Walking down the cooking aisle in a superstore, it won’t be unusual to get baffled when it comes to choosing the right cookware from the countless options. Starting from a meat slicer to a pepper grinder, often flavors are better perceived with the appropriate appliance.
Time and again, we purchase utensils that ultimately end up unused in our kitchen cabinets and later give a lot of hassle organizing them in the kitchen. So in this article, we will guide you regarding some essential kitchen tools for trouble-free and effortless food preparation.
1. Chef's Knife and Ceramic Knife
The knife is a kitchen essential that comes in different sizes and blades. A chef's knife with a sharp stainless steel or metal blade is a cook's best pal. It is important to pick the right size for a comfortable grip and easy handling. A less decorative yet sharp knife can save a lot of time for cutting, crushing, and slicing meat, garlic, and hard vegetables.
Next comes the second type of knife with ceramic blade attachment that deserves attention and inclusion in your list of kitchenware. Due to the anti-oxidizing properties of ceramic blades, it is the best option for cutting fruits and vegetables while compared to a regular metal knife.
Though smaller in size, they do not let the veggies go brown even when stored in the refrigerator. So, learn how to properly sharpen your knives and use them safely.
2. Spatula Set
One of the must-have kitchen items is the cutlery set that comes with 5-6 different spoons and spatulas. You can go for wooden, non-stick, silicon, aluminum, or stainless steel according to your preference and need. While frying or cooking in a non-stick or aluminum pan, a spatula helps to prevent utensils from getting scraped or damaged.
3. Nonstick and Cast-Iron Skillet
A nonstick pan with a glass lid is easy to cook and clean as foods don't get stuck at the bottom. But if you are looking for a much healthier option, switch your nonstick or aluminum saucepans to cast-iron skillets. They need to be seasoned properly before using and require a little bit of oil spread all over to prevent rusting after thorough washing.
4. Food Processor and Blender
These are two different essential kitchen tools. The different attachments help in chopping, grating, shredding, and processing food, including meat and dough. Blenders with different blades and jars come handy while preparing a smoothie, shake, ice cream, puree, green juice, and soup.
5. Electric and Hand Mixer
They are easy to operate and effective for a wide range of activities from preparing breakfast to baking cakes and cookies. The hand mixer comes with a side mechanism that needs to be pressed for whisking, whereas, the electric mixture requires much less effort to beat eggs, melt butter, prepare the batter for pudding, and many more.
6. Measuring Cups and Spoons
Baking is a science that requires some guidelines to be followed. If you are looking for that extra fluff in your muffins, all the ingredients need to be in the right quantity. Measuring cups can be scaled or nozzled and comes in different options for both dry and wet goods.
Do not scoop and drop the dry ingredients directly. Rather, fill up and level to get the correct measurement. Next are measuring spoons, best for measuring ingredients that are required in lesser amounts like vanilla essence, baking powder, yeast, baking soda, or salt. It’s important to get the exact quantity for conserving nutrition value.
7. Colander
A colander or strainer is a handy kitchen gadget. The ones with bigger holes are specially designed for draining out extra water from pasta, while fine holes help to trap all the clumps from the powdered baking ingredients.
8. Chopping Board
A kitchen without a chopping board is incomplete. It is best to use wooden, fibrous, or non-porous food-grade plastic chopping boards, thick enough to withstand the pressure. Keeping them at room temperature, clean them with a brush under running water and sanitize with diluted vinegar. Always wipe your board to make it dry and position it vertically to drip all the excess water.
9. Baking Dish
Bakeware is an indispensable kitchen appliance. You cannot think of preparing a home-cooked healthy pasta without a baking dish. Options like a loaf pan, ice cream pan, cupcake or muffin tin pan, flat cooking or, baking sheet pan can be used for baking, microwaving, or refrigerating.
10. Baking Brush
A good quality silicone baking brush is easy-to-use and can withstand high heat. They can be used to prepare less oily dishes, grease the baking pans, apply the right amount of oil and glee on dosa, omelet, sandwich, and other food items.
11. Vegetable and Fruit Cutter
It is a scissor-shaped cutter with sharp front blades and a back-lock. They are easy to handle, less complicated, and exert minimum pressure while cutting salad or chopping hard veggies like carrots, radish, beetroot, turnip, potatoes.
12. Pepper Grinder
A wooden or stainless steel pepper grinder is a kitchen requisite. To add taste and flavor, you only need to put some whole pepper inside the grinder, and your freshly ground pepper will be instantly ready for seasoning salad, pasta, fries, egg omelet, or any meat items.
13. Box Grater
A box grater comes with a slicing side along with three other sides with holes. The large holes can be used to grate vegetables, potatoes, whereas the small holes are used to grate cheese, garlic, onion, eggs, or even lemon zest directly on top of the dish for garnishing.
14. Food Steamer
If you got a taste for dumpling, pudding, or steamed food, a food steamer is what you need. With the mechanism of converting water poured at the base of the machine into steam, you can get steamed vegetable, potato, sweet corn, eggs, cake, rice, and even pulse.
15. Mixing bowl and Silicon Storage Bag
Prep bowls and silicon storage bags are essential for marinating, storing, and refrigerating meat and vegetables. They are airtight, leakage-proof, and come in a bunch of sizes.
We have saved one extra last tip for you. Try to keep a pair of heat-resistant, ovenproof gloves and a pair of tongs to make your cooking and baking easier. Always think before spending money to maintain a tidy, neat, and organized kitchen. You can also add espresso machine in your kitchen.