List of 10 Essential Kitchen Tools

Here at Team J, we each have our own area of specialty. I specialize in baking whereas my husband specializes in cooking. Not too long ago, I published a list of my Top 10 Must Have Baking Supplies. Since then, we have received requests for our list of 10 Essential Kitchen Tools (i.e. kitchen tools we can’t live without). We do have some overlapping tools between these two lists and we’ll be sure to highlight those in the post below.

We are in an interesting place right now… As the world shuts down due to a global pandemic (COVID-19 aka Coronavirus), more and more people are learning how to cook for themselves in an effort to self isolate and stay safe. For those who do not have a lot of experience cooking in the kitchen, getting started and knowing what the right tools to buy can be intimidating. We’ll do our best to share with you our list of 10 Essential Kitchen Tools to get started with cooking. We will also offer recommendations on kitchen tools/equipment (where applicable) that are budget friendly and also some that are considered “investment pieces” if you plan on cooking often in the long run. We will also share with you what we currently own and provide our review of the product where applicable 🙂

1. Skillet & Frying Pans

Budget Option – 8″ and 10″ T-Fal nonstick pans – $35 CAD

Nonstick pans are extremely popular as the pans are coated with polytetrafluorethylene (aka Teflon) which prevents food from sticking to the surface of the pan. This means cooking with less oil and making them easier to clean. They’re also reasonably priced! We bought a set of 3 non-stick pans from T-FAL at Costco a while back at an incredible deal. You can easily buy them online as well! We tend to gravitate towards the 8″ and 10″ pans.

However, there are concerns around nonstick pans made with Teflon as there is a risk that poorly made pans can have this nonstick coating flake off which can potentially be toxic when ingested. As long as you don’t use metal utensils on these nonstick pans, you should be ok. However, if you are still concerned about this, we recommend you invest in Anodized Aluminum nonstick pans mentioned below.

Investment Option – 8″ and 10″ Anodized Aluminum Nonstick Pans by Calphalon – $80 CAD

If you want to invest in a better non-stick pan, we would recommend an Anodized Aluminum nonstick pan. We purchased a set of Calphalon pans a while ago and we use their 8″ and 10″ pans most often. We love our Calphalon pans for the following reasons:

They’re more Durable – The anodized aluminum makes the pans more scratch resistant, meaning it won’t chip or peel as easily.
Excellent Heat Conduction – These pans are oven-safe meaning we can easily transfer food we’re cooking from stove-top to oven with ease! They also conduct heat very well meaning it will provide uniform cooking.

2. Enamelled Cast-Iron Dutch Ovens

A dutch oven is a heavy cooking pot with a tight fitting lid that is good for braising, baking, and browning. Enamel cast iron has an additional layer of porcelain enamel (form of glass) which is bonded onto the cast iron using extremely high temperatures. The result is a smooth cooking surface which makes it easier to clean, as well as a lighter colored surface which makes it easier to check on the progress of your cooking such as when you’re browning food.

Budget Option: Lodge 4.5 Quart Enamel Dutch Oven – $170 CAD

Lodge is famous for their cast iron cookware. However, when it comes to enamelled cast iron dutch ovens, nothing compares to Le Creuset (our investment option). However, if you’re looking for something at a more affordable price point, Lodge will do the job just fine. The reason Lodge is a fraction of the price in comparison to Le Creuset is likely due to the fact that their enamelled cast iron is manufactured in China even though Lodge is an American company.

Investment Option – 4.2L (4.5Qt) Le Creuset Enamel Dutch Oven – $400CAD

Without a doubt, Le Creuset is the most iconic brand when it comes to Enamelled Cast Iron Dutch Ovens. Most chefs believe it is indispensable in the kitchen given its versatility and we could not agree more. Yes, the price tag is quite hefty (hence investment option) but you are paying for a quality product. Their cast iron is made in France and they stand by their product as most of their cookware have a lifetime warranty. This is definitely a piece of kitchen equipment that will last you a lifetime and can potentially pass on to the next generation as well!

