MY list of kitchen essentials . . . .

You are welcome to disagree, but here is my list of kitchen essentials (cookware, bakeware, appliances, gadgets, etc.) This list includes what you would need to do basic cooking and baking.  It does not include specialty items needed for making your own dairy, or preserving your own food, etc.

NOTE: I do not currently own all of these items in my own kitchen.  But I'd like to! :)

Next post: Essential Kitchen Staples (flours, sweeteners, oils, etc.)


Cookware
OK, there are 4 pots and pans that I would consider a "must have":

- 8 qt. stainless steel stockpot
- 10 inch stainless steel skillet (or cast iron)
- 3 qt. stainless steel saucepan
- some sort of cast iron dutch oven

You could cook most things if you had those three items.  But there are a longer list of what I consider "very nice to have":

- 8 inch stainless steel skillet
- 12 inch stainless steel skillet
- 1.5 qt. stainless steel saucepan
- 2 qt. stainless steel saucepan
- 6 qt. stainless steel stockpot
- 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet

Bakeware
I'd say minimum is a 9 x 13 baking dish, a cookie sheet, a pie plate, and either a round cake pan or a square baking pan. But here are the "nice to have":

- 10 x 14 inch glass or stone baking dish
- 9 x 13 inch glass or stone baking dish
- 8 inch x 8 inch glass or stone baking dish
- 9 inch glass or stone pie plate
- 10 inch glass or stone pie plate
- Two stone or stainless steel cookie sheets
- stone or stainless steel muffin tin
- stone or stainless jelly roll pan
- stone or stainless steel pizza pan
- 9 inch stainless steel round cake pan

Electric appliances
I guess I'd consider most of these "nice to have" instead of "must have", but pretty high on the "nice to have."

- Immersion blender
- Blender
- Food Processor
- Hand mixer or Stand mixer

Preparation/Gadgets
Hard for me to pick my "must have" on this list.  I'd really consider almost all of them a "must have."

- Paring knife
- Serrated knife
- Chef knife
- Kitchen shears
- Meat mallet
- Mandoline
- Grater
- Microplane
- Fine mesh strainer (both small and large)
- Colander
- Can opener
- Cork screw
- Bottle opener
- Garlic press
- Rolling pin
- Meat thermometer
- Candy thermometer
- Oven thermometer
- Freezer thermometer
- Stainless steel long handled spoon
- Stainless steel long handled fork
- Stainless steel slotted spoon
- Stainless steel pancake turner
- Stainless steel spatula
- Stainless steel whisk
- Stainless steel ladle
- Stainless steel tongs
- Stainless steel measuring cups
- Stainless steel measuring spoons
- 4 cup, 2 cup, and 1 cup glass measuring cups
- Silicone spatula
- Wooden spoons
- 1 large wooden cutting board for fruit and vegetable
- 1 large plastic cutting board for meat
- 1 medium plastic cutting board for dairy
- Glass mixing bowl set
- Metal mixing bowl set