Before I got married, I think I had all of two kitchen items to my name: a crock pot my aunt had given me, and a knife I bought at TJ Maxx since all of the ones we had were dull. Since then, through the joys of a wedding registry and marriage to a foodie husband, my cooking supply arsenal has increased dramatically. Having the proper tools and supplies definitely makes cooking more fun. Plus, I’ve gotten a lot more creative with our menus!
If you’re on the look out to add a few things to your kitchen, or just curious what you should register for, here’s what I would consider my top 10 essential cooking supplies, and some of my favorites. Enjoy!
1. All Clad 4 qt Sauce Pan
My mother had the wisdom to give this to me even though I didn’t register for it, and I use it all.the.time. At least 5 times a week, I would guess. It’s great for sauces, soups, stews, curry, rice, pasta, and a lot more. If you’re looking for a good all-around sauce pan/pot, go with this one. It definitely works well for meals for 2 people, and would easily accommodate
2. 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet
I married a foodie guy who happens to have an entire set of cast iron skillets that originally belonged to his mother! The thing that’s great about cast iron is if you care for them properly, they can last a LONG time. Make sure you wipe out the pans with paper towel when you’re finished cooking, scrub with a sponge with no soap (we even have a special cast iron sponge just for cleaning that), and then put it back on the stove on medium heat for a few minutes. You may need to re-season the skillet every couple of years. We use our skillet for cooking sausage, bacon, fajitas, some stir fries, and sometimes for cooking boneless chicken breasts. It’s a great non-stick alternative since the seasoning of the pan does it for you.
3. Crock Pot
The best gift ever is a crock pot. They’re inexpensive and relatively fool proof. Crock pot cooking is wonderful for families, especially busy ones, since you can prepare food ahead of time and it will be hot and ready to serve with very little fuss. There are some amazing crock pot connoisseurs out there and there are some awesome books that can get you well on your way to making something other than pot roast. Some of my favorite crock pot dishes are homemade pizza sauce, jerk chicken, buttered indian chicken, Mexican beef, Indian chili, and African peanut chicken with peppers. I believe I have a 6 qt crock pot and I definitely recommend one with a built in timer!
4. Le Creuset Dutch Oven
First of all, who doesn’t love cooking with something pretty? Le Creuset has a bunch of fun different colors to choose from, so why not make it fun! What makes their pots and pans so versatile is that they are enameled cast iron – so you can cook with them on the stove or in the oven and then plop it right on your trivet on the table. I have a 6 qt oval Dutch oven, and it is MORE than enough. You can cook a whole chicken in it, and probably a whole turkey if you got creative. I’ve made soups, stews, and lentils in my dutch oven – and they’re always yummy. One word of warning though: enameled cast iron cooking isn’t exactly low fat. You need a fair amount of butter or oil so things like onions don’t stick to the bottom and burn.
5. Chef’s Knife & Cutting Board
Well, I guess it’s two items, but they go together. A good chef’s knife is definitely worth investing in. We bought something like this one – great for chopping just about anything.
And here’s a wood cutting board we like – cutting our veggies in peace 
6. Calphalon 10 inch Non-stick Omelet Pan
Here’s where the non-stick is put to work! We love this pan. It’s great for eggs and pancakes, and anything small you’d like to cook on non-stick. Ours makes an appearance every Sunday morning for breakfast
7. Food Processor
There’s many different brands and sizes, but I opted for a larger 9 cup Cuisinart since it came highly recommended by many folks. Food processors are so incredibly wonderful. I love mine so much, I wish I could sleep next to it. (Not really.) We use ours for making hummus, pesto, homemade mustard and spicy mayo, shredding and slicing vegetables and fruits, making bread dough, salsa, guacamole, smoothies, dumpling batter…I could keep going. If I could recommend just ONE countertop appliance, this might be it.
8. Deep saute pan
I will confess that this is actually on my wish list. I currently have a large 5 qt saute pan that works really well and has enough room for everything, but it is large and shallow. I want one that is a bit smaller and deeper, but can accommodate the same amount of food. This kind of pan would be great for braising, making most of the Indian food we cook, and many one-pot meals.
9. Kitchen Aid Mixer, plus attachments
Ah, the icon of every newlywed kitchen. And for good reason. This thing is a power horse. Obviously well suited for baking, we’ve also used ours for grinding meat and stuffing homemade sausages! I definitely recommend the attachment set.
10. Breadmachine
Another one of the joys of marriage – inheriting a breadmachine! The one my husband had is a few years old, but it still runs fine. We make our own bread in it every week and it is delicious. So much better (and cheaper!) than store bought bread. Breadmachines are relatively inexpensive and definitely a worthy investment. You can also make dough, pizza crust, and rolls – though obviously you’ll have to bake them in the oven!
Honorable mention:
Stainless saute pan – we have a 10 inch one that was DH’s mothers. It is thick and heavy and absolutely wonderful at browning onions or chicken. Definitely a staple in our kitchen.
Salad Spinner – I had never seen one of these until I was older, but I’m so glad I did. Makes cleaning and drying greens so much easier.
How about you: What’s your favorite pot? Or favorite countertop appliance? Do you absolutely LOVE that one pan? Or ladle? Please share!
P.S. I don’t receive a dime from any of these companies, I just genuinely love to cook and love these items!
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Let me tell you, this pie was DELICIOUS! I used the recipe in the Joy of Cooking, which seemed pretty standard. This was only my second pie crust I’ve made and it turned out perfectly.
These are all flowers – larkspur, marigolds, zinnias, salvia, impatiens and a few others.
These zinnias came up REALLY first – they were the first ones to germinate and sprout up out of the dirt.
