Eight Essential Cooking Tools

Ice cream scoops are good for meatballs, sour cream and so much more.

If you are a person who likes to spend time in the kitchen, then I’m sure you know there is a world of appliances and gadgets out there, tools for cooking up and creating any kind of food you can imagine. Some of these tools are quite expensive. You can make your own lattes for a cool $800, sous vide for $700 and even a humble blender can cost you big bucks. 

Me, I like to keep things simple. My favorite kitchen tools aren’t shiny and stainless steel. They typically don’t break down (because they don’t plug in) and best of all, they are (almost) all under $20. 

Much of this comes from me being a thrifty person (my family would say: cheap), but I do believe you can be creative, productive and have a satisfying experience in the kitchen without spending a lot of money. Here is a list of my most favorite kitchen tools, the things I reach for again and again, either in my home kitchen or in a commercial setting. Most don’t require electricity and cost just a few dollars. The big ticket items are few, and even those are relatively small budget. In the end, you don’t need big bucks to make great food, just the right simple tools. 

Ice Cream Scoops

The mighty ice cream scoop might be my most favorite of all the tools in our very crowded utensil drawer. I reach for one often. There are many kinds of scoops available, and I like the spring-loaded style, in a variety of sizes. These scoopers are excellent for cookie and muffin making, condiment-topping (like sour cream), meatball portioning, melon seed removal, and the list goes on and on.

Fish Spatula 

A fish spatula is an indispensable tool in any home cook’s kitchen, and the only spatula I use. Named because it is handy and efficient at flipping a piece of fish in a skillet, this little gem is good for so much more than that. It’s got slats, a wide handle and a flat edge on the bottom for scraping up bits. There are different sizes of fish spatulas, but I prefer the smaller variety, for its ability to squeeze in between food in a crowded pan, effectively scrape up anything stuck on that pan, and easily flip pancakes, burgers and anything else that needs flipping. I use it for omelets, tortillas, chicken breasts. This spatula typically goes between the dishwasher and the stove in our house, with very little time in the utensil drawer. He’s a popular little fella!

Bench Scraper

Another tool that fits in the inexpensive-but-invaluable department is a bench scraper. I own both plastic and stainless steel versions. A bench scraper is popular in commercial bakeries, where lots of dough is being worked on large surfaces. When the kneading is done, out comes the bench scraper, where it’s used to portion dough and clean the work bench before doing it all over again. The plastic bench scraper doubles as a bowl cleaner (it’s bendy so the round edge is good for scooping stuck-on bits from the bottom of a bowl). The steel version not only cleans a countertop efficiently, but I use it to cut and portion dough of any type and I use the ruler on the edge of the blade to measure the thickness of any food. It’s a jack-of-all-tools. 

Immersion Blender 

Here is my one and only big ticket item for the list of kitchen must-haves. An immersion blender is a stick version of the countertop appliance with a powerful blade attached to the end. Use an immersion blender to puree soups and sauces, make smoothies and do it all in whatever sized container the stick will fit into. The immersion blender is my secret tool for fixing lumpy pudding and gravy. It’s the best tool for quickly emulsifying vinaigrette, and excellent for making whipped cream for two people. And, the blade end pops off from the handle from most versions for easy cleaning.  

Cast-Iron Skillet 

Cast-iron cookware has been around for centuries. It’s safe to use at high and low temperatures. You can fry eggs, roast a chicken or bake apple crisp in a cast-iron skillet. Like all kitchen gadgets, the price tag varies greatly depending on where you purchase it. But the core of every cast-iron skillet is the same: a molded piece of metal that will create crispy edges and evenly seared steak. It's a myth that cast iron is hard to maintain (the truth is, once it is properly seasoned, it’s easy to clean, with water and a drop of dish soap, a quick dry and if you remember to do it: a wipe of neutral oil). Cast iron is all-purpose, clean cookware (meaning: no chemicals like you get from non-stick skillets) that lasts (literally) forever. 

Salt Bowls

I keep salt bowls right next to my stove: one for kosher salt and one for flaky sea salt. The kosher salt is my workhorse; I add a pinch every time a new layer of ingredients goes into the pot to ensure the food is flavored from the inside out. The flaky sea salt is a bit more of an investment, so I use it sparingly as a finishing touch. It’s perfect for topping cookies, buttered toast, or crisp raw vegetables — and when I’m feeling fancy, I pair it with fresh herbs to dress up a bowl of hummus. 

Prep Bowls

It’s an exaggeration to say that using prep bowls saved my life, but they have certainly changed it. I’ve become deeply attached to my set of stainless steel bowls; they are my secret to efficiency and order. When I’m preparing a soup where ingredients enter the pot at different times, I keep everything neat, tidy, and staged in its own bowl. When the pot calls for tomatoes, in they go — then the potatoes, and so on. If you’re looking to bring order to a busy kitchen, prep bowls are the answer.

Favorite Wooden Spoon 

There is nothing altogether special about my favorite wooden spoon. It’s just an old spoon, smaller than the others in the drawer, yet it’s the one I reach for over and over. It has stirred countless batches of onions as they turned golden brown and more tomato soup than I can count. I don’t remember exactly where it came from, only that I’ve used it since my children were babies. Now, I use that same spoon to stir soup for my granddaughter — and perhaps one day, I'll use it for her siblings and cousins, too. It may be a simple tool, but it stirs up a lifetime of memories every time I use it.