENTIONED YOUR GO-TO PAN FOR S/P FRIES WAS A PAMPERED CHEF STONE PAN ............... USE IT JUST LIKE YOU DO YOUR DARK PAN IN THE S/P FRY RECIPE ??? FUNNY, I HAVE HAD ONE OF THOSE GATHERING DUST IN THE BASEMENT FOR YEARS. USED IT ONCE TO MAKE SQUARES & WASN'T HAPPY WITH IT BUT IT CAME FROM MY DAUGHTER, SO THOUGHT I SHOULD HANG ON TO IT.
Karen
Yep. The fries take a little longer to cook in the oven with the Pampered chef stone but they do NOT stick. I also have a really dark, very well used metal baking sheet that's great for sweet potato fries because they get really crispy on it, but they also tend to stick no matter how much oil I use. ~ karen!
TONI
I'VE BEEN DILLY-DALLY-ING ABOUT TRYING ONE OF THREE S/P FRY RECIPES IN MY STASH ....... THEY'LL SIT A BIT LONGER NOW THAT YOUR VERSION HAS SURFACED ! THEY SOUND GOOD & I EVEN HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO STAVE OFF FRUSTRATION ! YAY ME ! AND YOU, OF COURSE !
TONI
TRIED 'EM FOR SUPPER LAST NIGHT ..... DEELISH ..... THE BEST ...... THANK YOU FOR THE HEADS-UP ABOUT CORN STARCH & PAMPERED CHEF STONE !
Karen
Good to hear Toni! ~ karen
Monique
I am a kitchen nut..and have a well stocked kitchen after 45 yrs of playing in it..
just want to share this..
we have a honing steel..and a stone..and I have tried many sharpening tools..even I think it was called the Shark and broke the same day I bought it..
about 18 months ago I was at Homesense and bought a CL Anysharp..
it is by far the best..best best knife sharpening tool I have ever bought..
Ifound a video..
Amaazon has the Anysharps..
mine is CL..but these look IDENTICAL.
I give it 5 stars.Promise.
I like my little Chemex when we just want 2 small cups of coffee..
I have had my KA stand mixer for over 35 yrs..and could not be without it..
Foodsaver is wonderful.
Mixing bowls w/ spouts.
Garlic press..just reading the above comments:)
My Braun food processor..I had one for over 30 yrs..it broke..I found another..
A plunger blender for soups..
I could go on and on:)
Christina Contri
I'm surprised a microphone didn't make your list.
Teri
I've often thought a microphone in the kitchen would be useful. Especially if children are about.
Christina Contri
Microplane... damn auto correct
Garth
Food saver bags are expensive. To cut the cost way down, we start with an extra long bag, then wash it out after using. Wrapping meat in plastic wrap before inserting in the bag makes clean up easy. Sometimes we will freeze the wrapped meat first, then bag it. We get several uses out of one bag, costing only a couple of inches per use. One thing you have to do just before reusing the bag is cut a little strip off the open edge because as the bag dries, that edge takes a curl.
Gilly Bean
I was wondering about that. Thanks.
dana
I almost choked on my pistachio picturing Little Karen sitting at the table as her mama smashed potatoes through the ricer onto her plate! Good list. 😂 We use an old wooden potato masher. We also don't have an electric can opener & use a metal hand cranky thingy & have for 26 yrs. We use a coffee press instead of a coffeemaker. My big chefs knife came from Dollar Tree. It sharpens up really well and I love it. Glad you didn't include a Kitchenaid mixer in your list. I'm starting to think I'm the only woman on earth without one but I don't think it would get used that often.
Thera
You are not the only one, I am 45 and not only have never had a Kitchenaide, I don't have a single one of the extras nor a Pyrex bowl.
Dana
I have a year on you, Thera. 😉
Janet fisher
Yes. Coffee press is a must.
Jane S
I took your advice and bought a Foodsaver. Now I can't stop buying meat. My freezer is exploding. We couldn't use a potato ricer because we like our mashed potatoes with the skins on. I'll be combing the thrift stores for a stone baking sheet. I can never get my sweet potato fries as crispy as I'd like. Thanks for the list.
susan
Don't want or need a potato ricer or a Costco membership (except for the humongous bags of Chicago Mix which I've quit asking friends to pick up) but I couldn't live without my stone. One of the worst days of my life was when my first one cracked in half.
But my new kitchen favourite, definitely a necessity since I live on PEI, is a pair of lobster scissors. For years, I paid for my luscious treat by wrestling it with a pair of nutcrackers but now, lobster or snow crab is a piece of cake. Snip, snip, aaahhh..
Staci Martin
I also loved the stone, but after one cracking and a second one blowing up (wtf?!?), I've given up. (Not to mention I now own $80 worth of pieces of former pans)
Phyllis Kraemer
That was a fun read...thank you!...loved it! The inexpensive Foxrun stainless steel ricer is not as good as their pvc one! The stainless steel is too lightweight.
Karen
See everyone? And that's coming from the local kitchen store owner! (The Keeping Room) ~ karen!
Elaine
I love browsing in that store, Karen, and the staff are always friendly. Thank you for your list. By the way, re your choice of cookbooks ... I couldn't agree more. I have two of them from years ago and refer to them often. I also find Sunset cookbooks are good.
Catt-in-Kentucky
Great list! Yes tongs...I love the ones from Williams-Sonoma I have 2 sizes that retract to a slim profile for storage. I would add strainers...a set each of medium mesh and fine mesh metal strainers and 4 or 5 cutting boards ofor various sizes.
I also love my Bird's Beak Wustfof knife for coring and stemming fruit. I use it every day.
