Real Food Kitchen Essentials Gift Guide

Let’s say I’ve convinced you that real food is the way to go, and you’re ready to get in the kitchen. What do you need? I’m glad you asked.

Which Kitchen Essentials do you need? I’ll tell ya.

You’re ready to get in the kitchen. But, there’s the matter of what to use when you get there. You might have some tools already, but maybe it’s time for an upgrade. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but buying the best you can afford is a good idea. Unless you enjoy throwing away your money… you know, when a cheap tool breaks… and it’s totally unusable. Uh, no thanks.

If you’re not ready to get in the kitchen, maybe someone on your shopping list is. Below I’m telling you some of the most essential tools you’ll need in the kitchen. All of these are in my kitchen, and they are the ones I use the most. Yes, really.

Real Food Kitchen Essentials Gift Guide

	Dutch or French Oven: This pan is a staple of my kitchen. You can use this to make stock, soup, braise things in the oven or deep fry things without getting oil on every horizontal surface in your kitchen. Not sure what the difference is between a French and Dutch Oven? Here’s an article to help.
	A Good Sharp Knife Since you’ll be making stock, you’re going to need to cut some veggies. A good knife is essential, and I mean a sharp knife. Not one of those ones tossed in the drawer and ignored (can you say “emergency room”?) One good knife is about all you need to cut things up. It will also last a lifetime. This is a good investment, and a great addition to your wishlist.
	A Good Cutting Board Have you tried to cut up vegetables on a tiny little cutting board? No fun at all. A large cutting board, made of wood, is an essential tool to make quick work of chopping, dicing and slicing.
	Vegetable & Fruit Peeler You’ve got the knife, you’ve got the cutting board. Let’s add one more thing to make your peeling and chopping easier. A peeler makes taking off the skin of produce super easy. It’s also a great tool to show kids how to use, while making quick work of peeling all those fruit and veggies.
	An Iron Cast Skillet Did you know that an iron cast skillet is nonstick? Yup. Did you also know it leaches iron into whatever food you make? Yup, and that’s a good thing. You can also sear fish or steak, and then put it right into the oven. This is one versatile tool in the kitchen. Best of all? You can make cornbread.
	Sauce Pan, 1 Quart Let’s say you want to make quinoa, cranberry sauce, or rice. You’re gonna need a perfectly sized pan to make that. There’s a lot of things you can make in this lil’ multi-tasker. Like caramel sauce…
	Wooden Spoon Ever wondered what the spoon in “Spoon and Saucer” stood for? I talk a little bit about it here, but also because the wooden spoon is a classic kitchen tool. It’s for making risotto, mixing a salad, and stirring colcannon. Ok, so obviously, there’s many, many more things you can use this spoon for. Keep an eye out at antique markets, and look for the ones worn on one side. sigh
	Tea Kettle I love afternoon tea, or morning coffee. But, the tea kettle has a lot of great uses. I keep mine on low when I’m cooking on the stove, and after removing the food from my skillet or sauce pan, I pour in some hot water from the kettle. The pan soaks while we eat, and it’s super easy to get it clean. Yeah, baby.
	Rolling Pin Ok, so technically, this is called a dowel. In the Real Food Kitchen, you’ll need a way to roll out pie dough, chop chocolate or nuts, or roll out cookies if you’re so inclined. Now, you’ve probably seen other rolling pins with handles on the side. Meh. I thought the ball bearings were going to pop, or the handles were going to break. So, I chucked that thing in the donation bin, and traded it in for one like this. I LOVE how solid it feels.
	Half Sheet Pan There’s nothing quite like hot cookies fresh out of the oven, and friends, that’s going to require a baking sheet. I like this plain sheet, with a good lip all around. You can easily roast vegetables, and toast up some granola without spilling it all over the floor. And that is a very good thing.