107 Kitchen essential tools for the home and industry
What are the essential kitchen tools that every home and restaurant owner needs?
In this guide I will break down what I believe are the most useful and required in order to prepare and cook good quality dishes, regardless of where you are. I’ll break it down into categories from most essential to pieces of equipment better suited for different tasks around kitchen
Essentials:
1. Chef knife
No surprise here. Every kitchen needs not just a knife, but a chef’s knife. They are synonymous for cooking around the world and for good reason. Indeed, without a good knife, it would be practically impossible to cook.
2.Cutting board
Cutting food without a cutting board is like a peanut butter and jelly without the bread. Messy and not very efficient. Do yourself a favor and get a nice cutting board. I prefer wood, but bamboo and plastic works too. Do NOT get a glass cutting board, as they will dull your knife and looked down on within the industry in general.
3.Containers
Cambro’s, quart containers, Tupperware or any container really are needed when preparing food. Whichever you prefer, start with them all the same size and you’ll see the difference it makes when it comes to cleaning and organizing a kitchen.
4.Skillet
Pretty straightforward. You cut the food. Prepare the meals in containers. You cook the food. I recommend a good cast iron because it’s so multipurpose, from frying to baking, but any flat pan that can distribute heat evenly will get the job done
5.Cooking spoon
Now that you got your food getting acquainted with each other in a hot pan, let me introduce you to your best, less sharp friend in the kitchen. Wooden cooking spoons are better than plastic, and metal spoons can scrape off sensitive pan coatings. Any hard cooking spoon made from one solid piece of wood like cherry or walnut are best and will last a lifetime, but bamboo and other cheaper wooden spoons can work as well.
6.Spatula
You ever try flipping an egg or hamburger patty with a cooking spoon? It’s possible, but not very efficient. I recommend a hard silicone spatula as it resists heat better than plastic and is generally safer on your pans compared to metal spatulas.
7.Tongs
Ideal for flipping over pan-fried chicken and other similar tasks. Metal is best since you won’t have to worry about it scrapping the bottom of your pans and will take a beating with fire and heat from all sides, whether it being from BBQing, grilling or taking things out of hot oil and stocks. Metal tongs are easier to clean as well over plastic or silicone.
8.Stock pot
From soups to stews, broths, pastas and more, a good 8-to-12-quart stock pot will seriously upgrade your home cooking. Trust me.
9.Sauce Pan
Anything a stock pot can do a sauce pan can do, just in smaller quantities. They are great for marinades, gravies and serving food such as mashed potatoes to guests more elegantly at the dinner table or during service compared to doing the same thing with a monster stock pot
10.Bread knife
For tasks that the chef knife can’t do, such as cutting bread, you will see that the bread knife will quickly be your second main cutting ally in the kitchen when it comes to preparing meals. Whether you prefer a scalloped edge or more traditional serrated knife, you can’t really go wrong having one of these in your cooking arsenal.
11.Scissors
Covering the last of all the essential kitchen tools that any cook would need, scissors are essential for snipping off some herbs to opening suborn vacuum wrapped foods like frozen fish. Get a good pair of scissors and you will thank you.
Electric:
My second category on this this list. While not as essential as the tools listed above, any of these are sure to elevate your cooking wherever you go that has a power supply
12.Food processor
Make quick work of garlic for your dishes. Does great with ginger and can do a really good pesto as well. You will be fine with a small 2-4 cup processor for home cooking, or you can go big and fancy with an 8-12 cup one with all of its attachments if you’re looking for restaurant quantities of food.
13.Blender
Great for smoothies, salsas and cold soups like vichyssoise, however, blenders shine most bright for cocktails and drinks. Any blender should get the job done, but if you’re looking for top of the line restaurant quality drinks and dishes you can’t go wrong with a Vitamix.
14.Crock pot
Some of the best meals are the simplest. Put in some cubed steak, potatoes, veggies, Lipton French onion soup mix and some beef stock in a crock pot, set it on high and come back to it 6-8 hours later. You’re welcome.
15.Rice cooker
It might sound obvious, but rice cookers really do make the best rice. It’s easy, convenient and its forgiving margin for error makes cooking rice for at home cooks a task less daunting compared to doing it on the stove. Good rule of thumb, rice is typically 2 parts water for one part rice, but there are types where it’s an even 1 part for 1 part. Quick google search of the type of rice will help nail it every time.
