Maybe you’re setting up your first kitchen totally from scratch. Or perhaps you’re just so OVER your crammed cupboards you want to ditch gear and downsize. Whatever your current situation, occasionally it’s good to take stock and ask the ether those eternal questions – what’s the absolutely essential kitchen equipment, and what can you live without?

There’s some wild stuff out there. Motorised ice-cream scoops, banana slicers and egg crackers (yes, really). Don’t be swayed. A few hefty, quality chopping boards (we prefer wood), some good knives (including a chef’s, a paring and a serrated knife) and a set of quality saucepans, frying pans and oven dishes, will get you a long way. 

A really good wok is essential for Asian-style cooking, as is a decent, heavy mortar and pestle. Equipment like peelers, spatulas, strainers, tongs, a potato masher, ladles, colanders, sieves, bowls, storage containers, cooling racks, rolling pins, and baking trays are all no-brainers. But you already knew that.

Take an honest inventory of your cooking style and work out what you actually use. Bundt cakes are everywhere and the tins are gorgeous, but do you really need one? If you’re making pasta on the regular, then yes to the pasta machine. Otherwise… not so much. 

Appraise your cupboard, drawer and storage space to work out where things will live too before going on a spree. Because the secret to streamlined cooking is not just having the correct gear, but easily accessing it when it’s needed. Digging around congested spaces at the critical point in a recipe is… annoying AF. As is a deep-fryer, that you only use twice a year, hogging bench space 24/7. So consider first. And consider hard.

And the environment hates you for it. As with many things, it’s better to fork out on essential kitchen equipment than go cheap and have to replace stuff when it breaks or wears out. Quality pots, pans, frypans and other cooking hardware are nicer to use and give better results too. Whether you choose stainless steel, copper, non-stick, enamel, cast iron or otherwise comes down to preference and your cooking style. You might need a mix, depending on what and how you cook. The same goes for knives. Do not buy cheap knives. Ever.

Some bits of cooking gear just make life way easier and your time in the kitchen more fun: digital scales, quality measuring spoons and cups (buy metal ones; they’re durable and easier to clean), a digital timer and thermometers are all in this category. We also consider a mandoline essential; it makes short work of shredding and shaving and gives food prep that professional edge. 

A microplane is also vital kit. It will finely grate garlic, ginger, hard cheeses, coconut, chocolate and citrus zests like nothing else (and your fingers too, so be careful!). Just think before you buy – what problem is the gear solving? Only buy if it makes life easier, the prep faster and your cooking better.

Do you really need novelty appliances like a waffle iron, popcorn maker, donut maker, musical cake server, et al? Chances are you’ll function just fine without them. But you might decide that maybe one kitchen appliance will make life easier if it’s super-relevant to what you cook the most: a breadmaker for the avid baker, or an air-fryer for a young family, for instance. Our tip? Try looking at multifunction appliances – some of today’s rice cookers, for example, can be used as a slow cooker too, so you double up on cooking style options. These choices depend on your budget, what you cook, and how much storage space you’ve got. What becomes essential for you might not be so for the next person.

There’s no point getting your cooking gear whipped into shape if your plates, platters, glassware and flatware are a vibe killer. Good food deserves lovely presentation and that means having nice pieces in your arsenal. A thought-out selection of different sizes and shapes of plates and platters will get you through most hosting scenarios. It doesn’t all have to match; it just has to play well with each other. Don’t neglect functional but beautiful serveware, too: they really complete a bountifully-loaded serving bowl or platter, making a dish look that bit more polished. Essential kitchen equipment, sorted.