Setting up your kitchen might feel daunting if you’ve never done it before or if you’re starting over. Kitchen supplies of all types saturate the market today. While navigating the kitchen supply aisle, you might wonder what you need compared to what you might use only once or twice. Besides a good cookware set, here’s a narrowed-down list of essential items everyone needs.
A Variation of Bowls
To prepare any dish or dessert, you need to have a system of bowls that can serve multiple purposes. Generally, a bowl set comes with bowls in a variety of sizes and widths, so you can pick and choose what will work best for a recipe. Because bowls are key kitchen utensils everyone needs, they make great gifts for newlyweds or housewarming parties.
Measuring Supplies
Some cooks are so good that they don’t even follow recipes. Others use cookbooks and follow family recipes to ensure they get the flavor just right every time. If you’re a recipe-follower, consider items such as:
- Measuring cups: A set of multi-size cups allows you to use the size you need to meet ingredient requirements.
- Measuring spoons: Typically, measuring spoons are all attached so that you don’t lose the most-used options. The ability to use a measuring spoon replaces the “dash” or “pinch” method.
Quality Knives
The great debate on which knife set is the best may never find a resolution. And that’s okay, as long as you know which knives work best for your cooking needs. The prime intent behind selecting your knife set is to ensure that they’re sharp and that they allow you to cut efficiently. A sharp knife in the kitchen can make or break your prep time and ultimately create a good flow when you’re cooking.
Cutting Boards
Though small, a cutting board is a key kitchen utensil everyone needs. It’s generally best to have a board designated for meat and another for produce. The material of the board also plays a role in what goes on it. Your meat board should be made of dishwasher-safe plastic. With the produce board, you can go one of two ways: plastic or wood.
Maybe these don’t sound as fun—or as boring—as you imagined. What you purchase is ultimately up to you. Feel free to go overboard in the utensil aisle, but also know that less is often more: these essentials will get the job done.