You might not want to admit it, but your kitchen is the heart of your home. What’s more, its efficiency and functionality have a direct impact on your overall mood and motivation. It is wise to invest in kitchen tools and equipment to increase your kitchen space’s convenience and functionality. This cuts back on effort and workload, making your work easier and more enjoyable.
First things first, it’s important to determine what kitchen tools are essential for your working space. Such decisions are influenced by factors such as the amount of working surface available, how much time you spend in your kitchen, and cooking skills. Fully equipping space might take a while, especially with new fancier kitchen tools and gadgets coming out every day. So start with basic kitchen tools and upgrade gradually.
So what are some of the kitchen must-haves?
1. Knives
If we’re honest, knives carry a significant amount of the workload, and it’s practically impossible to run a kitchen without one. You can opt to invest in one decent chef’s knife for multi-purposes, but it’s advisable to get a set that will serve a specific purpose. For instance, serrated knives are great for bread, while paring knives cater to smaller, intricate jobs. For slicing, you should choose a japanese slicing knife, and so on depending on the purpose. Matching kitchen tools with their uses makes work easier and helps reduce regular replacement costs.
2. Chopping/Cutting Board
Compliment your knives with a good-quality cutting board. Go for one that’s gripped to prevent petty accidents. It’s advisable to get them in different materials to prevent cross-contamination. Plastic ones are great for meats and fish, while wooden ones are great for fruits and vegetables.
3. Prep Bowls
Most chefs know never to hesitate in getting kitchen tools to make cooking easier. If you have trouble following recipes or organizing your ingredients during meal preparation, these bowls are sure to save the situation.
If you’re working with smaller spaces, collapsible bowls are easier to store away. Some bowls come with covers so you can easily store prepped meals and ingredients for later use. Getting glass bowls is more convenient since they can double up as serving bowls.
4. Measuring Spoons and Cups
They might say the secret to meal perfection is love, but we all know perfection lies in getting the ingredients right. If you want to perfect your recipes or upgrade your cooking skills, then you should invest in a good set of measuring spoons and cups. In addition, measuring cups and spoons are great kitchen tools for baking
Most dry measuring cups come in sets of 5, from 1/4 cups to 1 cup units, and they are stackable. On the other hand, liquid measuring cups have measurements marked on the sides. They have spouts to facilitate easy pouring.
Measuring spoons are meant for smaller measurements up to a tablespoon, while others will be as small as 1/8 teaspoon. Most are double-sided to prevent mixing dry and wet ingredients, and they are pretty easy to store away.
5. Pans and Skillets
Before getting fancy, it’s important to settle for cooking ware of good quality. Nowadays, a lot of people prefer to get non-stick ware. Still, most experienced cooks and chefs prefer to use cast-iron products since they cook food more evenly. In addition, they lack chemical coatings and can last for years if well maintained.
To prevent food from sticking to your cast iron cooking ware, clean and season with oils before the first use. For a better seal, you might have to redo this process severally. For non-stick ware, use wooden or silicone stirs to prevent scouring and grazing the coating.
6. Strainers and Colanders
Regardless of how simple your recipes are, you’ll always find the need for a strainer or colander. Other than draining cooked foods from excess liquids, they can be used in meal prep processes such as draining canned foods and washing fruits and vegetables.
These kitchen tools come in different sizes, shapes, and materials and the size of the holes will vary. Strainers are great for draining or washing finer or smaller ingredients. Colanders work best with larger ingredients and foods.
7. Cooking Spoons
Certain kitchen tools and utensils form the backbone of any cooking space, and cooking spoons top that list. They are pretty versatile in their uses and can be used to stir stews and gravy, combine salad ingredients, and mix baking ingredients.
Spoons come in different materials such as silicone, metal, plastic, or wooden, and in different designs as well. Silicone and wooden spoons are popular since they don’t scratch non-stick cooking ware or react with the ingredients. In addition, they don’t conduct heat easily, thus reducing the risk of hurting yourself. For wooden spoons, season them with coconut oil or mineral oil to prevent them from soaking liquids and flavors.
8. Thermometers
These are one of the kitchen tools everyone needs regardless of their cooking skill. Thermometers eliminate the guessing games associated with most recipes and appliances. They come in handy when dealing with faulty or unfamiliar ovens, telling water and oil temperatures, and telling when foods are cooked all the way through.
9. Sheet Pans
Most people who often bake already have a decent selection of baking sheets and trays. However, baking sheets are an important addition to your kitchen tools, and they can save a lot of recipes.
Other than baking biscuits and cookies, use your sheets to toast nuts, bake meats, and roast vegetables. They are also pretty easy to clean up.
10. Peeler
Knives are great, but they are not always the solution to everything. Peelers come in handy when you want to accomplish cleaner results with less wastage, such as peeling tubers, shaving off cheese, or peeling vegetables. In addition, you can use them to make veggie ribbons.
Read Also : Are You Remodeling Your Kitchen? Here Are 10 Stunning Kitchen Ideas
Conclusion: Working in a properly equipped kitchen is less stressful, and it makes food prep easy and fun. When stocking up, have the kitchen tools for healthy eating goals, so it’s easier to prepare healthier meals. What are some of the kitchen tools you can’t live without? How do you equip your kitchen space to maximize functionality? Drop us a comment, we would love to hear from you!
Also Checkout : Basic Kitchen Tools Every Home Cook Should Have