We own the Le Creuset Dutch Ovens in 2 sizes – the 4.2L (Yellow) and 5.3L (Orange). We find ourselves gravitating towards the 4.2L pot the most as it is best used to cook for 3-4 servings. However, whenever we want to make a large batch of soup or boil a large chicken, we would use the 5.3L pot as that typically serves 4-5 people. Depending on the size of your family (or your cooking needs), pick the size that makes the most sense for you.

3. Measuring cups & spoons

These items were already mentioned in our Top 10 Must Have Baking Supplies so it goes to show that this is a must have in any kitchen! To ensure consistent results and to be able to follow any recipes (including the the ones on our site :)), you will need measuring spoons and measuring cups. You don’t need to get anything fancy unless you just want something that looks nice as they all do the same job. However, we definitely recommend getting measuring cup for dry and liquid ingredients. You can read more about why you need both types in our other blog post.

4. Chef’s Knife

As the name already suggests, the Chef’s knife is considered by most chefs the most versatile knife in their kitchen toolkit. You will be using this knife 95% of the time so this knife should feel like an extension of your arm when you use it. We can write a whole separate post about kitchen knives because there’s so much more to discuss (e.g. Western-Style vs Japanese style Chef’s knife). We recommend you start with an 8 inch Chef’s Knife.

There are typically 2 styles of kitchen knives – Japanese vs Western Style Knives. Which one you choose comes down to personal preference. The main difference between the two knives is that Western knives are sharpened on both sides of the blade whereas Japanese knives only sharpen on one side (single bevel). We personally prefer Japanese knives but that’s not to say Western ones aren’t any good.

Budget Option – Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife – $70 CAD

If you’re just getting into cooking and you want a good Chef’s knife without breaking the bank, consider the Victorinox 8 inch Chef’s knife. It is made with a high-carbon stainless steel blade and comes out of the box really sharp with great edge retention.

Investment Option – 210mm (8.2″) Misono UX10 Gyuto (Chef’s Knife) – $200 CAD

If you’re looking to splurge a bit more, we would recommend the Misono UX10 210mm Gyuto (Chef’s Knife). We absolutely love ours! It is made with Swedish high carbon stainless steel and is razor sharp! However, it is on the pricer end when it comes to kitchen knives..

Regardless of which style of cooking knife you want to go with, we still recommend you going into the store and trying them out yourselves. Ask to hold one and see how comfortable it feels in your hand. See if you can practice chopping something (usually they have onions or carrots you can try to cut) to see if you like the feel of it. This will be your go to knife so make sure you love it!

5. Cutting Board

Everyone should own at least 2 types of cutting boards to prevent cross contamination: one for meat and the other for all other types of food preparation (e.g. vegetables). Whatever you do, please do not buy a cutting board made of hard material like glass or marble. They make look really nice but they can seriously damage your knife! Instead, consider the options below:

Budget Option – Plastic Cutting Boards – $25 CAD

If you’re just getting into cooking, a simple plastic cutting board will suffice. They’re fairly inexpensive and very easy to maintain. The good ones will even be dishwasher safe! However, one of the downside of using a plastic cutting board is that it leaves grooves in the cutting board after every use. This makes it easier for bacteria to cling to the grooves and hide, making it more difficult to clean and sanitize. Therefore, we recommend reserving your plastic cutting boards for meats only so that you can properly sanitize them afterwards by putting them in the dishwasher as the hot water will kill any trapped bacteria.

For all other purposes (e.g. cutting fruits or vegetables), consider buying a wooden cutting board. Not all wooden cutting boards are created equal. If you really want to invest in a good wooden cutting board, see below.

Investment Options: Edge-Grain Wooden Cutting Boards – $100+; End-Grain Wooden Cutting Boards – $200+

If you invested in a really good kitchen knife, you’re going to want to do your best to preserve the edge of your blade so that it does not get dull as quickly. When you cut on a wooden cutting board, the wood fibers break and leave a mark—which helps prevent the fine edges of your knives from rolling over and turning dull. Therefore, we highly recommend you invest in a good wooden cutting board.

