8 Useful Tools Every Good Cook Has In Their Kitchen

Table of Contents

1. A Knife Set[+]
   1. Chef Knives
   2. Paring Knives
   3. Serrated Knives
2. A Mixing Bowl
3. Measuring Cups
4. A Blender
5. A Grater & Peeler
6. A Spatula
7. A Pressure Cooker
8. An Air Fryer
9. Useful Tools Every Good Cook Has

As a good cook, your kitchen is your main place of work. A Proficient cook relies on various tools in their well-equipped kitchen to prepare delicious dishes. Beginners might overlook the importance of certain small but crucial kitchen items that can significantly impact the outcome of a meal. Here are 6 useful tools that every good cook has in their kitchen.

A Knife Set

A knife set is pretty much a staple for any kitchen. Not having to carefully choose which knives you need and finding the right sharpening stone can save you a lot of time in the long run. As far as kitchen accessories go, the right knife can both make your cooking experience more enjoyable and help end up with a better quality dish. There are multiple types of knives that you can get, but the main ones that are found in most knife sets are chef knives, paring knives, and serrated knives.

Chef Knives

A chef knife is an all-purpose knife that can be used for chopping or mincing vegetables, fruits, meats, and more. Chef knives are usually between 6 – 10 inches long. They are the most commonly used type of knife in a kitchen because they are larger than other types of knives and can do many things at once.

Paring Knives

A paring knife is a small, but very sharp knife that is used for peeling and cutting fruits and vegetables. Some people like to use this type of knife for more intricate jobs because they are smaller than chef knives and allows you to be more precise. Unlike chef knives, most paring knives will come in a set of 2 or more.

Serrated Knives

Serrated knives, designed for slicing bread and similar foods that require a sawing motion, feature ridges that offer a better grip on what you’re cutting compared to regular blades. Using a serrated knife can prevent your bread from getting squished during the cutting process.

A Mixing Bowl

In any good kitchen, you should always have at least one mixing bowl on hand. These bowls can be used for mixing ingredients, but they can also be used for prepping foods ahead of time before cooking them.

Mixing bowls can be made out of a variety of materials such as ceramic, glass, stainless steel, and more. Some mixing bowls may also have lids that you can use to store the ingredients in them until they’re needed later on. Mixing bowls can range from small individual ones up to larger family-sized ones depending on what you need for your cooking situation.

Measuring Cups

Every competent cook should always check the required ingredients before attempting a recipe. Using a measuring cup simplifies the process of accurately measuring ingredients, ensuring you don’t waste food by preparing too much or too little.

You can find measuring cups in a wide variety of materials such as ceramic, metal, and glass. They come in different shapes and sizes depending on what you need them for.

A Blender

A blender is a tool that many good cooks use to make soups, sauces, and more. Blenders can be used for quickly chopping up fruits and vegetables into smaller pieces which makes them great for creating smoothies or pureeing food such as onions.

Blenders vary in motor speed and offer various features, including pulse settings, seed and nut grinders, or whisk attachments. Kitchen supply stores offer a diverse selection of blenders, including compact personal ones and large restaurant-sized models, suitable for various cooking needs.

A Grater & Peeler

A grater and peeler are two very common tools that most good cooks use daily. Graters are for shredding foods into small pieces, while peeling tools remove the outer skin from fruits and vegetables.

There are many different types that you can choose from including larger box-style graters, handheld graters, and swivel peelers.

A Spatula

A spatula, often overlooked by many skilled cooks until the need arises, plays a vital role in the kitchen. It serves to flip and transfer foods without causing them to break apart during cooking. You can select from various spatula types based on your specific requirements. Metal spatulas can endure high temperatures, are durable, and easy to clean, while plastic ones are disposable. Rubber or silicone spatulas are ideal for gentle scraping of bowls without causing damage.

A Pressure Cooker

A pressure cooker is a useful tool that can speed up your cooking time considerably. Pressure cookers cook food by placing it inside, adding a small amount of water, sealing it, and then applying heat. The increased pressure causes the temperature to rise which cooks the food much faster than regular stovetop cooking or baking.

Pressure cookers come in different sizes depending on how many people you need to feed with them. Some may also have multiple cooking settings for various types of foods.

An Air Fryer

An air fryer is a relatively new appliance that’s growing in popularity. Air fryers are used for cooking foods by adding very little oil to them and using hot air to make the food crispy instead.

Numerous air fryer models are available in the market, each offering unique features that can be discovered through research. Although certain air fryers may be more expensive, they typically offer additional cooking settings and an improved food-holding design while cooking.

Useful Tools Every Good Cook Has

Most skilled cooks consider these 8 kitchen essentials crucial. These tools can greatly enhance a cook’s arsenal, but you should select those that best match your requirements. In today’s market, various practical cooking utensils are readily available at affordable prices in local grocery or department stores.

Thank you for reading!