Vegetarian meals often require more food prep than meat-centered ones. Having the right tools in the kitchen makes everything so much faster and easier. And it doesn't always take a big investment. This post contains my favorite top 20 kitchen tools and equipment that I consider to be must-haves!
Save this post for someone on your gift list who loves to cook, and particularly if they're a new vegetarian. There's lots of great gift ideas here for them!
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Building on my 15 Beginner's Tips for Going Vegetarian and a Vegetarian Pantry of Must-Have Staples posts, having these 20 kitchen tools simplify meal preparation for me. And this is important since vegetables can involve more prep work than meat.
Having the right tools in the kitchen dramatically speeds up the time for getting dinner on the table for home cooks. But choosing what to buy first is overwhelming when you're first starting out. There are so many items to choose from, including an abundance of cool kitchen gadgets.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
Essential Cooking Tools and Equipment
I use everything on this list at least once a week, and use many of them every day. But before getting started, I should add that the below kitchen accessories are in addition to what I consider the most basic tools every kitchen needs, such as a measuring cup set for both wet and dry ingredients, measuring spoons, a cutting board, mixing bowl set, oven gloves, wooden spoons, a whisk for egg whites and salad dressings, silicone spatulas (2 different sizes and styles), and parchment paper for roasting and baking.
A High Quality Knife Set
It's unlikely you would ever need a full set of 10 to 13 knives, but I do recommend that everyone has 3 quality knives for fruit and vegetable prepping:
- A high quality chef's knife is a chef's best friend in the kitchen, IMO. If I could only have ONE knife, this would be it.
- A Serrated knife is perfect for slicing breads, tomatoes and removing tough stalks, such as with artichokes. It's also a great tool for slicing angel food cake.
- And lastly, get a good paring knife for smaller jobs.
There are a lot of knives to choose from, and it's best to find one that feels good in your own hand. But my favorite for the past 12 years continues to be Shun. The blade is very thin, so it's not surprising that the manufacturer is Japanese, when you think about all the fancy sushi cutting the Japanese are famous for.
Simple Food Prepping
This is a low-investment, high-reward group of kitchen gadgets.
- Y-shaped vegetable peeler - You can purchase the swivel design instead, if that's your preference, but I find the Y-shaped peelers are easier and faster to use. Use it for potatoes but it's already excellent for peeling butternut squash.
- Kitchen shears - for snipping herbs and cutting veggies such as the leaves of artichokes.
- Box grater or other cheese graters - When choosing a box grater, look for one with a rubber, slip-resistant bottom, and a comfortable handle. Use it to grate cheese, of course, but also zucchini, beets, sweet potatoes and apples for different dishes.
- Microplane and / or zester - This makes zesting citrus fruit go incredibly fast. Turn it upside down when zesting, to hold the lemon or lime peel in the trough. It makes it easier to measure out the amount you need.
- Kitchen scale - Use it for weighing flour if you bake, and produce for many recipes. I also use it for weighing cookie dough so that they're exactly the same size when I arrange them on a cookie sheet, and therefore bake evenly.
- Fine mesh strainer - Great for straining things, obviously, but also for rinsing quinoa.
Mixing
- Immersion blender + mini chopper + whisk attachment - Many immersion blenders and mini-choppers are sold together as a set these days, and I highly recommend having one. Once you have it, you'll wonder how you functioned in the kitchen without one. I use the immersion blender for whipping up hot oat milk for my morning cappuccino, and blending soups and jams. It has a whisk attachment that's perfect when I'm making scrambled eggs for a crowd, whipped cream and meringues. The mini chopper is great for making sauces like an aioli, pestos, tapanades, hummus, and seriously, a million other things.
- Countertop blender - There are several good models out there, and I use the one that's linked. They're perfect for morning protein smoothies and soups, and it has a permanent spot on my counter.
- Food processor - with multiple blades. I use it for making pie crust, puréeing sauces, and use the grating attachment for shredding Brussels sprouts.
Stovetop Cooking
- Skillets - I recommend having a fairly shallow nonstick skillet. I recommend Scanpan, perfect for eggs and small sauté dishes, and a deep sauté Scanpan for sautéeing a larger quantity, such as vegetables. Additionally, I have a cast iron skillet that was actually my mom's. Cast iron skillets are fantastic for regular stove top cooking, but also for baking cornbread, and casseroles that start on the stove, and then finish in the oven.
