The 5 Essential Items Every Home Cook Needs
We know that cooking more at home is better for our health as well as our bank accounts. However, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do when all you own is a hand-me-down steak knife and a single pan that’s lost its non-stick coating.
If you want to level up your skills and spend some more time cooking at home, you’ll need a few items to make this possible. This doesn’t mean you need to blow your life’s savings on kitchen gadgets – but here are a few items that you’ll be able to use for years and will help you create hundreds of dishes.
High-Quality Knives
Anyone who works in the kitchen, from a home cook to a professional chef, needs good knives. Splashing some cash on your knives will ensure that they last you for years and serve you well, making chopping a breeze and speeding up your cooking time.
Invest in a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife. Once you have these three you can look into other types, but these are the most important. You’ll also need to ensure you have a way to sharpen them, preferably a good knife sharpening stone.
Chopping Boards
Unless you’re content with chopping on plates or (gasp) right on the countertop, you’ll need some chopping boards too. If you don’t want to spend too much, plastic ones will do the job just fine. However, if you want your items to last, invest in a heavy wooden chopping board.
These are far more durable, don’t stain as easily and they can double as serving boards and platters if you have guests over.
Cast Iron Skillet
Cheap pots and pans will get you nowhere in life. They break and lose their coating in a matter of weeks and besides, those coatings are full of chemicals that you don’t want to be consuming.
A good cast iron skillet is essential. They last for years and contain no harmful chemicals. Make sure you buy one with no plastic handles since this will allow you to transfer it to the oven to finish off a steak, a frittata, and other dishes. If you want it to last you a lifetime, you must learn how to clean your cast iron skillet properly.
Dutch Oven
A Dutch oven is another great addition to your kitchen. It’s essentially a big cast-iron pot that can be used for soups, stews, casseroles, roasts, and other meals.
Unfortunately, Dutch ovens can be expensive, but it’s for good reason. These pots are super multi-purpose, last for years and if you own one, you don’t need to purchase a slow cooker since it does the job just fine.
Food Processor
Finally, a good thing to have in your kitchen is some kind of food processor. There are loads of different types of food processors you can choose from, and you don’t need one of every sort.
Whether you pick a standing blender, an immersion blender, a food processor or even a bullet blender, they all do the same work – blending soups, smoothies, sauces, etc.
