must have's for kitchen

At least one good Chef's knife and a boning knife with its thinner blade.

Good cutting board/boards.

Heat diffuser for putting under big pots to evenly distribute heat when cooking down meals that take a while to finish, like red beans, red gravies, stews, etc. Makes for less hands on time stirring the pot.

Good meat thermometer.

Good utensils like whisks, spatulas, big spoons, etc.

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requested a really nice one for christmas, looking forward to doing some trimming with it.

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Some of my better boning and filet knives started life as a much bigger blade but years of sharpening and honing wore the blades thin enough for fine work.

I've got one filet knife that started life as a boning knife about 20 years ago and is now my go-to filet knife with a very thin, flexible blade.

a carbon steel stovetop griddle

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Dash Everyday Egg Cooker

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think I am going to have to get the SO this

An old can opener that doesn't plug into the wall

Kuhn Rikon peeler
A couple good cutting boards
Sharp knives
Good spoons

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An old can opener that doesn't plug into the wall

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I'll second that. It will always work, even when the power is out. Also, a good vegetable peeler. They beat the hell out of using a paring knife to peel cucumbers, carrots, beets, etc.

For a few specialty items: I'd recommend getting a chinois. It is a conical shaped, very fine mesh stainless steel strainer. They retain a lot more things than a normal strainer or sieve will. The work great for straining stocks, pureed soups, even cooking oil to remove crusty bits.

Also a hand blender. One of those submersible electric wands that are used to puree soups. I use mine at least a couple times a month when cooking meals.


ETA: A good pizza stone. That thing gets used at least 3 times a month and is great for cooking frozen or homemade pizzas. Browns the crust just right. Just be sure to put it in the oven before turning it on so it preheats evenly.

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A potato masher.

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A versatile kitchen tool. Very useful when making guacamole.

Cast iron skillet. Preferably an old one.

Not a "must have", but one thing that I actually love that someone gave me as a gift and I thought was going to be a POS because it is "as seen on TV" is a garlic mincer:



The minced garlic comes out perfect for pizza, pasta, and veggies. I grab this over a garlic press for the majority of my cooking now.