I often talk about certain kitchen tools that I feel are important to have. So I thought I’d make a list of ten items that every kitchen should have. This is by no means a complete list…just a few things I think are important to have. These are items that will make your cooking so much easier, that you will want to cook at home more often…and may want to end up adding the best diet pill to the list!
- A good French chef’s knife – These come in various sizes, and you should get one that is comfortable for your hand. These can have wood, plastic, or metal handles, pick which is most comfortable for you. Avoid the kind that “never needs sharpening”. You can either buy a knife sharpening tool, or take your knives to be professionally sharpened. Sharp knives are actually less dangerous to use than dull blades, as dullness makes you push harder and can cause slippage. Also, look for “full tang”, this means that the metal that the knife is made of goes all the way into the length of the handle, these will hold up much better.
- A 12″ cast iron skillet – Inexpensive and versatile. You can cook on the stovetop in it, bake in it, roast in it. If someone breaks into your house, you can beat them over the head with it. Lodge is the leading brand.
- An instant-read thermometer – The fool-proof way to test for doneness. These come in digital and analog versions. You can buy an inexpensive analog thermometer for under ten bucks…this is the one that I have.
- A good pepper grinder – Freshly ground pepper is far superior than the pre-ground variety. if you grind pepper right when you use it, it doesn’t lose its flavor. Oxo makes a good pepper grinder at an affordable price.
- Measuring Plungers – These are really good for measuring sticky or goopy foods. You adjust the yellow plunger part to the level you need to measure, put the food in, and then push the plunger to dump the food into the mixing bowl, pan, wherever it needs to be. You can buy these at Alton Brown’s website, right here.
- A slow-cooker – Also known as a Crock-Pot, which is trademarked by Rival, who made the original ones. Now many other companies make them, as well. A good size to get is an oval 5-quart model. You can get a basic one for about $30, or pay more for extra features, such as timers. If you have a large family or big eaters at your house, you may need a larger capacity, perhaps 6 or 7 quarts.
- A bread machine – The average loaf of bread at a supermarket can cost as much as $3.00. But if you make your own, the cost can be as low as less than a buck, for a basic loaf of bread. For the most savings, buy flour and yeast in bulk. I know that you can make bread without a machine, but machines mean a lot les work, and you’ll be more likekly to bake more often. This is the machine that I have. I don’t think this model is made any more, but Breadman makes other machines that are certainly just as good.
- A bench scraper – Here is a good selection. Yes, it’s original purpose is for scraping dough off of a work surface. But I most often use mine for traferring cut-up veggies from the cutting board to the pan, mixing bowl, wherever.
- A good basic cookbook – There are many out there, but I always say that if you can only have one cookbook, it should be The Way To Cook by Julia Child.   Julia teaches by starting with basic, or master recipes, and then encourages the home cook to expand on these by making a more complicated dish, with the master recipe as a basis. Invest in the hardcover version if you can afford it, this is a big book, and the hardcover will hold up much better.
- A fire extinguisher – This is a no-brainer. Kitchen fires can happen to even the best cooks, even yours truly. Buy one that is designed for kitchen use (yes there are different types), check it every so often, and replace it every couple of years or so. Even if you never need to use it, they do not last forever. Familiarize yourself as to how to use it, so that should you ever do need to use it, you’ll not be wasting precious time reading the instructions.
Coming soon will be other lists, including Ten Dumb Kitchen Items, and Ten Fun Kitchen Items. 