16.Microwave
Not just for heating frozen meals. Microwaves do really good at melting chocolate at small intervals and some restaurants will even do fried herbs in them with the right techniques.
17.Air fryer/convection oven
While most homes in America already have an oven in their kitchen, many other parts of the world do not. If you want to make cookies or any sort of baking your fine with your home oven, but if you don’t have one or want to move your baking to some place that won’t heat up the house, like in a garage, then a nice convection oven or air fryer could be a good choice for you.
18.Spice grinder
To get the most out of your spices I recommend buying them whole and grinding them fresh at home. It might not sound like a big deal, but the difference will truly astound you the first time trying fresh ground compared to store bought. Also great for making unique blends for marinades and spice rubs
19.Immersion blender
I used to make ketchup from scratch and used an industrial sized immersion blender for it. They are good for blending hot liquids into soup over a blender as trying to do the same thing in one can be dangerous to say the least. Not something every home owner or cook needs, but is perfect when the job calls for it.
20.Radio/ Bluetooth speaker
Music and food and cooking. It’s the best. Get a radio or listen to your own playlist while you prep 50 pounds of onions carrots and celery for service. It makes it more tolerable and even fun.
21.Toaster
Makes toast. Best for the home cook but the best toast comes from the flat top or pan. Unless of course you have the Mitsubishi TO-ST1. But then I imagine you already got the best kitchen equipment setup and wouldn’t even be here
22.Baking/confectionary
I put baking and confectionary into its own category because it truly is another world in the realm of cooking and kitchen essentials. With cooking, feel free to adjust things to taste and do things on the fly for a more creative dish that is uniquely your own. Don’t do that with here. At least not until you know and understand the rules first.
23.Thermometer
Whether its tempering chocolate, making caramel checking or how hot the oil is, a good thermometer is one tool both cooks and bakers use almost daily in the industry
24.Whisk
Good for making whipped cream, vinaigrettes, hollandaise or smoothing out some pastry cream, a good whisk is something magical in terms of incorporating air or making emulsions
25.Kitchen aid
The gold standard in home mixers. Not only are they great with a variety of attachments but a lot of restaurants use them as well. If your passionate about cooking but not in the industry, one of these bad boys are a great toy to have at home to play around with
26.Stainless steel mixing bowls
Ranging in volume from as little as one quart all the way to 8 or even 12 quarts, having a variety of mixing bowls are essential to any good baker or candy maker. Great for the industry as well but if you’re not into baking then containers will be just fine for most things cooking
27.Scale/digital scale
Bread makers and serious bakers prefer weighing everything in grams over any other standard measuring unit. This ensures the most consistent results with little to no margin for errors. Better than measuring cups or spoons.
28.Measuring cups
Most home cooks will find recipes using cups and ounces instead of grams like industry cooks. For these reasons I put measuring cups on this list. Still good to have regardless
29.Measuring spoons
Perfect for just the right amount of baking soda when making honeycomb. Measuring spoons are an essential tool for home cooks but ask any veteran with 10 or more years in the industry and I can almost guarantee that they’ll tell you they can eyeball most if not all ingredients without them.
30.Strainer
Necessary for sifting flour and other dry ingredients. Also good at taking out bits and pieces of stuff out of stocks or other hot liquids.
31.Fine mesh strainer/ chinois
The best strainers. These are used to get the smoothest, most velvety sauces and get the clearest stocks. More an industry essential than home cook.
32.Bench scraper/ dough knife
Essential baking tool. Makes quick work of cleaning after making bread or pastas from scratch. Good for portioning and overall great tool in general. I recommend a metal one, but don’t discount the softer rubber ones either. They are great for getting every drop of liquid out of your mixing bowls
33.Sheet pan/baking tray
The bakers standard sheet tray. Probably to most abundant tray in the industry and for good reason. They are great to add storage space in the refrigerator on pan racks, moving large amounts of containers to a station at once and more. For the home cook, they are good for cookies and cakes. For the industry, they are an essential piece to working as smooth as an engine
34.Muffin pan
Fun and cute little pan. Mostly used for muffins but also for Yorkshire pudding. There aren’t many other alternatives to one either if the recipe calls for one. That’s why it’s on the list
35.Cake pan
Typical sizes range from 4 inches in diameter up to 8 or 12 inches. The standard cake pan is two inches deep but there are deeper ones as well. You can skip out on these if you make cake, however, they are essential if you do.
