30 Kitchen Supply Items we all need
30 Kitchen Supply Items you shouldn’t be without
First things first, no matter how great your kitchen supply is there are no substitutes for being ready to cook! Let’s look at some pre-cooking ideas!
1. Read the recipe before you start, not as you are cooking! This allows you to plan ahead as to the items you will need and at what point of the preparation you will need them.
2. Gather the right utensils and cook-ware before starting to cook.
3. Inspect your knives to be sure they are sharp.
4. Wash all your cooking ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, and herbs before beginning to cook.
5. Get all the ingredients together and measure or weigh them.
6. Do all you chopping and grating before beginning the cooking.
7. Add you ingredients in separate bowls or if they will be used at the same time you can add them to bowls together. This makes it so much easier to add to the pot!
8. Always clean up as you go. This will make the aftermath so much more tolerable!
How to have a good kitchen supply for cooking, baking, frying, etc. There are essentials for every kitchen supply. Every cook, baker, whether professional or stay at home mom needs a good supply of kitchen utensils and cook-wares!
So, what constitutes a good kitchen supply?
The basics of the kitchen supply!
Of course, everyone has the basic needs of spoons, forks and knives of varying sizes and purposes.
Table of Contents
Forks for every occasion!
You have regular dinner forks for your table necessities of dining and they usually consist of 5 different styles.
There are several other forks but we will concentrate on these basic forks that come in sets in this article.
The “Place Size” or American Dinner fork is the most common dinner fork.
For all your kitchen etiquette check out the etiquette web site.
Dinner Fork
The common dinner fork measures approximately 7 inches long and is typically used to eat the main course at all most formal and informal tables. This is the most common fork used during the meal.
The Luncheon Fork
This fork is found in mostly older sets of flat wares and not usually found in more modern sets. This fork measures approximately 6 ¾ inches long and is used with the luncheon plate. This was a standard table setting fork in older sets.
The Fish Fork
This fork is used for what it is named, seafood and in particular, fish! This fork will have an extra wide tine on the left side of the fork and oft times feature a notched groove for fitting over the bones. This is normally around 7 ¼ to 7 ¾ inches long.
Salad Fork / Dessert Fork
If you examine the tines on a salad fork you will find them a bit flatter and wider than a standard dinner fork. These forks are typically around 6 inches in length. Tis fork is used in the formal and informal meals and is also used for appetizer courses.
Seafood Fork
This fork is also known as a cocktail fork! This is going to measure around 4 ½ to 5 ½ inches long with only 3 tines. The purpose of a seafood fork is to spear the food. Although fish is seafood this is not the normal fork used for it.
We all need a good Kitchen Supply of items to cook with. We just want to encourage you to purchase only those utensils you will need. A kitchen full or unused utensil’s is not helpful and can become very cluttered and costly!
Spoons for every occasion.
Like the forks you have specialized spoons for your basic table necessities. We will only list 5 of the many spoons available because of item and space. These are just your basic spoons.
Tea Spoon
This is used basically for eating soups, sipping beverages such as tea and stirring tea in cups.
Iced Beverage Spoons
These are used just what they sound like, stirring iced beverages in glasses. These are long handled spoons that prevent you from getting your fingers in the liquid when you stir it!
Oval Soup Spoon
These spoons are used to eat spoons that have been prepared with particles of meats, vegetables or pastas. The spoon is designed to keep the solids in and not allow them to spill over the sides so easily.
Dessert Spoon
These are mid-sized spoons. They will be a little longer than the tea spoon and a little shorter than the table spoon. They are designed to hold approximately 2 times as much per scoop as the teaspoon.
Place Spoon
This is one of the most common spoons we use. It is a little bit larger than the teaspoon and a little bit smaller than a tablespoon. They are a very good dessert spoon and great for sipping because of the oval shape of the spoon bowl.
Table Spoon
This spoon is basically twice as large as a teaspoon. The abbreviation for this spoon is normally Tsp or just a capitol “T”. This is mostly used for serving here in the USA. In some countries it is used like the teaspoon during meals
Specialized Utensils
Serving Forks and Spoons
These spoon and forks are typical larger than your dinner or table setting forks and spoons. These will be used to serve meats, vegetables, fruits, etc. from bowls or platters to the plates. The length will and can vary depending on the set of utensils you purchase and the purpose of the utensils. They will typically measure from 9 to 12 inches long and depending on your setting they can be metal, wood or plastic.