Metal whisks of every size, micro and mini-graters, a powerful blender like Vitamix and a high quality immersion blender.
sideroad40
you stole my list right out of my mouth!!!!
danni
Mixing bowls with spouts. Slop enough stuff all over the place trying to pour out of a regular bowl and its a no brainer necessity!
Teri
Yes! Mine also has a handle opposite which is worth the price of admission since my 'older' hands aren't as reliable as they used to be. Could not be without 2 of these bowls. One is a fancy pottery Mason Cash and the other is a plastic (Melamine?) by Rostfrei. Interestingly they will both break if dropped. I've tested both just to be sure.."..
Deborah Burns
Lol, good to know they have both been tested!
Ei Con
Agree with you about the Foodsaver. Some readers will be daunted by the price, but you'd be surprised at how many show up in thrift stores and estate sales. I got mine from a thrift store last year for $5 and have found 3 more for under $15 that I've given away to friends. Usually they just need a good clean.
Debra Breiland
Oven thermometer .Didn't even know I needed one until everything I baked was un-done, under-baked, and questionable. Turns out my oven was way off, even though it was "binging" to let me know it was pre-heated to temp. I'll never go without one again.
Billy Sharpstick
I like the Thermoworks "Chefalarm" And their Thermapen. Certified accurate results in 3 or 4 seconds. Both a bit pricey, but very good. That's what the use on "America's Test Kitchen".
Monica
Yes! get a good digital instant-read thermometer! The Thermapen is spendy, so we have this one (also by Thermoworks) — it's is way less $$ and works great!
Dee
If you get on Thermowork's email list, they send notices of sales every so often. They have some really good prices around Christmas, and they make a great gift!
Thandi Welman-Hawkes
My magnetic knife strip. Oh man, I get waaaaaay too excited about it. All my beautiful knives on display (according to size and function because I am that nerdy), no blunting or damage from a knife block, no stabbing myself trying to get something out of a drawer, just grab and go. Best thing I ever got by making *big eyes* at my husband until he caved and bought it for me.
Laurie Alexander
I also LOVE mine
Jenifer
I may need to get one...the butcher block annoys me and takes up too much valuable counter space!
karin in NC
Gotta agree - I love my magnetic knife rack. And so does just about everyone who sees it in my kitchen. I'll bet at least 5 people I know got one after seeing useful mine is. My other fave is my "Everyday Pan" from Calphalon. I got a small one as a gift for buying a set of Calphalon and loved it so much I bought another, larger one. I use them every day (guess that's why they call it the Everyday Pan). Love the metal handles and the fact that it can go in the oven (like yours).
Stephbo
I have this weird irrational fear that if I ever have a home invasion and have one of those magnetic strips, it would be easier to grab a knife and kill me with it. You know. Because it's so hard to pull a knife out of the block on the counter. Lol! Clearly I have issues. 😂
Karin in NC
Well, I certainly have my own issues, so I'm not one to laugh at other peoples irrational fears, but I have to say that is a new one! :D
meps
Actually, I also think/ worry about that exact same thing! And double lol about the block on the counter
Leisa
I can't live without my garlic press. I seem to make a lot of things that need minced garlic!
Billy Sharpstick
"Garlic Rocker" - splurge and get the solid stainless steel version. I have one with the plastic handles. It's held up well so far, but the plastic just concerns me. There's a lot of force when you use it. I end with some chopped onion. It makes clearing it easier.
I also have a Genius garlic cuber tool. Wore one out completely because of the fine threads on it. They have a stainless steel version, but pricey. The Rocker is now my favorite, easier to clean. I just whack the end across my palm and rinse.
karin
hi karen, your potato ricer looks a lot like an "schwäbisch spätzlespresse"!
try this:
beat 200 grams of flour with some salt and 2-3 whole eggs to a creamy dough.
bring salted water to a boil.
let it simmer.
press a certain amount of dough through the potato ricer ( large holes !) into the simmering water. bring it to boil again.
wait until the spätzle come up, than get them out of the water with a spoon sieve.
keep them in the warm oven until you used all the dough.
we eat spätzle with lentils and frankfurter wurstel. a typical autumn and winter dish.
or with a good sunday roast meat...together with potato salat :)
enjoy !
Barb
OH YES!!! Don't let the weird german words scare you! Spaetzle are the absolute BEST THING ever! Especially with those fresh eggs....
Just saying!
Vielen Dank! Ich wünsche euch einen schönen stressfreien Tag!
Nancy Sanderson
Oh yes! We had a German exchange student make this for us and it was wonderful.
Mark
I think you are extra special*
Karen
Well, thank you. ~ karen!
Paula
I have three different sizes of those exact knives and I love them. The only items on your list that I don't have are:
*pizza pans, but I don't care for pizza.
*Cuisinox “Elite” saute pan which I will probably now buy because I will be buying a gas stove soon and I will "need" one :)
Great list!
Abbot of Unreason
I hate to admit it, but the only basic item I don't have is a slotted spoon. What do I need a slotted spoon for?
My favorite kitchen implement: rubber tipped tongs.
Thandi Welman-Hawkes
I second that vote for the tongs. I have a short handled pair for easy maneuvering of things in frying pans, and a long handled pair for manhandling roasts and things in pots. I would be lost without them! Ooooo and the little choppy bowl attachment for my stick blender. I swear I use that thing almost everyday: chopping nuts for my granola, making pesto in a small enough quantity to actually eat, being too lazy to chop onions by hand, pureeing roast peppers and tomatoes for pasta sauce, chopping broccoli and kale up into small enough pieces to be accepted by my very fussy birds.
Karen
Funny! I think I'm the only person who doesn't like rubber tipped tongs. I feel like I'm trying to apply makeup with mittens on when I use them, lol. Most people love them though! ~ karen