36.Springform pan
Same as a typical cake pan but with a twist. The outer edges can pop off with a spring latch. Essential for making New York cheesecake
37.Pastry brush
Used mostly for bakers to put a seal around doughs using egg wash, but can be good to butter some bread or sauce up some BBQ. Good to have, essential for bakers.
38.Plating/serving
This category covers where the food goes when it is finished. Whether at home or in a restaurant, food should be plated in a way that looks nice and so here are some tools to do just that
39.Plates
One of the most basic serving dishes out there. Plates should be solid in color, preferably white, and either glass, ceramic or porcelain. When it comes to plates, keep it simple and let the food do the talking
40.Bowls
This goes the same with bowls. Glass. White. The size should to be the biggest variation when it comes to bowls. Smaller bowls are well suited for deserts like ice cream while some bigger ones with a wide lip around them can fit better for fancy soups or main courses
41.Cups
Typically dealt with front of the house staff, the cups should be a good reflection of the restaurant. Transparent glassware is most common with the height and volume having the most variations. If you’re at home, get a set of two each: wine glasses and high balls
42.Knives
Another thing mostly taken care of with front of the house. Silverware in general should be kept consistent in brand, style and in size. This makes setting up tables for service easier and little margin for error
43.Spoons
Spoons serve many different purposes. Whether a well-rounded spoon for soup or a more oval shaped spoon for dessert, whatever the choice is just make sure they are consistent with one another
44.Forks
There are several different forks as well. Smaller two-pronged forks are typically reserved for cheese, charcuterie boards or escargot, while slightly bigger three-pronged forks are best for crabs or dessert like cake. The biggest and heaviest should be four pronged forks which are best suited for salads and main courses
45.Chopsticks
Good for ramen and Asian dishes, chopsticks serve a variety of different purposes depending on length and material. If they are medium length, made of metal and rounded, then they are best suited for Korean BBQ. If they are shorter, made with wood and well decorated, then they are best for dishes like sushi or soba noodles. If they are long, made of wood or plastic and have a square base and rounded tip, then they are most likely made for dishes that are meant to be shared among the diners such as with a variety of Chinese dishes served whole or on one big plate
46.Ramekin
Good for sauces or souffles, they are most commonly made with glass. Keep them consistent with one another and be mindful of its purpose.
More equipment:
Any home cook would be set to handle almost any recipe they could imagine if they managed to obtain everything listed above. From here on most of these tools and pieces of equipment are geared more towards cooks in the industry. But please feel free to make your kitchen a playground paradise and get everything.
47.Fryer
If you went with my advice and got the cast iron skillet and the thermometer then you don’t really need a separate piece of equipment just for frying. However, if you are in a restaurant then you will know that it is definitely nice to have. The margin for error is less because it monitors the oil temp and with more space you can cook more food faster.
48.Ice cream machine
Get the kitchen aid attachment or a separate piece of equipment just for making ice cream. It can also make sorbet.
49.Pasta roller/machine
Kitchen aid makes a great pasta roller attachment with lots of various pasta widths. A clamp down pasta machine is great too.
50.Meat grinder
Kitchen aid makes a great meat grinder attachment, however, if you’re in the industry then you will be better off getting an industrial meat grinder for all your burger fantasies. Also does great at crushing herbs for tartar sauce
51.Alto sham
If you aren’t in the industry then you might not know what this is. It’s basically a keep food warm box. You can cook with it as well but why do that if you have an oven.
52.Sous vide machine
A really fun toy. Makes great poached eggs and amazing steak, but it kind of feels like cheating a little bit every time I see one.
53.Sausage maker/charcutier
If you’re into deli meats and want to take a crack at making your own sausage, then this piece of equipment is essential to have. Fun but really bulky and really only has one purpose.
54.Deli slicer
Great for slicing home made bacon or the perfect deli meat slices. Extremely dangerous to use and clean and I would not recommend buying one unless you absolutely must.
