These days there are so many new kitchen tools and gadgets. It can be overwhelming. So how do you know what you really need and what would just be a cool thing to have?
Let us break it down.
- Chef’s knife: This will be one of your best friends. When choosing one, it is important that it feels balanced in your hand, is easy to hold, and is not too heavy to handle.
- Silicone spatula: From frosting cakes to folding in eggs, silicone spatulas are affordable and can withstand high temperatures.
- Measuring cups and spoons: This seems like a no brainer. How can we properly make cakes and other delicious recipes without measuring out our ingredients?
- Tongs: This kitchen tool acts as your heat-resistant fingers. They are great for flipping chicken breasts in skillets, serving family-style dinners, and more.
- Instant-read thermometer: No one likes to bite into something undercooked. Instant-read thermometers eliminate that risk but using internal temperature to give you moist and tender meat.
- Cutting board: When choosing a cutting board, look for one that is sturdy and stable. You do not want a cutting board that will slide around while using it! This may cause you to injure yourself.
- Skillet: The choice of stainless steel, cast iron, and non-stick pans is yours. If you choose non-stick pans, look for ceramic coating to avoid harmful chemicals. If you choose a cast iron, be sure not to wash it with soap.
- Dutch oven: These are essential for breads, casseroles, stews, and so much more.
- Blender: Like pretty much everything else on this list, blenders serve many purposes in kitchens everywhere. Making smoothies, creating purees, and so on. We recommend spending a little more on this one.
- Food processor: Many people think blenders and food processors are synonymous; however, food processors tend to give you a more coarse chop while blenders give a smoother finished product.
- Grater: From cheese to garlic to cinnamon, your grater will be a necessity for so many recipes (both sweet and savory)!
- Baking sheets: Obviously, we need to bake cookies. How can we do that without a baking sheet? It may also be good that they are super functional – baked chicken, pizza, roasted vegetables. Baking sheets are usually very affordable and last a long time.
There are so many other things that you may find yourself needing when you start cooking like a pro, but this is a solid list to start off with. Here at Highrail, we utilize so many things – salad spinners, paring knives, standing mixers, and so on. To learn more about what equipment we use in our recipes, check out the rest of our site or give us a call!