Back to the Basics: Kitchen Utensils all Cooks Need

Before you can start cooking elaborate meals, it’s important to make sure to learn the basic kitchen utensils all cooks need and their purpose.

When learning a new skill, it’s always important to start with the basics. And as you work on improving your techniques in the kitchen and expanding your recipe repertoire, you also want to make sure to understand the first steps.

Let’s start with the most common cooking utensils. I’ll go into what each of them is used for and why each is necessary to have in your kitchen. Most of these can be purchased in either metal or nylon plastic. You need to determine which is better for your kitchen based on the type of pots and pans you use. For example, we have all nonstick pans and metal would destroy the lining on them. If you have stainless steel pans, then the metal utensils will work better. I don’t know about cast iron from experience (yet) but have heard that either is acceptable for those pans.

My kitchen is stocked with OXO brand utensils. When Justin and I were making our wedding registry, I looked at and held a few different brands. I decided that I liked the grip and the weight of these kitchen utensils. We have had them for over 5 years now and haven’t had any issues with them. As I mentioned, we have almost all nylon utensils. But you can purchase them in both nylon and metal, depending on which ones you personally need.

Spoons

Stirring Spoon

The stirring spoon is your basic spoon. There is nothing fancy about it, but this seems like the most common and most versatile kitchen utensils. The spoon is my go-to for most dishes unless I know I need one of the others for a specific reason. Use the stirring spoon for soup, chili, sauce, gravy, and anything else that needs to be given a quick stir. It’s hard to describe why this is so versatile since it’s just a spoon. But trust me, you can’t go wrong with one of these in the kitchen!

Slotted Spoon

A slotted spoon is usually the same size as a stirring spoon only, you guessed it, it has slots in it. I use the slotted spoon in a variety of ways. I most commonly use it when I need to scoop something out of boiling water such as boiled pierogi. Or when I need just a piece of pasta out to test for doneness.

Pasta Spoon

The name gives this utensil away, it’s perfect for serving pasta (hence pasta spoon). The tines help scoop the pasta from a pot of boiling water (since it’s also slotted) or a serving bowl. I also use this when I am cooking pasta to stir it in the pot. Plus, similar to the slotted spoon, you can use this to pull items out of boiling water. For me, this is perfect to get hard-boiled eggs out of the water since the size helps cradle the eggs.

Ladle

Having a ladle in the kitchen is the perfect tool when serving food that’s solid and has a liquid. I use this when serving up chicken noodle soup, chili, gnocchi soup, or anything else similar to this consistency. I also like that it gets a decent amount in one scoop, and I know that typically two scoops are just the right amount of anything for me.

Spatulas

Turner

I’ve seen this called both a turner and a flat spatula. I end up calling it a spatula often, even though I know it’s not the technical term, that’s just what we called it growing up and it’s a habit. The turner is what you would typically use for flipping foods such as pancakes or a grilled cheese sandwich since it’s flat and can easily get underneath the food. There are different sizes of turners available depending on what you are trying to flip. I only have a medium-sized one and it does pretty well for me.

Spatula

Also known as that rubbery thing used to scrape everything out of a bowl. Or at least that’s what I used to call it before I knew this is the real meaning of a spatula. Typically a spatula is slightly flexible, and sometimes angled, and designed to get the last bits of foods from a container. I mostly use it when pouring a batter from a bowl into a pan, or trying to use up all of the mayonnaise in a jar. The spatula is probably the only utensil in this list that I don’t use in an actual pan.

Other Kitchen Utensils

Whisk

I have both a metal and a nylon whisk in the utensil drawer. The nylon whisk is reserved for use in a pan since I have nonstick pans. The metal whisk works great for mixing up sauces in a regular bowl that will be poured over something. Or for getting those scrambled eggs ready to cook. A whisk works well for anything mostly liquid that needs to be combined well, and for getting out lumps when you add something powdery to a liquid. Use a whisk by holding it at an angle and stirring quickly to get air into the mixture.

Tongs

A good set of tongs is perfect for when you need to flip a large bit of meat in a pan, for example when making Salisbury steak. I like the tongs because you can get a firm grip on the food you are flipping, but can also control it as you are flipping. When I am doing pancakes, they aren’t being flipped into anything. But when I am flipping the chicken for feta-topped chicken, if I were to use a spatula the marinade it is cooking in would splash everywhere. I also like tongs because they are great for reaching in the oven and flipping something over quickly without having to take the entire pan out.

Cooking Fork

The cooking fork is probably my least-used utensil, but it’s perfect for the few times I need it. Most of the time, this is used when I am making myself scrambled eggs. I like them to be stirred up and broken up a lot, so the turner or spoon just won’t get the job done. Justin likes to use this when he is cooking bacon, though I keep telling him the tongs would be easier. The fork can also be used for holding onto the meat as you are checking the doneness inside or need to cut into it for any reason.

Back to the Basics Posts

• Back to the Basics: Cookware and their Best Uses
• Back to the Basics: Mise En Place
• Back to the Basics: Kitchen Utensils all Cooks Need
• Back to the Basics: Introductory Cooking Methods
• Back to the Basics: Cookware Materials