Top 8 Essentials Every Kitchen Should Own

Last updated on November 2nd, 2021 at 04:03 pm

Kitchen essentials don’t have to be expensive. I asked our very own expert, Chef Jeff, to give me a list of kitchen gadgets and supplies that all chefs, both home and professional use on a regular basis. You won’t find anything here that requires a major investment, just reliable tools for real chefs who cook on a daily basis.

Kitchen essentials don’t have to be expensive. I asked our very own expert, Chef Jeff, to give me a list of kitchen gadgets and supplies that all chefs, both home and professional use on a regular basis. You won’t find anything here that requires a major investment, just reliable tools for real chefs who cook on a daily basis.

1. Kitchen Timer

Ever pop a loaf of garlic bread in the oven and completely forget about it until you hear the smoke alarm going off? It’s okay, we’ve all been there. Keep the burning to a minimum with an electric kitchen timer. This Winco kitchen timer, available at Burkett, has an easy to read display, loud alarm, and a magnetic clip for easy mounting. What more could you need?

2. Kitchen Thermometer

A good instant-read thermometer is the only way to ensure that your food come out at the perfect temperature, the perfect amount of doneness, every time. Relying on accurate timing or, even worse, cutting and peeking, isn’t worth ruining a perfect steak. Go ahead and buy a high-quality, fast, digital thermometer and never have a piece of undercooked meat again.

This digital pocket thermometer from Burkett is money well-spent. It’s waterproof, field calibration ready, and has a thin tapered tip for precision accuracy.

3. Paring Knife

Let’s be honest, all of you professional chefs out there are probably saying, “What about a chef’s knife?!”, and you’ve got a point. However I have a feeling you’ll come around to the convenience of a paring knife for small, everyday tasks like cutting off a bit of butter, taking the rink off some citrus fruit, or slicking up garlic.

4. Dough / Bench Scraper

A bench or dough scraper doesn’t seem like an obvious choice for the kitchen essentials list, but that’s because you’re not using it regularly. Just wait; it will become one of your favorite tools. Keep one next to your cutting boards. It quickly transfers chopped veggies into your pots and pans and scraps into the garbage. It has a variety of other uses, including cutting pizza dough, ground beef, and releasing those tiny bits of dried dough from your work surface. This bench scraper makes picking up tiny bits of chopped herbs a breeze. With its comfortable wood handle and sturdy construction, you’ll wonder how you ever operated without it.

5. Food Scale 

Kitchen scales take the guess work out of baking. The inaccuracies involved in scooping a single cup of flour (up to 25%, seriously) will send you running to the store for a kitchen scale this instant. A good digital kitchen scale will make baking with weight measurements a pleasure, it will also help you determine how much moister your chicken lost during roasting, or exactly how far you’ve reduced that stock.  Important things to look for when shopping: Up to a 8lb capacity, a zero-out (tare) function, easy to read display, and a flat design for storage.

6. Pepper Mill 

Do yourself a favor, buy everyone you know a real pepper mill and save yourself, and your loved ones, from ever consuming ground pepper again. Wooden pepper mills are much better than the plastic disposable type and they’re an investment that will improve almost every savory food you cook.

7. Mandoline Slicer

This might be my favorite tool. A mandoline slicer makes short work of all your slicing and julienne tasks. You’ll be surprised to find that most mandolines in your typical home goods stores are quite pricey. Mandolines slice a variety of foods and are constructed to last for a long time. Walk into any restaurant and you’ll see one or two of these preparation slicers.

8. Metal Mixing Bowls 

Forget the fancy designs and heavy lifting with fancy glass mixing bowls. Professional chefs know, metal mixing bowls are lighter, take up less space, and last longer. With metal mixing bowls, you won’t have to worry about chips from your glass or ceramic mixing bowls landing in your batter. There are a variety of sizes to choose from to suit your kitchen needs. You’ll find that these mixing bowls are cheaper at restaurant supply stores, like Burkett, rather than anywhere else.