Kitchen Essentials Checklist

25 Products Every Kitchen Needs

Whether you need to purchase cookware and tools for a new kitchen, are trying to upgrade the quality of the tools in your existing kitchen, or are trying to pare down drawers and cabinets that are overflowing with gadgets, you might need some help in deciding what products you’ll need and use most for your daily cooking and meal prep tasks. To determine what items you should add, keep, or skip, here’s a checklist for the top 25 essentials every functional kitchen should have.

1. Prep and storage bowls
   Having a variety of mixing bowls for prep and storage is a fundamental requirement for any kitchen. These versatile bowls can be used for a range of tasks including mixing ingredients when baking or cooking, serving side dishes and salads, and storing meals in the refrigerator. Bowls comes in a wide selection of sizes and materials such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic, and plastic. Sets can be nested to save space in the cupboard and many come with flexible plastic lids so you can use them to storage leftovers. 

2. Cutting boards
   When it comes to food prep, cutting boards are a vital addition to your kitchen essentials. Made of wood, plastic, or glass, a cutting board will protect your counter and keep your knives from dulling too quickly. Keep several so you can use separate boards for chopping vegetables, slicing fruit, and cutting meat to prevent cross contamination when prepping meals. Wood cutting boards also can double as serving and charcuterie boards when entertaining. 

3. Spatulas
   Spatulas are indispensable tools for flipping, tossing, and serving many types of foods. A spatula is ideal for scrambling eggs, flipping pancakes, sauteing vegetables, and transferring cooked meat, fish, and casseroles to plates for serving. Stainless steel spatulas are sturdy and dishwasher safe, but be sure to use wood, nylon, or silicone spatulas on nonstick cookware to prevent scratching the surface.
   
4. Chef’s knife
   A good, quality chef’s knife is a cook’s best tool for slicing, dicing, chopping, and general food prep. As a knife you’ll use every day, investing in a premium chef’s knife is a smart decision. Choose one that feels comfortable and balanced in your handle. It should be easy to hold and control without being too heavy or too flimsy. A quality knife will last for years with proper care and regular sharpening. 

5. Paring knife
   Exceptional cutting ability and a smaller, easy-to-use size makes a paring knife a must-have in your kitchen to streamline food prep and optimize your efficiency. These small knives come in both straight and serrated edge types and can handle a wide range of tasks including peeling fruits and vegetables, hulling strawberries, mincing garlic, chopping herbs, cutting tomatoes, slicing cheese, and much more. 

6. Vegetable peeler
   Handy for vegetable prep, peelers are ideal for removing skin from potatoes, apples, cucumbers, and other skinned produce. A peeler can also be used to shave thin slices of chocolate, citrus peels, cheese, and other foods for garnishes or finishing touches on dishes. Choose one that fits comfortably in your hand, slides smoothly, and peels foods in seconds.
7. Wire whisk
   Sturdy wire whisks come in all shapes and sizes including standard balloon whisks, ball whisks, dough whisks, flat/roux whisks, French whisks, and coil/spring whisks. The configuration and thickness of the wire varies depending on the type and usage. These essential tools are used to add air into a mixture or thoroughly blend ingredients together. Whisks are great for whipping cream, meringues, and egg whites, blending sauces and emulsions such as vinaigrettes, mixing batters, stirring soups and gravy, and creating doughs.
8. Measuring spoons and measuring cups
   Baking especially requires exact measurements of the ingredients. A set of measuring spoons and measuring cups ensures you get the amounts right every time. Both come in stainless steel, plastic, and even copper in a variety of styles. Sets will include the most common sizes. Spoons come in 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon sizes. Cups usually include 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 cup sizes, though larger sets can have additional sizes.
9. Slotted spoon
   Made of either metal, wood, or plastic, slotted spoons act like a mini strainer to separate solids from liquids. Use them to pull potatoes or pasta from boiling water or transfer cooked vegetables to bowls while leaving excess juice or water in the saucepan. They are also great for serving pasta, rice, and vegetables. 

10. Tongs
    You can never have too many tongs in your kitchen. These handy utensils are perfect for turning foods while baking in the oven or frying in a skillet, tossing salad, removing corn on the cob from boiling water, grabbing baked potatoes out of the oven or off the grill, pulling toast from a toaster, or serving rolls, pieces of meat such as sausage, steak tips, and hot dogs. 

11. Kitchen shears
    You’ll reach for your kitchen shears more often then not on a daily basis. These heavy-duty scissors are ideal for opening packaging, snipping herb stems, cutting fat from meats, cutting up whole poultry, and even dicing some vegetables such as baby carrots, green onions, and other smaller foods. Select a pair that comes apart for easier cleaning after use. 

12. Meat thermometer
    Never guess if your poultry or meat is cooked thoroughly enough. Kitchen thermometers make it easy to achieve moist tender meat while also ensuring it has been safely cooked. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted in your roast will tell you if it has reached the minimal internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria and prevent food-borne illnesses from undercooked meat. 
    

