Kitchen Essentials: What Every Kitchen Needs

In order to run your kitchen efficiently, you need a few basic items. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional or a beginner there is nothing more frustrating for a chef than not having the tools needed to prepare meals efficiently. Who wants to run around the kitchen looking for the items you need when preparing meals and using cookware not designed for the job? This can spell disaster!

Not only will it affect the way your food looks and taste but using the wrong pot or pan for the job can also damage the cookware. As a result, you’ll need to replace these items more often than you should have to, which is why having the right tool for the job is very important.

Make sure your kitchen is equipped with all the essential items you need to run efficiently and you’ll have a well-organized and fully functional area where you can enjoy preparing meals.

Kitchen Essentials Every Chef Should Have

Kitchen essentials are the items you need to prepare the meals that your family loves with ease. The type of meals you prepare will determine exactly what items you need to keep your kitchen running smoothly. However, there are a few crucial items that every kitchen needs regardless of what type of foods you enjoy.

Below are some of the essential items every kitchen needs to run efficiently:

• Non-stick cookware- This includes all types of pots and pans such as frying pans, saucepans and sauté pans along with lids to fit each of them.
• Quality knife set- These should be sharp, easy to handle and balanced for a great cutting experience.
• Mixing and prep bowls- There is nothing more irritating than trying to prepare a meal and then discovering that you do not have the right size mixing or prep bowl for the job.
• Colander- Whether you’re straining pasta or rinsing your fruits and vegetables, every kitchen needs a colander.
• Wood cutting board- A good quality board will make preparing meals much easier and they won’t dull the cutting edge of your knives like hard counter tops will.
• Measuring cups and spoons- Sometimes you can add a pinch of salt or a dap of honey and everything will turn out fine but other times, you need exact measurements to follow the recipe correctly, so you need a good set of measuring cups and spoons.
• Cooking utensils- Spatulas, spoons, ladles, tongs, whisk and potato mashers are some of the most commonly used cooking utensils needed to run your kitchen efficiently.
• Digital cooking thermometer- The best way to cook tender, juicy steaks or other meats and to make sure you’re reaching the desired temperature is to use a cooking thermometer.
• Can opener- Even if you mainly use all fresh ingredients when preparing meals, there will still be times when you need a good can opener.

No kitchen is complete without the items listed above, so make sure yours is fully stocked with all the essentials needed to prepare meals in a fast and efficient manner.

Quality Does Matter

When shopping for items to fill your kitchen, always buy quality products because it benefits you in the end. You can find bargain cookware that looks nice at first but after a few uses, you’ll notice it’s not working as well as it did in the beginning. Investing in quality cookware like the Swiss Diamond collection or the All Clad cookware will make a big difference. These will last you for years when taken care of properly and they will work as well as they did when you first purchased them.

The same is true when buying knife sets. Quality knives will hold their sharp edges longer and perform better for many years. For example, by purchasing Global or Wusthof Knife sets, you won’t have to worry about them not performing as well after a few short months because these quality knives will last for years.

Another thing to consider is how many items you buy. There is no need to fill your kitchen with items that you’ll never use and when you buy quality items, you won’t need to buy duplicates. For example, do you really need two or three frying pans of the same size? Not if you can depend on the one you have to perform perfectly every time.

Keep in mind that price is not always an indication of quality. You can buy expensive cookware or knife sets that do not work as well as a brand that cost much less. Therefore, do your research to learn about your different options and to see what other cooks around the globe are using. This will help you determine which brands to use when buying the essential items your kitchen needs to run efficiently.