I have been cooking since I was about ten years old. Hands down, it is one of my favorite things to do. However, there are a lot of different kitchen tools out there and it is hard for the beginner to decide where to start.

When I first moved out on my own, the first meals I cooked were absolute nightmares. I ate a lot of eggs, needless to say.

The skill came pretty quickly but what took longer was figuring out what tools I needed to do the job well.

I’ll never forget the time when I put chicken breasts in a slow cooker with a jar of teriyaki sauce. I had just lost my wallet so I couldn’t buy any more food until my new debit card showed up. I went off to class thinking that at least I’d have something to eat when I got home.

When I came back, I had the saltiest teriyaki chicken I’ve ever eaten, and it was because I didn’t know what tool to use for the job. So I had to eat salty teriyaki chicken topped with my salty tears for three days until my new debit card came in the mail.

Below is a list of the tools I would buy in one go if I were to gear out a new kitchen today. They are listed in order from most to least important.

Each item is linked on Amazon for convenience.

Don’t feel like reading? Download a PDF of the list with everything linked through to Amazon.

Chef’s Knife

Without a doubt, this is where you want to spend the most money when it comes to equipping your kitchen. You’ll be using this knife at almost every meal so the investment will pay for itself quickly. This is your go-to knife for everything that you will be tackling as a beginner cook.

Paring Knife

This is the knife you will go to when your chef’s knife is just a little bit too big. Between the two knives, you will be able to tackle just about anything.

Sharpening Steel

The most dangerous thing in your kitchen is going to be a dull knife. You don’t want to be cutting something and have the knife turn out and slice your hand because it is too dull to cut through a tomato. Also, if you try to cut a tomato with a dull knife, you might as well smash it with a rock.

Cutting Boards

You do not want to be chopping food on your counters for obvious reasons. I prefer cutting boards that are reversible so that I can chop veggies on one side and then flip it over to carve meat. I would also suggest grabbing a couple of cheap ones that you can use for trimming raw meat.

Cast Iron Skillet

Behind my knives, this is the most utilized cooking tool that I own. It’s great for cooking everything from eggs to meat to veggies. Because it is cast iron, the heat is evenly distributed across the cooking surface. Take good care of it and you’ll be able to pass it on to your grandkids.

Skillet

This all-purpose pan is great for everything that the cast iron skillet can’t handle. It gets to temperature faster and is much lighter so I use mine to sauté vegetables and thicken sauces

Baking Sheets

Perfect for roasting vegetables or preparing an entire meal in the oven. I use mine just about every day in some form or fashion.

Baking Pan (square and rectangle)

These provide more depth than a baking sheet and are great for making large batches of frittata

Glass and Steel Measuring Cups

The glass measuring cups will be what you use to measure out volumes of liquid. If you’ve ever tried to walk across a kitchen balancing a steel measuring cup full of liquid you know what I’m talking about.

The steel measuring cups are for dry goods and smaller quantities as well. Both are worth having on hand.

Steamer

A great utility item to have in your arsenal. Steaming is a quick way to prepare vegetables, and the bottom portion can double as a pot for soup.

Saucepan

Perfect for small amounts of food preparation. I boil parsnips and sweet potatoes in mine. Otherwise, I use it for making sauces and heating up foods that were cooked in a sauce, like a curry.

Tongs

At some point, you’ll lose the temperature sensitivity in your fingers, and you’ll be able to turn steak with your bare hands. Until then, use a set of tongs.

Silicone Spatula

These are the best tools for scraping down the sides, and removing things from, a pot or blender. They are cheap, and you will come to rely on them

Spatula

While the humble spatula and the silicone spatula bear the same name, in practice they are a world apart. There is simply not enough surface area on a silicone spatula to replace the standard.

Vegetable Peeler

The name says it all

Tupperware

Do not skimp on your Tupperware. If you’re like me, then you prepare multiple meals at once. I prefer glass Tupperware because it is microwave safe and I don’t have to worry about any plastics leeching into my foods. If you’re going the plastic route, at least get stuff that is BPA free.

 Garlic Press

Yes, you can easily mince your garlic with your knife. But take it from someone who has been cooking for years: this is a much easier way to handle the entire situation

Slow Cooker

I love my slow cooker. There’s nothing better than throwing a piece of meat and some vegetables in before going to work and coming home to a hot meal.

Zester

This is good for grating ginger, zesting a lemon and can even double as a garlic press if you’re so inclined (and are better at cleaning than me)

Blender

You should have one of these in your kitchen. They’re perfect for soups and smoothies. A note about blenders: I used to think that they were all created the same until I finally coughed up enough money to buy a really good one. A good blender will pay for itself in saved time and frustration. My personal favorite is the BlendTec.

Food Processor

This item is a nice-to-have. It can pretty much do everything you need it to regarding grating, shredding, chopping, and combining. Will it save you a ton of time and effort? Yes. Will your kitchen dream be dashed against the rocks if you don’t have one? No.

Roasting Pan

If you cook a lot of chickens and roasts like I do this is a worthwhile investment to make. I used to just cook my chickens in my baking dish, and the thighs and legs wouldn’t get crispy because they were resting in liquid for the entire time. Now, I get perfectly crispy chickens every time.

Butcher’s Twine

You’ll need this to tie up roasts and other goodies you’ll be making. It’s not something you’ll use every day, but you’ll be upset when you need it and don’t have it.

Well, that’s the list. Download a PDF version so you don’t have to always come back to see what you should get next.