Must-Haves for Novices in the Kitchen: Everyday Essential Kitchen Utensils
Starting in the kitchen can be a little scary and overwhelming. But don't worry! We're going to be right here to help you get started. First things first, let's talk about the must-have utensils everyone should have in their kitchen. These items will be essential as you start your cooking journey, help you develop your cooking skills, and hopefully help you learn to love cooking and meal planning! So let's dive right in. Keep reading to learn about essential kitchen utensils.
Essential Preparation Tools
You’ll quickly learn that preparation is vital for any dish, especially in meal planning. Here are some of our favorite prep tools to help you save time and prepare your food efficiently.
- Chef's Knife - The importance of using a good knife cannot be overstated. Using a quality knife will make all the difference in your cooking and minimize the risks of injuries. This is a kitchen tool you will likely use when preparing any meal.
- Cutting Boards - Just like a good knife, a good cutting board is essential because these tools will see the most use out of any other tools in your kitchen. Cutting boards make cutting and preparing ingredients easier, preventing the spread of germs throughout the kitchen.
- Measuring Cups - Getting the measurements right is half the battle in cooking. A set of measuring cups takes the guesswork out of measuring ingredients and ensures your recipes will turn out as expected.
- Mixing Bowls - Mixing bowls can be used for almost anything in the kitchen. You will use these for preparing salads, marinades, sauces, and much more. Plus, you can use them to store leftovers easily.
Must-Have Cookware and Bakeware
So now that we've covered what you will need to prepare your food, the next subject to discuss is your cookware and bakeware. Quality cookware and bakeware will serve you for many years to come. Here's what you'll need:
- Copper or Diamond Coated NonStick Skillet - This is your go-to cookware for all frying, browning, searing, sauteing, and much more.
- Copper or Diamond Coated NonStick Saucepan - A saucepan differs from a skillet because it offers a broad, flat bottom and higher sides that make it much easier to cook sauces and braise or sear meat.
- Baking Sheet Pan - The possibilities with a baking sheet are endless. You’ll use a baking sheet to roast meat and vegetables or to bake a tasty dessert.
- Meat Thermometer - When cooking with meat, poultry, and eggs, it's imperative to your health and safety that your ingredients are cooked to the proper temperature. Use a meat thermometer to quickly, and easily, check the internal temperature of your dish while you're cooking.
Our Picks for Essential Kitchen Utensils
At Mealvana, we have a team of experienced chefs who carefully create, test, and perfect each one of our recipes. We asked them what tools they use daily in the kitchen and absolutely couldn't live without. Here are the utensils they listed”
- Silicone Spatula - A quality silicone spatula is a tool that can make all the difference in your cooking experience. Silicone has a higher temperature threshold, meaning it can be used when working with hot pots and pans. It's also an incredibly versatile tool for making sauces, breakfast, and more.
- Double Handled Colander - Colanders have many uses, from steaming vegetables, washing ingredients, straining pasta, and more. It's very important that your colander has a handle on either side. This is paramount for maintaining your safety, especially when working with hot ingredients.
- Can Opener - This tool is one that's easily forgotten. However, you never want to be in a situation where you need to use a canned ingredient and have no way to open it. Save yourself a future headache and add a can opener to your kitchen.
We're so excited to join you as you begin your cooking and meal planning journey! We hope this guide will help ease some nerves about finding the right items for your kitchen. This is one of the first steps to great cooking, and we know you'll be whipping up delicious meals in no time. Be sure to join our newsletter for more cooking tips and tricks!
