Utensils, Appliances and Other Kitchen Supplies You Must Have
I hope you enjoy Starting from Scratch, my second book, published each week online, one chapter at a time. Before the book’s final publication, I hope to sprinkle readers’ thoughts, opinions and advice throughout. After all, you each have helpful systems and solutions in the kitchen worth sharing. By making a contribution, your comments will be printed, crediting you and/or your blog, and you’ll get free copies of the book. In addition, for each section, I’m consulting an expert blogger – for this excerpt, it’s Shaina Olmanson, home cook and author of Food For My Family.
Some of us were born car people, others not. I happen to fall in the latter category. I actually have a decent car now, but I have had more than my fair share of 100,000+ mile clunkers. In fact, my grandfather was notorious for buying our family a wide array of used cars. Not only did few of these work for long, but the range in colors was sometimes laughable. He did very well when he brought a VW bug to me and my sister as our first car. I wish we had held onto that classic.
I tend to select kitchen appliances much like I do when purchasing a new vehicle. I want them to work well and provide conveniences where needed, spending extra cash when warranted. As a general rule, fancy equipment and supplies don’t necessarily improve your cooking skills, especially if you’re just learning. If you focus on the basics, you’ll have 95% of what you need.
That said, if you want top of line appliances, and plenty of them, that’s your prerogative! After all, if someone offered me a Mercedes convertible, it’s not like I’d say no!
Here are some kitchen pans, appliances and supplies I’d recommend:
Utensils
At least one good knife. I put a good knife as #1 on my list for a reason! You are going to pay about $100 for a 10” chef knife, but this sharp little baby will last for years and years. I have a variety of sizes on hand (a 10”, 6” and 3.5”), but have not yet purchased a cleaver or fillet knife (items next on the list!). Without good knives, I find myself in slicing, dicing and pairing despair. Given how much of cooking is preparation and chopping, I think these are worthwhile investments. But you have to take care of them…..
A sharpening steel. I actually purchased mine for about $40 and use it daily to touch up my knives. It keeps my precious knives in tip, top shape, less the occasional professional sharpening. I haven’t yet purchased a professional sharpener, because I can get the job done at a local retailer for a lot less money.
Peppermill. I prefer fresh pepper to ground, so the pepper mill gets double duty. I also purchase peppercorns in the bulk section of my local market because they are generally less expensive than buying them in bottles or at specialty shops. Be forewarned, however, there have been recent salmonella outbreaks associated with black and red peppercorns, so make sure you are buying a product that is safe to consume.
Stainless steel spatula (also called a slotted turner). My mom gave me one of these as a gift and I have been a devout follower ever since. Though at first I doubted its versatility, I now use it for everything. I also have other steel spatulas for grilling and flipping.
Rubber or silicone spatula. If you have the choice of buying a cheap one (or two) from the dollar store or paying $10-$12 for a sturdier one, I recommend the latter. Nice ones work better and last longer, and are less susceptible to destruction by dogs. An added bonus is that it won’t melt as quickly if you accidently leave it in a hot pan. Believe me, I have tried that one on a number of occasions.
Handheld grater. I find these easier to use than boxed graters, particularly for smaller amounts of cheese. For grating large amounts of cheese and/or vegetables, I prefer to use the food processor, though.
Miscellaneous. Other items I use frequently include turners, measurers, a can opener, potato masher and peeler. I like the whisk and spaghetti spoon (or rake), too. Most of my wooden spoon collection is half eaten by my dogs, but they are functional nonetheless.
Frying pans (or skillets), Saucepans (or pots) and baking dishes (sheet pans and Pyrex dishes)
Saucepans. When it comes to Saucepans or pots, as a Southerner would call it, I think higher quality, more expensive ones are worth the investment (though I also shy away from the top of the line that requires a second mortgage on your home to purchase). With a thicker, more substantial base, pans distribute heat more evenly and are less apt to burns, an important consideration if you are as forgetful as I am! They also tend to be easier to clean. A variety of sizes is important, too, and three will usually do the trick.
Frying pans. The same rules apply for frying pans, or skillets, another Southern friendly term. Thicker bottoms tend to cook more evenly with fewer accidental burns. That said, I have found cost-effective, higher quality skillets in sets of three at Target which last just as long as the fancy, high-priced brands. Since I replace them every year or so anyway, why not spend less?
And though I use stainless steel skillets like the famous chefs tend to do, for the life of me, I can’t avoid the sticky mess it produces. That’s why I tend to use non-stick skillets instead. A large and small skillet may be adequate (or get a large one and use it for everything).
Sheet pans. I prefer thick jelly roll pans and cookie sheets, again, because these are less likely to yield burned, baked items (when I’m upstairs folding clothes while the cookies are cooking and I fail to hear the timer go off).
Shaina offers a wonderful tip about sheet pans: “I would be lost baking with my silicon baking sheet and parchment paper. Before I was married I only had one baking sheet, and I was still baking multiple batches of cookies for neighbors, family and friends. Using parchment or a baking mat makes cookies and treats slide right off, and you can just reuse the same sheet of parchment or mat for the next pan you slide in the oven. It takes all the frustration of stuck cookies and brownies out of the equation, and it can go a long way in keeping frustration with new cooking adventures to a minimum.”
