10 kitchen tools and equipment to make cooking easy

There is a reason we turn to ready meals and takeaway when so much of our time is taken up looking after the kids and the daily multitude of tasks bestowed upon us. There’s no time to go to the loo, so how can we make cooking easy and find the time to cook up a fresh homemade meal three times a day (or more if you have hungry monsters in the house)? Gone are the days where you could casually waltz up to your kitchen counter and glaze over your artisan-style food ingredients that were purchased from authentic over-priced food markets.

From the moment you gave birth, it felt like you gave up the right to spend over ten minutes on yourself, unless you have it sussed, in which case, share your secrets, please! It’s all about speed and convenience and, even though I try to offer my kids fresh, healthy and homemade food where possible, I don’t have the time or the resources to spend £40 on 67 ingredients to create one elaborate and lengthy meal. Thank goodness for HelloFresh which offers an excellent delivery service and takes the stress out of meal planning and grocery shopping.

I have four kids and their tummies rival their hungry eyes, so I’m literally on the go, cooking up lots of homemade recipes (including my legendary waffles) that include as much of the different food groups as possible. And, I’ve almost got a few of the speedy kitchen skills sussed too.

I won’t include in this article my Kenmore food processor which is probably my most favourite appliance in the kitchen. Kenmore makes all kinds of appliances that are pretty amazing in the kitchen and it’s really easy to find Kenmore appliance parts online if it breaks down. But for the remainder of this article, I will go through basic kitchen tools and equipment everyone must have in their kitchen.

Here are my best tips for making cooking easier:

Tips and tricks to make cooking easier – prep your kitchen!

Most of these ideas on what makes cooking easy comes with using kitchen appliances that make cooking easier. Before I list my essential kitchen tools, I want to stress the importance of having a convenient and efficient kitchen. For example, a kitchen island will help you prepare food easily, without having to trot back and forth between utensil and appliance. Look at Kitchen Warehouse where you can find some great kitchen units that will help you on your way to becoming a whizz in the kitchen. 

So, here is how to make cooking easier with 10 kitchen utensils and equipment I seriously cannot do without and that helps me whip up some pretty awesome family meals (sometimes) in a busy kitchen.

Ready, set, go!

1. Tools every cook needs – A sturdy wooden cutting board

Wooden cooking utensils are considered kitchen essentials for beginners. A thick cutting board made of bamboo is quite low maintenance and sanitary too. Bamboo is dense enough to resist knife scarring and it naturally resists water penetration too, preventing bacteria from seeping in and growing. You just use hot water and soap (or diluted bleach) to clean cutting boards and you’re good to go.

If you want to be really fancy, you can find some great kitchen worktops, like these great worktop examples from Worktop Express, where you don’t need a cutting board to do the work.

2. Essential kitchen tools every home cook needs – A good strong pot can make cooking easy

Something pretty large that will help you boil pasta and cook a healthy amount of soup or sauce for the family is an ideal basic kitchen equipment. One pot dinners are the mother of all essential kitchen items and made quite doable with cooking items such as a large saucepan or pot.

3. The top essential kitchen tools every cook should own – Hand Blender or food processor

A hand blender is now considered as one of the great essentials for cooking and can make smoothies, soups, dips, and salsa in a flash, as well as chop up items with less washing up to do afterwards. It will fast become your best friend for anything that needs whizzing up quickly, especially during the baby weaning stage. It is definitely a favourite for the food lover.

4. Essential kitchen tools every cook should have – Microwave

Microwaves are one of my saving graces for home cooking! They can not only cook food faster, but tastier too. In fact, food cooked in a microwave oven is often more nutritious than other conventional cooking methods. Microwaves are also safer because they cook without fire and are easier to wipe clean as well. A great microwave to look at is a combination microwave by Panasonic because these revolutionary microwaves can combine their power to steam, grill, bake or simply microwave your food.

5. A chef’s knife

Sharp enough to chop up a swede (have you tried to chop up a swede?), kitchen cutting tools like a chef’s knife are ideal for chopping up anything, from herbs to meat – and sharpen those knife skills too. You can slice, dice, chop or even pulverise using a chef’s knife.

To gain confidence with using such a large and sharp knife, watch tonnes of YouTube videos on how to hold the knife properly and position your hands correctly. Bad habits are hard to break, so make sure you get these right at the very beginning to avoid chopping off fingers too!

6. Essential kitchen tools for beginner cooks – Metal colander

A colander is a multifunctional tool that can help to wash and drain food, as well as keep fragile food fresh in the fridge. A metal colander can also steam vegetables and keep flies away (when you flip it).

7. The top essential kitchen tools every cook should own – Vegetable peeler

Personally, I like to limit skinning fruits and vegetables because a lot of their nutrients come from the peel. However, we live in a world of chemicals, including pesticides, which are sprayed onto our produce and ingested by our children. I don’t want to think about the long-term effects of non-organic food (even though organic is not that natural anymore either), so I reluctantly peel my non-organic fruit and veg. I would recommend going with a ‘y-peeler’ because it is generally sturdier, sharper, cheaper and easier to grip.

8. Tools and equipment in the kitchen – Casserole dish

The beauty of casserole dishes is that they are so versatile and they are considered as basic kitchen utensils. In the winter, you can enjoy a slow cooked hearty meal and in the summer, you can quickly roast some lovely vegetables with salmon if you desire. But, the benefit of the casserole dish is that it can withstand complete cooking. And you can skimp on the washing up since casseroles can be served in the dish they are baked in.

