Kitchen Essentials
While I personally have a hoarding habit when it comes to kitchen things, when it comes down to it there are really only a hand full of tools I regularly use when I’m cooking. And for that very reason, I’m a big fan of Cook Potluck. If you are just starting your adventures in cooking, or want some guidance on what to stock your kitchen with, these guys make it easy for you.
Their kitchenwares are sold as sets, so if you already have some great pots and pans but need to stock your kitchen with mixing bowls and utensils, you can order their Utensils Set. And if you want the whole kitten kaboodle, you can get everything in their Essentials Set. And all of these sets are a really great deal. Below are some of my go-to kitchen tools and the multitude of ways I use them:
Tongs - A good, sturdy pair of tongs (not flimsy ones). I prefer the 9-inch over the longer 12-inch ones because you have more control. It may seem scarier at first to have your hands closer to hot things, but with time that goes away and tongs will become like an extension of your hand in cooking. They're perfect for flipping meats or vegetables that need to brown on both sides, great for mixing /tossing together pastas and salads (you can even use them to pull spaghetti straight out of your pasta water to toss it into your pan sauce—no strainer required, good for reaching things up high in your cabinets!
Vegetable Peeler - Not just for peeling off outer skin on vegetables like carrots and potatoes. You can use them to shave vegetables like asparagus (shaved asparagus salad!) or hard cheeses like Parmesan (also great in shaved asparagus salad!), shave chocolate for garnish on dessert, peel citrus peel for cocktails or prior to mincing (another way to make lemon zest), shave butter for easy spreading on toast
Microplane - Oh how I love a microplane! I think this might be the tool I use most when cooking. It’s amazing for: zesting citrus, finely grating cheeses, ginger, and garlic. You can also grate whole cloves of spices like nutmeg, or even to grate chocolate as a beautiful garnish on your dessert.
