Top 7 Kitchen Essentials All Cooks Need

Part of being a great cook certainly has to do with your skills in the kitchen, but success can also be attributed to having the right tools. After all, even if you have the talent, it would be pretty hard to prepare a meal with just your two hands and nothing else.

That said, here are the top 7 kitchen tools that we believe every cook needs:

1. A chef’s knife.

A chef’s knife is number one on our list for a reason – it’s one of those tools that you’ll need to have on hand for nearly all of your meal preps. Since this is an item that you’ll need to be able to constantly rely on, the knife you select should feel very comfortable in your hand – knowing this, you’ll want to test out a few different options before making a purchase.

2. A thermometer.

When you want your meat to come out just right, you need to make sure the temperature is right too. While you may be able to make an educated guess on whether or not your meat is done by considering factors such as the length of time it’s been cooking and how it looks on the outside, a meat thermometer can give you a reading that lets you know for sure – this is also important for food safety.

3. Tongs.

From flipping foods to placing them on a plate before serving, tongs are a very handy tool to have. Since these are used to help you handle foods, you want to make sure that the one you choose has a good grip – no one wants food slipping, sliding and falling all over the place!

4. A spatula.

For your pancakes, of course! (And other foods too, but these are huge for flipping pancakes) Your best bet is to look for a spatula that has a thin blade so that you can really get under your food without messing anything up as it cooks.

5. Measuring cups.

This one may seem rather obvious, but it’s something that should never ever be forgotten! To make sure you’re following recipes correctly, you’ll want a set of measuring cups for both dry and wet ingredients – some measuring spoons are helpful to have too.

6. A timer.

Of course! Although your stove or microwave may have a timer to help you keep track of how long your food has been cooking for, it’s always a good idea to have a backup – we’re sure you can agree that no one wants to sit down to a plate of over or under cooked foods!

7. A Y-shaped peeler.

Y-shaped peelers are recommended since they tend to give you a better grip than some swivel models. To ensure that the process of peeling doesn’t take longer than it needs to, you’ll want to make sure that the peeler you’re using is sharp!

Now let us ask you this – do you have all of these in your kitchen already? If not and cooking is something you like to do, put getting these on your to-do list!

Chip’s Family Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to customers in Fairfield, Orange, Southbury, Trumbull and Wethersfield, Connecticut. Breakfast is served all day, and customers can even place an order online for pickup. For more information about locations and menu items, please click on the tabs above.