- Pots - Sometimes you just need a small pot, say for boiling eggs, or to make a sauce, and every kitchen should have one or two. But my Le Creuset Dutch oven is my workhorse for everything from curry to grains and soups. I actually have 4, in different sizes, but I recommend you start with just one like I did. Le Creuset cookware is expensive, and by going slowly, you'll figure out the sizes you'll use the most. Here's why I swear by Le Creuset cookware:
- The pieces last forever if you don't misuse them (and even if you do),
- They heat their contents very evenly, and hold the heat well when turned down to a simmer,
- They're flexible for use on both the stovetop or in the oven.
- Tongs - for flipping veggies in a skillet (or in the basket of an air fryer). I like ones that are silicone tipped, as shown in the link, to avoid ripping food apart.
Roasting
- Rimmed sheet pans - These are perfect for roasting vegetables and doing sheet pan dinners. I've linked the size I use the most, but I also use a Quarter Sheet Pan, that's half the size. The quarter baking sheet fits easily into my toaster oven and is perfect for roasting a smaller batch of veggies.
- Toaster oven - air fryer combo - Whether or not you have counter space available in your kitchen for both a toaster oven AND an air fryer, I recommend getting one that's a combo. It's more economical since I firmly believe every kitchen needs both. I highly recommend one by Breville that's linked. In fact, I liked it so much, I purchased it for family members too.
Baking
- Casserole dish - I recommend having 3 or 4 different sizes that can be used for sides dishes and main entrées.
Slow Cooker
- Slow cooker - These come in various sizes, so pick the size you think will work best for you. I do recommend getting one with a removable cast metal insert that can go on the stovetop. That way, you can brown something in the removable pot, and then slip it into the slow cooker to continue cooking. This technique is a fabulous way to deepen the flavors of vegetables.
Electric Pressure Cooker
- Electric pressure cooker that's a multicooker - This is an absolute must-have if you want fuss-free dinners. Instant Pot is the gold standard, and they have several models you can choose from, ranging in size and number of functions. I use it for cooking beans, soup, and all kinds of vegetables. When the kids come to visit, I make meat balls in it with a sauce. I've even used it - with a Crisp Lid - for making desserts like this Peach Cobbler.
Optional Cooking Tools and Equipment
Separate from my above top 20 kitchen tools and equipment, the below 5 extra items depend largely on how you cook and what you like to make. Therefore, I consider them optional items.
#1. Salad spinner - I use mine for all salad greens and for drying rinsed berries.
If you make a lot of salads, I recommend having a salad spinner. Otherwise, when there's still water on greens from being rinsed, the dressing you use will be watered down. Literally.
I have a small salad spinner I use for drying rinsed berries. I line the spinner with paper towels, place rinsed berries around the spinner, and spin them like crazy. The paper towels absorb the water, but they also cushion tender berries like raspberries.
#2. Spiralizer - you don't have to have a spiralizer to make veggie noodles like zoodles. Here's a post on alternative methods, as well as how to use the spiralizer.
#3. Mixer - if you enjoying making cakes and breads, it's worth have a good standing mixer. And for me, KitchenAid is the gold standard.
#4. Mandolin - I use a small hand-held mandoline slicer for potato gratins, or when I'm slicing sweet potatoes, beets, celery root and even fennel. It gets the job done in a fraction of time.
I like the one that's linked because both the handle and food holder fit very well in my hands. I always use the extra hand protection of wrapping a small towel around my hand when I hold onto the food holder.
#5. Onion goggles - these are fantastic if you use onions regularly in dishes, and tear up with burning eyes every single time, like I do. I use mine almost everyday.
mjskitchen
Happy New Years Susan! Hope you are having wonderful and safe holiday season. Just went through you list and it's one that I could have written myself. 🙂 There is only one exception. I don't have a slow cooker. I had to laugh about the box grater because I had one for many, many yaers then the handle broke off so the husband bought me a flat grater. After using it, even he agreed it was a horrible tool, so I immediately ordered another box grater. The immersion blender gets used with one of its attachments almost every single day. This more I used the miniblender to blend up some beans for refried beans. All the other items on your list are spot on and can be found in my kitchen as well. Hope 2021 is a better year and I look forward to seeing more of you and your wonderful posts!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
A very very happy new year to you too, MJ!! I too look forward to many more of your posts too! Our food goes so well together. That's so funny about the grater. The box grater takes up more space, to be sure, but it more than earns it!