55.Smoker/little chief
Great little piece of equipment for smoking meat and other foods. They get dirty quickly and are not easy to maintain so beware of that. Good and fun toy to have overall though
56.Food Dehydrator
Makes some of the healthiest snacks and jerky. So fun to use and easy. Not dangerous and kid friendly piece of equipment to spark some interest into the cooking world
57.Freeze dryer
Next level food preparation. Every survivalist’s essential tool. Can freeze dry many products and keep foods edible for 25 years. Freeze dried candy is also trending so you could try making a little business with that to help pay it off
58.Steam kettle
Just an industrial double boiler. Great for making food with hot liquids and because its not coming into direct contact with heat its almost impossible to burn anything in this
Useful tools:
All the random tools and gadgets people have in their kitchen drawers fall under this category. Still good to have in general
59.Squeeze bottle
Great for making food with an artistic approach. Better control compared to using a spoon or what not
60.Pizza cutter
cuts pizza. Also good for baking croissants and confectionary
61.Spoodle
Invented by a dominoes employee, these things are great for serving a lot of people portioned amounts of food in a speedy time.
62.Slotted spoon
My grandma swears that metal slotted spoons make the best cookies. I’m not one to argue with grandma.
63.Icing spatulas
Usually used for decorating cakes, people are finding great ways to heighten their plating with a various set of these spatulas
64.Pastry cutter
Good for cutting in butter when making pie crust, but if you use your hands, it will work just as well.
65.Double boiler
This little guy is great for making melted chocolate because it won’t come in direct contact with fire. Also good for making hollandaise and other hot sauces
66.Rubber spatula
Essential for breakfast cooks, these spatulas are great at flipping omelets and other one pan dishes
67.Sandwich spreader
Better than a butter knife in almost every way. Definitely recommend getting one if you enjoy making sandwiches at home
68.Grill press
Great for making spatchcocked chicken on a grill. Grill presses are great if you have the right flat top or grill.
69.Piping bag
Mostly for bakers and cake decorating but works well for making deviled eggs or making mashed potatoes look fancy.
70.Mandolin
Super great and super dangerous kitchen tool. Almost essential depending on the task but low on the list because of all the injuries I’ve seen from these things. You’ve been warned
71.Vegetable dicer
An industrial food dicer is a game changer. Cut down 1-2 hours of prep dicing onions and other vegetables into 20 minutes with one of these
72.Tomato slicer
Industry staple but a good sharp chef or bread knife will do just fine for the home cook
73.Ice cream scoop
Scoops ice cream. Some are better than others, so I recommend getting the same brand you see at ice cream shops (Zeroll)
74.Metal spatula/grill spatula
Great for flipping burgers on the backyard BBQ or making a show like a teppanyaki chef. Good to have but use it where it’s meant to be used
75.Vegetable peeler
Great for peeling potatoes and carrots. You can peel other root veggies such as turnips relatively well also. I recommend a peeler with a nice grip and blades on both sides so you can peel swiping up and down without wasting energy
76.Microplane
Better than a grater or zester, microplanes work really good on getting the peels of lemons and limes without getting the pith.
77.Ladle
Good for serving soup. Can be good for serving punch at parties as well
78.Colander
Great for straining pasta and rinsing produce.
79.Sauce jug/Vollrath
The bigger brother of the squeeze bottle. This is great for getting a lot of sauce or other liquid out fast
80.Pie pan
Great for making pie. Not many other alternatives out there if you want to make pie, either
81.Piping tips
Good for bakers but most of the bakers I know only use 3 or 4 of them.
82.Flower nail
Used in tandem with a piping bag and piping tip to make pretty flower decorations on cakes and what. There’s a learning curve on how to make the perfect flower, but with practice I’m sure you can do it as well
83.Tweezers
Great for getting the bones out of a salmon fillet. Various sizes are also used in other ways as well. Maybe presenting pasta or decorating the plate with microgreens. All of them are good in general
84.Grater
Really great at shredding cheese. A little dangerous so use with caution, but once you get it down you’ll learn to enjoy using it.
85.Fish spatula
Great for flipping delicate pieces of fish like trout filets. Typically reserved only for flipping fish, but makes it nicer when compared to flipping the same fish with a bulky spatula
86.Paring knife
Like a mini chef knife. Most cooks use them for opening bags or boxes. Works best for garnishes
87.Boning knife
Great for getting the bones out of meat. Super sharp and thin, this knife can do things a bigger chef knife cannot do.
