How to Set Up Your First Kitchen
We’ve all done it. You move to a new apartment or to university and have to build up a set of kitchen utensils from scratch. So you head to the nearest store and buy an array of the cheapest stuff you can find. Within a few months, it’s already breaking. Now you’re off to spend more money on replacement gear.
Here at Everten, we’ve got years of experience in kitchenware and we know that it’s all about getting the basics right. That’s why this isn’t just a basic kitchen essentials list,
but discusses what you need to look for in each one. Because having a cutting board or garlic press is great, but having the wrong one is a mistake you shouldn’t have to make.
So here’s our definitive list of 12 kitchen equipment essentials
no home should ever have to do without.
1. A Comfortable, Efficient Peeler
As much as we here at Everten believe in the power of a good paring knife (more on that later) we shake our heads a bit every time we see someone trying to peel a pile of potatoes with one. Why? First, it takes too long, and it tends to take big chunks of the vegetables with each stroke.
At the same time, however, not all peelers are created equal. Side peelers may feel great in your hand, but they don’t work for lefties. Other peelers compromise on build quality, with blades that just aren’t sharp enough for quick simple peels. All in all, a good vegetable peeler is a kitchen essential you’ll want to get right. That pile of veggies waiting for a winter stew will thank you.
2. An Easy to Use, Easy to Clean Garlic Press
Getting garlic right can make or break so many meals. The line between perfectly bloomed and burned can be awfully thin. One of the keys to making sure you avoid burning your garlic and ruining a dish is to make sure every piece is the same size. With a knife, that can be tricky, but with the right garlic press, it’s a breeze.
But besides delivering uniform pieces of garlic, a good press also needs to be easy to clean. This really can’t be emphasized enough, getting tiny bits of garlic out of the corners of a press is a task nobody should have to put up with. That’s why removable and dishwasher-safe parts make all the difference in the world.
3. Simple Non-Stick Tongs
We can’t say it enough: Good tongs are seriously underrated. You need non-stick tongs if you have a non-stick pan. Scratching the non-stick coating of any pan can be dangerous – not to mention that it ruins your pans. Making sure you only use non-stick tongs means you can rest easy.
Aside from this, you want tongs that feel good in your hands, can lock into place for storage, and have some texture to easily grip food. Get the small details right and you'll have tongs that work so well, you’ll never have to think about them.
4. A Box Grater with All the Bells and Whistles
With a box grater, it’s the small design details that make all the difference in the world. To start with, you need quality blades that won’t turn your precious ingredients into mush. A nice grip and a sturdy design make it easy to anchor while you’re grating.
Then, features like transparent sides which allow you to measure your ingredients as you go. A removable bottom to make it simple to move the grated food to where you need it without making a mess. Whether you’re grating Parmesan for pasta or lime zest for your favorite cocktail, a great grater makes it easy.
5. Supoon (Scraping Up Spoon) — An Essential You Didn’t Know You Needed
It would never occur to the average person to consider how they could improve something as basic as a spoon. Fortunately, our friends at Dreamfarm aren’t so average. They’ve taken the silicon spoon, a classic kitchen workhorse, and made it even more functional. Instead of adding to the dishes you’ll need to clean by placing it on a plate, this spoon’s zigzags make sure it rests above the counter when you’re not using it to stir your favorite soup or sauce. It even has teaspoon and tablespoon measurements for easy measuring on the fly!
6. A Measuring Cup You Can Rely on
Don’t get us started on what kind of kitchen essentials you need from
Pyrex, we’ll never stop. The company has been making its classic glass measuring cups for over a century. Most surprisingly, the design has barely changed since then. Why? Simple – why change what works? These measuring cups are sturdy, easy to read, and even easier to clean. It’s one of the easiest choices you’ll make in your kitchen.
