Kitchen Supplies: 5 Must-Have Cooking Tools {and Flirty Apron Discount}

by Jen Tilley on February 24th, 2013 | 3 Comments »

Do you love baking and cooking? If you answered "yes" to that question, then we're in the same boat. When visiting my house and looking at all of my baking and cooking gadgets and tools, one might say that I have quite an addiction and obsession with kitchen supplies. From pizza stones, muffin tins, fryers, and mixers to wooden spoons, whisks, cupcake liners, and measuring spoons, I have quite the growing collection.

Even though it's good to have a well-stocked kitchen and Wine Cabinets for your home, sometimes it's easy to overlook the essentials — the classic cooking tools that make it possible to prepare food.

5 Must-Have Kitchen Supplies

Read on to learn about five of the most important kitchen tools every home cook should have in the kitchen.

1. Good Ingredients

You can't have a delicious tasting dish without good ingredients. I'm a firm believer that recipes don't have to be complicated to taste good. If you start with good ingredients, the end result will taste good. It's that simple.

Oftentimes, people do not keep a well-stocked kitchen so they tend to buy a lot of ingredients all at once. When this happens, the idea of cooking at home comes off as being incredibly expensive. As long as you keep a well-stocked kitchen full of main cooking essentials and kitchen supplies, your meals will be easier to cook and also less expensive over time. If you're interested in learning how to keep a well-stocked kitchen, be sure to visit this post.

When baking, it's important to keep items fresh. Storing baking supplies (e.g. flour, sugar, etc.) in containers has been a huge help in my kitchen. Plus, it makes the items accessible and it helps add to the kitchen decor. I also prefer to always bake with good vanilla. I add vanilla to almost every baked treat since it's one of my favorite flavors. Keeping good vanilla on hand helps achieve depth in recipes.

When cooking, I love using fresh herbs, as well as dried herbs and spices. If you've had dried herbs and spices in your cupboard for more six months to one year, it's time to throw them out and buy new herbs and spices. Trust me. You'll notice the difference in your recipes.

2. Wooden Spoons

When it comes to baking and cooking, there can be a lot of stirring involved. Plastic, silicone, stainless steel — there are a lot of different types of kitchen spoons to help you accomplish all of the stirring. Be sure to add a few wooden spoons to your container of cooking utensils. Why?

First of all, they won't scratch non-stick surfaces when you stir, so you don't have to worry about ruining your pots and pans. They also don't conduct heat, which means you won't burn your hand when stirring. I also prefer wooden spoons because they don't react with acids in food and leave a metallic taste like a metal spoon might.

3. Thermometer

Unfortunately, at times it can be difficult to see or know when food has been cooked to the proper temperature. I would be lost without a thermometer in my kitchen. Whether it's making sure the oven temperature is right or checking the temperature of meat, I rely heavily on thermometers to ensure that food is cooked properly.

My favorite thermometer type is an instant read thermometer. I have one to use on foods I cook in oven or on my stone. My husband has an instant read thermometer to use when he's grilling. Having these thermometers handy when cooking and grilling relieves the stress of cooking food properly.

4. Mixers and Mixing Bowls

When baking, you will most likely find me using my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. This baking tool makes preparing sweet treats super easy. Plus, with all the different levels and mixing settings, you can make sure that recipes reach the correct consistency. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a stand mixer, a KitchenAid Hand Mixer is another great tool to have in your kitchen.

Other kitchen supplies to have on hand when it comes to mixing are mixing bowls (in various sizes) and a heavy-duty whisk. Having these supplies nearby when preparing recipes always makes prep time in the kitchen a breeze.

5. Apron

I'm quite the messy baker and cook. When preparing recipes, I have a tendency to make it look like a tornado went through my kitchen. Plus, I always end up with a little bit of egg or flour on my shirt. Due to my messy baking and cooking habits, my husband surprised me this past Christmas with two aprons. I've received aprons in the past and never put them to work. After receiving the aprons from my husband, he made sure to make me wear an apron whenever I entered the kitchen. Trust me, an apron makes all the difference in the world.

Get 40% Off a Flirty Apron

If you're in the market for an apron or want to see the difference of what an apron can make, be sure to check out these super cute aprons from FlirtyAprons.com. Instead of wearing a boring, old apron, Flirty Aprons are colorful, flattering, and modern. They will add a bit of freshness to your kitchen. If you fall in love with an apron on their site, you can get 40% off by using the following code: momit40. The code is valid on FlirtyAprons.com until Friday, March 15, 2013.

What is your favorite kitchen tool?

Disclaimer: FlirtyAprons.com provided Mom It Forward with a 40% off discount code. The code is valid on FlirtyAprons.com until Friday, March 15, 2013. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Jen Tilley has an insatiable appetite for all things related to baking and cooking. She is the author, photographer and recipe developer on How To: Simplify, a blog that shares tips, tricks and recipes to simplify life in the kitchen. She enjoys sharing recipes that require very few ingredients and only a small amount of prep and cook time, all of which make time spent in the kitchen simple and enjoyable.