Essential Kitchen Tools

If you’re not a professional chef, the list of essential kitchen tools you “need” can be dauntingly long and impossibly obscure and the kitchen department at the store can be downright scary.

So here at Omaha Steaks we put together a shortlist of the tools that you need to get by in the kitchen.

A Great Chef’s Knife

The right chef’s knife is a highly personal choice, and a lasting one since you’ll use it for almost everything. Eight inches is fairly standard — it’s maneuverable, comfortable for most hands, and has enough heft to get tougher jobs done. Hone your blade often and get it regularly professionally sharpened.

Paring Knife

The other knife you really need. A paring knife is small and super sharp, the tool you need for fruits and veggies and other soft foods as well as smaller detail work.

Cast Iron Skillet

It’s heavy and it will last you a lifetime. A good cast iron pan is our choice for steaks, of course, but it’s also versatile enough to handle most of your other skillet-style cooking tasks. A few notes about maintenance:

• Season your pan (even if it’s pre-seasoned). Heat it up in the oven and then rub oil into it and let it cool.
• Scrub your pan after each use — a chain mail cast iron pan scrubber is a great way to get it clean without adding soap or chemicals.
• Don’t let it soak, ever.

Dutch Oven

The Dutch oven does everything. It’s a deep cast iron pot with a heavy matching lid… the perfect way to create lots of heat and distribute it evenly to stews, simmers, braises, sauces, meat, and vegetables. A good-sized 6-quart Dutch oven is far from cheap, but it can handle almost any job in the kitchen.

Cutting Board

You’ll find pro-plastic arguments out there, but we can’t resist the way food looks on a gorgeous hardwood cutting board. Buy a very big wooden cutting board, big and heavy. Slice giant steaks on it and take amazing Instagram photos. Scrub it with soap and hot water after each use.

Meat Thermometer

Essential. Yes, we’re advising that you skip the whisk and deep-six the herb snips, but a chef should never skimp on this. There are a few different types of varying complexity, but for you, accuracy is king. You need an instant-read digital thermometer with a sharp point.

Potholders/Gloves

You can’t touch hot stuff. That’s, like, the number one rule. Get a pair of mitts or gloves that is rated to keep you safe at high temperatures, so you can do anything from take a cast iron skillet out of the oven to turn over a big roast searing on the grill.

Apron

We like heavy-duty aprons like our signature Butcher’s Apron, which is functional, educational, and washable.

Now that you know the essential kitchen tools it is time to get started.