Kitchen Tools and Utensils

What You Need for a Well-Equipped Kitchen

Having the right kitchen tools and utensils is crucial to having a well-equipped kitchen... but it's not all about the kitchen tools...

It's also about having the right place to use those tools in. I'm talking about the kitchen itself...

I could make this about building – and equipping – your dream kitchen. But I'm not a dream chef and neither are you, most likely. This website is for real, everyday cooks like you and me. I don't know about you, but I'm not able to have my dream kitchen right now.

Sure, I love those gorgeous, huge kitchens you see on HGTV and in the kitchen magazines. I can't imagine more fun cooking than doing it in that type of kitchen. And when I bought a house a year ago, I looked for many of those features... large kitchen, granite counter tops, stainless appliances, big center island. Unfortunately, I didn't really have that type of money...

So I ended up with a very dated, very small 80s era kitchen with older, ugly appliances. Oh well, we make do with what we have, right? Maybe someday I'll have that other kitchen...

I love to cook, though, and I did want a kitchen I could still enjoy cooking in. So, I set out to transform my ugly, little kitchen into a place I could be happy in, a haven where I could work my creative bones out.

My Well-Equipped Kitchen Transformation

My new kitchen had old formica countertops, a dirty stained linoleum floor and dark, paneling-look composite cupboards. One plus was a stainless sink, though the faucet was discolored and the spray attachment leaked. The kitchen came with a broken dishwasher and cream electric stove and fridge.

Needless to say, it required a lot of work! I decided on a Tuscan kitchen theme after seeing a makeover on HGTV. We didn't have much money to spend, but we did get new flooring as part of our real estate deal and we bought a new dishwasher and new counter tops.

The rest was lots of hard work and making do with what we had. I painted the walls a warm sunshine golden color, with rust colored sponge paint accents. The cupboards we painted a rich red with the golden interior. We sprang for new matte black handles and spray painted the bronze hinges black too.

Our flooring is laminate that we installed ourselves. It looks a lot like Mexican Saltillo tiles, red and golden. I spray painted the front of my oven drawer and the range hood with black appliance paint.

To finish it off, I decorated with a number of "Tuscan" accents, such as small pictures, bright flowers, wrought iron candleholder and cookbook holder, etc.

The result is the room pictured below. It might not be right for everyone, but I LOVE my kitchen. It makes me happy to work there and I enjoy spending an hour or two there each day creating my meals.

BEFORE	AFTER
BEFORE	AFTER

My Point Is...

... simply that you CAN create a kitchen you'll enjoy working in, even if you don't have a lot of money. It doesn't have to be big and fancy... it just has to be YOU.

So, if you can't quite have that dream kitchen right now, at least spend time (and maybe a few bucks if possible) to spruce up your kitchen, so it's a place you like to go to after working all day, whether at home like me or outside the home. It's unbelievable what a new coat of paint, some elbow grease and a little imagination can do!

Now that I have that off my chest, we can start looking at what kitchen tools and utensils I recommend that every thrown together chef has...

The Right Kitchen Tools for Your Kitchen

I love gadgets, electronic ones, mechanical ones... but the truth is, there aren't that many gadgets you really need to be able to cook. You might want them and you might or might not use them, but that doesn't mean you actually need them!

There are a few tools I find to be essential though...

At least a couple of good knives. I got some knives as a gift a few years ago, but I have to admit, I never took very good care of them. I didn't keep them sharp or maybe even use them correctly.

But then I started watching Food Network with Rachael Ray and realized over time how important a kitchen tool a good knife is. Unfortunately, the kind Rachael used on TV were way beyond my budget. I'm talking about the Santoku-style knives. They have a nice, balanced handle with a narrow-bladed cleaver shape and a scalloped edge on the blade. The ones used by the chefs on TV all have the 7-inch blade.

So when I started looking for better kitchen tools a year or so ago, I was drooling over the long Santoku blades too. But the prices were so high! Eventually, I settled on a smaller version that cost less than $20 and I have to say, this is my very favorite kitchen tool. This knife cuts so well and is so easy to use (even for a klutz like me!), that I rarely use any of my old knives at all.

Some heavy, non-stick pots and pans. Again, you can break the bank with some of the pots/pans available these days. You'll have to decide how much you're willing to spend. It is worth spending more than the cheapest pans go for, though. A good pan will heat evenly and prevent burning or too fast cooking. They'll also be a lot easier to clean up afterwards!

I use some Calphalon cookware, and also some Farberware I've owned for decades. It really just comes down to what you like and what you can afford. Here are some recommended size pans you'll need for the greatest flexibility:

• 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch skillets – my big one is deep, which helps avoid spills & messy burners; the others are shallow, sloping sides types


• 1 quart and 3 quart sauce pans/pots


• 6-quart soup pot


• Lids for all of the above

I also like to have what I call a pasta pot. Mine was cheap at Target or K-Mart (forget which now). It's aluminum, about 6 to 8 quarts and has both a pasta cooker insert and a steamer insert for vegetables, with a lid. It's nothing special, but I use it all the time.

Selection of baking pans. Definitely a cookie sheet and a pizza pan are good to have, as well as a muffin pan. Add to that a loaf pan, pie pan, lasagna pan and a 2-quart casserole of some kind, and you should be good to go.

You might wonder why I'm recommending a cookie sheet and pizza pan on this site. Truth is, I use them under casseroles to help with spills, to cook rolls and bread on and sometimes even to broil or bake things on. They've very versatile, and if you line them with foil... a snap to clean up.

Baking pans today come in a wide variety of materials. Of course, there are the old standbys of Pyrex and Corning Ware, not to mention aluminum. But you can also choose silicone (unbelievably easy to clean up and doesn't get hot, but pricey), nonstick metals, and even stoneware.

Cutting boards. I much prefer a glass cutting board. It's more hygienic, especially for poultry, easier to clean up and looks nice too. Unfortunately, I have limited counter space in my current kitchen and have to keep my glass board hidden away in a lower cupboard. So, I often end up using my pull-out wood cutting board for quick vegetable chopping and the like.

Wood is definitely not recommended for cutting meat, especially chicken and turkey, so if you don't like glass, then look into plastic or other alternatives for that job.

Other Kitchen Tools and Utensils

Here are some other essentials I couldn't live without...

• Measuring cups & spoons, both for dry & wet ingredients
• At least 3 different sizes of mixing bowls
• Some kind of large strainer or colander
• Can opener (I prefer electric - cheap & fast)
• Whisks
• Tongs
• Wooden spoons
• Silicon spatula
• Large ladle, and other serving spoons
• Vegetable peeler
• Grater

Obviously, there are many versions of each of the kitchen tools listed above. Use what you like and can afford. I'm not really partial to any particular brand, though I do find Kitchenaid utensils to be of solid, reliable quality and fairly affordable.

Oh yeah, it's really helpful to have some kind of crock or can to keep your oft-used utensils in by your stove too. Believe me, it saves a lot of time from rooting around in drawers. I have 3 holders in my kitchen... one is a $5 plant pot bought in the garden section that says Tuscany on it to go with my kitchen theme. The others are jars and metal canisters. Just use whatever works for you... you don't have to spend a lot of money.

So there you have it... my take on what kitchen tools and utensils are needed for the well-equipped kitchen. You may have a different take on it, and that's fine. At least this gives you a starting point.