Carving Knives and Forks
These utensils are used for carving meats after they have been cooked or baked, while they are still in the pans or after set out on a platter for serving. These knives and forks are larger than your standard steak and paring knives that come with your utensil sets. These can measure from 8 inches in length to 12 or even 14 inches depending on the manufacturer and need. Again, in today’s society this is not restricted to metal. You will find them in plastic also! Many folks set out hard plastic to serve guest on now days!
Spatulas and Turners
These are used for turning your food in your skillets and pans! In the current times we live in you are going to find them in all shapes, sizes, colors and materials! There just seems to be no end to the specifications on this item. Many will have different temperatures they will be able to withstand. It can range considerably so be sure to choose them accordingly. These also will be found in metal, wood, plastics.
Slotted Spoons
This is used mostly in food preparation. Many have actual slots and other will have round holes like a colander and others may have a variety of slits and holes but they are typically referred to as slotted spoons. They allow the liquids to pass through them as you stir and as you lift the food to inspect it. The ladle style slotted spoon is normally used to dip food from cooking juices or oils and preserve the liquids in the pots or container while a table sized slotted spoon is normally used to serve foods such as fruits and vegetables. These will vary in size and material such as the stainless shown or hard plastic and even wooden ones. Pick out spoons that you will need and use! A drawer full of unused utensils is very annoying and can be costly at times!
Ladles
You will find these in basically two types, slotted and solid. The slotted is used to remove foods from pots and pan while preserving the juices in the pot and pans. The solid is used to dip soups, chili, and liquids from a pot or pan. They are basically serving utensils. These will vary in length, shape and material depending on your need. Always choose wisely as these can sometime be expensive. Remember a drawer full of utensils you don’t need it just money wasted.
These are pretty much the utensil’s you will need to supply your kitchen with. Most kitchen utensil sets come with steak and paring knives so there is really no need for us to list them here.
Miscellaneous Kitchen Supplies
Cutting Board
A good cutting board is an essential part of your kitchen supply! This allows you to cut and chop on a hard surface and not worry about scratching or nicking your counter tops as you do so. Many folks will have a larger one and a smaller one for those large jobs and smaller jobs as they may need them.
Cooking Pot
A good medium sized pot will do for most cooking needs. A 3 quart pot with a lid will cook enough for a small family of 3 or 4 people. And you can always adjust your ingredients for one or two people if the need arises!
Food Thermometer
There are many foods that need to reach certain temperatures before the bacteria is killed and when caning this is essential for most candies as they boil at different temperatures than meats and other foods. They are very temperature sensitive for jelling points.
Timer
This is essential. You will burn and scorch more food by not having one than you ever will by not having one! When you start cooking it is extremely hard to keep up with the time. You will at some point get preoccupied and burn something or boil the liquid dry in the pot or pan. A timer will prevent this and save that favorite or even important meal many times over! Get a timer with a LOUD RING!A lot of times we get off in another place as our food cooks. Especially if we have food on that is going to take a while to cook and it is very easy to forget to check on the meal. I have burned many dishes and boiled several pots dry by doing just that! This is a very good investment for the kitchen!
Stainless Spring form Tongs
These are a necessity for lifting and clasping smaller morsels of food when adding or removing from a pot. They can also be handy for turning foods in the bottom of a pot.
Perforated Shallow Skimmer
These are great for removing froth and foam from the tops of stews and other dishes.
Measuring Spoons or Cups
These is nothing worse than getting too much of a strong ingredient in a pot of stew or recipe. Measuring spoons or cups are worth investing for this reason alone!
Kitchen Scales
Many recipes call for amounts of food by weight instead of volume. When these are called for, you need a good set of kitchen scales! They just can’t be replaced by guessing weights if you have not cooked a lot! Once you have cooked for some time you may be able to bypass them some with a pinch of this or a handful or that! But, if you are not that confident, you need a set of scales.
Trivets or Pot Stands
These are essential if you will ever be removing the pot of pan from the stove while hot and placing it on your table or counter tops! These will keep your tables and counter tops free of burn spots! Well worth the purchase!
Cookware
In most cases when you purchase a set of cookware it will come with the necessary pots and pans that you will need to supply your kitchen for cooking and baking! There are lots of good quality sets out there that will not break the bank! We recently purchased a set of Rachel Ray 17 Pc Hard Enamel Cook Ware. See the set below.
There are several different set in this line. You will find a 10 pc, a 14 pc and 17 pc set if you search your affiliate for them. They also come in several different colors to meet your decor needs. We purchased the red set.