13. Nonstick frying pan
    Easy-to-clean nonstick frying pans are a great choice for cooking delicate foods that are prone to stick to uncoated stainless steel or aluminum pans. Use them to fry and scramble eggs, sautéing spinach, mushrooms, onions, and other vegetables, and meats. Their nonstick surface requires little or no butter or oil when cooking to reduce fats and cleans up with little effort. Look for nonstick coatings such as ceramic that free of any harmful chemicals. 

14. Cast iron skillet
    When properly seasoned, cast iron skillets are virtually nonstick and deliver an excellent sear to meats. These classic, indestructible frying pans can go from the stovetop to the oven with ease and can last a lifetime with proper care. They provide consistent heat when sautéing, pan-frying, searing, baking, braising, broiling, roasting a variety of foods, while adding better flavor. They can be used on any stovetop and on grills. 

15. Dutch oven
    Dutch ovens are another classic piece of cookware that’s versatile and functional as they easily can be used on the stove or in the oven. They are the pan of choice when cooking stews, casseroles, and more. You can brown and sear meats, add in other ingredients such as vegetables, and sauces to create one-pot meals with ease. A Dutch oven is perfect for braising, roasting, and slow cooking. They even are great for baking bread that is crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. They produce great results from stove or oven straight to the table. 

16. Colander
    Metal or plastic colanders are an essential for food prep tasks. These strainers are handy for washing produce and draining boiled foods, especially pasta. Some have larger holes while others are made of finer mesh to trap smaller particles of food. Look for dishwasher safe models for easier clean up.
17. Grater
    Besides shredding and grating block cheese, graters will slice, grind, cut, and shred potatoes, vegetables, nuts, and even bars of chocolate. You can even use them to quickly soften butter. You will find graters in a variety of designs from handheld models, box graters, rasp graters, rotary graters, and mandolin planers.
18. Trivet
    Protect your table surfaces and countertops from hot pans, dishes, and pots with a trivet. Made of metal, silicone, wood, or fabric, trivets are placed between the serving dish or pan and the surface you want to protect from heat damage or scratches. They come in a wide assortment of designs, colors, materials, and shapes to suit any need or décor style.
19. Can opener
    Whether you pick a manual handheld or electric can opener, you will always need this kitchen essential on hand to quickly remove the lids from metal cans. These devices safely cut around the edge of the can’s lid while preventing injury and keeping metal shavings from contaminating the can’s contents.
20. Citrus juicer
    Nothing beats the taste of freshly made juice. Citrus juicers let you easily squeeze the juice from lemons, limes, and oranges for both recipes and beverages. You can choose an easy-to-use manual juicer or an electric one if you need to process larger quantities.
    
21. Saucepans
    Saucepans in a variety of sizes are a staple of every kitchen. They are used to boiling pasta, potatoes, or vegetables, simmering sauces, broths, and soups, heating up canned or frozen foods, and more. They come in a range of designs and materials including stainless steel, enameled cast iron, anodized aluminum, copper, and ceramic coated with tempered glass or matching metal lids.
    
22. Roasting pan
    Roasting pans are the go-to pans for cooking large cuts of meat like beef tenderloin, whole turkey or chicken, baked ham, roast pork, brisket, and more. Roasting pans are deep and thicker walled than baking pans to hold larger items while keeping juice splatter to a minimum. The come in stainless steel and nonstick designs, and many come with racks to elevate the meat above the juices. After the meat is cooked and removed from the oven, you can use the pan on the stove to cook the meat juices into a tasty gravy as a condiment for the meat.
23. Sheet pan
    Have some sheet pans on hand in your kitchen for when you need to bake cookies and pastries, deep dish pizzas, roast vegetables, heat up rolls and biscuits, and cook foil-wrapped meat and fish. Tray-shaped sheet pans are also perfect for placing under pie pans or other vessels in the oven to keep juices and spills from making a mess. Like other bakeware, sheet pans come in aluminum, steel, and nonstick varieties.
24. Casserole dish
    Another versatile kitchen necessity, casserole dishes can be used to make one-dish meals, soups, stews, pot roasts, and sauces. Made of ceramic, stainless steel, tempered glass, or even cast iron, they are suitable for both oven and stovetop and are attractive enough to serve at the table. As an oven to table dish, they maximize practicality and minimize cleanup.
25. Electric mixer
    An electric mixer will let you mix and blend a wide range of foods quicker and with less effort than doing it manually with a hand tool. Whether you prefer hand mixers for their easy portability or stand mixers for the hands-free prepping, these power tools are indispensable for many of your cooking and baking tasks. They make short work of whipping cream or eggs, mixing cake batter and cookie dough, whipping mashed potatoes, blending dressings and sauces, and mixing icings for pastries.

Ready to stock up on the cookware and tools you need? Go to Riverbend Home’s Kitchen & Dining section to find a wide range of essential products for your kitchen.