Sure, it sounds like an easy task to pick up a can of coffee beans, a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. But what do you actually need to make your time in the kitchen time well spent? If you’re not sure, this blog is for you!
In it we’ll walk through the basics and highlights of buying cooking supplies like pots and pans, flour sifters, olive oils and more. We hope this article will help guide you in selecting equipment that will allow you to cook up a storm!
If cooking isn’t your thing but hosting dinner parties is then don’t forget that sometimes the best gifts are experiences. Maybe you have a friend who loves to cook but doesn’t have the best kitchen supplies. Rather than buying them another kitchen gadget, buy them a gift certificate for cooking classes near them. They’ll be able to learn new skills and meet new people in the process.
If you’re buying a gift certificate for someone special, you can check out some of these entertaining ideas. And if you’re looking for a good way to give a unique gift, check out this article on creative gifts.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
ESSENTIAL KITCHEN EQUIPMENT (for the home cook)
When talking about essential kitchen equipment I would have to say that the most important in my opinion is the coffee maker! I need my espresso every morning before I head out to work and spend all of my day at work wishing that I had something that was quick and easy for me to take with me. Well, a quick and easy option would be to bring a thermos of coffee but I’ve tried that before and it wasn’t very convenient. I would suggest looking for an electric travel mug because you can pack it with ice and pretty much keep your favorite hot drink warm for hours. However, if you are going to spend the money on an electric mug then choosing a regular one that doesn’t require batteries is probably the best bang for your buck.
Other items that are essential are measuring spoons and cups. Whether you’re baking or cooking, nothing is worse than doing it wrong! I have learned through experience that it helps to have a range of sizes of measuring spoons and cups because sometimes the recipes calls for different sizes. Also, measuring spoons are sometimes needed if you don’t have measuring cups (typically a cup could hold as much as 4oz) and you need to measure smaller amounts of ingredients.
A cutting board is also an essential item for the kitchen but not just any cutting board. There are different types of cutting boards that you need to make sure you have for different uses. For instance, I would suggest having a plastic cutting board for washing your fruits and vegetables, a wood cutting board for chopping on and then one last one. A glass (or other material) cutting board is usually used as an actual decoration in the kitchen and it’s nice because it won’t deteriorate like the plastic ones will, however, you can cut on them if you must but it’s not recommended.
A good set of knives is also essential, especially considering how often we cook. If you’re looking for a good set of knives then I would suggest checking out all of the options available to see what works best for you.
I would have to say that measuring cups and spoons, pots and pans, cutting boards and knives are the most important kitchen equipment that you should invest in as well as an apron if you enjoy cooking.
ESSENTIAL KITCHEN EQUIPMENT (for the coffee lover)
If you are like me and enjoy drinking coffee or espresso then you can appreciate a little bit of luxury in the kitchen. Measuring cups and spoons are still essential but now you’ll have to look out for other things as well. One of those items is obviously your coffee maker.
Thankfully, there are a lot of coffee makers available to choose from so that you can find the one that fits your needs best. I would suggest going through all the options available to find out what type of coffee maker you want and need.
The next item that I would suggest is a good quality grinder. If you’ve ever had espresso at a coffee shop then there’s probably a good chance that it was freshly ground before it was made since there’s a big difference in taste from freshly ground beans versus pre-ground.
If you can find a grinder that also has a built in scale then that’s even better for measuring either for your coffee maker or baking. After all, who wants to buy bags of whole beans only to find out that they’re too big for your filter? A scale will help you measure them out properly.
ESSENTIAL KITCHEN EQUIPMENT (for the baker)
The bread part of my life I have to say is probably my favorite and so being able to bake it well is something I love to do as well. The past few months have seen me purchasing a lot of ingredients and trying out some new recipes as well as old favorites. I’m currently using a few different kinds of flour: banana, almond and coconut flour. I have liters of different oils and extracts that I use as well as some large containers of various nuts I’ve been buying to make nut butters. For example, macadamias and walnuts are used a lot for baking, as are almonds but only blanched. These combinations produce delicious desserts like my Paleo chocolate chip cookies and superfood bars like my Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles!
One of the most important items that you’ll need is a good oven thermometer for knowing how hot your oven is getting. The only problem that I have with having a thermometer is that there are a lot of different types of thermometers. For example, there’s infrared thermometers, ones that go on the rack inside your oven and then there’s standard ones too.
You’ll also need a stand mixer if you enjoy baking but if you don’t enjoy it then you probably won’t have one so mixing by hand will be fine for you. There are many options to choose from though so I would suggest researching them before making a purchase.
ESSENTIAL KITCHEN EQUIPMENT (for the health buff)
If healthy eating and cooking is your thing then you probably have a lot of things in your kitchen that aren’t really considered essential. For instance, I have a blender and although it can do more than just blend, it’s one of the things that I use all the time.
A Vitamix has been my best friend lately when it comes to making smoothies and nut butters. It’s a high-speed blender so it blends things up quickly and is relatively easy to clean. There are other blenders out there that would work just as well but this one has been the one I’ve used the most.
A good knife set and cutting board are also important if you want to be able to slice, dice, dice, peel and chop without too much difficulty. A cast iron skillet is also nice and comes with a non-stick surface so you don’t have to use extra oil and will also add a nice aesthetic look to your kitchen.
I hope this list of essential kitchen equipment helped you a bit and that it gave you some ideas on the things that you may need to purchase. It’s not an exhaustive list but I feel that it covers the most commonly used items in the kitchen. There are many other things out there as well but these are some of the most basic.
I hope you have enjoyed the list!
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