The 5 Kitchen Tools You Need to Make Dinner (Most of the Time)
I have a ridiculously well-equipped kitchen, yet hanging on my refrigerator is a list of the kitchen tools and gadgets I still want. A real French charlotte mold. A tart pan with a removable bottom. A high-quality mandoline. A set of Wüsthof knives. But the truth is that there are really only five things I can’t live without on a day-to-day basis. Five. That’s all. With these five items and not much else, I manage to put dinner on the table six nights a week. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the fancy-shmancy options out there, know that having a functioning kitchen doesn’t have to be complicated.
A note before I give you my list: I am deliberately not including The Amazing, Wonderful, Life-saving Crock Pot in this post, because it’s an appliance, and I’m not including any appliances in this list. These are simple, non-electrical tools. In another post, we can talk about the few must-have appliances that truly make life easier (wherein I will wax poetic about my KitchenAid, no doubt). Besides, I’m pretty sure the crock pot doesn’t need a shout out from me. It speaks for itself. That said, let’s get down to business.
Prep Bowls. I am a firm believer in bowls of all sizes. I have two sets of earthenware nesting bowls, all deep enough to mix batter in without things getting splashy, and I use them constantly for baking, raising bread or pizza dough, and mixing up pancake or waffle batter on weekend mornings. But on weeknights, when my main objective is putting dinner on the table in under an hour, I really rely on the stack of small prep bowls I keep on the counter. Each one holds about 1-1/2 cups. They’re perfect for holding chopped vegetables until I’m ready to use them, for beating an egg or two, for melting a few tablespoons (or a whole stick) of butter, for whisking together a salad dressing or marinade. Their usefulness has no end.
Wood or Bamboo Utensils. Plastic utensils can melt. Metal can scratch or get scorching hot if left resting in a pot. Wood, on the other hand, won’t melt, scratch, or become hot to the touch. It’s sturdy enough to deglaze a pan, but yielding enough not to damage a non-stick or enamel surface. It’s biodegradable. It’s renewable. And it lasts a long, long time. Some of my wooden spoons belonged to my grandmother, and they’re still going strong.
An All-Purpose Knife. My five-year-old Santoku knife does everything I need during dinner prep. It wasn’t expensive, either – it’s a name brand, but I got it at T.J. Maxx for under $10. It trims and chops meat with precision, its wide blade can smash a clove of garlic with one quick blow, and it will do a fairly professional job on an onion, Julia Child-style. I keep the blade sharp by honing it at least once a week, and it serves me well.
A Basic Sheet Pan. I’m talking about a jelly roll pan here, one with slightly raised sides. One made of quality metal that won’t buckle or warp in a 400-degree oven. You need it for pizza and quesadillas, for oven fries, and for roasting vegetables. And when it’s not dinnertime, it doubles its usefulness for baking cookies, sheet cake, biscuits, and sundry other things. My sheet pan is old, and it lost its pretty silvery finish years ago, but it just seems to get better with age.
A 5-quart Oven-Safe Lidded Pot. A stew pot is good. A Dutch oven is better. If you can get your hands on a Le Creuset, you will instantly be one of the happiest home cooks alive, but there are plenty of other brands that cost less and will help you on the road to dinner happiness just as effectively. Whether stainless steel, plain cast iron, or enameled, just make sure it’s a pot that can go from stovetop to oven without a hitch. What’s it for? Soup. Spaghetti sauce. Curry. Stir fry. Chili. Beef Bourgignon. Cassoulet. Roast chicken. The list goes on. I’m telling you, I use my Dutch oven an average of five nights a week. My other pots have been hanging out in a cupboard collecting dust since it arrived.
A funny story for you, just for kicks. Last Christmas, when I opened my 5-quart Le Creuset (an overwhelming surprise) from E, my reaction was such that my sister-in-law, who is 28 and unmarried, said to me, “Geez, it’s like he just gave you a diamond ring.” My response? “It’s a close second,” I said. She clearly thought I was nuts. <Grin>.
Question: what’s your favorite kitchen tool? Leave a comment below!
