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Now that your pantry is well stocked, it’s time to make sure you have the essential cooking utensils, kitchen tools, kitchen gadgets to prepare all that food. Having the right tools of the trade will make your time in the kitchen more efficient. In this cooking 101 class I will give share with you list of basic must have essential kitchen tools. Keep reading to find out about my online cooking school and which cooking utensils I can’t live without!
How To Sign Up:
If you’d like to join the cooking classes challenge, sign up by joining the Cooking 101: The Basics group on Facebook. Over there you can ask questions, post tips and recipe photos, and help each other along the way.
Please Grab a Button:
If you are following along, the please grab a class button. Put it on your sidebar and/or in your recipe posts you link up (just link it to my home page). I’d love for you to share the classes with your family, friends, on Facebook, and on Twitter!
How the Classes and Challenge Work:
Cooking 101: The Basics is a 16 week class on Wednesdays. I will post a new recipe with tips on getting great results along with pictures. It’s like your own personal online cooking school! Take as long as you need, but once you make the recipe (or a similar version) come back and add your link to the post to share with everyone. No blog…no worries…add your pictures to the Facebook group, we’d all love to see them!
Got questions? Email, leave a comment, but the best place will be the facebook group!
Grab your aprons and let’s get cooking!
WEEK #2 – Tool of the Trade
Hubbyman and I came to an agreement many, many years ago that I could get what I needed for the kitchen (within reason) and he would not fuss at the cost. I figure he gets what he needs for doing yard work and gets whatever will do the job best, no matter the cost. He has to have the right tools for the right job…I would never ask him to use his weed whacker to trim the trees, so why should I have to use a knife to make a smoothie. Or a cheap $100 blender to make a smoothie when I really need the $350 because it does much better work and will last longer in the long run.
So, here is a list of some of my must have tools of the trade. These are so important to me that I’ve already started saving for some of the bigger items so that I can bless my daughter with them when she moves out.
1. Assorted Peelers for Cheese and Other Uses
3. Tongs
4. Microplane
8. Knife
10. Whisks
11. Potato Peeler
13. Thermometers: Candy and Cooking
14. Large Stock Pot
15. Various Sized Mixing Bowls
16. Large Strainer
17. Medium Skillet
18. Basic Bakeware
19. Pepper Grinder
20. Hand Mixer
22. Good Blender
23. Hand Juicer
25. Parchment Paper
26. ZipTop Baggies
{Last week: A Well Stocked Pantry Next Week: Gravy}
No alligator chopper for me, I use my mandoline. But I do need a food processor, due to health issues, because knife skills are zilch.
Mandolin slicers do have a big use in kitchen cooking. With or without knife skills.
Woot! So far so good. I have all of that stuff. I was afraid you were going to say that I had to have a food processor (which I don’t ::sob::)
I have a food processor and I never use it. I hate washing it. A good knife works just fine!!
Well you are missing out on a very useful tool in the kitchen.
This just reminded me to replace some of my old cookie sheets! Thanks!!!
There are a lot of tools that I still don’t have but when I can afford them will have them. Thanks for the information and I know that young ladies that are just getting started will learn a lot from this.
I have all those and more. You didn’t mention any storage containers (ziplock baggies don’t work well for everything) or a stand mixer or a grater or liquid measuring cups. All essentials in my home. Can’t grate cheese without a grater (microplaners don’t work) and you shouldn’t use dry measuring cups for liquids.
As far as measuring cups go, I have no problem with using then for either wet or dry things, but I try to change a lot of my measuring to weight as I own a digital scale for things like grated cheese, minced garlic/shallots/ginger, fresh herbs (which I would include parsley, cilantro, and green onions. Never take for granted that all carrots, leeks, tomatoes, mangoes, pineapple, etc. all weigh the same. So I try to use a weight on such things.
I think I have everything but the Stainless-Steel Sink Strainer – That is awesome! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
You covered a great number of items! I would also include a food saver! I just got one and man, it is handy! It really helps keep food fresher longer, so there is less waste! Less wasted food means more cooking. 🙂
I really need to save up and get a better blender, mixer and new measuring cups!
The food saver was the best thing I have ever bought outside my knives. It has saved me thousands over the 10+ years I have own one.
Now if only I had a kitchen big enough for all those great looking accessories! Plus.I want an island!
I hear ya Mitch….I wanted an island so bad but it wouldn’t fit in my kitchen, so I have a peninsula instead. LOL!
I am slowly trying to replace all my old pieces because they are just beat. You know, my mom didn’t have a set of measuring cups. I had to go out and buy them for her.
I love my measuring cups/spoons….It’s actually the set I linked to and goes up to 2 cups. It’s the biggest set I could find and love it. Can’t imagine not having a set!
Wouldn’t #1 and #11 be the same thing? And the alligator chopped isn’t needed if you know how to use a knife because it’s one less thing that you need to clean that isn’t that easy to clean all the time. Everything else is true.