Starting from the top, left to right:
At the bottom (in case you want to just skip to there), I have a list of the top items that every kitchen should have.
Chef's Knife - I actually don't have one of these. I use the cleaver or santoku for everything.
Paring Knife - several, used frequently
Mezzaluna - nope
Cleaver - Yes. Big chinese cleaver, and a smaller vegetable cleaver. Both used often.
Boning knife - I have one, never use it.
Kitchen Shears - Yes
Poultry shears - no
Mandoline - no
Cheese plane - yes
fruit divider - no
vegetable peeler - yes
pastry wheel - no. seems useless, or at least not useful for too many things. Why not just use a knife or pizza wheel?
pizza wheel - yes. Used often.
Santoku knife - yes. I have a cheap IKEA version. Works great
Slicing knife - no
egg slicer - no
sugar shaker - no
bread knife - yes. Used daily
soft cheese knife - yes. and also looks kinda bad-ass.
parmesan knife - no
salad spinner - yes, but rarely used. Just takes up space
Drum sifter - no
sifter - I have a small mesh one that I use for sprinkling flour on my bread baking surfaces
Fish knife - no
Clam knife - no
Spice mill - no
meat grinder - i have an attachment for my mixer that does this, but I have never used it.
mortar and pestle - yes, but never used. It just sits in my kitchen looking cool.
Pepper grinder - yes, used daily
handheld strainer - yes, used rarely
scoop colander - no
garlic press - yes, but i don't use it. Angie uses it when she cooks though.
Nutcracker - no
Citrus press - no
Food mill - no
Pasta mill - yes, used a couple times. Very cool, but takes a long time.
potato ricer - no
potato masher - yes
spider - yes
fat separator - no
Chinoise - no
Ladle - yes
wooden spoon - yes
Rotary grater - no
microplane grater - Yes, these are awesome. Wicked sharp, so it takes very little effort to grate things.
zest grater - no
Ginger grater - no
Box grater - yes, but not used because the Microplane above is so much better.
Nutmeg grater - no
Cake server - no (I do have a pie server though, which is really thin and flexible, and not on this list)
Serving spoon - yes
Serving fork - yes
Spaghetti server - yes - never used
Melon baller - no, but i have a small cookie scoop that could be used for that.
slotted spoon - yes
ice cream scoop - yes - but we usually just use a regular spoon instead
Butcher block - yes but rarely used
Prep cutting board - several plastic ones that I can throw in the dishwasher to clean
Cooling rack - yes
silpat mat - yes
Pot holder - yes
Oven mitt - yes
Tongs - yes, used all the time.
Salad tongs - no
Corkscrew -yes
Bottle opener - yes
can opener - yes
Spatula - yes. I own several, and use them all.
offset spatula - if I baked more cakes, i would own one. But I don't.
Turner - no
Fish spatula - no
Rubber spatula - yes. several used often
Egg timer - no
Scale - yes, digital. rarely used
kitchen funnel - yes.
Meat tenderizer - no
butcher's twine - no
Carving fork - yes
Pastry bag - no. I have a tip set that can be used with any plastic bag with a corner cut off
Pastry blender - no
Pastry scraper - yes. Very useful when baking
pie weights - no
cookie cutter - no
rolling pin - yes
Measuring cup - yes. pyrex. used daily
measuring spoons - yes, but anything under a tablespoon I measure by eye.
Meat thermometer - yes
probe thermometer - yes but i think it's broken
Candy thermometer - yes
Prep bowl - yes, several.
Mixing bowl - yes, several
Batter bowl - no
Canisters - yes: sugar, flour, brown sugar, panko breadcrumbs, whole wheat flour, others
Plastic containers - I use two for my Artisan bread, kept in the fridge
salt cellar - no
basting brush - yes, a silicone one, which is easy to clean. much better than those hair ones.
basting bulb - no
meat baster - what's the difference between this and the basting bulb? The world may never know.
Balloon whisk - yes
flat whisk - no
And now for MY list of Essential Kitchen items:
- Big Knife - Santoku, Chef's knife, cleaver... whichever you find comfortable.
- Paring knife - Again, something that is comfortable in your hand. And sharp.
- Bread knife - only if you eat a lot of crusty bread. It's nice to have a big serrated knife to help saw through the bread without squishing it.
- Pepper grinder - Freshly ground black pepper is so much better than the powdered stuff you get in a jar.
- Microplane Grater - These are the best graters i have ever found. Get one. Give them to friends as housewarming gifts.
- Cutting boards - get a few. I like plastic ones that I can clean in the dishwasher. Others like wood. Your preference.
- Oven mitt - Unless you have hands of steel, you need something to grab hot things.
- Tongs - Better than a fork for picking up meat, because it doesn't poke holes in it.
- Corkscrew/bottle opener - If you drink wine or know anyone who might, you'll want one.
- Spatula - get a silicone one, because they don't burn. I like this one because there are no crevices for food to get stuck in. Also get a metal one, for use on your stainless steel pan.
- Measuring cup - Get a pyrex one with a handle, so you can also nuke stuff in it.
- Mixing bowl - You'll want a few of different sizes for prep work
- Pans - You will want a stainless steel one, around 14". That's your workhorse for everything from pancakes to searing steaks. Don't get the All-Clad brand, because it's a waste of money, but do get something heavy, with a thick bottom. Spend less than $50. Also get a small cheap teflon one for eggs. Use it only for eggs.
- Pots - The one I use the most holds about 5 quarts. I use it for pasta, or anything else that requires boiling. No need to get anything fancy, just get a cheap one that you like.
- Colander - If you ever have pasta, you'll need one.
That's about it. I think that would be a good start.
What would you add to the list of Kitchen Essentials?
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