Ok, I’ll admit it. I have the tendency to kind of geek out when it comes to kitchen gadgets. That all-important egg slicer/olive pitter/fish steamer? Yep, I’ve probably owned one of those. But after the novelty wears off most of these appliances just end up taking up valuable space in a kitchen drawer or cabinet, never to be seen to heard from again.
When it comes down to it, you just need a few kitchen essentials for paleo cooking. Here are the kitchen items that I have found most useful in my primal culinary journey.
8” Chef’s Knife
Hands down, this is the most important tool in your kitchen. With all the chopping, slicing, and dicing you’ll be doing it is really important that you purchase some quality steel, and keep it sharp. It’s hard to go wrong with anything made by Wüsthof or J. A. Henkels, but ideally you should try out a few options to see what fits your hand best.
Cutting Board
You’ll need something to absorb the blow of that beautiful chef’s knife you just purchased. Plastic boards are less expensive and easier to sanitize because you can just pop them in the dishwasher. Wood boards are a bit more intensive in terms of maintenance, but they won’t dull your knife as fast. I personal like to use a plastic board for cutting raw meat and a wood board for everything else. Whatever you do, just stay away from glass cutting boards. They destroy knives.
Dutch Oven
The dutch oven is an unfortunately named yet amazingly versatile piece of kitchenware. It can be used for anything from simmering soups and stews to braising roasts in the oven. Also, it is built like it would survive a nuclear bomb.
10” C
ast Iron Skillet
My skillet is probably my most used kitchen item and I’ve been trying to use cast iron as often as possible. It’s a little tricky to get it seasoned properly, but once you do it’s smooth sailing.
Food Processor
Ricing cauliflower, chopping nuts, emulsifying marinades, this thing does it all. You may be able to get by without one, but nothing will compare to its versatility and ease of use.
Baking Sheet
A non-glamorous, yet essential piece of cookware. You’ll want to invest in some higher quality ones to ensure your veggies are roasted to perfection.
Wire Rack
Not very sexy, but I couldn’t get by without one. I use my rack to cook bacon in the oven, cool paleo cookies, or when coating meats and veggies.
Mixing Bowls
Mixing bowls changed my life. Ok, maybe that’s a little extreme, but a quality set of mixing bowls really comes in handy. I use mine to contain prepped veggies, marinade meat, and of course to mix things. I recommend getting a set with lids, they are extremely useful when storing things in the fridge.
Slow Cooker
I usually don’t have hours and hours to spend in the kitchen, especially on weekdays. With this time saving device I can just dump in a hunk of meat and some vegetables in the morning and have dinner waiting for me when I get home. It’s also great for making broth and stocks.
Immersion Blender
This might seem like a bit of a luxury item, but I’ve found it to be one of the most useful appliances in my kitchen. I use it to easily thicken soups and chowders, to whip potatoes, and even to make smoothies in a pinch.
So those are what I have found to be the most useful kitchen tools for cooking paleo. What are some of your kitchen essentials? Let me know in the comments below!