Top Kitchen Tools for Home Cooking

Hey friends!

We purchased a smoker this past week and are having fun experimenting with different recipes and meats!  We've always had a barbecue but this is our first foray into smoking.  I can't believe we waited so long to add a smoker to our tools!

It reminded me of all the kitchen tools we use every day in our kitchen.  We actually don't have all the gadgets and tools that you can find and usually choose the simplest and easiest way to cook.  So wanted to share the things that I just can't live without in our farm kitchen!

1. Cast Iron Pan

Over the past year or so, we've replaced all our non-stick pans with cast iron pans!  A well-seasoned cast iron pan is such an asset in the kitchen!  We use it for eggs, meat, sauteed veggies, and even things like baked brownies!

We found ours second-hand just by putting a note up on a local Facebook group asking to see if anyone had some they wanted to part with!

We use our saved bacon grease, lard, or butter to grease the pan before cooking.  It helps to keep things from sticking and helps season the pan well

2. Cookie sheet

We love using a large cookie sheet to cook bacon, sausage, sheet pan meals, and of course, cookies!

3. Wood spoons

We love our wood spoons!  They are each a piece of artwork and a great to prevent scratching of our pans.

4. Good knife

A good sharp knife is essential!

5. Wood cutting boards

A great wood cutting board will last a long time plus extend the life of your knifes. Avoid glass and marble cutting boards as they will dull your knives very quickly. Plastic cutting boards will collect contaminants in the grooves.

An end grain wood cutting board will be slightly more gentle on your knives than edge-grain boards, and will hold up longer due to the way the knife slices across the grain.

6. Meat Thermometer

For things like beef and pork roasts or whole chickens, checking the temperature to ensure the meat is cooked is recommended.

A digital thermometer provides a quick reading plus you can find ones that you can set an alarm to let you know when the temperature is reached.

7. Dutch oven

A good dutch oven is heavy & thick enough to retain heat, plus big enough to handle large cuts of meat or large quantities of liquid. The dutch oven is perfect not only for braising meats, but also for soups, stews, and chilis.