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- 1. A Vegetarian Cookbook:
You should have a great basic cookbook at the ready. Now I am no vegetarian, but I have learned a lot of what I know about cooking from this particular book. This book does not just provide you with recipes, it also provides knowledge on different cooking and chopping techniques, and gives you a good foundation with working with fruits and vegetables. I highly recommend this book to increase your cooking knowledge.
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- 2. A Knife Set:
It goes without saying that good tools are a must for any task. A good set of sharp knives will be indispensable to you when preparing your meals. There is nothing worse than a bad dull knife making you work much harder than you should have to, not to mention increasing the risk of cutting yourself. This set has what you need, including a 3.25″ parer, a 3″ peeler, a 5″ utility, 8 – 4.25″ steak knives, a 7.75″ chef knife, an 8″ slicer, a 7.75″ bread knife, a 5″ partoku, a 7″ santoku, and an 8″ stainless steel sharpening tool.
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- 3. Set of Wooden Cooking Utensils:
I am not really sure what it is but I absolutely love to cook my sauces on the stove top with my wooden spoon. Stirring my pastas as well. I suppose it just gives me a feeling of what my ancestors would have used just a few generations ago. The wooden utensils also work well when dealing with delicate pastas and meats. I like this particular set.
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- 4. Stainless Steel Cooking Utensil Set:
This set of stainless steel utensils has many things that you will use as well. This set has your covered with the soup ladle, serving spoon, strainer, whisk, slotted spatula, slotted spoon and the all important potato masher. If you are in the market for some new cooking utensils, definitely consider this set.
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- 5. Measuring Spoons and Cups
I prefer the stainless steel measuring cups and spoons. I think they will hold up better over time than plastic will. It can be a bit annoying when the labels on your plastic cups and spoons wear away and you are left guessing between a half teaspoon or a quarter teaspoon. And don’t even get me started on when they get separated from each other and you can’t find what you need. Do yourself a favor and get a set that will hold up over time.
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- 6. Blender
Sometimes there is just no way around it, you need a proper blender to be able to make your recipes the right way. The blender can be indispensable for making certain types of sauces, not to mention the occasional homemade smoothie or frozen adult beverage. This Ninja-brand blender will do all you need it for cooking your delicious recipes, and is more than strong enough to chop ice for when you want to relax.
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- 7. Hand Held Immersion Mixer
I actually don’t mind hand mixing when my recipes call for it. But let’s face it, there is no way your arm will be able to mix anything as well as a motorized mixer, particularly when a recipe calls for something to be mixed very well. This Cuisinart handheld mixer will handle most of what you throw at it, and you can give your arm a well-deserved break./li>
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- 8. Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker: Sometimes being able to set your meal on low and then forget about it for 5 or 6 hours is the way you want to go. A good quality slow cooker will let you do this well. After 6 hours of slow cooking, your food becomes so tender and delicious in a way that can’t be duplicated through the regular cooking process. Do yourself a big favor and purchase a quality slow cooker, it is the key to a few stress free meals during the week.
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- 9. Deep Fryer
I don’t use the deep fryer that often, but there are certain foods where the deep fryer is just the best tool for the job. French fries, chicken wings, and mozzarella sticks are all foods that I prefer to use the deep fryer for. This deep fryer works well, comes with two super handy baskets, and with a three liter capacity, can handle most of what you want to throw into it, well, except maybe the Thanksgiving turkey.
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- 10. Pizza Stone
I love pizza. Big shocker. And I also love being able to make a solid pizza at home. Part of the trick is to be able to direct the heat of the oven into the dough as much as possible. Pizza stones help you to do that. I have used this pizza stone for the last few years. Once you get the hang of using it, without your pizza sticking to the stone, you will be very pleased with what you can do with pizza at home.
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- 11. Garlic Press
Some Italian cooks might protest this one. I like the garlic press mostly because it is a good timesaver. Yeah, you can usually do a good job smashing a garlic clove with a fork a few times, but be honest, you can do a better job in half the time with a garlic press. And your fingers won’t smell like garlic for a week. This garlic press works well, and importantly, is a breeze to clean.
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- 12. Spice Tower
To be a decent cook, you need a good working knowledge of herbs and spices. Properly applied herbs and spices can transform an otherwise bland meal into a fantastic meal worth remembering. The best way to get a broad introduction to the different herbs and spices available to you is to invest in a spice rack. As you use the different spices in your rack, you can then replace them from the grocery store, but still continue to use the rack. Remember though that spices don’t really have a life measured in years, so replace those spices every now and then to keep them fresh.
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- 13. Cookware
Yeah, you need a good set of pots and pans. Can’t be helped. And don’t skimp on this purchase. Your pots and pans will be around for years and years, perhaps even a decade or more. Get a set that will do the job well and which will last. This set has what you need. And have you noticed a trend? I absolutely love the look and feel of stainless steel.
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- 14. Griddle
I love this griddle pan. Don’t even try to make homemade pancakes, eggs, bacon or sausage on anything else. In a frying pan? No way! Use the griddle! You can get everything cooking at once if you just use the griddle. Little tip, quesadillas also come out great when heated up on a griddle. To use, just lay out the griddle across your stove top heating elements, and start cooking.
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- 15. Meat Tenderizer
When a recipe calls for your meat slices to be a certain thickness, you are going to need a quality meat mallot to get the job done. Bonus: it can be a nice stress reliever to use the mallot to pound the meat to the needed thickness. And this mallot has a meat tenderizer surface as well, for when your recipe calls for tenderizing your meat.
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