5 Essential Kitchen Tools Every Beginner Cook Needs
If you’re like most people, you probably think you’re not a very good cook—but the reality is you need some better tools in your kitchen. And I’m not talking about a wallet-busting Vitamix that you’ll use a few times a year or a Kitchenaid mixer with so many attachments you don’t know where to begin.
I’m talking about five simple tools that you’ll use (pretty much) every day that will instantly take your food from “meh” to “oooooh, yeah.” As a former cooking instructor and lifelong restaurant professional, I’m here to share some of my recommendations for the best tools you need in your kitchen without breaking the bank.
5 Tools That Every Kitchen Needs
While there is an abundance of tools that can improve your cooking game, I’ve specifically selected these five kitchen essentials to get you started on the right foot. Trust me, you can always level up later, but these are some of the basics that every at-home chef needs in their arsenal.
Quality Chef’s Knife
It’s pretty hard to cook things well if you can’t even cut them properly. Whether you love slicing meats, veggies, or getting that diner-quality slice of pie, you need a good chef's knife. Not a pairing knife, a cleaver, or a serrated knife, but a chef's knife.
How do you know the difference? Most chef knives are 6-8 inches long, have a comfy ergonomic handle, and a sharp, well-balanced blade that has a slight curve to it so that it ends in a very pointed tip. I like to call this knife “the all-purpose flour of knives” because it does a little bit of everything. Every kind of knife has its own specific purpose but you can get more specific in the future. This one does it all.
For beginners, I really like the 8-inch Hedley & Bennett chef’s knife. It’s not your $500 professional knife but it doesn’t skimp on quality for the price. It uses three layers of Japanese steel and has a thoughtfully curved handle to fit most hands, making it a fantastic choice for anyone looking to take their cooking more seriously. Plus, these knives were developed by real chefs and come in a ton of unique colors so you can add a little personality to your knife collection.
Microplane aka Rasp Grater
Some call it a microplane, some call it a zester, but its one true name is a rasp grater. You’ve likely seen it before and thought it was just for zesting citrus, but, oh my sweet friend, this tool does far more than zest your humble lemons.
Whatever you decide to call it, this kitchen essential is on heavy rotation for any aspiring or professional cook. It’s the best way to mince garlic and ginger to a fine paste and get maximum flavor. This one application in itself is worth its weight in gold if you want to upskill. Once you start using fresh garlic instead of garlic powder in every recipe, you’ll never go back.
The rasp grater is also perfect for grating cheese or chocolate as a finishing touch or grating fresh nutmeg and cinnamon for more punch. And, of course, it can be used to zest citrus for both savory and sweet applications.
Pepper Grinder
Please, for the love of all things you hold dear, stop using pre-ground pepper. Given that we use a ton of pepper in American kitchens, a pepper grinder (or pepper mill) can have a major impact on almost everything you cook.
Many spices we use start to lose their gusto as soon as they are ground and packaged, which is why quality matters when it comes to your spice drawer. I don’t expect everyone to start grinding fresh paprika every time they want to make the perfect breakfast potato, but I am asking you to grab the pepper grinder.
You’ll immediately notice how much more pungent fresh ground pepper is once you make the switch. Additionally, a grinder gives you the flexibility to go coarse or fine (both have their different uses) or mix up the kind of pepper you use. We are so used to black peppercorns in America that we often neglect green, pink, and white peppercorns. You may even discover that you want to use your own unique mix.
Bench Scraper
Many at-home cooks shy away from bench scrapers because they think they’re just for baking. And while it is certainly a baker’s best friend, it can be used for everyday cooking too. So let’s start with the everyday.
Bench scrapers get their name because they are designed to literally scrape your bench (aka your cooking surface) without damaging it. If you get a little messy while cooking, you can use this tool to scrape everything down and into a trash can, your hands, the floor, wherever, to clean off your counters. Plus, it can be used to scoop up veggies, meat, whatever you want, from off the cutting board and into your pan, cooking tray, or pot without fumbling around. These might sound like minor uses but they become a reflex as you get more cozy in the kitchen.
Now let’s talk baking. Even if you’re the tiiiiiniest bit curious about adding a little more baking to your routine, a bench scraper is a must. All bench scrapers are universally six inches long so you can measure the size of your pastry and it cuts through dough like a dream. It’s also particularly adept at scraping stubborn bits of dough off your counter to give you a completely clean slate.
Apron
This might seem a little frilly, but have you ever seen a professional chef in a restaurant just raw-dogging it without an apron? I doubt it. And there’s a reason for that.
Not only is cooking inherently messy (I can’t tell you how many shirts I’ve ruined with oil stains), but you need things at arm’s reach once you really get going. Good aprons have pockets so you can store tasting spoons, thermometers, utensils, towels, whatever you need to make your life a little easier.
And now this is going to sound reeeeallly frilly, but when you look good and feel good, your food comes out better. If you’re stressed and just splattered sauce all over your date-night outfit, your food is going to taste chaotic. I don’t make the rules; that’s just how it is.
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With these tools in your hands, you’ll transform from a young culinary grasshopper into a true kitchen master in no time. For more tips, tricks, and inspiration, stay tuned.