What kitchen tools are essential that a beginning cook might not think of?

A cheese grater, several wooden spoons, an in-oven meat thermometer/timer. Basic spices and some good olive oil.

Oven mitts, silicon mat for cookies ( start with simple ), thermometer for meat ( also instant thermometer ), whisks and spatula ( silicon are great ).

First and foremost, a digital scale, especially if you’re going to do much baking or pastry.

An immersion blender

Don’t know if you want to spring for them, but my Cuisinart food processor and Kitchen Aid mixmaster get used regularly.

A set of good knives…including a paring knife.

microplane
silicon baking mats
pizza stone
pizza cutter
small sieves
turkey forks/lifters
pastry and basting brushes

Pepper mill is a must. Garlic press, Sea Salt, good olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, and a good supply of fresh herbs.

You can have all the tools in the world and still suck as a cook. The best tool you’ll ever have is your sense of taste. Sample the stuff as you go and don’t ever serve anything without testing it first.

If you like corn on the cob, don’t forget the corn cob holders.

A gravy strainer. Awesome for removing the fat off of meat broth. http://www.bonappetit.com/tipstools/tools/2009/11/gravy_strainer.

One of the best tips you’ll ever get is to make sure your spices and herbs are fresh. Not long ago I bought some organic curry at the local grocery store (I paid a small fortune for it too). The curry was so old, there was no taste left in it, but it still smelled vaguely like curry.

I find my herbs and spices seem to be fresher if I get them at a health food store. Maybe they get more turn over, or they pay closer attention to how long stuff has been on their shelves, but it’s worth a try.

Also, store your spices in glass or plastic jars with tight sealing lids.

A flour sifter, if you want to bake.

I agree with all of the above. Had this been in social I would have suggested a fire extinguisher, but it’s not….so I won’t.

Potato peeler!

A steamer and a double boiler.

The latter is essential for making a rue – which is essential for making everything velvety. ;-)

There’s a simple tool that is the fundamental tool in any French pastry kitchen, but for some reason never caught on in the States. The French call it a corne, but it’s usually called a “bowl scraper” here. That’s a woefully inadequate name. Yes, it will scrape out a bowl quicker and more completely than any spatula, but it’s also invaluable for a million other things: scraping flat surfaces, picking up and transferring chopped stuff from board to pan, mixing pastry doughs without developing their gluten, loading pastry bags, scraping stuck food off pans in the sink…French pastry cooks just keep it in their pocket because they’re constantly using it through the day.

There’s only one version worth having. The French company Matfer got a lock on the perfect shape and material, and none other compares. It’s stiff nylon with just the right amount of give, and nice sharp edges. I have several, some 25 years old. Here’s a link

a slow-cooker

@iamthemob : Did you mean “roux”? She might want to look it up…
And yeah, like some others said, really good knives.

A colander for draining things.

Can opener, bottle opener, cork screw, and a good set of sharp American-made knives.

More….....pot holders(for hot food to pick up), slow cooker, meat thermometer and a southern cookbook.

Martha says don’t forget the blowtorch!

I hope I’m not repeating someone else’s answer, but a good set of ramekins will come in really handy, especially if you want to bake. :)

A few people have said a thermometer and I agree, but its important to have a quality one and to never wash it in the dishwasher or submerge it in water. There are some out there that say they are waterproof but they always seem to get ruined after only a few times in water. A mesh sieve is a great addition along with a regular large holed colander. It can be used to strain fine sauces, as a way to get juice out of berries and other soft fruit, and also to sift flour and other powdered ingredients. When Baking follow the instruction to the word. Enjoy the trials and tribulations of cooking and remember Cooking is and art. Baking is a science.

Several people have mentioned silicon baking sheets and I have to enthusiastically agree. I don’t know how I ever lived without them! I don’t have to wash my baking pans, I am not wasting rolls of aluminum foil, and they bake things so evenly. I use them for everything bakeable, not just cookies and pastries and the like.

You don’t need a lot. The essential thing is practice. You will figure your particular additional needs pretty quickly.

