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    Home » Food For Thought » 50 Must-Have Kitchen Items List | Tools Every Beginner Cook Needs

    50 Must-Have Kitchen Items List | Tools Every Beginner Cook Needs

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    Use this 60 must-have kitchen items list to make sure you have everything you need in your kitchen. These tools will ensure you have properly stocked cupboards and the right equipment for making any meal.

    kitchen tools and utensils artfully arranged on a gray background

    Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

    When I got my first apartment I had no idea which tools I needed to buy to be able to make myself meals. I knew my mom had all the stuff we needed before, so it didn't occur to me to take note of what those were. I wish I would have had this list.

    These are also great gift ideas for people in your life who like to cook or are just starting out and don't know where to begin.

    It's important to make sure you have the equipment you need in order to make all your meals. You don't want to be stuck in the middle of a recipe with no mixing bowls or way to zest your lemons, kids.

    I use all of these (and more!) in my own kitchen. Each one was picked because it's something I, personally, use or because I would buy it if I needed to update that tool.

    Must-Have Kitchen Items List

    Chef’s knife

    A chef's knife with a black handle

    Budget version: Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife

    Pro version: Zwilling Chef's Knife

    Paring knife 

    A paring knife with a black handle

    Budget version: Mercer Culinary Millennia Paring Knife

    Pro version: Mercer Culinary Renaissance Forged Paring Knife

    Serrated utility knife

    A serrated utility knife with a black handle

    Budget version: Cuisinart C77TR-5SUT Triple Rivet Collection 5" Serrated Utility Knife

    Pro version: Zwilling J.A. Henckels Professional S Serrated Utility Knife

    Vegetable peeler 

    A red vegetable peeler laying face-down

    KitchenAid Classic Euro Peeler

    Colander 

    A set of three stainless steel colanders nested together

    HÖLM 3-Piece Stainless Steel Mesh Micro-Perforated Strainer Colander Set

    Wooden spoons 

    six utensils in a set

    Wooden Kitchen Utensils Set

    Kitchen Utensils Set

    Ladle 

    A black and teal ladle

    KitchenAid Gourmet Nylon Ladle 

    Silicone spatula 

    A set of brightly colored spatulas and other utensils

    Silicone Spatulas Set of 4

    Get most of the spatulas and spoons you need with this 9 Piece Silicone Spatula Set

    Wide flat spatula 

    A wide, solid, black spatula

    KitchenAid Gourmet Large Solid Turner

    Saute pan 

    A large stone sauce pan with handles on both sides and a glass lid sitting to the side

    Ozeri Stone Earth All-in-One Sauce Pan

    Medium pot 

    A copper and black medium sauce pot with a glass lid sitting on the side

    MICHELANGELO 3 Quart Saucepan with Lid

    Large stockpot 

    A large set of cook and bakeware arranged artfully

    Gotham Steel Stock Pot with Ultra Nonstick Ceramic and Titanium Coating

    Pots and Pans set: Gotham Steel Cookware + Bakeware Set with Nonstick Durable Ceramic Copper Coating

    Cutting boards 

    An extra large bamboo cutting board

    Colored: Simply Genius (8 Piece) Extra Thick Cutting Boards for Kitchen Prep

    Bamboo: Greener Chef Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board

    Set of mixing bowls 

    A set of plastic mixing bowls ranging in colors from gray to pink

    12 Piece Plastic Nesting Bowls Set

    Small bowls 

    A set of blue-based bowls of differing colors on a gray background sitting next to a single white rose

    Delling 3 Oz Ceramic Dip Bowls Set

    Oven mitts

    A set of gray oven mitts

    Cuisinart Silicone Oven Mitts

    Measuring cups 

    A set of teal and black measuring cups

    KitchenAid Classic Measuring Cups

    Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup Set

    Measuring spoons 

    A set of teal and black measuring spoons

    KitchenAid Classic Measuring Spoons

    Can opener

    A can opener with black handles and turner

    OXO Good Grips Soft-Handled Can Opener

    Whisk

    A kitchen whisk with a teal handle

    KitchenAid Gourmet Utility Whisk

    Tongs 

    A set of two kitchen tongs with silicone tips

    Hotec Premium Stainless Steel Locking Kitchen Tongs with Silicon Tips

    Box grater 

    A silver box grater with a black and silver handle on top

    Professional Box Grater

    Hand grater 

    A silver hand zester with a gray and green handle

    AmazonBasics Hand Zester and Grater

    Zester

    A silver zester with an orange handle

    Deiss PRO Citrus Zester & Cheese Grater 

    Kitchen shears 

    Black and orange heavy duty kitchen shears

    Heavy Duty Shears Ultra Sharp Stainless Steel Multi-function Kitchen Scissors

    Knife sharpener

    A black and gray electric knife sharpener

    Presto EverSharp Electric Knife Sharpener

    Baking sheet 

    A set of two silver baking sheets on top of each other, slightly tilted

    Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet

    Cooling Rack

    A set of two cooling racks next to each other

    Checkered Chef Cooling Racks For Baking

    Silicone Mats

    Two tan and gray silicone baking mats on top of each other

    GRIDMANN Pro Silicone Baking Mat

    Casserole dish 

    A set of stone casserole dishes nested in each other

    SWEEJAR Ceramic Bakeware Set

    Muffin pan 

    A dark gray muffin pan

    Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Bakeware Muffin and Cupcake Pan

    9x13 baking pan 

    A gray aluminum rectangular baking pan

    USA Pan Bakeware Rectangular Cake Pan

    Digital thermometer

    a digital kitchen thermometer with a case for the needle next to it

    Habor Meat Thermometer

    Blender 

    A large red and black blender

    Basic version: Ninja Professional 72 Oz Countertop Blender

    Pro version: Vitamix 5300 Blender, Professional-Grade, 64 oz. 

    Plates 

    A stack of blue based plates with white on top

    Sweese Porcelain Dinner Plates - 11 Inch

    Bowls

    A stack of blue based bowls

    Sweese Porcelain Bowls - 18 Ounce

    Plastic containers

    28 pieces of plastic containers with lids filled with food in an artful design

    Rubbermaid Meal Prep Premier Food Storage Container, 28 Piece Set 

    Aluminum foil 

    Reynolds Wrap Standard Aluminum Foil

    Plastic wrap 

    Reynolds Foodservice Plastic Wrap

    Freezer bags  

    Ziploc Freezer Bags

    Towels 

    A stack of folded white and black kitchen towels

    Utopia Towels Kitchen Towels

    Cleaning sponge

    A stack of green and blue sponges

    O-Cedar Multi-Use Scrunge Scrub Sponge

    Cleaning spray

    Lysol Professional Ready-to-use Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner 

    Kitchen soap 

    Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap 

    Trash bags 

    Glad ForceFlex Tall Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags

    Trash can 

    a black trashcan with a lid that raises by stepping on a device at the bottom

    simplehuman Slim Kitchen Step Trash Can With Secure Slide Lock

     Pepper grinder 

    electric pepper grinder filled with peppercorns

    Electric Gravity Pepper Grinder or Salt Mill with Adjustable Coarseness  

    Summary

    This list is comprehensive without being frilly. Let's be honest, we don't need the extras when we're starting out. When you find you're ready to upgrade, there are so many fun ways to do so by shopping around.

    The key is to buy good quality products the first time. If you buy something cheap, you're wasting your time, effort, and money. There are plenty of options in different price ranges. This doesn't mean you need to buy the $99 spatula. It means you should find items that are good quality within your budget.

    If you try it out, let me know how it goes in the comments or on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.

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