Kitchen Essentials for the New Cook
Have you decided to cook more at home in the New Year? Before you start collecting recipes, it’s a good idea to evaluate your kitchen. Having the proper equipment to prep, cook, and store food is essential for success. I like keeping cooking simple and enjoyable, so you don’t need fancy equipment or hundreds of gadgets to create a delicious meal. In addition, I strongly believe that a nourishing meal starts with healthy cookware and supplies. Toxins leaching into my food? No thanks.
I’ve rounded up some eco-friendly, non-toxic kitchen tools to get you started.
Chef’s Knife: This is the knife you will reach for time and time again. It’s essential for all types of cutting, chopping, mincing, dicing and more. It can be used for meats, poultry, vegetables, fruits and more.
Chopping Board: Using a cutting board provides a sturdy surface to cut and dice your food. Without it (and a knife) almost no prep can be done! I recommend getting two boards- one for meat, poultry, and fish, and another for fruits and vegetables. This reduces the risk of cross contamination.
I avoid plastic boards because they are more likely to harbor bacteria. Bamboo boards are great for the environment, but can be hard on your knives. Though not as eco-friendly as the bamboo boards, I recommend wood cutting boards. Wooden cutting boards don’t scar as easily as plastic boards and don’t wreck your knives as much as the bamboo boards.
Pots + Non-Stick Pans: Aim to have at least two pots- a small and a large. A small pot is needed for things like oatmeal and sauces, and a large one is needed for cooking things like pasta, vegetables, and soups.
It’s important to have one large non-stick pan for sautéeing, stir-frying, and pan-searing meats, poultry, and fish. A small non-stick pan is great for eggs and single servings of protein. If you want to start with one, go with the larger one.
Avoid cheap aluminum pots and pans! It is a toxic metal that can easily leach into food when cooking. When going non-stick, you also want to avoid Teflon/PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) which can release toxic fumes when overheated. Stainless steel is safer than the two just mentioned, but it is not nonstick. So, what the heck do you buy?!
For safe nonstick, look for anodized aluminum or ceramic cookware. The one downside to using ceramic is that if it’s made in another country, it may contain lead in the glaze. This is the anodized aluminum set I use at home:
For safe nonstick, look for anodized aluminum or ceramic cookware. The one downside to using ceramic is that if it’s made in another country, it may contain lead in the glaze. This is the anodized aluminum set I use at home:
Spatulas and a Wooden Spoon: Needed for stirring, mixing, folding, spooning, and serving.
Large Casserole Dish: If you plan on baking and roasting, a casserole dish is great for baked pastas and for baking meat and fish. I use Pyrex.
Crock Pot or Instant Pot: What’s easier than having your food cook itself? Honestly, this is an essential part of my meal prep each and every week. I promise you will use it ALL the time! Check out my Crock Pot and Instant Pot recipes in my recipe section for inspo!
Food Processor: A small food processor is great for chopping vegetables for recipes, turning cauliflower florets into cauliflower “rice”, making oatmeal into oat flour for baking, or even making your own nut butter. I use my Ninja for making all of my pancakes! Plastic is BPA free.
Baking Tray: The greenest baking pan would be a stoneware cookie sheet, but might not be practical for a lot of people. Next best is 100% stainless steel.
What are some of your kitchen essentials that aren’t listed here?