Here is a pretty good list.
Chef’s knife
Paring knife
Serrated knife
Two cutting boards
12″ cast iron skillet
10″ skillet
Large pot
Medium Sauce Pan
Colander
Tongs
Two or three wooden spoons
Silicone spatula
Silicone pancake flipper spatula
Large cooking ladle/spoon
Large slotted spoon
Cheese grater
Baking Sheet
Pyrex baking dish
Mixing bowls
Measuring cups
Tupperware
Something with a fast spinning sharp blade
Knife Steel
http://thenewcook.com/2008/04/minimum-kitchen-equipment-final-list/

Cookware you can put in the oven is wonderfully useful. A dutch oven on cast iron pans work real well and won’t wear out on you. A high-temperature spatula is nice for a lot of applications too. Everyone else has mentioned the basics… let’s see… grinding spices from whole seeds and much will give your food amazing, fresh flavor, so I like to keep a mortar and pestle around, or at least an electric spice grinder.

As far as a cookbook goes, I wouldn’t bother with any of those run of the mill books that just gives you a bunch of random recipes. Get something that either focuses on a cuisine type you’d like to familiarize yourself with, or a “Kitchen Bible” type book. That is, a book that is more a reference guide to cooking techniques than just a collection of recipes.

I find a spaghetti server to be very useful. Also a griddle. But I don’t like teflon griddles with gutters. A pressure cooker is very useful when you want to slow cook fast. A mixer for making eggwhites and cakes and all kinds of things. Also a few different sized whisks. A cleaver. A lemon juicer. Make sure you get both wet and dry measuring cups.

Ooh. A piepan if you’re going to learn to make pies, which you should. Pie is sublime, especially home made with fresh fruit.

So when are you going to grace us with a homemade goodie?
And if you don’t have taste-a-vision on your computer yet, please let us know how it turns out!

I want @wundayatta to make me a pie.

@JilltheTooth Strawberry-rhubarb season isn’t too far away! Also, there are still a lot of squashes about. Then peach pie season and then apple pie season and then back to squash pies (and mincemeat pies, but most people are afraid of those).

But @JilltheTooth, I don’t know if I feel like making you a pie, seein’ as how I’m not your date at the fluthers :-(

I will so drop that flashy-shirted guy for you and a pie!

Oh, fickle, purchasable me!

Invest in a good set of knives. You will need:

A chefs knife – the work horse multi purpose bad boy of your kitchen.
A paring knife for the small work.
A serrated bread knife for just that, slicing bread.

Some people swear by the high tech ceramics or other high end knifes that sport fancy edges. However, Personally I prefer my good old Chicago Cutlery. No nonsense high carbon steel blades and a good diamond sharpener at the ready.

As for pots and pans. IMHO, real chefs cook with iron! Give me a good cast iron skillet over those high maintenance non-stick jobs any day.

I don’t see it. no one has mentioned it. and, i just thought of it…..............

A bottle of hand sanitizer !!

Hard-boiled egg cooker thing.

A really good vegetable peeler

A set of silicone spatulas in varying sizes

A good set of knives, especially a pairing knife and a chef’s knife and a bread knife.

Measuring cups like these in which you can see the amount level by looking down into it and not having to squat down at the side of the cup. I got mine from the Pampered Chef, but I think stores that specialize in kitchen gadgets will have them.

An extra set of measuring cups and spoons so that you don’t have to constantly wash them when doing jobs that require lots of measuring.

A big dump bowl (like Rachel Ray uses) to collect all of your peelings, trash, eggshells etc. while you are working at the counter, rather than going back and forth to the trash can. When you are finished you dump the whole bowl of refuse into the trash can.

A variety of “Mise en Place” containers like this which are basically prep containers that you use to measure out all of your ingredients, lay them out in order (after first having completely read through your recipe to determine what you need and in what order) before you start to prepare a recipe. Most people just grab their ingredients one at a time out of the fridge and pantry (sometimes forgetting an an ingredient or a step) but if you implement a “mise en place” (which basically means to put in place) ahead of time, you will make your life much easier. I’ve seen some great little glass and plastic bowls that are perfect for holding small amounts of salt, sugar, spices, oil etc like these and these

A set of different sizes of mesh strainers. This one is a large strainer that has retractable handles so that you can set it over your sink. These.SL500_AA300.jpg strainers in a variety of sizes are great for straining pasta, berries, washing veggies and draining cans of beans etc. And these are great for hanging over the sides of pots.

