We've compiled a list of the most essential items you will need to start in the kitchen. You'll probably be surprised at how few things you need to whip up some fantastic dishes. These are our favorites at Yum-o!, but eventually you'll have your own as well.
Rachael Ray's Non-profit Organization Yum-o!
YUM-O! empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking.
Recipes
Lemon and Rosemary Chicken with Spring Onions, Rice Pilaf with Artichokes and Pine Nuts
Say hello to springtime with this delightful, wholesome meal!
Serves 4
Spicy Sesame-Soy Soba and Sliced Steak
Far Eastern flavors add an exotic touch to tender steak and noodles.
Serves 4
Crispy Fish Sticks
This catch of the day is reading for dipping!
Serves 4
Easy Boneless Roast Lamb with Roasted Potatoes and Tomatoes
This is the easiest ever (and super delicious!) lamb supper – it can even be prepared as a make-ahead meal!
Serves 8
KITCHEN TOOLS YOU'LL NEED
Bench Scrape
A bench scrape is great for slicing a big ball of dough into smaller pieces, but we especially use it to transfer chopped ingredients straight from the cutting board into the pot.
Garbage Bowl
We find this to be a huge time saver. Put a big bowl on the counter where you are working and, as you are going along, dump your garbage into the bowl instead running over to the garbage can a hundred times while you are cooking. When you are done, you can just dump all the garbage from the bowl into the trash can.
Grater/Zester
You use a grater/zester for grating hard cheeses, zesting citrus fruits or to shave whole nutmeg and frozen ginger root. Rachael also uses hers to grate garlic right into the pot!
Paring Knife and Serrated Knife
A paring knife and serrated knife will help you chop up the ingredients called for in most recipes. When it comes to using knives, safety comes first! Look for knives designed especially for young chefs, and be sure to have a grown-up helper (GH) present whenever knives are in use.
Plastic Cutting Boards
You should use a plastic board for handling raw meats and poultry of any kind. These are much easier to wash off and get thoroughly clean. If your board doesn't have "feet," you can just place a piece of wet paper towel underneath the board and it won't slide around on the counter.
Potato Masher
This tool isn't just for potatoes! Use it for mashing carrots or other root vegetables as well as for crushing fresh tomatoes in sauce and breaking up ground meat for your next Sloppy Joe.
Rolling Pin
A rolling pin is fun for kids to use when rolling out pizza dough or for other tasks. We use our rolling pin to crunch up pretzels and cookies inside a plastic bag to make all kinds of fun crumbs.
Scissors
Kitchen shears or scissors are great to have for snipping herbs directly into a bowl or for kids to use instead of a knife. We suggest keeping a pair of scissors just for kitchen use and, if a child is using them, be sure they have rounded edges.
Spoonula
A spoonula is a cross between a rubber spatula and a spoon. It has a spoon shape so that you can scoop things and it's also spatula so that you can scrape down the sides of a bowl. Different size spoonulas ensure that you get all the mustard out of the jar and your ingredients from the mixing bowl to the dish. How cool is that?!
Tongs
Tongs can be used for so many things...from tossing a garden salad to handling hot food in the oven.
Turners
Turners can can flip everything from pancakes to burgers. The open design lets any extra grease fall back into the pan instead of landing on your plate.
Wooden Cutting Boards
If you have space, we prefer the big ones so you have plenty of room to spread out and don't have to stop what you are doing to clean the board every time you finish with an ingredient. These boards are best for herbs and veggies, but are also great for slicing bread.
Wooden Spoons
We use our wooden spoons constantly in the kitchen and think these are the perfect tools for so many tasks and comfortable for little hands. Wooden spoons are great for breaking up ground meat in a frying pan or for stirring soups, stoups or stews.
Check out our Basic Pantry list next.
© 2008 - 2013 The YUM-O Organization, Inc. All rights reserved.
™ and © 2007 - 2013 Ray Marks Co. LLC. All rights reserved.
™ and © 2007 - 2013 Ray Marks Co. LLC. All rights reserved.
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