You’ll need some basic utensils for your kitchen, but you should again try to practice some minimalism here— a lot of kitchen tools are totally unnecessary.
When I last moved, I tried to really parse down my kitchen setup to the bare essentials. This is a list of the items I brought with me, and it’s felt fairly complete. These are all versatile tools that I use on a near-daily basis.
- Tongs or Kitchen Tweezers
- Wood Spoon
- Spatula or Edge Turner
- Silicone Spatula
- Microplane
- Y-Peeler
- Plating Spoon
- Whisk
- Box Grater
I used to think that kitchen tweezers were only for pretentious tasting menu establishments. But I’ve come to realize that they’re actually an incredibly useful tool, especially if you get a large/sturdy pair. You get more dexterity and precision than you get with tongs, and they’re more gentle on your food.
I use my tweezers more often than I use my tongs, but it can be helpful to have both. Either work, so just grab whichever you prefer!
Brands I Recommend: Gutsdoor, Material Kitchen Tongs
A good-quality wooden spoon is essential. I like the ones that have a flat, sloped edge— they’re especially useful for saucework and deglazing pans.
Brands I Recommend: Made In, Material Kitchen
The term spatula can be confusing, because it can refer to multiple different types of tools. There is also a similar tool called an edge turner. I personally think it’s useful to have both a slotted fish spatula (this is a confusing name, as this is used for much more than just fish) in addition to a non-slotted edge turner.
Brands I Recommend: Victornox, Smithey, Oxo
A silicone spatula is both heat-resistant and flexible, making it a useful part of the repertoire in addition to a wooden spoon.
Brand I Recommend: GIR
I use my microplane all the time. Great for zesting citrus, grating garlic or ginger, and grating hard cheeses.
Brand I Recommend: Microplane Brand
Ask any chef, and they’ll recommend a Y-peeler as the best option. They’re cheap, lightweight, and provide by far the best design for peeling fruits and veg.
Brands I Recommend: OXO, Kuhn Rikon
I speak often about my love for big spoons, particularly Gray Kunz and Mercer Culinary spoons. I have both a solid and perforated version, and they come in handy all the time— basting, sauces, poaching eggs, ladling things…you name it.
The Gestura spoon is great because not only does it have a beautiful design, but the bowl is also exactly 1 tbsp, which makes it great for measuring.
Brands I Recommend: Mercer Culinary - Regular / Perforated, Gray Kunz, Gestura
While I tend to use a fork for whisking even more often than I use a proper whisk, they’re still useful to have around.
Brands I Recommend: Material Kitchen, OXO
A box grater is not just great for cheeses, but also for grating things like onions and butter in certain recipes.
Brand I Recommend: OXO