When considering purchasing a new set of cookware be sure to consider your expertise in the kitchen. Will you need stainless or Enamel Non-Stick cookware? If you are just beginning, I would suggest the enamel non-stick until you have become pretty familiar with cooking at different temperatures. Stainless can be great and is wonderful to cook in but if you are not familiar with it, you can mess up some pretty good meals!
Heavy Bottom Stock Pot
Sometimes you just need a really good heavy pot to cook those dishes that take a few hours of boiling and cooking.
Casserole Dishes
These come in a variety of sizes but in our experience, a 2 , 3 and 4-quart casserole is all you will ever need. Be sure to get tight fitting lids with your casseroles.
Large High Sided Skillet
Many cookware sets do not come with a large 12-inch skillet with high sides. If yours does not, I recommend you purchase one. These are invaluable when preparing meats and vegetables for dishes. We actually use ours to cook lasagna in. We can make enough to feed 4 people in it and have a little left! It came with a lid and this is important! Get a lid with yours!
Cast Iron Skillet (Medium Size, 6 – 10 inch)
This is in my opinion a must for corn bread! A good seasoned cast iron skillet is the most durable and tasty way to make corn bread and many other dishes. We even make cakes and such in ours. They can be used on the stove top or in the oven with equal results! We have a 4 inch, 6 Inch, 8 inch, 10 inch and 11 inch cast iron skillet and would not give them up for all of our others! I guess you can see we love our cast iron!
A Good Quality Roasting Pan
If you plan on baking Turkey, Ham or Roast in the oven a good Roasting Pan is essential! Many folks are now baking their turkeys and hams in electric roasters but they just don’t seem to be a juicy as a well prepared a piece of meat in the oven.
Good Shallow Baking Dishes
You will need a couple of good shallow baking dishes for your crumbles and gratins. Just a couple should suffice.
Cake Pans
It is important that you know what you are looking for and how well you are familiar with baking when you choose a cake pan. There are pans for many different needs and styles of cakes but the basics are round, sure and rectangular. The standard is a 9 inch round for round cakes. The standard for the square is a 13 inch x 13 inch. The standard size for the rectangular is the 9 inch x 13 inch.
There are sets you can purchase for extravagant baking and they can be expensive but if you are only beginning to cook or haven’t been baking very long a good set of standard enamel finish cake pans should be very efficient for you. The set shown is a very good beginners set. It also has a nice loaf pan with it for meatloaf and breads.
Next a good kitchen supply for the refrigerator! Lets just concentrate on the basics. You can add to this later as you begin to experiment or if you are already an experienced cook you might want to add some items by suggesting them through our Contact Us Page.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are always better when you can find them, Summer and fall are the best times for these and the taste just can’t be beat! Meats such as poultry, fish add valuable nutrients to a dish that you just can’t get with frozen meats. These items will keep fresh in your refrigerator and you can use them as needed. Remember all meats, vegetables, fruits, etc have a life expectancy, even in the refrigerator They need to be used within a certain time or you will need to freeze them! You can freeze most any product using a good vacuum sealer! We use the ons shown and it is a very good product!
Pantry Items
The Pantry is a wonderful addition to any kitchen that is active in cooking. This is always a great place to keep a good kitchen supply! We just built a new pantry adjacent to our kitchen this past winter and it has been one of the most useful things we have ever done!
Pantries are great for storing you kitchen supplies such as:
Grains
These consist of rice, barley, oats, etc. and combined with the right seasoning they add so much to a pot of stew or meats!
Beans
These consist of dried and canned. Both are full of nutrients and fiber! Canned beans can be added to your pot without cooking or soaking them. They are great additives!
Pasta
These come in all shapes and sizes. From small star shaped to tubes and coils! These are great to precook or add to the pot with plenty of liquid for boiling.
Seeds and Nuts
These provide great texture and flavor for candies and cakes among other dishes! We love Walnuts, Pecan, Almonds, Sesame and Sunflower seeds.
Sauces and Pastes
These are a necessity for your pasta dishes such as spaghetti. A good supply of soy sauce, Worcestershire and tobacco will add lots of zest and flavor to your pantry! Tomato, Mustard and Tapenade pastes add tons of flavors. Premade jars of sauces are wonderful!
Spices and Dried Herb
Always buy your peppers and spices whole and grind them as you have need of them to get the best flavor possible. Some of the most popular dries spices are Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano. These are great for adding flavor to your favorite dishes!
You can find a large list of Food Preparation Utensils on Wiki!
Maybe you see things we have left out in our list of what makes up a good kitchen supply. If you have other items you feel are a necessity for your kitchen supply be sure to let us know by leaving a comment or sending us a message on our Contact US Page.
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