- Colander - This perforated bowl-shaped utensil is used to rinse food or to drain liquids from solid food--for example, draining past. When solids are very fine, use a sieve.
- Cutting boards - Stock up on two that are easy to tell apart. Reserve one solely for raw meat, poultry, fish, and shell fish and the other for ready to eat foods such as fruit, vegetables, and cheeses. Cutting boards come in a variety of materials. I prefer plastic boards because they can be put in the dishwasher. Avoid cutting boards made of bamboo. They are porous and will dull your knives.
- Graters/shredders - This tool generally has a metal surface punched with sharp-edged holds or slits that are used to break foods into smaller pieces. They come in many shapes and sizes. Tools with larger holes are sometimes called shredders. My favorite kind has a container that collects whatever you are grating or shredding.
- Kitchen shears - Using a good strong pair of kitchen shears will save your scissors. They can be used for anything from snipping herbs to cutting a pizza. They are scissors--only stronger.
- Knives - Choose knives that feel balanced and comfortable in your hand. A good choice is those made of high-carbon stainless steel with blades that run through the handles and are riveted in place. High-carbon stainless still resists corrosion similarly to regular stainless steel, but it isn't as hard, so it sharpens more easily. These are the essential knives that you need:
- Knives, bread knife - The serrated blade of this knife allows you to easily cut through breads, bagels, tomatoes, cakes, or other foods with tough exteriors and soft interiors. When you use this knife, saw, saw, saw. Let the teeth do the work.
- Knives, chef's knife - Chop, dice, and mince foods with the wedge-shaped blade. Most people don't know how to properly use a chef's knife. They hold it wrong or they use it wrong.
- Knives, paring knife - This knife is comfortable to handle when peeling and cutting fruits and vegetables or other small items.
- Knives, utility knife - The thin blade of this knife makes it easy to smoothly slice sandwiches and other soft foods like fruit and cheese.
- Ladle - Used for anything from soup to pancake batter to stews. In a pinch you can use a heatproof cup.
- Measuring cups, dry - These stackable cups come in increments of 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, and 1 cup and are used to measure dry ingredients and soft solids such as shortening. These are not used for liquids. To measure dry ingredients, spoon the ingredient into the appropriate dry measuring cup or measuring spoon and level off the excess with the straight edge of a knife or a spatula.
- Measuring cups, liquid - These clear glass or plastic cups hold 1, 2, or 4 cups of liquid and have the incremental markings printed on the outside; a handle and a spout make for easy pouring. To measure liquid, place the liquid measuring cup on a level surface. Bend down so your eye is level with the markings on the cup.
- Measuring spoons - Nested spoons commonly come in sets that measure 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon. (1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons). These can be used for dry and liquid ingredients. When measuring 1 tablespoon or less, fill the appropriate measuring spoon to the top without letting it spill over.
- Pastry blender - For cutting fat (such as shortening or butter) into flour to make pastries, biscuits, etc. If you don't have one, cut in the fat using two knives in a crisscross motion.
- Pastry brush - It's good to have several of these. They are useful for brushing glazes over baked goods, greasing pans, brushing melted butter over pastries, etc.
- Pepper grinder - Because pepper is more flavorful when ground fresh, you should keep one of these on hand to grind whole peppercorns as needed. I gave your dad one for Valentine's Day one year. He is Mr. Pepper.
- Rolling pin - Used for rolling out dough. If you don't have one, try using a clean, heavy bottle with smooth sides (i.e., a wine bottle).
- Rubber scraper - Also known as rubber spatulas, these utensils are used for scraping batter from a bowl and for folding ingredients together. It's good to have a variety of sizes and to buy ones that are heat resistant.
- Sieve - A device that's used to separate liquids from solids.
- Sifter - A device used with dry ingredients, especially flour or powdered sugar, to remove lumps and incorporate air. If you don't have a sifter, you can use a sieve instead (just jostle it up and down).
- Skewers - These thin, pointed sticks are made of metal or wood and are used to hold pieces of meat, fruit, and vegetables in place. To use wooden skewers for grilling or broiling, be sure to first soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from burning.
- Slotted spoon - A large spoon which is useful for removing solids from liquid mixtures.
- Spatula - My mother used to call rubber scrapers spatulas. Some people do, but when I say "spatula," I'm referring to ones made of metal. It is a narrow, flexible utensil and has many uses--spreading frosting, getting peanut butter out of a jar, etc.
- Thermometer - Kitchen thermometers help ensure that foods are cooked and stored at proper temperatures as well as cooked to a safe internal temperature.
- Thermometer, instant-read - This can give an internal reading in seconds. The sensor in a digital instant-read thermometer is in the tip. Use this type of thermometer to verify internal temperatures of thin or thick foods. The sensor of a dial instant-read thermometer is in the stem, not the tip, so it must be inserted at least 2 inches into the food you are testing for an accurate reading (for thinner cuts, you need to insert the thermometer sideways into the food). Do not leave the thermometer in food while cooking.
- Thermometer, meat - Typically used to check the internal temperature of large cuts of meats, such as roasts and whole poultry, they are generally not appropriate for thin foods. Oven-safe meat thermometers may be left in a conventional oven, but not a microwave oven.
- Timer - A good digital timer helps you time cooking down to the second. Most ovens have a built in timer.
- Tongs - Used for lifting and turning food. These come in plastic, wood, and metal. A large pair of metal tongs is a necessity for grilling.
- Vegetable peeler - Essential for peeling vegetables in a pinch, peel skins (like on an apple) with a pairing knife. (see video)
- Wire cooling rack - Allows air to circulate around baked good to cool them quickly and keep them from getting soggy. When you buy them, gets ones that are strong and large. Flimsy and small don't cut it.
