Kitchen Essentials: What Ever Kitchen Should Have

If you plan to use your kitchen well, you should have the right tools so you can do what you want with ease. You may have the best kitchen appliances in the world but without some basic items, you won’t be able to do a thing. Unfortunately, many beginning cooks don’t know what to do or what to get. This short article gives an overview of kitchen essentials you should have. All these items are available at discount stores or specialty shops.

First, forget the notion that your kitchen should have the same equipment that top chefs have. That’s possible only if you spend a lot of money. However, not everything you need has to be expensive. Basic cookware doesn’t cost a fortune but you can accomplish a lot with it.

Here’s what you need: 1-quart saucepan with lid, 3-quart saucepan with lid, 4- to 6-quart Dutch Oven pot (also with lid), 6- to 8-inch skillet, and a 12-inch skillet with cover. You’ll also need at least one baking sheet, a muffin pan, 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan, 13 x 9 baking dish, 8 x 8 baking dish, two 8- or 9-inch round baking pans, roasting pan or roaster (with lid), pizza pan, and a casserole dish or two.

That should make up your basic cookware. Next we go to utensils. Obviously, you need these to cook and you should have a set of glass mixing bowls, measuring cups, one clear glass or plastic measuring cup, wooden or plastic spoons, rubber spatulas (use metal spatulas for barbecue), paring knife, serrated knife, chef's knife, carving knife, sharpening steel (to keep your knives sharp), meat mallet, long-handled spoon and fork, slotted spoon, tongs, kitchen scissors, and a corkscrew.

Other must-haves are a can opener (hand or electric), grater/shredder, bottle opener, strainer, small and large cutting board, sifter, rolling pin, meat thermometer, oven thermometer, wire cooling rack, kitchen timer, and a set of silverware. These are the things that will make your kitchen complete.