I bought a rolling pin when I first moved in to my apt years ago. It was a little after the Christmas holiday and I had made my first “from scratch” pecan pie at my mom’s house. I was so crazy proud of myself for making an ugly-looking but insanely delish baked good, that I went out and bought a rolling pin. 

A rolling pin.

At the time my cooking accessories consisted of 2 knives, an over-sized spatula, 1 saute pan & a whisk. No cutting board, no mixing bowls, no measuring devices, none of these essentials. Years later and zero pies baked, I threw out that rolling pin as part of my apt cleansing process after my Ex-Ex moved out.

I want my rolling pin back, dammit.

Had I spent a moment to figure out the difference between a cooking essential & a baking utensil, I would have saved a ton on take-out. Here are my 10 essential cooking utensils every city girl should have…

  1. Proper set of knives. You don’t need that block of 20 knives, just a few that can prep any meal: chef’s knife, bread knife, carving knife, utility knife & small paring knife. The set above can be purchased here.
  2. Metal Mixing bowl. I’m not a baker (the pie was a one-time thing), but a medium-large mixing bowl is needed when making things like meatballs, meatloaf, mixing dry ingredients, etc. Get one.
  3. Sauté pan. Buy a non-stick version to make life easy. This will be your go-to pan for everything from omelets, pancakes, Monte-Cristo, etc. I have a pink one (obvs).
  4. Saucepan. Use this for heating up sauces, steaming veggies (I don’t have a separate steamer, just throw in some frozen veggies with a little water and let the stove do its thing).
  5. Cutting board. My cutting board is the size of a mini iPad but it’s made from bamboo, so it cleans up quickly, dries even faster and will last a long time.
  6. Whisk. I use this when I prep eggs or to mix together dry ingredients for dinner. 
  7. Prep bowls. These are small glass or ceramic bowls that are used to prep your ingredients, spices & herbs. I also use them for serving side dishes in, so my plate looks extra pretty. 
  8. Can opener. For soups, sauces and anything canned, you obvs need a can opener.
  9. Wooden spoons & metal spatula. I feel like an rustic Italian chef when I cook with wooden spoons. Metal spatulas handle food better than the plastic version. (I prefer small, thin spatulas).
  10. Meat thermometer. This will be your cooking bestie.  I use this almost every time I cook a protein in the oven. It comes espesh in handy when you are making turkey/chicken dishes bc those have to be fully cooked without being overdone.

Dahlings, what would be on your basic cooking utensil list?

kissies,

 

image via weheartit