You should also have different types of tongs for various things like picking pickles and olives out of deep narrow jars like these.SL500_AA300.jpg and wooden or bamboo tongs like these for getting toast unstuck from your toaster and for picking up bread. And silicone tipped tongs like these for picking up things from non-stick pots and pans and tossing salads. And metal tongs like these for picking up cheese cubes and bread from a serving platter, for picking up meat, chicken and fish, and for grilling vegetables.

And get a set of kitchen prep towels (I’ve been known to use 6 towels when I’m cooking) that are just for that purpose. Instead of using up a roll of paper towels, use these kitchen prep towels for hanging over your shoulder (like Emeril Lagasse does) so that it will be handy when you need to wipe your hands, have another one just for wiping excess sauce from a plate before serving (make sure you only use this towel for this purpose only, don’t also use it to wipe a counter) use several only for wiping the counters (don’t use the same towel to wipe your hands or clean sauce from your plate) and use several to lay out on the counter whilst you are prepping (so the crud falls on the towel instead of the counter, thus less cleanup afterwards). Wash all of these towels after each meal prep, don’t re-use them until they’ve been washed. Don’t use hand wiping towels for food prep towels and don’t use counter wiping towels for hand wiping or food prep towels. Keep your towels separate (for each use) when you are using them, then wash them immediately. This tip will save you from spreading germs.

I second the garlic press. Don’t get cheap knives, they not only work poorly but that can sometimes be dangerous. Invest in at least a cheap sharpening stone for them, and learn how to sharpen knives if you don’t already. I love my short santoku knife, and I highly recommend them to any chef.

Oh, don’t forget a bottle/can opener.

Nothing more frustrating than needing to get into that can of evaporated milk or for that matter crack open an old fashioned beer and not be able to find a “church key”.

Damn, @YoBob , had that problem yesterday…

With the caned milk, or the beer? ;)

At lot of people are mentioning can openers, and I realized I needed to throw an advert in for my absolute favorite can opener of all time. I don’t drool over kitchen tools that aren’t knives, pots or Kitchen-Aids too often, but the Safety Lid Lifter by Kuhn Rikon is by far the safest, easiest and cleanest can opener I’ve ever used in my life.

[mod says] This is our Question of the Day!

I have some comments on what was said above after skimming the answers.

If you are in America you will not need the kitchen digital scale (although they are fantastic if you are dieting and counting calories, but for cooking we do not weigh ingredients).

The measuring cups that you can read from above are not accurate enough from above, stick to reading them from the side when you need exact measures.

Make sure you have some very sharp knives. A serrated edge is best for things like tomatoes, so have a few different knives, straight edge and serrated.

Make sure you buy the right cooking utensils for your pots and pans. If they have a non-stick coating you can’t use metal.

People already covered many of the things I would suggest, so it seems you probably have a good list going already. I don’t have many of the things listed above. Don’t go overboard at first. Buy as you try new recipes.

@incendiary_dan. Your list is awesome. I love the over the sink colander, and the Mise en place bowls are also great for a beginner or professional alike. Have you cooked professional?

@SuperMouse. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who is interested in how your first few adventures go. So if you don’t mind please let us know how you are doing while trying to get your kitchen legs.

Oh, one other thing I was thinking of today: have extra cutting boards.

I’ll send this to Katawagrey. She’s been getting into cooking recently and should be able to give you some non-overwhelming advice on basics.

I am so excited about the great responses! Lurve to everyone! I will share the success of my first creation!

I want cookies.

Please

I just remembered something else, a cookbook stand with a clear splatter guard like this

I prefer glass cutting boards. I’m sick of the plastic and wood ones that get all gnarly, and then you can’t clean them properly. but if you do get them, it’s important to separate ones used for veggies from ones used for meats.

My favourite non-essential kitchen item is a lemon or citrus zester any kind. I love all citrus fruits and there really is no other way to get that good flavour into all kinds of foods. Lemon oil smells lovely, and I think it really is worth the effort.

Knife sharpener, one of those wheelie things is fine. If you get hardcore you can go for a stone.