We have never been fans of “time-saving” gadgets, they just clutter the counters and drawers and often take more time on the backend to wash complicated, detachable parts. Here are the items you will need to stock a kitchen for cooking.
Chef’s Knives
Over time you’ll acquire more knives, but these three are a good start.
- A six-inch blade with a decent bolster should get you through most jobs.
- A paring knife, 3-4 inches, for coring and peeling.
- A serrated knife for cutting bread.
Cutting Boards
Three basic sizes for multi-purpose use: cutting bread, chopping veggies and slicing meats. We’re not fans of plastic for this item. Buy wood.
- 12 x 9 for everyday use (this will be the one you use most often)
- 14 x 12 for larger tasks. This one should have a juice groove to catch liquids.
- 20 x 14 for Thanksgiving dinner, which of course, definitely needs the groove.
A Set of Wooden Spoons
You’ll use these for just about everything: cooking noodles, stirring soup, sautéing (we’ll get to that later).
Measuring Cups and Spoons
- One two-cup tempered glass measuring cup. Over time you can get different sizes but this one will do well to start.
- One set of nesting measuring cups for dry goods.
- A set of nesting measuring spoons.
Salad Spinner
Okay, I said no gadgets, but wet lettuce is yuk, and a wire mesh basket is fine too, as long as you have some way of removing most of the water from your lettuce leaves.
Mixing & Prep Bowls
A set of 3 nesting bowls should be sufficient for just about every job. A good starter set would be 2 quart, 4 quart and 6 quart. You sense a theme here: nesting = space saver.
Colanders
- One footed 5-quart colander, so it can stand up on its own when needed.
- One 7 – 8 inch wire mesh stainer, sometimes referred to as a sieve, to strain and sift finer foods.
Can & Jar Openers
- A safe-cut or smooth edge can opener claims to cut without leaving a sharp edge and won’t drop the lid in the can. Never tried one, but sounds good to me.
- A waiter’s corkscrew bottle opener will open capped and corked bottles, and takes up a lot less room than the two-armed models. They take some getting used to but just think how professional you’ll look at the next party!
- You know that red thing Vive sent from France that we thought was the worst bottle opener we’d ever used because but it was really a jar opener that pops the vacuum seal? Get one of those.
Peelers & Graters
- A swivel peeler to peel potatoes, carrots, zucchini, apples… you get the idea.
- A flat coarse grater for carrots, cheeses and more. A lot easier to store than a four-side box grater, although it will only give you one grating option.
- A flat medium or fine grater to make up for not having a box grater.
More to come…
Plastic, Glass or Stainless Steel? (We’ll get to this too).