These must-have kitchen tools will make cooking delicious and nourishing meals at home simple!
Having the proper tool is important for any job. Whether you are building a house, knitting a sweater, or cooking nourishing from-scratch meals for your family, you will have more success when you have the right tools.
Plus, it makes the task take way less time!! Which is always nice.
There are lots and lots of kitchen gadgets out on the market. Some are very handy, while other are just a good marketing ploy!
The truth is you can get all those gadgets, but all you really need is a handful of must-have kitchen tools to cook delicious and nutrient-rich meals for you, yourself, and your family.
I think every cook has their favorite set of kitchen tools that they just can’t live without! I know I do.
Top Must-Have Kitchen Tools
So let’s dig in to my list of top must-have kitchen tools!
Cast Iron Skillet
I love my cast iron! I have multiple skillets and a large griddle pan. I use them EVERY day, and multiple times. Heck, I even get 2 or three going at one time occasionally!
Since we do not own a microwave, I regularly reheat leftovers in one of my cast iron pans.
You can cook just about anything in cast iron. The only things I avoid cooking in cast iron in acid-base items such as tomato or vinegar. Everything else is fair game though.
When cooking in cast iron, you are actually infusing your food with some added iron. Cooking and reheating food in cast iron can be a simple way to boost iron if you have low iron. I really recommend doing this for little ones when first introducing solids since that is the time they need iron the most.
Quality Knives
A good knife it on the top of the list for top must-have kitchen tools if you are going to be cooking a majority of your food from scratch.
Cooking most of your own nourishing meals requires lots of chopping, dicing, and slicing! Having at least one knife, that you know how to sharpen, will make those tasks much quicker. As well as reducing the risk of injury in the kitchen….you are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife.
With one good chef’s knife, you can do nearly anything you need to in the kitchen. I like to also have a pairing knife so small tasks like slicing fruit for my toddler or cutting cheese are easier. A butcher knife is also great to have, it works best for cutting meat into slices or breaking down a whole chicken.
Glass storage containers
When you cook your own food, you will most likely have leftovers. If you are meal planning and prepping, you will need something to store all your prepped ingredients in or the full meals you have cooked.
I highly recommend using glass to store your food. Glass is very versatile. It can be put in the freezer and the oven.
In addition, glass will not leach toxins into your food.
I suggest getting a range of sizes to fit all your storage needs. I am a fan of the one with lids that snap shut. With those, you can take your leftovers wherever you go without the risk of them leaking.
Dutch Oven
A dutch oven can be used for many things! I use mine to make double portions of a one-pot meal, soups, or stews. I use it to bake my sourdough loaves in.
A dutch oven is also my favorite pot to make broth in. A long slow simmer in a dutch oven makes the broth taste the best!
I love my Lodge enameled cost iron ones…I have two since my man and I combined kitchens a few years back.
Kitchen Shears
A sharp pair of shears are always great to have! You can use them to cut cooking twine, parchment paper or even food.
I often rely on my chicken shears to get through the wishbone of a whole chicken when cutting it up.
It also comes in handy for tasks like snipping herbs or lettuce or opening packages.
Mason Jars
So techniquely mason jars could be considered glass storage containers. While I use them for that, I also use for so much more!
I keep an assortment of sizes for all the various uses.
The smaller jars are great for serving kid’s snacks in, storing individual servings of food like yogurt, or even use them as toddler drinking glasses. You can use them to store small portions of jams, jellies, sauces, and more.
Pint-size jars are my favorite to make salad dressing or sauces for the week. You can throw all the ingredients in the jar, give it a whisk and then put a lid on it for storage. No extra dishes to wash! Hard to bet that. I also use one with a Jarjacket on it for my coffee.
Quart jars are good for fermenting foods like sauerkraut. You can also use them to store batches of broth. I like to keep cut veggies in them too. Since they seal, they keep the food fresher longer.
Really the possible uses for a mason jar are endless! They will work for just about anything if you need them too…I will use one as a vase when my little man picks flowers from the yard.
Saucepan
A nice stainless steel saucepan with a heavy bottom is a must too! I feel like 4 quart is a perfect size. It is small enough not to take up tons of space, yet large enough to handle many tasks.
You can cook rice in it, make a small batch of bone broth, make jelly, or heat a sauce.
It is also great for making a smaller portion of soup or stew.
Stainless Steel Skillet
A 12″ stainless steel skillet comes in handy when you are making acid-based foods, like tomato sauces, or foods with a stronger smell, like fish, that you do not want to put into your cast iron.
Instant Pot
I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to include the Instant Pot in my list of must-haves kitchen tools. But the more I thought about it, I knew I should because it really is so versatile.
My top uses for it include making broth, steaming veggies, hard-steaming eggs, making yogurt, cooking meat to shred or pull, and making stew.
So even if you only use an Instant Pot for a small handful of tasks, it is totally worth it!!
There are many other things you can do in it though. There are tons of recipes for full meals you can make in the Instant Pot. My boyfriend is a bit particular about how he likes meat cooked so I use it less for full meals.
Parchment Paper
Parchment paper is the best thing ever! I use it all the time in my kitchen!!
I use parchment paper in place of aluminum foil….aluminum is shown to have negative effects on the brain.
You can use it to line baking sheets for any food you are cooking. It makes clean up a breeze! And you can reuse it a few times before having to throw it out.
I also wrap potatoes in it for baking.
Sometimes, I let the kiddo have a sheet to entertain him while I am cooking.
I dehydrate sourdough starter on it. Use it when freezing food in the freezer, either to line the baking pan or to devide the food.
There you go folks, my favorite must-have kitchen tools that will make cooking nourishing and delecious meals for your family easy-peasy!!
What is your favorite kitchen tool? Let me know in the comments below.
