Know Your Cooking Kit
It may sound strange, but one of the things Estella found trickiest at first about learning to cook was knowing what all the equipment was called. Emily would say ‘bring me the large saucepan’ and Estella would bring the small frying pan!
So we have put together this beginners’ guide to useful kit. We’ll add to it as we go on.
We’ve also put together a ‘starter kit’ list of essential equipment that will enable you to make most meals.
Equipment Library
Three useful knives
1 Bread knife, for bread and large veg 2 Medium chef’s knife, multipurpose 3 Small serrated knife, for delicate items
Sizes of spoons
1 Teaspoon 2 NOT a tablespoon (common mistake) but a dessert spoon 3 Tablespoon
Wooden spoons
1 Pointed, for stirring when frying etc 2 Round, for beating 3 Pointed with a hole for sauces
Saucepan sizes
1 Large, for boiling and stews 2 Medium, multipurpose 3 Small, for smaller items – eggs milk etc
High-sided frying pan
Multipurpose, for frying, stews, large sauces etc. A useful all-rounder
Multipurpose pan
Useful non-stick multipurpose plan, with a lid
Two frying pans
1 Small frying pan, for spices, small omelettes etc 2 Large, deeper pan, multipurpose frying
Medium casserole
Heavy with lid, can be used on hob or in oven. For stews, casseroles, large sauces, braising etc
Non stick wok
Good for stir frying, but also a good multipurpose and for risottos etc
Pasta pan
With built in colander. Also a useful large saucepan, especially for bigger vegetables
Lemon squeezer
Come in various shapes – this one has a sharp top and good, clear lower bowl
Measuring spoon
Cheap and useful double ended measure. Small end is tsp and ½ tsp; large end is tblsp and ½ tblsp
Slotted spoon
Can have holes, slashes or a pattern. All work for draining and removing items from liquid
Fish slice
Useful for flipping, turning and removing items
Palate knife
Useful for moving items and unsticking edges and tart tins
Zester
Makes zesting citrus easier and cleaner of pith than with a grater
Potato peeler
For peeling root vegetables and other hard skinned items
Nutmeg grater
For nutmeg or mace, gets a finer grating than most standard graters
Two balloon whisks
The large one is for general whisking; the small is useful for vinaigrette and other small volumes
Sauce whisk
Specialist item, but VERY useful for getting lumps out of sauces and gravies
Two flexible spatulas
For getting batters, mixes and sauces cleanly out of bowls and pans
Cooling rack
For cooling cakes, biscuits, pastries etc
Baking beans
For baking pastry tart cases blind
Drum grater
Easier to use and kinder on the fingers than a box grater
Box grater
Classic four-sided box grater, for rough, medium and fine grating on three sides, and slicing on the fourth
Electronic weighing scales
Handy to weigh directly in the bowl or pan. These have two scales for small and large amounts; most have only one
Pasta server
Useful tool to easily serve pasta, especially longer shapes like spaghetti and tagliatelle
Small mixing bowl
Build up a good collection of different sized bowls for mixing and storing prepped food. Ones with a lip are particularly handy.
Large mixing bowl
At least one really big mixing bowl is particularly useful, especially for baking. This one is 29cm
Measuring jugs
A medium and large jug will cover most common volumes, but you can get larger and smaller ones too
Flan tin
Flan tins have fluted edges. They needn’t have holes in like this one, but they should have a loose bottom
Cake tin
Cake tins come in many sizes. You ideally need to have a pair the same size to make layer cakes
Cupcake tin
Bun tins or cupcake tins can be used for various small cakes and pastries. You will likely need cupcake liners too
Chopping boards
We prefer heavy, wooden chopping boards as they are sturdy and don’t blunt knives. But you can use bamboo or plastic too
Colander
For draining, or for washing and rinsing items
Masher
For mashing potatoes and other items, especially root vegetables
Roasting & baking tins
Roasting trays are high sided; baking trays are flat. Roasting trays are versatile and can also be used for e.g. lasagne and tray bakes
Sieve
For sieving flour and other powdered ingredients, or for draining or washing and rinsing items
Ladle
For serving soups and thin sauces; also useful for portioning out cake batters etc
Food processor
As you cook more, a food processor is helpful and speeds up tasks like pureeing. The best ones are expensive, but you can get good basic ones for much less
Pastry brushes
For egg washing pastry etc. These now tend to have silicon bristles, but we find the old fashioned ones with natural bristles give a better finish
Measuring cups
An alternative to using scales, measuring cups come in sets and are helpful for following US recipes
Starter Kit Lists
Your essential kit
You can cook successfully with very little, and very inexpensive kit. Emily spent her first two years away from home with not much more than a decent sharp knife, a medium saucepan and frying pan, a mixing bowl and a few basic tools like a wooden spoon, grater, scissors and a small chopping board.
You can improvise in the meantime (bottles make good rolling pins!) and add as you go. Do invest in at least one really good sharp knife, however – it will make your cookery tasks much easier. And if you plan to bake, you will need some basic scales and measuring cups, and a measuring jug.
A small food processor is handy too, but not essential to get started.
List 1 – the basics
- Sharp kitchen knife, preferably a chef’s knife
- Medium saucepan
- Medium frying pan
- Small mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Sieve
- Grater
- Baking tray and/or small roasting tray
- Kitchen scissors
- Small chopping board
List 2 – to add to List 1 if you plan to bake
- Weighing scales and/or measuring cups
- Measuring jug
- Soft spatula
- Large mixing bowl
- Cake tin and/or flan tin or cupcake tins
- Rolling pin
- Whisk
- Cooling rack
List 3 – to add to the above List(s) as you cook more
- Medium casserole
- Measuring spoon
- Slotted spoon
- Lemon juicer
- Colander
- Small serrated knife
- Peeler
- It is also worth considering a food processor if you cook a lot
List 4 – more specialist, but very useful
- Ladle
- Bread knife
- Masher
- Palate knife
- Fish slice
- Sauce whisk
- Pasta server
- Drum grater
- Zester
- Nutmeg grater
- Pastry brush
- Measuring cups
- Tongs
- Pointed wooden spoon with hole
