Kitchen equipment essentials to become a master chef of your own kitchen
You’ve committed to cooking more meals at home, hooray! Cooking at home is a great way to improve your personal health!
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) “Americans consume an average of more than 3,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium each day. But the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that Americans consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium each day as part of a healthy eating pattern.” Health risks of too much sodium in the diet include high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke to name a few.
Cooking at home means you get to control the ingredients that go into your meals and you can choose more health-conscious cooking methods. And did I mention the amount of money you can save?
Being a graduate of culinary school, I’ve put together a list of 20 essentials you’ll need to be a master chef of your own kitchen
Cutting board
Cooking at home means you will be chopping and slicing, you’ve got to protect your countertops (and knives!) by using a cutting board. I prefer a wooden cutting board but there are many different types available. Make sure you are thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing your cutting board between uses to prevent cross-contamination (the transfer of harmful bacteria from one food to another). I would also recommend putting a wet cloth or wet paper towel under your cutting board to prevent it from slipping!
Colander/Strainer
To rinse beans, stain pasta, or wash chopped produce you will need a colander.
Mixing bowls
For mixing dry ingredients together, salads, and storage.
Measuring cups and spoons
Recipes have ingredients in measured amounts, you will need measuring spoons and cups to measure out ingredients needed. I personally prefer stainless steel spoons because of their durability.
Chef Knife
One of the most important tools you will use in the kitchen. You want it to be sharp and to fit comfortably in your hand. You can get a chef’s knife in 8-inch or 10-inch blade length. I would recommend making an investment into a quality chef’s knife, it’s definitely worth it! I like Dexter, it’s an affordable and reputable brand. Click here for a short tutorial on how to handle and use a chef’s knife.
Paring Knife
It’s important you are using the correct knife for the job. You wouldn’t use a large, long blade chef knife to cut small cherry tomatoes right? A Paring knife is an essential must-have that you will use regularly when cooking at home in your kitchen.
Bread Knife
Bread, cakes, and baked goods with hard outer edges and soft centers will require the use of a serrated knife (bread knife). I also use it to cut watermelon in the summer.
Pots and Pans
There are so many options for pots and pans, let’s break down some materials and then review the types you will use most often.
- Stainless steel- withstands high heat, but foods may stick. Cheaper stainless steel are more likely to wear down quicker
- Nonstick- easy to clean, but make sure to avoid using metal utensils. The coating may break down and flake off into your foods over time if it’s not a quality product
- Cast iron- natural nonstick, has a long life but does need special care. Click here to see how to clean and season cast iron pans
- Copper-expensive but is great for even heat distribution when cooking
Oven mitts and pot holders
I think this is obvious but important! Burning yourself is not fun.
Range
A range can be electric or gas. Roast, bake, and broil foods inside the range or oven. Boil, simmer and saute on the stovetop.
Spatulas, Tongs, Vegetable Peeler
Spatulas help you mix ingredients in bowls or turn or flip foods in a pan. Tongs will help hold a hot food item steady while you are slicing the item with the other hand or use tongs to turn foods. Peelers are obviously used for taking the outer skin off the vegetables but you can also make some fun vegetable noodles using peelers as well!
Baking sheet(s)
FYI- a cookie sheet has no edges, which is fine for baking cookies. A baking sheet has edges and any roasting should be done on a baking sheet so juices don’t run off the side of the sheet into the bottom of your oven.
Blender
Make smoothies, sauces, and blended soups
Thermometer
cooking food to the proper internal temperature is paramount to food safety! I’ve included the current recommendations below. Here is a link to one of my favorite thermometers.
| Food | Type | Internal Temperature (F) |
| Ground meat and meat mixtures | beef, pork, veal, lamb | 160 |
| Ground meat and meat mixtures | turkey, chicken | 165 |
| Fresh beef, veal, lamb | steaks, roasts, chops rest time: 3 minutes | 145 |
| Poultry | All poultry (breast, whole bird, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry, giblets, and stuffing) | 165 |
| Pork and ham | fresh pork, including fresh ham rest time: 3 minutes | 145 |
| Pork and ham | Precooked ham (to reheat) Note: Reheat cooked hams packaged in USDA-inspected plants to 140°F | 165 |
| Eggs and egg dishes | egg dishes, quiche, frittata, casseroles | 165 |
| Seafood | fish with fins | 145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork |
| Seafood | shrimp, lobster, crab, scallops | cook until flesh is pearly or white, and opaque |
| Seafood | clams, oysters, mussels | cook until shells open during cooking |
Bonus items
box grater-shred blocks of cheese, grate potatoes for hashbrowns, zest some citrus
silicone baking mats-these are not a necessity but I have found them to be a lifesaver for my baking sheet clean up and you aren’t using as much single-use parchment paper for baking…it’s a win-win!
knife sharpener- my chef instructors in culinary school always said ” A sharp knife is a safe knife” and I could not agree more! the more dull your blade is the harder you press down to slice or chop and you are more likely to slip putting a bunch of force on the blade and can cut yourself! This item could actually be moved into the essential category!
Parchment paper-not just to lay down on your baking sheets but you can make a pouch of parchment paper and put food in the pouch and bake it closed up and steam the food inside. French chefs call this cooking method En papillote which means “enveloped in paper”. Italian chefs call this cooking method Al cartoccio. Fish, vegetables, lamb, and poultry can be cooked this way.
Now that we’ve covered the list of kitchen essentials, let’s talk about financial investment. For the above items, you get to decide how much you would like to spend. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, some items like utensils, graters, peelers, and oven mitts can be purchased at Dollar Tree or similar stores.
What matters is that you have committed to your personal health by cooking at home more and dining out less frequently, be proud of yourself!
If you have any comments or questions about the kitchen essential list I would love to hear from you!
About The Author
leanne.timpone
Leanne Timpone is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with a degree in Culinary Arts in St. Louis, MO. She has worked in healthcare for the last thirteen years. She provides nutrition counseling and culinary insight to help others achieve their health and wellness goals. She is a wife and mother of two boys, loves to cook, and enjoys taking family walks.