Kitchen Essentials
As I sit writing this journal entry, there are many things coming to mind for kitchen essentials, but I believe I can write a list of items that no kitchen should be without. When preparing food, or cooking food, there are thousands of kitchen gadgets that everyone has tried, but we always end up back where we started. These gadgets are unitaskers, a term made popular by the television host and cook Alton Brown. These unitaskers take up space in our pantry, and typically only get used once in a blue moon.
This is a list of multitaskers that we can have in the kitchen that will prove essential in all aspects in culinary arts. Here is a list of commonly used essential gear any home cook should have at their disposal:
-A Quality Chefs Knife-
A quality chefs knife is the tool that every professional chef, line cook, and home cook needs in their arsenal. There are many different brands out there, with price ranges as low as $15 and as high as you can imagine. There are a few things every beginner needs to know when purchasing their first knife. You don’t need the most expensive knife out there to get good results. There are a bunch of affordable knives, and there are two knives that stick out compared to the rest.
The first knife of the two is an 8 inch chef’s knife from one of the best known companies when it comes to knives, Victorinox, the brand behind swiss army knives. This knife features a high carbon stainless steel blade and comfortable ergonomic rubberized handle. With tons of five star reviews, you would definitely be able to get your moneys worth out of this knife coming in at just under $50.
Victorinox 8" Classic Chef's Knife
The second, more expensive choice, is a knife that is used by loads of professional chefs and home cooks as well. This knife is made by Wusthof and comes in at about $170, and is worth every penny. This is a German 8 inch stainless steel knife, that features a full tang, triple rivetted through the handle, and a full bolster. Wusthof has made this quality piece of gear well balanced, and stays extremely sharp for an extended period of time with regular use.
Wusthof Classic 8" Chef's Knife
*as a disclaimer, I should take the time to mention that everyone is different, and suggest you visit a kitchen supply store to hold the knives and get a feel for which knife you like the most. I personally use a Korin 8.2” gyuto chef’s knife. Please hand wash any chef’s knife you use. Make sure your knives are dry when you put them away, since stainless steel that is heat treated for hardness may still rust if exposed to moisture for an extended amount of time. Take care of those beautiful knives.
-Nonstick Pan(s)-
This may be a taboo subject to some purists when it comes to cookware. There are plenty of different styles of pans out there that boast the most non-stick ever, and then even more people that opt for stainless cookware and cast iron over non-stick for the heat retention, but every beginner, and every chef should have a non stick pan in their pantry.
There are many different brands of non-stick cookware that you can buy, and just like the knives, big price differences. you don’t need to go out and buy the most expensive non-stick cookware out there to get the job done, so here is a couple choices you can go for the next time you are in the store. I will be comparing two 12” non-stick skillets for a comparable size to price. It would be preferable to have at least one frying pan, and one sauce pan in the kitchen.
The first pan I would suggest is one that I personally use every single day, whether it be for eggs, pancakes, meats, sauces, etc. This would be the Blue Diamond 12” Frying pan. This pan has a ceramic non-stick coating, and rivetted stainless steel handle, which is oven and broiler safe up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. coming in at just under $30, you’d be hard pressed to find a cheaper pan that compares to this. this pan has a 4.5 avg. customer review on Amazon, with over 11k reviews.
Blue Diamond Toxin-free Non-stick Fry Pan- 12"
The second 12 inch fry pan on this list boasts an extremely hard non-stick coating that is safe to use metal utensils while cooking. This is the Ninja Foodi NeverStick 12 in frying pan. These pans are stainless steel with a rivetted stainless steel handle, which is dishwasher safe, and oven safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. This pan costs $69.99, with a 4.7 avg. customer review on Amazon with 127 reviews as of this journal entry.
Ninja Foodi NeverStick 12" Frying Pan
*As with the knives, non-stick cookware is labelled as dishwasher safe, but you should definitely try to hand wash your non-stick cookware to retain the coating that is on it. you should also try to refrain from using metal utensils on your non-stick pans to reduce the chance of scratching the coating on the pan.
-Silicone Spatulas, Wooden utensils, Whisks and Tongs-
This may be more than one item, but they serve useful purposes. You should have a couple silicone spatulas in your kitchen for moving sauces, or turning eggs, folding meringues or general use. There isn’t much to look for, even though there are a few different styles. I prefer solid silicone spatulas with either a plastic handle, or a handle that is molded into the spatula.
