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Kitchen Essentials Mostly Under $100
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items Expensive or name-brand does NOT always mean better. Here are tried-and-true tools, all under $200, mostly even under $100. I'm a Le Cordon Bleu grad and persnickety customer.
Sections
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Tools
Tools
Everyone needs a small 1.5-quart saucepan for sauces and cooking for 2-3 people! This is a solid, reliable pick. But it does NOT work on induction cooktops.
Cuisinart 1.5-Quart Chef's-Classic Saucepan w/Cover
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When in doubt, OXO everything. I use this for stirring soups, sauces, stews, etc.
OXO Good Grips Nylon Spoon
The best, sharpest, and most portable peelers ever. Super cheap. Don't consider anything else.
Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler 3-Pack
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The average person will need a butcher knife maybe 2-3 times per year. But when you need it, you REALLY need it. So make sure you have a good butcher knife. Victorinox is a solid brand that's very affordable.
Victorinox 7" Chinese Classic Chefs Knife
If you invest in ONE knife, it should be your chef's knife. Wustof is my favorite. The knife and handle are one solid piece.
WÜSTHOF Classic 8" Chef's Knife
For a more reasonably priced, but high-quality chef's knife, grab yourself a Mercer!
Mercer Culinary 8-Inch Chef's Knife
If gold is your kitchen's color scheme, these are great. I've had these for about 6 months now and they're still in excellent condition — and they're dishwasher safe! It can be tough to find gold kitchen tools that are dishwasher safe.
Gold Kitchen Utensils Set, Berglander 38 Pieces
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You deserve fresh garlic every time you cook. This press makes it easier than mincing garlic with your knife, and the built-in scraper makes clean-up easier on you.
Dreamfarm Garject Garlic Press & Scraper
My favorite linen napkins ever. They wash nicely, don't wrinkle easily… and even when they are wrinkled, they still present well for an effortlessly chic look.
MADRE Linen Napkins (Set of 4)
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If your homemade pizza is just ok, it's probably because you're not using a pizza stone. This Emile Henry one is great because the rectangular shape provides huge surface area, so it works well for any shape of pizza. Also very easy to clean.
Emile Henry Rectangular Grill/Oven Pizza Stone
You're not above embarrassing-looking gloves. No one is. Everyone needs heavy duty, full-coverage heat resistant gloves. Great for handling heavy tasks like transferring full Dutch ovens and pizza stones.
GRILL HEAT AID BBQ Gloves Heat Resistant 1,472℉
Carbon steel is super lightweight AND gets screaming hot quickly. A must for paella (and searing meat!). They're very reasonably priced, so if you're preparing a small portion for a friend's party, you can leave the pan as a gift.
El Cid Paella Pans