Some people get paralyzed when they think of the task of shopping for all the implements necessary to stock a kitchen. Aisles of kitchen gadgets can stretch on seemingly into eternity, and there are even entire stores devoted to implements of cookery and culinary gadgetry. I'm here to tell you, fortunately, that most of these much-touted cooking utensils are often superfluous, meaning they perform redundant functions, or they don't do their specific function as well as they claim, or they do something you'll rarely if ever need to do, or some other such qualifier that renders them obsolete and useless.
The question, then, becomes not one of what is need, but one of what is NOT needed, and to this there is a simple answer: "Most of it." Focus instead on covering the basics, reusing certain tools to perform multiple tasks, and above all keeping things simple and uncluttered. (After all, no one likes an overstuffed gadget drawer that never has what you need anyway, and if it does it doesn't matter because you can't find it amid all the junk!) So, for your benefit and convenience, I've outlined a simple list of what I believe to be the most useful and essential kitchen tools for any well-prepared chef's kitchen.
The first item on the list is of course a good, sturdy set of utensils. This includes several wooden spoons of your preferred shape and size, a plastic or metal turner or flipper, a rubber scraper or 'spatula', a good set of tongs, and several large serving spoons. Also recommended but not strictly necessary is a good pasta serving spoon and a large ladle.
Next is a list of the most necessary and useful devices in no particular order: a good sturdy can opener (not the el cheapo kind); a bottle opener; a measuring cup or two; a 1 - 2 ounce measuring 'shot glass'; a set of dry measuring cups; a set of measuring spoons; a small handheld cheese grater with medium-sized holes; a sharp, good quality cutting knife (I prefer the pseudo-santoku style that is becoming increasingly popular these days; a knife sharpener with both coarse and fine grinders; a simple colander.
With these basic tools you will find that you are well equipped to handle a wide range of culinary challenges (though we're certainly not talking about anything TOO in depth here). For any additional devices, it's almost always best to wait until the need for a specific tool crops up, rather than buying anything that looks cool and then going looking for ways that you might be able to use them.
The question, then, becomes not one of what is need, but one of what is NOT needed, and to this there is a simple answer: "Most of it." Focus instead on covering the basics, reusing certain tools to perform multiple tasks, and above all keeping things simple and uncluttered. (After all, no one likes an overstuffed gadget drawer that never has what you need anyway, and if it does it doesn't matter because you can't find it amid all the junk!) So, for your benefit and convenience, I've outlined a simple list of what I believe to be the most useful and essential kitchen tools for any well-prepared chef's kitchen.
The first item on the list is of course a good, sturdy set of utensils. This includes several wooden spoons of your preferred shape and size, a plastic or metal turner or flipper, a rubber scraper or 'spatula', a good set of tongs, and several large serving spoons. Also recommended but not strictly necessary is a good pasta serving spoon and a large ladle.
Next is a list of the most necessary and useful devices in no particular order: a good sturdy can opener (not the el cheapo kind); a bottle opener; a measuring cup or two; a 1 - 2 ounce measuring 'shot glass'; a set of dry measuring cups; a set of measuring spoons; a small handheld cheese grater with medium-sized holes; a sharp, good quality cutting knife (I prefer the pseudo-santoku style that is becoming increasingly popular these days; a knife sharpener with both coarse and fine grinders; a simple colander.
With these basic tools you will find that you are well equipped to handle a wide range of culinary challenges (though we're certainly not talking about anything TOO in depth here). For any additional devices, it's almost always best to wait until the need for a specific tool crops up, rather than buying anything that looks cool and then going looking for ways that you might be able to use them.
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