Baking dishes. I have a variety of glass, aluminum and ceramic dishes, all of which I use all the time. My all-time favorite is the pottery baking dish my former boss Brenda gave me for Christmas years ago. Amazingly, I haven’t even chipped a single piece after all this time; so not only does it look splendid, it bakes splendidly as well. The gift is just like Brenda, beautiful for the ages, inside and out.
Cooks Illustrated regularly provides reviews on products like these, across a range of prices, so this may be a useful resource if you are planning on making an investment (plus, it’s a great magazine anyway!).
Appliances
Food processor. I use my food processor all the time for slicing, mixing and dicing. I also use it for grating vegetables, mixing pizza dough and making pesto. It’s a very versatile machine and can expedite a lot of kitchen tasks. Though they vary pretty significantly in price, $150 will get you a solid, long-lasting and high quality one.
Standing mixer. I love to bake and have no idea why I waited 44 years to get one of wonderful machines. Well, actually, I do. They are expensive (usually start at $300)! But they make baking pleasurable and effortless.
If baking isn’t your thing, you can easily leave this one off the list. A cheap handheld is more than adequate great if you bake cookies once/year.
Panini Maker. I mention this heavenly appliance in Finding Life’s Secret Sauce. It works magic when cooking sandwiches in ways I can’t explain. You don’t need to spend a fortune either. My $30 Target special has been working like a charm for ages.
Crock Pot. I was looking through a kitchen catalog recently when I noticed higher-end crock pots now garner a price tag of $199. Wow! I’m not sure what bells and whistles are needed to cook things slowly. My $30 version works beautifully. This appliance is wonderful when you want a good meal ready at the end of a workday without a lot of effort. There’s a wonderful aroma permeating the house, coupled with little clean-up.
Blender. Though I don’t use my blender all the time, it is irreplaceable for making fruit smoothies, puréeing soups and, of course, making milkshakes on a hot, summer day. The only problem with blenders is that inexpensive ones scarcely blend anything well. Believe me! I have tried to use at least 10 of the $30 worthless ones! My Oster Classic works beautifully and didn’t cost an arm and a leg either.
Tender Loving Care
As your cooking skills improve, you’ll no doubt develop a feel for what you want and need. Filling the cabinets and drawers with trusted, welcome items will improve the cooking experience (especially if you can figure out how to use everything you own). And whether your choice is a VW bug or a Rolls Royce, take care of your little toys like you take care of your ride.
About Shaina Olmanson
Shaina Olmanson is a freelance writer and photographer and also the home cook behind Food for My Family and the food channel editor at Lifetime Moms. She fell in love with the art of cooking while spending countless hours hanging on her grandmother’s apron strings, and as a native Minnesotan, growing up surrounded by farms served as a daily reminder of the importance of local and seasonal food. Raising her four young children with her husband, she strives to teach them the importance of growing, preparing and eating and enjoying real food.
Great question! If you do a search on google for knife sharpening in your local area, you'll find plenty of options. Often, restaurant supply stores will sharpen knives; and sometimes, kitchen specialty stores, like Sur La Table, will. We actually have a Williams Sonoma in Boise, and though they don't sharpen knives, they provided recommendations for places in the local area that would. Here's a REALLY in-depth forum on knife sharpening, if you are interested. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/26036-knife-maintenance-and-sharpening/. 
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Well how timely is this?! My husband and I are getting ready to replace our knives that we got as a wedding gift almost 23 years ago. And we want to spend enough for good ones but not more than we need to. So far, we are thinking we go with Consumer Reports suggestions.
I have a mix of good quality and inexpensive stuff in my kitchen.
What brands does Consumer Report recommend? I’d be curious to know.
Melinda – this is a great article. It makes me think of two things…here locally in Seattle, you can find GREAT stuff at the local Goodwill. We drive over to the fancy part of town where the wealthy community lives and you wouldn’t believe the stuff they get rid of, you can find great stuff, I found a darling cookie jar (& they have great crystal pieces too – I’ve even found Waterford stuff there which is really fun for entertaining) Also, I read a tip somewhere for people who are getting overwhelmed with too many kitchen tools. The recommendation was to put all your utensils in a shoe box and over the course of a few months, only pull out the items you need to use, then give away the rest at the end of that time period. Sometimes we just collect so much stuff that we lose site of the good things you could actually use because they are buried!
P.S. – I’m totally with you on the knives, one good knife is better than 10 cruddy ones… would love to see you do a tutorial on how to properly sharpen them, I haven’t gotten that down yet!
Hi Melinda, any suggestions on where to go to get your knives sharpened? My mom just bought me a really nice knife and I want to be sure to take good care of it.
Great question! If you do a search on google for knife sharpening in your local area, you’ll find plenty of options. Often, restaurant supply stores will sharpen knives; and sometimes, kitchen specialty stores, like Sur La Table, will. We actually have a Williams Sonoma in Boise, and though they don’t sharpen knives, they provided recommendations for places in the local area that would. Here’s a REALLY in-depth forum on knife sharpening, if you are interested. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/26036-knife-maintenance-and-sharpening/.