There are two different types of wooden cutting boards – Edge Grain and End Grain.

The cutting surface of an Edge Grain cutting board is made from parallel fused pieces of wood from the edge. They are known to be more durable, easier to maintain, and more affordable. However, this type of board can dull knives faster than end-grain types and are more susceptible to nicks and cuts.

The cutting surface of an End Grain cutting board is made from end pieces of wood, usually recognized by the cutting board’s checkboard pattern. This type of board is more expensive than the edge grain type but it is known to be more forgiving on knives. The end grain boards are “self-healing” since the fibers close back up after the knife strikes to board.

Best Wood for Cutting Board and Butcher Block Materials | Bob Vila — Image courtesy of Bob Vila

John Boos makes really great wooden cutting boards. If you’re looking to make the investment, check them out.

6. Vegetable Peeler

Did you know there are 5 types of vegetable peelers? The two most common vegetable peelers are the swivel peeler and the Y peeler.

We grew up using a swivel peeler but recently purchased a Kyocera Ceramic Y peeler while we were in Japan and we fell in love! It was extremely sharp and we were able to peel potatoes and carrots with ease! We’re not sure there’s necessarily a “superior” vegetable peeler between the swivel peeler and the Y peeler… it just comes down to personal preference! Find the one that feels the most comfortable in your hands.

7. Microplane/Fine Grater

We love our microplane and fine grater! They both serve a similar function which is to grate things finely. The only difference between a microplane (the long one in the photo below) vs a fine grater (the one with the handle in the photo below) is that a microplane will grate things more finely than a fine grater. However, we don’t think you can go wrong with either or, it’s just personal preference. We use our microplane and fine grater for the following:

Zesting citrus fruits (e.g. lemons, limes, oranges)
Grating hard cheeses (e.g. Parmesan Cheese)
Grating hard spices (e.g. nutmeg)

This is definitely a great tool to have in the kitchen if you want to enhance your cooking experience.

8. Wooden Spoons

This is also another useful tool that was also mentioned in our Top 10 Must Have Baking Supplies blog post. They’re great for stirring dishes while cooking so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Best of all, they won’t scratch the bottom of your pots and pans as the wooden spoons are made from a considerably soft material. We have at least 3 wooden spoons in our kitchen as when we’re cooking several dishes at a time, it’s important to have a clean wooden spoon ready as to not cross contaminate flavours. These wooden spoons are fairly inexpensive – you could even get them from your local dollar store and they’ll do just fine!

9. Silicone Spatulas

This is also another tool that we mentioned in our Top 10 Must Have Baking Supplies blog post. We have spatulas that come in various sizes. We have large rubber spatulas that’s great for everyday use such as scraping the sides of the pan or bowl to ensure no ingredient or sauce is wasted. The smaller spatulas are great for agitating sauce or eggs in a small skillet, or even scraping the last bit of ingredient from a small jar.

10. Mesh Strainers/Colander

Lastly, we love our mesh strainer and colander. We use our mesh strainer (left) whenever we need to strain small amounts of food or liquids whereas we would use our colander to strain larger amounts of food and liquids (e.g. Stock, Pasta). We also use our mesh strainer to sift dry ingredients (e.g. flour) when baking.

We purchased our colander from Muji a while ago because it sits perfectly inside this stainless steel bowl that they also sell. They complement each other very well and it comes in very useful. After we strain our food, we can nestle the colander into the stainless steel bowl so that the residual water doesn’t drip all over our countertop.

mesh strainers — Mesh Strainer (left) – Colander (right)

Honorable Mention

Instant Read Digital Thermometer

We use this bad boy all the the time in our kitchen all the time. We use it to measure the temperature of the oil before we deep fry our buttermilk fried chicken, and we use it to measure the internal temperature of meats (e.g. chicken, steak, pork etc) to check to see if it’s fully cooked. We own this one by Javelin. We highly recommend you purchase an instant read thermometer that goes up to at least 350F as that is the common temperature for deep frying. Some meat thermometers on the market do not go this high.