10 Essential Kitchen Utensils

All you need to sharpen your cooking skills—and stock your drawers properly—are 10 strategically selected kitchen tools. Here’s a useful list of utensils you should start with when you’re building your toolkit from the ground up:

1. An apron is particularly useful when you’re cooking dishes that might splash or splatter, so you can prevent getting sauce or grease stains on your clothes.
2. A whisk makes mixing a whole lot easier, whether you’re preparing a sauce on the stove or whipping up pancake batter.
3. A proper set of kitchen knives can prevent injuries in the kitchen. Choose the right knife size for the ingredient at hand, and make sure the knives remain sharp so the blades don’t slip.
4. Use a spatula when you want to ensure you don’t leave any batter left in the mixing bowl—it’s a lot faster and easier than using a spoon.
5. A good cutting board provides a safe surface to prepare your ingredients without worrying about marking up your countertops or dishes.
6. A wooden spoon can stir just about anything from pasta on the stove to ingredients in a mixing bowl.
7. Measuring cups are a must if you plan on cooking or baking anything from a recipe. Make sure to be extra precise while baking.
8. Measuring spoons are just as important as the cups! Most sets come on a ring so you won’t lose any of the spoons.
9. A good strainer for separating the cooked pasta or vegetables from a pot of boiling water makes it easy to avoid steam burns.
10. Use a grater for anything from garlic to carrots to cheese to prepare delicious fresh-grated ingredients.