There are some days that I feel like I am living in my kitchen. Ever since I have gone full time, I really don’t think I leave my peninsula, and I am always cooking delicious food. As I am writing this I am currently making ribs while I am typing this so if that gives you any clue! At this point in my life, I don’t know where I would be. If I had a stressful day at my old job, I anticipated coming home and cooking dinner and if it was a super bad day, sometimes dessert. Cooking has been my happy place for a while now and honestly the tools in my kitchen are like my best friends! My mom has helped me accumulate so many different kitchen tools that I use daily, and honestly, I don’t know where I would be without them (and her).

If you guys are just starting out cooking, welcome! Stick around for recipes and other food writings from this blog as well! For those just starting out, having the right tools to do the jobs is important! So today, I thought I would share with you what equipment and tools you should have in your kitchen! Yes I know that sometimes money is tight but you can still find many of these tools at garage sales, thrift stores, and even friends who will sell you them!

 

A Good Knife Set

You may not realize it, but you will use those babies more time than you can count. Sharper knives cause less accidents. When you have a dull knife, you may have to twist and turn your blade which can cause your grip to slip, which in turn can lead to harmful cuts. If you don’t own a good set of knives, I wouldn’t recommend just buying any. The knife set I currently have is what my mom gave me a few years back and they are pretty good! We have had them for quite a long time, so as long as I sharpen them, they work just great.

If you have the money, I would recommend going to your local kitchen outlet store and testing out a couple. When looking for a good knife, you want to keep into mind the weight, the shape and size, the balance as well as the hilt of the knife. At most kitchen outlet stores, they allow you to test out the knives on a cutting board so before you buy, definitely try to test it out. The ones I have are pretty old but the Chicago Cutlery Brand works great for me! Just try them before you buy!

 

A Heavy Duty Pot and Pan Set

Cooking 3 meals a day plus snacks and other treats can definitely be a beating on your pots and pans. Unless you solely use a microwave you will for sure need a pot and pan set. Your first set doesn’t have to be amazing but if you invest the money, you will get what you pay for. I currently have a T-Fal set and it is AMAZING! It’s lasted me so long, conducts heat wonderfully, and is easy to clean! If you have rubber or plastic tools, then Teflon pans should work just fine for you! If you use metal utensils on Teflon, the Teflon covering will chip off.

I have been looking into some steel pots and pans so I can use some metal utensils. Steel pots and pans can conduct heat a little better as well so if you can afford them, I would get steel! Lastly, if you have a gas stove GET A CAST IRON! Cast Iron pans have such a even heat source and give an amazing char and flavor to meats and veggies alike. If you do get a cast iron pan, READ THOSE INSTRUCTIONS. You cannot use soap when washing a cast iron pan.

 

A Diverse Set of Utensils

There are over 100 utensils that people can use. Some you will use daily, others you will use yearly. From whisks to crab crackers, what utensils should you buy. Having forks, spoons, and knives are common of course, and if you really, really wanted to you could just use forks and spoons constantly, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I bake usually once or twice a week so some of the baking tools I have include: rubber spatulas, whisks, wooden spoons, muffin tins, cake pans, and so much more! I also have quite a few cooking tools like flipping spatulas, a baster, a scraper (at least that’s what I call it), and so many other things!

Having the right utensil is sometime crucial for some recipes. Having oven mitts, and other things are also very important and down below I will show you the tools I use!

 

Hand Mixer

Having a large stand mixer isn’t always practical for some people which is totally understandable. I bake a lot and having a stand mixer was the better option for me. If you haven’t noticed yet throughout my blog, my mom has gifted me so many things! I got my first kitchenaid stand mixer from my mom and honestly I don’t want to go back! There are a few days where I feel lazy and the hand mixer is the perfect tool for the job!

Hand mixers are essentially a smaller version of your average stand mixer and can be used for everything from making cakes, to whipping up some eggs to make a meringue. These are also a little easier to clean, because you don’t have to wipe down a large machine. You can get so many different hand mixers from everywhere, but a kitchen aid one is the one I would recommend, but brands like Hamilton Beach and Black and Decker. You can get them at Target for pretty cheap!

 

 

Pestle and Mortar

I am sure some of you read this and have no idea what I  am talking about. I never thought I would use this but it was on sale so I picked it up. If I didn’t use it would look good as a prop for my photos. Little did I know that this would be one of the most used tools in my kitchen! If you don’t know what a pestle and mortar is, this is what it looks like 

This is what I like to call “the hands on food processor”. Although it doesn’t nearly grind as well as the food processor, the feeling of putting in the work with your hands to make a delicious sauce, chimichurri, and so many other things. I got mine from Creative Kitchen in Fargo and I think it was $20 full price! They are super nice to grind fresh ground salt and pepper. I love chimichurri and it is so much better being able to choose the consistency of how I want it. With a pestle and mortar, I can control how big I want the herb chunks, garlic chunks and so much other things

 

 

Measuring Cups and Spoons

If you aren’t sure how to eyeball a measurement for a recipe, you  will for sure want a good set of measuring cups and spoons! If you do bake regularly, you know the importance of accurate measurements and how it can affect a recipe! I would always recommend a dry and wet measure cup. If you don’t know the difference, the wet cup actually looks like a cup with a mini spout on the end and are usually glass. A dry cup usually looks like a scoop, and can range from metal to plastic! These are what mine look like! They aren’t to expensive, so I would recommend getting a set today!

 

 

These are just a few of my favorite tools that I use almost daily in my  kitchen! Do you think I forgot anything? Anything you can’t live without? Let me know down in the comments below! If this post was helpful give it a like and consider following me!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

-Bre 🙂