Kitchen Tools

It has been a really long time since I thought about what tools, utensils and gadgets I use in the kitchen. It just doesn’t occur to me as something to think about. I definitely do not spend much time in kitchenware stores looking for the next “thing” that I have to have. Basically, I am more of a minimalist when it comes to kitchen tools. You can find many, many, many kitchen tools to spend your money on, if you are so inclined. But really, you don’t need a whole lot of gadgets to prepare delicious, healthy, whole food, plant based meals. I find I get much more bang out of using my budget to check out new flavors, products and ingredients rather than some gadget that I will probably use only a few times and then wind up giving away, or worse, storing it it a drawer where it will take up more space than it is worth.

Here is a list of tools I use at least weekly. I lean toward stainless steel, ceramic glass, stone and wood as preferred materials. It doesn’t matter if I am batch cooking for the entire week, or working with a single ingredient in small amounts. The tools are pretty basic, and they are always the same. Here’s my list (Cue the off camera trumpets heralding the arrival of royalty).

Cookware
a set of heavy-as-you-can-comfortably-manage stainless steel pots and pans with lids including
a double boiler
a steamer
slope sided skillet
1 cast iron frying pan or flat griddle
2 rimmed steel uncoated cookie sheets (it is great if you can find them the right size to sit side by side on one rack in your oven.)
1 crock pot with ceramic insert and lid
assorted glass and ceramic, pie plates, and oven safe bakeware
1-2 springform pans, different sizes

Utensils
1 set good quality knives including a chef’s knife (Keep ’em sharp! It will change you world.)
1 set of wooden spoons, including 1 slotted spoon
1 or 2 glass measuring cup(s) with gradations marked
1 set of stainless steel measuring cups
1 set of stainless steel measuring spoons
cheese grater
nutmeg grater
garlic press
electronic/digital scale
pepper mill
knife sharpener
wire whisk
bench scraper
pancake turner (aka metal spatula)
2-3 silicone spatulas with blades of different sizes, lengths and shapes
1 stainless steel colander
1 stainless steel fine mesh sieve
tea balls/infusers

Gadgets/ Small Appliances
1 spice grinder (electric, manual, or mortar and pestle)
1 good to excellent blender (strong enough for making nut butters, smoothies, cream soups and sauces)
1 citrus squeezer or reamer
1 Mixmaster-type counter top mixer
1 toaster oven (or a microwave oven, if you like)

Storage Containers
canning jars with snug fitting lids
glass containers available from Pyrex, Anchor Hocking, Rubbermaid, etc.
Stoneware/ceramic containers often found at craft fairs and thrift stores