7. A Mixing Bowl Ready to Take on the World
Speaking of Pyrex, their mixing bowls bring all of the benefits of their classic measuring cups, plus more. A mixing bowl might seem like a simple thing, but many plastic varieties can absorb food colours, get stained, or even absorb odors – not to mention that many aren’t microwave safe. Instead of asking yourself how you’re going to get that smell out of your bowl, go with glass from the beginning.
Pyrex’s glass bowls are oven-, freezer-, refrigerator-, and dishwasher-safe. Unlike their plastic cousins, they won’t absorb stains, colours or odours, and are sturdy enough to withstand the heaviest stirring without tipping over and making a mess. Every kitchen needs bowls: why not get the right ones the first time?
8. A Tough Cutting Board That's Easy on Knives
Most people assume that any old cutting board will do. However, if you’ve used a cheap plastic or glass cutting board for long, you’ll know how wrong that assumption can be. A bad cutting board can be a pain to clean, damage your knives, absorb stains and odors. This example from Epicurean is made from non-porous wood fibre, offering the knife-friendly texture of wood without its tendency to absorb stains (beetroot lovers rejoice!).
Non-stick tabs on both sides mean you don’t have to worry about slipping and can easily flip to the clean side when you need a fresh surface. A compact (but not too compact) and lightweight design makes for easy clean up. Best of all, it’s dishwasher safe.
9. An Ergonomic and Sharp Paring Knife
We’ve already thoroughly delved into our love of a good paring knife, but we’ll say it again: a good paring knife is essential kitchen equipment
. For precision cuts of all kinds, something as large as a chef’s knife just isn’t going to allow you to get into those small corners to debone that chicken or cut off the stems of those strawberries.
But what kind of paring knife? First, remember it’s not a beauty contest. You want a grippable comfortable handle attached to a sharp and well-made blade. That’s really all there is to it. This one from Victorinox is a particular favourite of ours (as well as many professional chefs around the world.
10. A Saucepan That Knows How to Distribute Heat
If you’ve ever bought a cheap aluminum saucepan, you’ll probably be very familiar with the taste of burned food. The fact is that aluminum heats up far too fast, while pure stainless steel is sluggish and slow to respond. The best solution is a mixture of the two. This saucepan brings about the best of both worlds: responsive heat that distributes evenly throughout the pan and doesn’t overheat.
Scanpan’s 5 Clad series brings more common triple-clad designs to the next level with several layers of heat-conducting aluminum sandwiched between stainless steel. Combined with a glass lid to allow you to easily monitor your food without taking the top off, this saucepan is a real winner.
11. A Frying Pan That’s Ready for Anything
From searing steak to cooking crepes, this Le Creuset shallow fry pan is ready for the toughest or gentlest of jobs. In today’s kitchen, a sturdy non-stick pan is the backbone of a huge variety of dishes, so finding an excellent one for your needs is the first step to great cooking at home. It’s also a piece that can make or break (no pun intended) your next Sunday morning omelette or pancakes.
We mentioned earlier the dangers of damaging your non-stick pan. This pan’s hard-anodised body makes it one of the sturdiest examples on the market. Add to that a 10 year guarantee – a testament to Le Creuset’s confidence in its products – and it’s clear why this is a piece of kitchenware worth investing in.
12. A Colander That’s Thought of it All
We finish off this list with yet another example of how a little design ingenuity can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. This colander from Joseph Joseph adds extras like a handle for easily moving food around, as well as for keeping it sturdy in the sink (because nobody likes spilled pasta). The squared-off corners make pouring its contents more precise, meaning fewer messes.
Lastly, the square design also makes for easier storage for cramped kitchens. It’s just another example of a company that’s thought of everything, including the design elements that you never would have.
What Are Your Kitchen Essentials?
With the 12 basic kitchen essentials on this list
, you’ll be ready to start your kitchen off with a solid foundation. From there, you can build a set of kitchenware to last a lifetime.
Have we missed anything here? What are your kitchen essentials? Let us know what you can’t live without.
