Kitchen Tools and Gadgets

 

Are you wondering what to buy to equip your kitchen? What are the essentials? Here’s a list of kitchen tools and gadgets to get you started.

There are so many different tools and gadgets out there that it’s easy to get confused; do you need a free-standing mixer? A food processor? A Nutribullet? And how about basic stuff, like mixing bowls, chopping boards, and kitchen scales? I will help you to decide on what you need to buy now and what can wait until another day.

Blenders

I find that a stick blender is ideal for blending and pureeing soups, smoothies, marinades, etc. If I’m making soup, I can just blend it in the pan it was cooked in, saving time and washing up. Again, these are not expensive items. You can choose between stainless steel or plastic.

But if you love making smoothies and shakes, an electric jug-style blender might suit you better. The advantage to these is that there’s no risk of splashing, so If you’re making your morning smoothie you won’t have to change your clothes before leaving the house.

Food Processors and Mixers

At a later date, you could invest in a food processor or a free-standing mixer, but when you’re just starting out this isn’t necessary. Unless you really want one. A food processor is a great tool to have in your kitchen; it will not only blend and puree food, but it will slice, chop, grate, make breadcrumbs and even knead bread dough for you. It’s a real labour-saving device but it can create a lot of extra washing up, so bear that in mind when considering whether or not to buy one.

Whisks

If you have strong arms, a hand whisk will be sufficient to whip egg whites and cream. But if you want to make cakes then an electric hand mixer is the best tool for the job. They are relatively inexpensive and can save lots of time in the kitchen. You will still need a whisk for beating eggs and making sauces, but a balloon whisk will do the job.

Kitchen Scales

These are probably one of your most important purchases. Most recipes are specific about weights and measures, so you need a good, reliable set of scales to ensure you use the right quantity of ingredients. This is especially important with baking; you must stick closely to the quantities given in the recipe otherwise your cake could be a disaster. On the other hand, if you cook a bit too much rice or pasta it won’t matter. You can store any leftovers in the fridge for a day or two.

The old-fashioned analogue scales with a needle and dial are still used and they’ve started to become almost fashionable in some kitchens, but now most sets of scales are the electronic kind. These are the best ones, in my opinion. They’re very accurate, can weigh in very small increments (0.1 ounces in imperial measurements) and most have an add and weigh facility so that you can weigh all your ingredients at once in the same bowl. Most have a long-life lithium battery so you won’t need to change the battery for years.

Electronic scales can be made of metal or glass. They have the added advantage of being easy to store and clean due to their slim design. My favourite brand is Salter, a British company started in 1760. I’ve owned several sets of Salter scales and have always found them to be very accurate and reliable.

Mixing Bowls

These can be made from plastic, glass, stainless steel, or ceramic. It’s a personal choice which type you choose. Ceramic or glass looks good but stainless steel or plastic will survive being dropped, whereas ceramic or glass bowls won’t.

These bowls have a multitude of uses, from mixing to storage. They can also double as serving dishes. A minimum of 3 is a good starting point; small, medium, and large.

Some ingredients, like egg whites, need a large bowl to expand as you’re whisking them. If you put 3 or 4 egg whites into a bowl it doesn’t look like much when it’s still liquid, barely a cup full. But once you start whisking, the mixture will double, triple or quadruple in volume and if you’ve started with a smaller bowl then it won’t have enough room to expand.

Chopping Boards

I used to prefer wooden chopping boards. But I found them difficult to clean, plus the constant use of knives made grooves on the surface which took some scrubbing before they looked clean. The other problem was that the residue from whatever you had been chopping seemed to linger, regardless of how thoroughly the board was washed. Not good if I had been chopping onions then wanted to slice a cake…

The best boards I have found are made from toughened glass. They are much more hygienic than wooden boards and easier to clean. They also don’t retain any residue from the food you’re chopping or slicing, so you could be preparing garlic one minute, then give the board a quick wash and it’s ready to slice fruit or cakes. And no taste of garlic on your strawberries.

These boards come in lots of lovely designs too. I have a large and a medium board and find them sufficient for my needs. The smaller one is for everyday chopping tasks, the larger one is good for rolling out pastry.

Baking Tins

There are so many sizes and shapes of baking tins available, that it’s easy to get overwhelmed or confused if you’re buying these items for the first time.

The bare necessities are a solid baking tray that won’t buckle in the heat of the oven, a large roasting tin, 2 sandwich tins for making cakes, a round loose-bottomed cake tin, and a 12-hole bun tin, and a loose-bottomed flan tin. I always use non-stick baking paper to line my tins so non-stick tins aren’t essential. It means that I can remove my cakes from the tins without them breaking.

Again, you can add to the collection as you go along but these tins should be enough to start you off.

Miscellaneous Items

The other useful items you need in your kitchen are a pair of kitchen scissors; these are good for snipping bacon or chives and the stronger ones can cut through poultry bones. A grater is essential for cheese and can also be used to crush garlic or fresh ginger, grate the zest from citrus fruits, and even make breadcrumbs. A box grater is ideal for these tasks.

A vegetable peeler is easier to use than a paring knife when peeling fruit and vegetables. You can also use it to make vegetable ribbons for a salad or stir-fry. I’ve used mine to make chocolate curls to decorate a cake. The type of peeler is down to personal choice. See which one you prefer.

If you want to try your hand at pastry, get a wooden rolling pin. The longer the better, as it will be more efficient for rolling out large sheets of pastry. It’s also useful for crushing nuts and biscuits. Finally, measuring jugs – preferably made from heatproof glass – and a couple of wooden spoons and silicone spatulas should complete your kitchen toolbox.

So there you have it; your essential kitchen tools list. I hope that you found this article helpful. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below and I will respond as soon as I can.

To find out more about essential kitchen equipment, go to the best pots and pans for cooking

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