- Wire whisk - These come in handy for heating ingredients such as eggs. They can also help you smooth out lumpy sauces. They come in a variety of sizes and it's good to have at least two on hand--one larger one and one smaller one.
- Wooden spoons (assorted sizes) - Sturdy tools for stirring thick dough and batter. Also useful for stirring mixtures while they heat, as wooden handles stay cool longer than metal handles. They don't scrape up pots and pans. (My home-economics teacher would have our heads if we used metal spoons in pots and pans!)
Pots and pans are made of a variety of materials. Aluminum pans and copper pans are the best heat conductors; however, all-copper pans are expensive and tarnish easily, while plain aluminum pans can react with certain foods. Therefore, good options for the home cook include heavy stainless-steel pans with copper bottoms, pans clad with aluminum sandwiched between stainless steel, and aluminum pans treated with a process known as hard anodization. Anodization creates a non-corrosive cookware that conducts heat well. Heavy pans are ideal because they heat foods evenly and gently. Copper-bottom, cast iron, enameled cast iron, anodized aluminum, and clad aluminum are all good choices for heavy-bottom pans.
- Double boiler - Two pans that work together; one fits on top of the other. Water in the bottom pan simmers gently to cook the contents in the top pan. If you do not own a double boiler, substitute a metal or heat-resistant glass bowl and a saucepan. The bowel should be wide enough so it fits in the pan but doesn't touch the simmering water.
- Dutch oven or kettle - This is my favorite! These large, heavy pots with tight-fitting lids and handles on opposite sides of the rim are used for soups, stews, and braising meats. When canning, a kettle is often used.
- Griddle - This flat, often rimless pan makes flipping pancakes a cinch. Nonstick griddles also help you cook with a minimum amount of fat.
- Grill pan - The grooves of this heavy, stove-top griddle-type pan allow fat to drain away from food and add appetizing grill marks to the cooked item.
- Omelet pan - Sloped sides and a nonstick surface make it easy to fold and slide omelets from this pan.
- Saucepan (1-, 2-, and 3-quart, with lids) - It's best to have a few different sizes of these versatile, long-handled pans.
- Skillet (frying pan) - Sometimes referred to as a frying pan, a skillet is a long-handled low-sided pan. Often the sides gently slope to allow steam to escape the pan. Large (10-inch) and extra-large (12-inch) skillets are most useful. A 10-inch nonstick skillet also comes in handy. Other sizes include small (6-inch) and medium (8-inch). If you need to use the skillet in the oven, make sure the handle can withstand high heat; if in doubt, wrap handle in a couple layers of heavy-duty foil or select a skillet with a removable handle.
- Wok - Available with rounded or flat bottoms, these pans offer deep, sloping sides that help keep food pieces in the pan when stir-frying. The center of the wok is the hottest spot, so it is easy to push food up on the side when you don't want it cooking at the hottest temperature.
- Baking dishes - An assortment of baking dishes in various sizes and shapes is almost essential for cooking a number of dishes. Pyrex is good (it typically comes in 8-inch square and in 9 x 13-inch rectangles.
- Baking pans - These are made of metal and I recommend that you buy non-stick pans. It is essential to have at least a 9 x 9-, a 9 x 13-, and a 15 x 10-inch pan.
- Cake pans - Two round 8 x 1 1/2- or 9 x 1 1/2-inch metal pans. Cake pans that are 2 inches deep will also work well.
- Cookie sheets - At least two metal sheets with either no sides or low sides. (I have six. Two of them are actually dedicated for cookies, but the others are used for so many other things.) As you know, I like pans with low sides.
- Custard cups (6-ounce) - Six glass baking dishes for cooking custards and other individual desserts. They can be used individually when measuring and preparing small amounts of ingredients, such as garlic, in advance so that the ingredients are ready when you need them in a recipe.
- Fluted tube pan (Bundt pan) - The fluted sides bring a decorative look to the finished product. It comes in various sizes and shapes. A 12-cut pan is the most common.
- Loaf pans - Several metal or glass rectangular pans (7 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2-inch, 8 x 4 x 2-inch, or 9 x 5 x 3-inch).
- Muffin pans - One pan of twelve 2 1/2-inch cups or several mini-muffin cups of twelve 1 3/4-inch cups.
- Pie plates or pans - One 9-inch metal pan or glass pie plate and one 10-inch (deep dish) metal or glass pie plate.
- Muffin pans - One pan of twelve 2 1/2-inch cups or several mini-muffin cuts of twelve 1 3/4-inch cups. Muffin cups are also known as muffin pans.
- Pie plates or pans - One 9-inch metal pan or glass pie plate and one 10-inch (deep dish) metal or glass pie plate.
- Pizza pan - One round metal pan. In a pinch, substitute a baking sheet, but build up the pizza crust edges to hold toppings.
- Roasting pan with rack - One large enough to accommodate a roast (be sure it fits in your oven). A rack helps promote even cooking and prevents the roast from stewing in the pan juices.
- Springform pan - These come in various sizes. We have 9-, 10-, and 11-inch pans. It's good to have multiple sizes. This pan is used to make cheesecakes and other desserts that are tricky to remove from their pans. They have a bottom and sides that separate. A clamp holds the pan together and opens to allow the side to easily be pulled away from the baked dessert.
- Tart pan - The removable bottom makes it easy to neatly transfer a tart to a serving plate. (Shallow quiche or flan pans are one piece, without removable bottoms.
- Tube pan (10-inch) - Also known as an angel food cake pan, this deep pan has a hollow tube in the center that promotes even baking. Most tube pans have removable bottoms.
Better Homes and Gardens, New Cookbook 75th Anniversary Edition.
Kitchen Simple, James Peterson, winner of 6 James Beard Awards.
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