Are you looking forward to buying high-quality cookware for your newly furnished kitchen? Or perhaps, you’re perfecting your culinary skills and need chef-grade kitchen tools to enrich the learning experience? Either way, shopping for cookware isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
It may seem like a simple errand that you can tackle with a quick run down to the nearest Home Depot, right? Wrong! However, unfortunately, most budding culinary goddesses realize the complexity after wasting several hundred dollars on flimsy pots and pans. We’re here to help you find your money’s worth and stock your kitchen with the right tools.
Here, look at our round-up of must-have kitchen tools to perfect your culinary talents:
Cast Iron Skillet
A cast-iron pan is a definite must-have to enjoy flavorful steaks, nicely browned fried chicken and effortless meal preparation. It’s a highly versatile and reliable utensil that will never fail you when you want to rush through the cooking process. Cast iron pans are relatively cheap, and they are ideal for searing, deep-frying, stir-frying, and other recipes.
Cast iron is an excellent heat conductor, and it delivers an even heat distribution to prevent the meat from burning. The rugged iron texture allows the spices and herbs to get deeply infused into the ingredients for a flavorful punch. Do you like to caramelize the surface to give your red meats and poultry dishes a powerful fusion of palettes? In that case, you cannot do better than a cast-iron skillet.
However, if you have a gas stove, cast iron may not prove an ideal choice. You see, cast iron doesn’t respond well to sudden temperature fluctuations. More importantly, it’s challenging to move around as the pan gets overheated. If you have minimal experience with utensils, selecting the right cookware for gas range stove can prove tricky. We advise exploring lightweight materials, such as stainless steel, copper, and aluminum.
You might need a combination of these metals to find the perfect fit for your gas stove. Stainless steel lined with copper or aluminum is ideal for enjoying effortless meal preparation on a gas range stove. However, keep in mind that like cast-iron, stainless steel, and aluminum require maintenance and upkeep.
Grilling Pan
A non-stick grilling pan is a must-have for busy weekdays to toss some steaks and veggies without excessive stirring. Interestingly, grill pans enjoy roaring popularity across millennials, and understandably so. They are a splendid investment to devour effortless, healthy, and flavorful meals.
Within minutes, you can whip yourself a flavorful BBQ without braving the winter cold to turn on the outdoor grill. A grill pan is a kitchen tool you can enjoy all year round for summer recipes and winter treats. It’s the perfect utensil for preparing roasted fish, grilled steaks, seared chicken, crispy veggies, chunky meatballs, and burger patties. There’s nothing you can’t toss on a grill pan and enjoy it with sheer delight and awe.
Do you know what the best part of owning a non-stick grill pan is? You don’t have to devote hours of elbow grease to scrubbing and intense cleaning! You can choose between a non-stick and a cast iron grill pan, depending on your preferences.
Chef’s Knife
A high-quality chef’s knife can turn chopping vegetables into a powerful, stress-busting regime. If you’re using a standard knife, the difference a sharper and heavier knife can make will take you by surprise. Upgrading to a chef’s knife will indeed prove the best kitchen investment you have ever made. It will reduce the effort and time by making cutting and chopping effortlessly easy.
People will tell you to get an expensive set of knives. But there’s no need for much else with a chef’s knife in your arsenal. If you want to splurge, get a knife sharpener instead to keep the blade in good shape.
Cutting board
Do you usually chop your vegetables on the gleaming marble surface of the kitchen island? If yes, you must give up all hopes of becoming a culinary goddess, for you have committed treason against your kitchen. But ladies, there’s still a glimmer of hope if you can run down to Home Depot and get yourself a cutting board.
A cutting board is a faithful companion that will protect your countertops and your beautifully manicured nails from sharp blades. All meals involve a hefty amount of cutting and chopping. If you find chopping therapeutic, a cutting board can elevate your game dramatically. Be sure to invest in a wooden culinary board to preserve your knives and keep the germs away from your ingredients.
Set of Bowls
A set of mixing bowls is a crucial investment to make meal preparation, mixing, serving, and storage easier. You can explore the market for a budget-friendly set that contains at least 6 to 9 pieces; when it comes to mixing bowls, the more, the merrier because they are instrumental at tidying up. They prevent wastage, enhance the table presentation and prevent spillages in the refrigerator.
Generally, the set should contain bowls for salad, sauces, marinades, serving, mixing ingredients, storage, and casseroles. We advise investing in glass-made bowls to prevent horrid stains and foul odors.
Final Thoughts
There’s an endless array of kitchen utensils and tools that will help you upgrade and improve your skills. But if you’re just starting, these tools will have you nicely covered. You may feel the urge to splurge, but we advise restraint so you can learn more about your cooking preferences.
