The other day, I was chatting with some co-workers and a Twin Cities Live guest about the daily task of cooking and how grateful I am that I actually love the process. I truly believe that cooking is the skill that will impact your health and finances the most. When you can feed yourself nourishing food, you’re investing in your wellness as well as saving a ton of money. I love restaurants – but a casual dinner with my husband and two of our children last weekend was $120. Yikes! I also believe you can become a decent cook – and actually start to enjoy it – at any age.

For me, learning to love to cook started with mastering some basic recipes (soup from The Moosewood Cookbook was my confidence builder) and setting up my kitchen with high quality tools that make the job efficient. So today on Minnesota Live, I packed up my kitchen essentials, brought them to the studio and shared what I use the most.

• Quality Knives and Cutting Board
  • The chef’s knife: choose one that feels good in your hand and keep it sharpened. A mid-sized knife will tackle all of your vegetable and meat cutting projects.
  • The serrated knife: a basic/inexpensive version will work just fine. Essential for slicing tomatoes and bread.
  • Wooden cutting boards: ditch the plastic in this department immediately. A beautiful wooden cutting board can be used to prepare food and also serve it (hello, charcuterie board!). I use a mild soap and water or salt and half a lemon to clean. Treat regularly with a restorative wax and never put in the dishwasher.
• Utensils
  • Metal whisks: I like having a large and small version.
  • Wooden spoons, spatulas and a ladle: treat the same way as the cutting board.
  • Silicone spatula: I use this only on cold/room temperature ingredients for getting the last bits of batters and doughs out of bowls.
• Baking pans
  • Sheet pans
  • Muffin Tin
  • Loaf Pan
• Cookware
  • Stainless Steel: my basic set of pots and pans that’s lasted 25 years and counting.
  • Carbon Steel: I have three sizes and use them for everything from meats, eggs, vegetables and more. Season after cooking with a fat like tallow, lard, bacon fat or avocado/olive oil.
  • Clay: These pots come in lots of shapes and sizes and are black because of the firing process. They are handmade and double as a work of art in your kitchen. I use in the oven and on the stovetop for broths, soups, pastas, braising meats and so much more.
  • Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: casseroles, stews, meats and baking bread can all happen in this.
•  Graters      
  • Box grater: essential for grating cheese and vegetables
  • Microplane: I use for citrus zest, ginger and parmesan
  • Garlic press: while you could use the microplane to grate garlic as well, I think the press is worth having. I use a lot of garlic.
• Measuring
  • Wooden or Metal Measuring Cups & Spoons
  • Glass Liquid Measuring Cups
• Bonus Essentials
  • Metal Colander/Strainer: I like a smaller one that can also fit in a pot and double as a steamer.
  • Cookie Scoop: Essential for portioning cookie dough, muffin batter and meatballs
  • Potato Ricer: This one might be controversial but my family loves mashed potatoes and there’s simple no better way to get them light and fluffy while also creamy. Worth a spot in the drawer, in my opinion.

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