Guide to basic kitchen utensils

Many times clients who want to equip a kitchen or want to renew their utensils call or write to us, but do not know where to start. There really is so much variety and specialization of the necessary utensils for a kitchen that sometimes it can be a difficult task to decide what is a priority and also what is essential.

For this reason, we have decided to create a small guide in case you want to renew your essential kitchen utensils or if you want to equip a kitchen with the most basic or essential items, to be completed later with other accessories depending on your cooking style.

COOKING UTENSILS

As for cooking utensils, it is essential to have a good frying pan. A very good option is to buy a non-stick frying pan for soft cooking or delicate foods (fish, omelette or sauces...), and an iron or stainless steel frying pan for high-temperature cooking, such as frying or grilling.

If at any point you want to know more about each type of pan or what you will really need, I recommend you read the post "The perfect pan" (here) .

Bra non-stick frying pans (left), De Buyer stainless steel frying pan (middle) and De Buyer cast iron frying pan

In any case, if we choose to buy a non-stick frying pan, it is very important to put it to good use to always have it in the best conditions: do not use it at high temperatures, always use wooden or silicone spatulas and wash it by hand with the soft part of the pan. sponge.

Iron grills may not be a kitchen staple, since many people grill them in a pan and they are not the most suitable for all foods (such as white fish, which will flake easily), but if we cook a lot at iron or we are a lot of meat, my recommendation would be without a doubt to buy one (and the day that white fish is cooked, it can be done in a pan). Food is much better cooked on the iron (it is grilled, very well grilled on the outside and with much more flavor) and they are very comfortable to use as they have low sides. In addition, iron supports high temperatures well, so we have a utensil for a lifetime (unlike non-stick grills, which don't usually last long).

Le Creuset iron grill and stainless steel pot Bra

Another essential for our kitchen is a stainless steel pot to boil rice, pasta, prepare soup or similar. They are cooking that we often do, and a stainless steel pot does the job perfectly. They are light, do not require any special maintenance and heat up reasonably quickly. The only precaution that we must take with them is to always add the salt when the water is boiling: if the salt settles on the bottom, the typical white spots that are difficult to remove may appear.

Apart from the pot, a small saucepan may be convenient, for cooking sauces, boiling hard-boiled eggs, heating milk... or any cooking that requires a smaller container. Eye! If you think it might be convenient for you to have several sizes of pots and saucepans, then I recommend you look at a cookware that already includes several pieces, it will always be better for you than buying them individually, and those from WMF are especially good for value for money.

I can't finish cooking basics without mentioning a Le Creuset iron cocotte . I know that it is not an essential tool, but I could not resist including it, because for me it is undoubtedly essential. It allows us to prepare spoon recipes (rice, legumes, soups) or prepare a delicious stew by browning the meat on the stove and finishing cooking over low heat in the oven. At home we also use it very often to bake cakes or bread, since it achieves a golden crust and a very soft interior.

WMF Profi Plus cookware and Le Creuset iron cookware

If you have doubts as to what size pan or pot you need, my recommendation is that you look at what you currently have and if it is too big or too small for you. You can measure the pans, always the upper diameter, and see if you need the same measurements or another measurement would be useful. If you have any questions, write to us or call us and we will give you the portions that you can prepare with each measure.

SMALL UTENSILS

Knives are one of the most used items in the kitchen. There are many options and sizes, but clearly there are three that cannot be missing in our kitchen: a small 8-10cm blade to clean and chop vegetables, a 20cm chef's knife to cut and chop meat or vegetables, and a knife narrow about 16cm to make precise cuts of meat or cut sausage. You can find this Wusthof set that contains the basic knives at an exceptional price, or you can buy them individually, each one from the house that you like the most if you want ( here you see the ones we have in the store).

For the choice of knives, I would recommend reading the two articles in which the subject was discussed: the first part, about the types of knives that exist , and the one that is more aimed at which one you can buy, which is the second part " What knife do I buy?

Logically, if there is a knife, there must be a cutting board , so as not to damage the knife and cut safely. The Bérard olive wood ones have magnificent properties, but being somewhat small they are ideal for presenting and cutting at the table. To work comfortably I recommend bamboo or T&G, which I also find beautiful (you can see all of them here ).

Set of 3 Wüsthof knives and T&G cutting board

Another basic in our kitchen are the wooden and silicone spatulas to handle food or scrape containers without damaging them. Both Berard or T&G wooden spoons and Le Creuset silicone spatulas are excellent alternatives. If we do a lot of grilling or frying, stainless steel tongs are also a great help to be able to pick up the pieces with comfort and precision (in this case, I would recommend the fine ones from Rösle without thinking about it, which are so elegant that you will take them to the table even to serve!).

Other essential kitchen utensils that you will need to have in your cupboards and drawers: a large colander (the folding one is very practical), another small one , a bread knife , a pair of scissors (let me recommend a classic that will last forever, scissors 3 Claveles ), a peeling knife ( Rösle's oval is fantastic!), a spatula for grilling or serving cannelloni and the like, a ladle and a potato mill .

On top: folding drainer, Rösle tongs and iron spatula; In the lower part: Le Creuset ladle, 3 Claveles scissors and Zester Microplane grater

Finally, a utensil that we are going to use a lot in the kitchen is the Microplane Zester grater . It is used to grate the most common foods such as cheese, chocolate, nuts, citrus fruits or vegetables. It is a very easy and comfortable tool to use that will help us in many moments in our kitchen.

I think that everything I have named is the basics, the essentials. What do you think? Obviously, it is a highly debatable subject and it depends to a large extent on the type of cooking we do at home, but we have tried to reflect those utensils that are found in almost all homes. I would love to hear if you agree or if you would remove or add any, if you want to leave it in the comments!