My Kitchen Essentials

While a kitchen requires some pretty self-explanatory basics, I'm always curious to poke around in the cupboards at friends' houses to see the ingredients they keep on hand, how they store everything, and what brands they lean toward.

I'm not a trained chef, nor would I hold up my kitchen as any kind of expert model, but if my essentials list can help anyone reading (or satisfy a curiosity not unlike my own), all the better. So, here you have a rather robust list of the tools, spices, and condiments I always have on hand.

Kitchen Tools

Prep

• A really good set of knives

  • I purchased the Our Place Knife Trio years ago, and while it's only three knives, I found it to be a great base to build around

  • I also have the Victorinox Classic Paring Knife 3-piece Set, a good Japanese knife, kitchen scissors, and very importantly, a grapefruit knife

• Cutting boards - one small, one all-purpose

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Mixing bowls - glass or stainless steel work best

• Colanders - a small one for washing fruit/beans, a big one for pasta/vegetables/liquids

• Baking sheets in varying sizes, and a cooling rack

• Baking dishes in varying sizes - I prefer glass

• Loaf pan and springform pan

• Various pots and pans

  • Cast iron - for great steak, shakshuka, dutch babies, cornbread, etc

  • Stainless steel pan - for anything and everything

  • Small nonstick pan - don’t come at me, they are easier to clean and frankly, make really perfect scrambled eggs

  • Medium or large dutch oven - Le Creuset can do no wrong but there are plenty of great alternatives

  • Stainless steel saucepans - small for porridge, sauces, reheating soup, or batched hot cocoa, and medium for boiling pasta, etc

• Tupperware in all shapes and sizes - preferably glass, but plastic does the trick too

• Aluminium foil, cling film, parchment paper

Mechanical Gadgets

• Microplane

• Mandolin

• Peeler

• Lemon squeezer

• Garlic press

• Can opener

• Salad spinner

• Olive pitter

Electric Gadgets

• Immersion blender

• Small blender - for smoothies, dressings, etc

• Digital food scale

• Food processor

• KitchenAid mixer - a handheld one is also perfect

• Electric Kettle

• Meat thermometer

Utensils

• Wooden spoons

• Silicone spatula - for those perfect scrambled eggs and scraping the remnants of cookie dough or batter from the bottom of the bowl (duh)

• Tongs - I find small ones equally as useful as big ones, so make that two sets of tongs

• Metal turners

• Whisks - a big one for sauces & baking, a small one for salad dressings and again, scrambled eggs !!

• Soup ladle

• Slotted spoon

• Skimmer spoon

• Basting brush

Condiments

Basics

• Olive oil - one for finishing touches, one for cooking

• Very good butter - I love Kerrygold for all-purpose, and Isigny Ste Mère for eating by the spoonful

• Vinegars

  • White balsamic

  • Balsamic of Modena

  • White wine

  • Red wine

  • Apple cider

  • Rice

Savoury

• Dijon and wholegrain mustard - I’m a Maille girl through and through

• Olive oil mayonnaise - M&S makes a very good, very clean one

• Tahini

• White miso paste

• Chili crunch - White Mausu reigns supreme

• Soy sauce - don't you hate when the takeaway sushi arrives without soy sauce packets?

• Mirin

• Sriracha

• Valentina Salsa - a mexican hot sauce is a kitchen staple, ok?

• Fish sauce

• Sesame oil

• Wasabi

Sweet

• Peanut butter

• Maple syrup

• Good local honey

Spices

• Salt - Maldon & Himalayan Pink

• Black peppercorns

• Cinnamon

• Sumac

• Aleppo pepper

• Za'atar

• Cumin

• Paprika

• Smoked paprika

• Cayenne pepper

• Chili flakes

• Oregano

• Bay leaves

• Coriander seeds

• Fennel seeds

• Saffron

• Nutmeg

• Star anise

• Herbes de Provencs

• Tarragon

• Ground ginger

• Garlic salt

• Ranch seasoning blend - Trader Joe's makes a very good one that I douse my popcorn in

Nuts & Seeds

• Walnuts

• Pecans

• Pistachios

• Marcona almonds

• Pumpkin seeds

• Chia seeds

• Ground flaxseed

• Sesame seeds