Oxo 3 Piece Silicone Utensil Set
You would also benefit from having a few wooden utensils in your arsenal of culinary tools. wooden tools are great for stirring, mixing, or when placed over a pot of water, to keep the water from boiling over the pot.
Oxo 3 piece Wooden Utensil set
If there is only room enough for one whisk, get yourself a balloon whisk. This will be a multitasker that you can use from mixing flours, and ingredients, to bringing sauces together with no lumps.
Tongs are a great essential to have in the kitchen. There are many uses, especially for those who want to keep from burning themselves when flipping a steak, or a chicken. I have a set of silicone tongs that I also use for serving salads and sides, as well as a set of stainless tongs for grilling.
Oxo 12" Locking Tongs with Silicone Heads
All of these kitchen utensils are offered by different brands, but one brand stands out among all, and that would be Oxo, which have some of the highest quality kitchen tools for a reasonable price point.
-Thermometer(s)-
If you plan on cooking different proteins and different cuts of meat, a must have for any cook is a proper thermometer. There are two different types of thermometers that will help cook every cut to the perfect temperature.
The first thermometer that should be bought immediately is an instant-read thermometer. If you have a chicken breast cooking in the oven, instead of overcooking it and having the chicken come out rubbery or extremely dry, or undercooked and risk salmonella poisoning from improperly cooked poultry, whip out that instant-read thermometer and check the temperature of the meat. different cuts of meat have different cooking temperatures, and an instant-read thermometer is the perfect tool to determine the perfect amount of doneness of your meal. Here is a ThermoPro, the go to brand for thermometers all over the internet, with a reasonable price point to boot.
ThermoPro Instant-Read Kitchen Thermometer
The second type of thermometer that proves itself as essential in the kitchen is a probe thermometer. ThermoPro has many different probe thermometers that have different options such as Bluetooth, wi-fi, and even multiprobe units. These are ideal when you have a long and slow cooking process such as smoking meats, or a long oven roast. Many of these probe thermometers even have an alarm that goes off on a timer or when your meal is at the proper temperature. Check out this ThermoPro that I use whenever I have to use a probe thermometer.
ThermoPro Wireless 4 Probe Thermometer
-Cutting Boards-
Cutting boards. There are many options, but a few stand out. Every kitchen needs a couple of quality cutting boards. We use many different materials when making a cutting board, from wood, to bamboo, to nylon and each have their use.
When choosing your first cutting board, I would suggest a Nylon cutting board for one specific reason, proteins. When prepping meats, poultry, fish or any type of protein on a cutting board, you want to use nylon, or something that isn’t porous like wood, so that you can easily wash any bacteria off your board. Nylon cutting boards are fairly gentle on the cutting edge of your knife, and you will get many years out of your nylon.
The second cutting board everyone should have in there kitchen is a nice wooden cutting board. These boards can be bought at a nice thickness that contributes a nice weight to hold the cutting board down and keep it from moving on your work surface. You can take care of your wooden cutting boards by hand washing only so that you prevent bacteria growth through excess water. When you wash your wooden cutting boards, use a conditioner for the wood such as a butcher block conditioner(mineral oil and bees wax that is food safe), and condition your board regularly for years of use cutting produce. You should refrain from using wooden cutting boards for meat, poultry and fish, so that you don’t encourage bacteria growth or risk cross contamination.
Acacia 11"x16" Reversible Cutting board
* I do Make my own wooden cutting boards, but for the sake of this journal entry, I want to offer affordable and available tools that are easily ordered online. I am also not sponsored by any of these products, and would like to disclose that I have tried a majority of these products on this list.
-Honorable Mentions-
There are a few honorable mentions that can be considered essential for your kitchen, and you can find them just about anywhere. The first item in this section is perfect to have around when you need to wipe or clean something, or just dry off those hands after washing them, and it would be tea towels, or kitchen towels. Secondly, a nice cast iron Dutch-oven with lid is ideal for anyone looking to make soups, stews and roasts. You can even get ceramic coated Dutch-ovens for easy clean up. Cast iron skillets are wonderful to have for even cooking and heat retention as well. And last but not least, having fun is crucial in the kitchen, even though it’s not necessarily a kitchen essential. Stay healthy. Stay happy. Stay cooking my friends.
Thank you for reading my Kitchen Essentials Journal, and feel free to contact me on any other essentials that you use every day in the kitchen. If you have any suggestions for other brands, or products, I would love to get your input for future journal entries.
-Nobrega’s Kitchen, est.2021-