88.Fillet knife
Same as a boning knife but has a very flexible blade making it easier for separating the meat from the bones on fish.
89.Meat Clever
Great for cutting through bone or making stock bones. Typically, heavy and dangerous
90.Santoku
A nice blade for cutting vegetables but a good chef knife will be just fine as well
91.Scotch Brite
Cleaning solution that makes cleaning a flat top a breeze. Full of chemicals and almost guaranteed to be poisonous, its pure cleaning power is something to be feared and respected
92.Steel wool
The best cleaning tool when working with stainless steel equipment. Recommend steel wool for cleaning all your metal tools.
For the industry employee:
Everyone who works in the industry would agree that these next couple things are essential for a good service. Home cooks can get away with more and don’t necessarily need these things
93.Apron
Typically in black or white, kitchen aprons are the best. It’s like transforming into a kangaroo with pouches.
94.Kitchen towels
Blue or white or yellow, fresh, dry kitchen towels are the thing to stockpile and store away like squirrel preparing for winter in the industry.
96. 9pans, 6pans, 1/2 pans
The term 9pan simply means how many pans will fit on a standard sheet try, so for example, 9pans will fill one sheet tray. Just as hot a commodity as kitchen towels, keeping track of where the pans are will make sure your station is set up for success and ran like a well-oiled machine, compared to someone with a hodgepodge of Tupperware, containers and Cambro’s.
97.Drinking cup/quart container/pitcher
It’s no secret, working in the kitchen gets hot. And depending on where you work your preferred choice of drinking receptacle will vary. Health code states that drinking cups have to meet sanitation standards, but in reality, cooks are in the back slamming beer filled in quart containers reserved for clams and mussels or drinking entire pitchers of iced coffee wrapped in plastic wrap through straws.
Storage:
I covered some storage essentials already above, but here are some more that make keeping track of the products in the walk-ins, dry storage, freezers and reach-ins well clean and well maintained. This category is more focused for cooks who are in the industry, as home cooks won’t typically have to worry about service.
98.Quart/pint containers
Quart containers are essential to maintain an orderly reach-in. because there is less space during service at the kitchen stations, cooks will typically set up with an assortment of quart containers and pint containers so make sure they got everything they need. From salt and pepper to beignet batter and beer, these containers are key to a good service.
99.1/3 pans
I already covered the most important service pans, but 1/3 pans are on the list because there is definitely a place for them in a kitchen. More often used to hold smaller containers under ice, these shine brightest around buffet style restaurants inside the steam tables or at the salad station
100.Plastic wrap
Plastic wrap is a problem. Not because it makes you feel like a spider when you wrap things up but because its so useful that there really isn’t anything else better. This is a shame because it is terrible for the environment.
101.Aluminum foil
More commonly used when baking cheesecakes or other dishes in the oven and water bath, foil also works great roasting garlic, a makeshift hotel pan lid or in a BBQ. If you want to have a really fast clean up at the end of service try lining your kitchen counters in aluminum foil prior to service
102.Butchers twine
Good for meat, air drying sausages or salami, trussing a chicken for a nice poach or securing a nice beef roulade, butchers’ twine has many useful purposes in the industry
103.Cheese cloth
Makes cheese. Perfect for hanging freshly made ricotta and removing excess liquid, bouquet garni’s for stocks, or setting up a nice pork roast to easily separate the meat from stewing veggies.
104.Cambro storage containers 2/4/8/12/22 quart
The king of organization in the walk-in refrigerator, freezer and dry storage. Truthfully any big space that has food product in it would benefit being stored in a Cambro because of its durability and ease of use.
105.Parchment paper
Perfect for easy clean up when roasting veggies on a sheet tray or really most foods in the oven. It is also good for par baking pie crusts with baking weights or making little chocolate piping bags for decoration.
106.½ sheet pans
Not as big as a full sheet pan, about ½ as big to be exact. These are great for popping food like mac and cheese under a salamander to get a nice caramelized crust on the top, melting some cheese on a burger patty or setting up a station.
107.Hotel pan 2in/4in/6in/8in
Essential for setting up stations in a buffet style restaurant. Otherwise, the 6 and 8 in. hotel pans work great for storing large pieces of cooked meat or making a nice ice bath. 2 and 4 in. hotel pans work best for baking
