Table of Contents
1. Chef’s Knife
The first ever knife was used over 2.5 million years ago! Yes, knives are much older than stoves, which means one could consume food untouched by fire but they would still need some kind of cutting tool to prepare it. The chef’s knife is the only kitchen essential you need every single time you whip something up. In fact, the tool is indispensable for meal preparation since every good meal starts with properly-cut ingredients. Be sure to ensure that knife sets include a good chef’s knife.
A good chef’s knife should have a handle that fits your dominant hand like a glove. If you can’t firmly grasp it without much force, it’s not a good tool. On the other hand, you should feel comfortable while grasping the knife. The more complex the knife’s steel is, the sharper and more delicate it is.
2. Stainless Steel Cookware
Stainless steel will have fair to outstanding corrosion resistance depending on the grade of the product. It boasts hardness and high strength while still being easy to fabricate. The latest stainless steel knives have finishes that help reduce bacterial attachment. In fact, stainless steel pans and pots are some of the best kitchen tools to have in your home. You should at least have a frying pan, saute pan, saucepan, and stockpot in your kitchen.
You can buy all these kitchen essentials at the same time by opting for top stainless steel sets from this site. The stainless steel sets include pots and pans that you will be using every time you have to whip something up.
3. The Food Processor
A good food processor is another essential kitchen item. It will make chopping, slicing, dicing, grinding, and shredding a lot faster and easier. Food processors come with numerous blade attachments including a Sabatier or an S-shaped blade. The processor also helps to emulsify liquids aside from faster cutting. On the other hand, there are also attachments for pureeing soups & sauces and beating the batter, and making dough & crusts for bread, pizza, and pies.
4. The Kitchen Thermometer
Foodborne diseases affect more than 48 million people in the United States every year. Many of these diseases arise due to incorrectly or improperly cooked food. That’s why you need a kitchen thermometer for accurate temperature readings. The thermometer will let you know whether the inside of your roast is cooked to perfection or a bloody mess. The thermometer will also help you hone your sugar syrup-making skills.
5. The Mandoline
The size of chopped pieces and the type of cut used can impact the flavor of kitchen ingredients. On the other hand, the surface area of cut vegetables can alter their flavor. In fact, how you chop up your kitchen ingredients can make or break your dish. That’s where a mandoline comes in handy. It allows you to cut various items into uniform pieces. In fact, the “Japanese Madoline” comes with a single straight blade that you could adjust the slicing width. On the other hand, other types of mandolines come with attachments that help make waffle cuts, crinkle cuts, julienned, and dice.
6. Measuring Spoons and Cups
Even though many food recipes are perfect with a “dash” or a “sprinkle,” the same cannot be used for some ingredients like baking soda or yeast. Too little or too much of these ingredients can ruin your perfect dough while deflating or making it bitter. Recipes for soups, sauces, and some liquids also require accurate measurements. The same is true for rice, flour, and similar starchy ingredients. Your dish will turn into a splashy mess when the exact measurements are not met.
That’s why you need measuring spoons and cups. Opt for stainless steel or heat-proof glass measuring spoons and cups. You will need these kitchen essentials when making sugar syrups or pastry creams.
7. The Kitchen Scale
Recipes of pastries and bread are better handled when you weigh the ingredients in them. In fact, you should use weight instead of volume for these ingredients. This is very important when it comes to baking since even a slight weight gap can ruin your recipe altogether. For example, all-purpose flour is two tablespoons heavier compared to cake flour, and if you use a cup of all-purpose flour to substitute a cup of cake flour, the cake would be too dense. A kitchen scale will make sure that you always have the perfect combination and weight of each ingredient in the recipe.
The aforementioned article provides information on some of the most important kitchen essentials that you should have in your home to prepare a perfect meal for your family.
