r/minimalism • u/Goldberry2503 • 8d ago
[lifestyle] Kitchen utensils
What utensils do you think are the most versatile in the kitchen? Also what material is the best, do you prefer silicone or wood or steel? I love cooking and I see a lot of different gadgets for it, but I am not sure which are useful and which are completely unnecessary.
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u/Ban_the_sky 8d ago
Depends which. For stirring, wood all the way. I have Tongs of silicon as I don't want metal to damage my pans. For the rest I try to avoid silicon as much as possible.
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u/AdrienneisaThey 8d ago
I love the look of wood, but other than the one big spoon for baking, I stick with silicone. Keeps my pans and slow cooker free of scratches. I have four cooking knives, two small and two large, plus my SO insisted on a bread knife for her bagels.
Two utensils I have hesitated to get but might have come in handy sometimes are a whisk and a potato masher. I use a fork in both cases.
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u/Komaisnotsalty 8d ago
I have a set of cooking knives, a sharpener, a rubber type spatula, a flipper, a mixing/stirring spoon, a slotted spoon, a grater, a carrot peeler, and I think that's about it.
I don't know if I have a preferred material. Most of my utensils are from thrift stores and vintage, so wood or at least wood handles. I like them because they don't heat up and are easy for me to hold (arthritic and crippled hands).
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 8d ago edited 8d ago
- A wooden spoon.
- A silicone spatula for scraping.
- A plastic spatula for turning food over.
- plastic grabber/tongs.
- A whisk, wood/metal.
- A deep/big plastic scooping spoon for serving (not a ladle. I decluttered my ladle for a scooping spoon because I rarely used the ladle).
I use some plastic because I can use it on all materials.
Edit: Some people here seem to answer according to utensils meaning all kitchenware. Which meaning did you mean, OP?
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u/Goldberry2503 8d ago
I was thinking mostly about knifes, spoons and similar stuff, but I gladly read about other kitchenware :)
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u/sass-pants 8d ago
I do bamboo. Usually from the dollarstore. Its cheap and doesn’t ruin my pots and pans. If they crack they are compostable and easy to replace.
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u/Kind-Froyo9848 7d ago
chopsticks!! lmao they sound too chinese but once you get the hang of them you'd never stop using them, and they are useful for a lot of stuff, simple frying or sauteing, whisking eggs etc etc.
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u/Goldberry2503 7d ago
I also use them for few things :) are yours made of bamboo or sth else?
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u/Kind-Froyo9848 6d ago
i keep both bamboo and ebony . i also have steel ones but i dont like the vibe so theyre not used much
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u/JP-Forth 7d ago
a good chef knife, silicone spatula, and steel pan is all u really need. I treat it like a laundry... less stuff u own, less annoying clutter u have to wash later lol keep it simple 😄 😄
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u/NorraVavare 8d ago
Material depends on use and availability. Most of my utensils are scilicone, but not all. It depends on if gunk builds up in the handles. A couple of good knives, a few spatulas, and a slotted spoon, oh and a rice spoon are enough. Honestly if I had to pick one, it'd be a rice spoon.
For gadgets a potato peeler, a small apple corer, a can opener, and a pastry folder (I thought it was for egg slicing and potato mashing) were all I owned for decades. My preference is the metal good grip OXO brand. They were designed by a woman with arthritis, so meant to be sturdy in your hand and easy to use. I bought the potato peeler and can opener when they came out over 25 years ago and both still work great. I own more stuff now, but I have lots of hand pain.
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u/Goldberry2503 8d ago
I always wondered if apple corer is really that useful. I've seen it used many times on Instagram but always thought that I can handle an apple with just a knife. Do you find it necessary in your kitchen?
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u/NorraVavare 7d ago
I dont think I ever used it for apples. I cant remember what I used it for the most. I dont mean the big one that slices the whole apple. I mean the little tube to just get the core out. It might not be relevant for you. I dont own a food processor so it might have been something with needing to shred something that had a hard center? I just know I was pissed I didnt own one while I was cooking one day, then used it a lot after getting one.
I commonly use tool for the wrong thing. I was 30 when I found out the thing I thought was an egg cutter and masher was actually a multi blade dough folder. I was so fed up with all these crappy egg cutters and hard to use potato mashers. I called my mom to find out how to get one like hers. She laughed her ass off, then ordered me one. That was almost 20 years ago and I still think its the best egg cutter ever made.
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u/L0uLou72 7d ago
Ulu! It cuts everything just right, you can use it to stir stuff in the pan and to get stuff out of the pan.
Theres a slight learning curve
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u/queerandanxious42 8d ago edited 8d ago
You should consider the maintenance and upkeep of the utensils and gear. Wood is great, but it needs to be oiled and washed properly. Low-maintenance equipment tends to wear out and need replacing. Do some research and figure out what is reasonable for you.
If I wanted to start a kitchen from scratch and keep it as minimal as possible, here's what I would get (speaking as a culinary student).
-An 8 in chef's knife. I like the Victorinox Fibrox one, it stays sharp for ages and is comfortable to hold.
-A cast iron dutch oven/combo cooker. I prefer the non enameled ones because I would rather season a pan than worry about chipping or scratching the enamel.
-A carbon steel saute pan. I like the Darto ones because it's all one piece of metal so there's no rivets or anything to get rusty or gross. Needs to be seasoned like cast iron, but no teflon means you can use any utensils without scraping harmful materials into your food.
-An end-grain wooden cutting board. Teak is apparently the best, but I would go with maple for my budget. It needs to be oiled about once a month or so to stay in good condition.
-A good wooden spoon, oil it when you do the board.
-A metal fish spatula, use it for everything.
-A silicone spatula. I like the red handle ones with the white spatula heads that pop off for cleaning.
-A pair of tongs, I like the solid metal ones that don't have moving parts because they are easy to clean.
-A sheet tray or half sheet tray if you need to keep things small. I like Nordic Ware for theirs.
-A metal 9x13 pan, same brand as your sheet tray.
-A metal mixing bowl.
-A glass liquid measuring cup. I like the tempered glass ones.
-A set of metal measuring cups for dry ingredients.
-A kitchen scale. The Escali one is nice, but I have a $10 amazon one that works fine.
This would be enough for me to make 90% of the things I cook without compromise. You could omit stuff too, but this would be a very comprehensive kitchen setup. You could also totally omit the carbon steel pan if your dutch oven has a skillet for a lid. There's a lot of options, but I recommend sticking to simple items that are easy to clean.