They are also easy to clean and economical too – they are generally dishwasher safe. If you’re stuck for ideas on what to make,

9. Cooking tools and equipments that make cooking easy – Kitchen tongs

Kitchen tongs are great for tossing salads, turning meat and just picking up hot food without using your hands. They are, in fact, the extra pair of hands when you can’t use your own. So I would definitely say a pair of tongs are essential gadget tools to have in the kitchen and considered basic kitchen utensils.

10. Tools to make cooking easier – Make friends with the slow cooker

Slow cookers are ideal fun kitchen gadgets for parents and as they’re fast becoming one of the most popular basic kitchen tools and equipment today, they can be as cheap as chips to buy nowadays. You can cook virtually any meal you want, from oatmeal to casseroles and make enough for the whole family too. Prep your food, add it in the morning before school drop off and then come home from school to a slow-cooked dinner! You get a healthy hot meal anytime and every time, even on the busiest days of the week. To check out a review of the best non-toxic slow cookers, head to cooklogic.com.

Other tips on how to make cooking easier

Things that make cooking easier means you’ll want to spend more time in the kitchen. Here are some other time saving/sanity saving tips for easy cooking.

Make a menu

Know what you want to make for the week and plan accordingly. That way you can make a proper grocery list for what you need in your kitchen, which brings us to the next point.

Make a detailed grocery list

To limit overspending and wasting food, it’s a good idea to plan your meals and make a grocery list so when you’re at the grocery store, you don’t buy unnecessarily.

Always make a little extra

Make a little extra and use as leftovers to avoid you having to make a complete meal the next day. You save money and time!

Keep basic cooking equipment on hand

For easier cooking, keep home kitchen equipment organised in the correct areas of the kitchen.

Use a digital thermometer when cooking meat

This isn’t a necessity, but it ensures you’re cooking your meat properly and avoiding food poisoning!

Make sure you taste it regularly

A good chef always tastes the food! You need to make sure what you’re cooking tastes good enough to eat, so taste your food regularly so you know when to add a little more or stop right there with the spices.

Make clean up easy

Clean up quicker with easy kitchen appliances to hand, like an easy to use upright vacuum which hoovers up crumbs on its floor quickly. A steam mop can also get the disinfecting part of the job done quicker than a normal mop and bucket too.

So, there you are, my top 10 kitchen tools and equipment that I use in my family kitchen to make cooking easier and save time, money and my sanity. There are other great new inventions coming up like air fryers and grills, but less is more so you can spend less time faffing about in the kitchen preparing the food and more time enjoying the finished dish with your family.

If you want to learn more about what to cook that’s easy, check out my food blog, Five for a Fiver, which includes five ingredient recipes for £5 or less for cooking made easy.

FAQ

What is the easiest thing to make for dinner?

Other questions asked were:

• What are 4 tips for making cooking faster and easier?
• What should I buy for easy cooking?
• What should I bake that is easy?
• Cooking hacks for beginners?

Pasta dishes are generally the easiest things to make or one pot trays which contain all the food groups.

Why do we need to use specific kitchen tools and equipment in preparing dishes?

Other questions asked were:

• Why is it important to use the correct kitchen tools and equipment?
• Why should we use kitchen tools?
• What are the kitchen utensils and their uses?
• What other kitchen utensils would I need to make cooking easier?
• What is the most useful tools in kitchen?
• What are the 10 kitchen tools and equipment I should be using every day?
• What are the top 10 kitchen utensils that you can’t live without?
• What are the best kitchen tools you have used?
• What are the different kitchen tools and equipments you use every day?
• What are some examples of different kitchen tools and equipments and their uses?
• What is your favourite kitchen tool or device to use at home?
• Which improvised kitchen utensils or tools do you use?
• What are some of the most common kitchen tools? How are they used?
• 10 kitchen tools and their uses?
• 10 must have kitchen tools that make cooking easy?

The following are a good example of kitchen tools that help make cooking easy.

• Mixing bowls
• Ice cream maker
• Air fryer
• Dutch oven
• Sheet pan
• Instant pot
• Stainless steel pots
• Cast iron pans
• Pressure cooker
• Food storage containers

Kitchen scales

Kitchen scales are also handy in the kitchen but not necessary. With light baking, there is less margin for error and so you need to measure your baking ingredients correctly with kitchen measuring tools to ensure that the final recipe is top notch. Digital scales are the best as they measure more accurately. Plus, they’re so cheap these days that you’ll be able to find a decent one for under £10.

Dutch oven

While a Kenmore Dutch oven isn’t something that’s on many people’s essential kitchen tool list, it should be. Dutch ovens are very versatile and they can be used to make all kinds of easy meals. From no-knead bread to tasty casseroles, Dutch ovens are the perfect no-fuss way of preparing dinner. Just stick them in the oven and cook their contents slowly for a few hours.

How do I generate an interest in cooking?

Other questions asked were:

• How do I make cooking feel like less of a chore?
• How can we make cooking easier and a time saver?
• What habits or techniques can make cooking more enjoyable?
• How to make cooking more enjoyable?

The above kitchen tools will help. Most hate cooking because they feel they can’t do it or it’s too difficult. So give yourself a helping hand and start with the right tools to help you become more confident in the kitchen over time.

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