These 10 kitchen prep tools are all you’ll need
If you’re a home chef like me, you don’t need fancy shmancy cooking tools to get the job done. Don’t get me wrong. I love cool gadgets but my problem is, where do I store these collections of “things I really want but don’t need.”
Most recently, I purchased a mandoline and I’ve used it once. Truth be told? I’m actually afraid of it since it tries to slice a portion of my finger off every time I use it. It is currently stored in a bathroom cabinet among extra toilet paper and other gadgets that have no place or business in my kitchen.
If you’re the type to start collecting all kinds of cooking tools, before you know it your cupboards will be overflowing with processors, electric squeezers, juicers, bullets, and things that I call gizmos or doodads.
If the above sounds like you, it may be time to pare it down to these 10 essential prep tools.
1. Sharp, high quality knives
Every cook or chef will tell you that good quality knives top the list of kitchen essentials and are definitely worth the investment. I have four that I can’t live without — a chef’s knife, a paring knife, a serrated knife and a boning knife. You might also want to get a sharpening stone to keep your knives in top condition. The Zwilling J.A. Henckels one (pictured above) is one my faves.
Zwilling J.A. Henckels 8-inch chef’s knife, $126, thebay.com
2. Chopping boards
I seem to have a thing for cutting boards in my kitchen. I have wood, bamboo, glass, stone and plastic. You don’t need a wide variety but having at least two (one for raw food and the other for cooked food) is ideal. This way they’ll prevent cross contamination, protect your counter, help keep you knives sharper longer and allows you to easily transport food from one place to another. That’s something I’m always doing as a food blogger — running around with food!
Regardless of the type of cutting board you choose, make sure that it is large enough to accommodate the amount of food you will be cutting. You don’t want your food rolling onto the floor or into your sink just because your board is tiny and cute. Also, always make sure you clean your cutting boards well, especially after using them with raw poultry or meat.
Chopping boards, from $15, williams-sonoma.com.
3. Mixing bowls
A cool set of mixing and serving bowls can make your meal prep less messy and table presentation effortless.
For food prep, I use glass and stainless steel only —a tip I picked up from my years in the kitchen. Cast iron or aluminium vessels are reactive, whereas glass and stainless steel bowls are not. If you were to make a sauce that is acidic (perhaps one that’s tomato-based or contains lemon juice) in a reactive pot or bowl, it may pick up a metallic taste.
Always buy a set of mixing bowls that nest or fit into each other. This make storage a breeze and you’ll save so much space. Colourful bowls will also brighten up your kitchen.
Mixing Bowl Set, $30, kitchenstuffplus.com
4. Measuring cups and spoons
These little cups and spoons are essential if you’re a baker. Aside from using these to measure accurate amounts of ingredients, I also love using a large measuring cup to mix sauces and it can even double as a ladle!
Pro tip: measure your dry ingredients before the wet and use multiple measuring cups and spoons to get the amounts you need so you don’t have to wash the same measuring spoon or cup over and over. (Eg: if you’ve dirtied the one cup measurer, simply use the half cup twice.)
Cypress Grove Measuring Spoons, $20, pier1.com
5. Grater
A grater is just one of those perfect tools that’s so versatile and saves you so much time in the kitchen. Pick one with a variety of holes, larger holes are great for shredding cheese, potatoes, carrots, apples and other produce; smaller holes or a microplane are perfect for grating ginger, garlic, spices, chocolate, cheese and zesting citrus peels.
Microplane Box Grater, $62, williams-sonoma.com
6. Sieves, colanders and strainers
One of my “can’t do without” kitchen tools are sieves, strainers and colanders. You need these to drain pasta, rinse canned food items, remove seeds from berry sauces, strain herbs from sauces, remove blanched vegetables from boiling water and sift dry ingredients when baking. They come in a variety of sizes and materials, some even nest inside of each other to conserve space in your kitchen cabinets.
Architec gripper colander, $14, bedbathandbeyond.ca
7. Whisks
Whisks are another must-have kitchen tool that can be used for both wet and dry ingredients. Use it to mix up a sauce, beat your eggs or whip up a batch of phenomenal whipped cream (no more canned stuff, yuck).
Electric or stand mixers are definitely the way to go for big batches of baking and cooking tasks. But if you’re willing to put in some elbow grease, you can skip the expensive appliance, save cabinet space and do it the old fashioned way.
Danesco Mini Silicone Tipped Whisk, $3, kitchenstuffplus.com
8. Spoons and spatulas
What would you do in the kitchen without a spoon or a spatula? Use your hands to flip your pancakes and stir your sauces? Nah. These are probably one of the most essential tools in my kitchen and are practically always in my hand.
Wooden spoons are great for protecting my non-stick cookware (plus they won’t melt like some plastic ones would). Long and skinny spatulas make frosting a cake or other desserts a breeze, and wide spatulas are perfect for scraping batter or other wet ingredients out of a mixing bowl.
Le Creuset Wooden Slotted Spoon, $39, williams-sonoma.com
9. Kitchen tongs
Here’s another tool that I can’t live without. My trusty tongs. I use these to toss pasta, vegetables and salad and sometimes to flip my chicken when I’m searing or frying it in a pan. They are perfect for transferring hot food from the grill or pan to a dinner plate.
Cuisinart stainless steel locking tongs, $10, cayneshousewares.com
10. Vegetable peeler
Sure you can just use a paring knife but life is so much simpler with this easy tool. Some peelers come with adjustable heads so you can control the thicknes and width of the peel.
Kitchenaid euro peeler, $12, amazon.com
While these 10 prep tools will set you up well for success in the kitchen, they’re not a one size fits all. Pick the tools that best suit your needs. Happy cooking!
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