My first is this silicon spatula. It’s construction isnt just a silicon tip with wooden handle. Its the red silicon for much more of the handle, which I’ve felt makes it easier to clean and last longer, since gunk isnt getting wedged between the handle and tip. I like it so much I have two.
The second is probably just a spray bottle with water and dish soap. I clean up messes and the stove and countertops with it, and it’s incredibly convenient.
Silicone spatula, instant read digital probe thermometer, and a Le Creuset dutch oven/pot.
We have an electric stove and even our good quality pans tend to bow at the bottom a little and reduce even contact with the stove surface. The Creuset lays flat every time, the thicker construction heats more evenly, has high sides to catch spatter from boiling or searing. Instant read thermometers are a game changer for the proper cooking of foods. No overcooking, the correct donness can be checked quickly. It’s a must-have to properly cook food from proteins to bread to custard. The silicone spatula is flexible yet sturdy enough to scrape, fold, or even flip, cleans quickly and easily, and the heat resistance is great.
Use all the time:
silicon spatula
strainer spoon
ss measuring cups with little pour spouts - The things are so solid they could probably stop a bullet. lol
ss rectangular measuring spoons - Don’t get round ones, get rectangular ones, that way they actually fit into the mouths of spice bottles.
Less used but glad I have them:
thermopen - It greatly improved my meat cooking. no more guesswork
zester - I have a zester that goes on a finger and you palm it. works great and holds the shavings in a plastic cup until you pop it off and empty it. I’ve never found one that works as nicely as this.
box grater - I’ve ignored this for too long and I’m realizing it is better than 99% of the gizmos out there for cheese and such.
I have graters in two sizes: the lesser grater and the greater grater.
Integrate them
I have several silicon spatulas and absolutely love them. Still have some wooden spoons around though, to help break up things that the silicone is too soft for. An example is heating frozen chili on the stove top, using a wooden spoon to break up the frozen bits as they thaw. However, the silicone spatulas are far more versatile. Plus you can scrap every last drop of sauce out of a pan with them.
Longer tongs. I have a gas top stove and using shorter handled tongs can get uncomfortable if I’m cooking something for a long period of time.
Flat strainer. Essentially a spider, except the mesh is the same as a fine mesh strainer. This was a purchase that my wife made that I thought was totally useless and indeed, it sat in the drawer for months. Until I needed just one more strainer, as all the others were used already. Turned out that it is very useful and easier to use than a full strainer in a lot of circumstances. It also doubles as a spider and it is really great at cleaning up hot oil in between batches.
Spray bottle with 50/50 white vinegar and water. Great for cleaning and disinfecting the counter top, also spray it on my cutting boards after washing them to keep them from smelling like what I last cut on them.
Lastly, a really good set of thermometers. I love the Thermoworks thermometers and have the Dot, Thermopen IR, and the 4 probe Smoke for BBQ. Along with multiple types of probes for various applications. They were expensive, but have proven themselves time and time again.
Lastly my absolute favorite kitchen item and by far the most expensive is my Wolf DF304 stove. I found one on Craigslist several years ago that was being sold by a couple who were retiring and did not want to move it to their new condo. It’s a heavy SOB. So I bought it for a song and it really is a serious cooking tool. It is by far the most even cooking oven and the stove top is extremely flexible. It also is standing up to me cooking on it every single day. A lot of people buy Wolf/Sub Zero products as a status item, which is a crying shame. They are well built, they are designed to be used in a commercial kitchen, and they cook spectacularly well.
TIL what a Spider utensil is called in English
Multi-cooker. Mine’s an instant pot but there are many like it. I made sure to get a stainless steel pan because I knew I’d be abusing it.
Batch cook 8 portions at a time. Portion them up into 4 jars (I use wecks) of 2, 3 in the freezer and 1 to eat that day. We just started bulk mashing potatoes to freeze, re-heat then add dairy for 5 minute carbs. My freezer is full of butter chicken, beef stew and squash soup right now. Chilled ingredients come in, are processed and cooked into meals that day, and then set to freeze.
Rice is good enough. It’ll ferment doughs on cold days. Make’s yoghurt, I used to make it directly in the jars. Stocks are effortless, again frozen immediately in an ice cube tray. Steam veggies. Confit meat works incredibly.
Close second is the air fryer, i’d replace either in a heartbeat. But if I were to start again i’d get an IP immediately after kitchen basics.
I love the idea of freezing the potatoes and adding the dairy later! Instant Pot is great for mashed potatoes. It steams them nice and relatively quickly and then I use a ricer to break them down.
Bamboo pot scraper
Medium sized wood Spurtle. Only utensil that you need.
I bought this big fancy $30 metal spatula and saw a mini one for $8 rust I added on impulse . Turns out the mini one is the best for most applications so I use it every day and almost never use the big one.
https://www.dexterrussellcutlery.com/dexter-russell-traditional-2-1-2-mini-turner-16201-s240/
Wooden kitchen utensils.
The scoop that came with our instant pot. That thing can’t even go in the dishwasher we use it every night for rice, sauce, curry, stew, casserole… Everything.
Anyone who knows where I can buy more please, please tell me!
My le creusets! I have a braising pan and a Dutch oven and honestly they’re just perfect. Use them for nearly every meal, have had them for about 7 years now and got the Dutch oven as a gift. Not sure what I’ll do when we someday upgrade to an induction stove top… cry, I guess.
Equally loved is my Zojirushi rice cooker. I make rice daily and literally nothing else I’ve ever had can compete with it.
Cast iron works great on induction top
What’s wrong with induction?
Induction cooktops conduct heat via magnets, so they require metal on the pans. The le creusets are enameled cast iron so I don’t think they’ll work on an induction top. I believe they technically can, but I can’t imagine the conduction would be as strong through the enamel coating.
It works great with enamel. Your phone probably has wireless charging which is basically the same and think about all the stuff between. Some pans have a layer on the bottom between the bottom and top layers to allow for induction.
If you make bread, a Danish whisk. Is so much easier to stir a dough together.
If you make anything that requires pitted cherries, get a cherry pitter. It’s a single use tool, but it makes a terrible task much faster and easier than any stupid youtube hack
Besides the workhorse knives (the tools most used have to be of good quality), my favorite misc item is a Rosle bar spoon I got 20 years ago. It’s more a proper spoon shape than other bar spoons, with a bowl shaped spoon and straight handle, and it’s like 12 inches long. I use it at least a few times a week.
Sadly long discontinued, and I can’t even find a picture online anymore.
I have this silicone lid I got from Aldi. It’s just a giant flat circle of silicone with an indented lid in the middle. I bought it for my giant soup pot as I didn’t have a lid for it, but it’s so much more than a lid. It’s amazing as a splash guard, it seals via vacuum to pots so you can lift from two points instead of just the handle, it’s good for covering food and keeping it warm… I love it more than I ever thought I would. And it’s super easy to clean!
Pressure cooker. Not electric or anything fancy. Just a simple 6 at pressure cooker. I use it 3-4 times a week.
My electric kettle. It’s so convenient for tea.
