5 Must-Have Kitchen Items

If you are starting your first apartment, or are a novice cook, you need the right kitchen equipment. Dish rack — Dishes dry and give counter space.

Digital scales can also weigh ingredients precisely, which is valuable when it comes to following a recipe. Also, keep a good chef’s knife and paring knife always at hand.

Measuring Spoons
You need measuring spoons in your kitchen especially when it comes to baking or any recipe that needs to be precise and you have to get the exact outcome you had hoped for. It’s why they’re an absolute necessity.

Be on the lookout for a pair with clearly engraved or stamped, painted or printed measurement marks on the handle and the spoon’s bowl.

Make sure to think also about handle length and shape – should they be long enough to fit in your palm and non-slip – because you’ll be handling them a lot. And you don’t want them to be awkward.

Wooden Spoons
Plastic and metal utensils have been the overlords for decades, but wooden spoons are bringing it back. Their wood construction doesn’t heat up to scorching temperatures, and it’s flexible enough to take even minute temperature swings, which is a plus for recipes that require stirring at very high temperatures, like risotto or polenta.

Plastic doesn’t scratch your pots or bowls like metal does, and it doesn’t introduce chemicals or nutty flavors to boiling food. Must have for every kitchen! Plastic rinsers and drinks stirrers, wet and dry elements of batter in baking dishes are indispensable cooking implements.

Kim of My Plate on YouTube loves to use wooden spoons, and takes her soups, stews and bowls of rice with them. With her 40,000+ subscribers, you can see her with wooden spoons each time they watch one of her videos!

Paring Knife
Paring knife : This is a perfect tool to match the big kitchen knives with versatility all in one package. It has thin blades for reaching into the corners and because it’s narrow, it is perfect for intricate work like peeling fruits and vegetables, preparing garnishes or slicing shrimp.

The best way to make the paring knife efficient and safe is with the right grip and handling. If you are holding this knife with four fingers wrapped around its handle, pointing your thumb a bit above the flat side of its blade, you will have the most control. Second, it gets long-term security when stored in the right place.

Bread Knife
There is a kitchen purpose for all kinds of bread knives. Not only do they peel thin bread loaves but they can also slice hard cakes or soft salad vegetables.

It’s also a good cutting board for big fruits with a heavy rind such as watermelons and cantaloupe, cutting uniformly with its serrated edge and long blade.

Look for quality bread knives from brands such as Wusthof, Shun, Zwilling J.A Henckels, Victorinox to get long lasting shelf life and professional sharpening if necessary. Take care to use sawing motion with the knife and never touch fingers when using it for safety reasons.

Tongs
A good set of tongs helps with serving food (even more so, with thick noodles that must not separate) and saving hands from burning.

Kitchen tongs are also a handy addition to any meal where cleanliness is a concern, whether you’re turning breakfast sausages over in a skillet or stirring salad. Grips, Moves, Lifts and Turns Foods Without Touching the Hands They let users Grip, Move, Lifts and Turns Foods Without Cross-contamination – the key to an enjoyable meal!

There are tongs in various lengths, materials and shapes for certain culinary needs. Some are locked for high-heat cooking, while others are perfect for slicing herbs or butterflying birds – find out how to get more out of this kitchen must-have in the rest of this article!

Ladle
Ladles are big spoons with wide bowls and long handles for scooping up and serving liquids such as soups and sauces or transporting foods and liquids from one container to another.

Ladles are made from various materials and it’s up to you what you prefer to use depending on what you’re cooking, and what dishes you’re usually making. Stainless steel ladles are robust and heat resistant while plastic ladles are lightweight and affordable.

Ladles of wood don’t scratch thin dishes. There are even heat resistant ones (such as this FAAY wooden ladle!) It uses wooden ladles that dispense a remarkable volume of water, soup or batter in no time without it spilling over.