Kitchen Essentials for Beginners

There are a lot of recipes out there on the world wide web, but for those who do not cook on the daily, it is definitely a daunting task. And whether you are someone that is new to cooking or someone who would like to start experimenting in the kitchen, there are some kitchen tools that are essential for this.

Here is my list of kitchen essentials that I use in almost every meal preparation:

A great set of knives.

When we moved house, this was a non-negotiable for my kitchen. Because if you buy yourself a set of knives that are not sharp, it makes cooking a chore and a lot harder than it should be. In saying this, knives do not stay sharp forever, you are required to invest in a knife sharpener and sharpen your knives every 3 – 4 months, do not wait until your knives are blunt.

Mixing bowls. 

You want to know a secret? The mixing bowls that I use at home are from Kmart and my mixing bowls, I use just as much as my good set of knives. I have a set of four, one small, two medium and one large, I have never needed any more than that (except when I batch cook for my pooch, in that case I just use my stock pot).

Wooden spoons. 

Again, bought from Kmart, they do the job. I have 3 wooden spoons sitting in my utensils drawer that come out for use everyday.

Measuring cups and spoons. 

These are more so necessary when you are experimenting with a new recipe that you found on the web, or if you are experimenting with your own recipes. These allow you to accurately measure out ingredients when needed.

Colander. 

We use a lot of brown rice and vegetables in our household, so buying a good colander was a must. I use it for rinsing out my vegetables before cooking and draining rice and pasta before serving.

Saucepans and pans.

The most important things that you can buy for your kitchen. The hardest part is figuring out what sizes and how many of each you will need. As an example, all I have at the moment (and all I really need) is the following:

• 1x stainless steel stock pot.
• 1x stainless steel tiered steamer (comes with 2 steamers and a saucepan).
• 1x small, medium, large non-stick frypan.
• 1x non-stick grill pan (came with our set, I barely use it as it is harder to clean).
• 1x small and large non-stick saucepan.

Chopping boards.

Unless you are lucky enough to have a granite or quartz countertop that can withstand knives and heat, in that case I am extremely jealous. Nevertheless, I have two BPA free chopping boards that I use solely for meal preparation and one large wooden board that I use for resting hot pans on.

Baking pans/roasting pans. 

My absolute favourite way to cook meat and even vegetables is by roasting them. My love for my oven surpasses any of my other cookware, which is why I have so many baking pans. Genuinely, all you would really need is a good roasting pan, big enough to fit a whole piece of meat and some vegetables, and a couple of baking pans for baking sweet potato chips and other bakeable foods.

Miscellaneous utensils. 

Then there are other utensils that are used quite frequently, such as spatulas, straining spoons, tongs, whisk, ladle, etc.

We’d love to hear about what your favourite baking tools in the kitchen are, and if you have any further questions, do not hesitate to ask our knowledgeable staff.

Written by our in-house Nutritionist.