PREP BASIC EQUIPMENT
• Chef’s knife: This 8- to 10-inch knife with a
wide blade and pointed tip is a home cook’s
best friend, and it is worth springing for
a high-quality one if you can. I have several
knife sets, and I rarely use any knife besides
this and my paring knife. I like Orblue
and Wüsthof.
• Paring knife: This is a mini chef’s knife that
comes in handy when you need to peel or
chop more delicate and smaller fruits and
vegetables, such as garlic or strawberries. I
suggest the same brands as for the chef’s knife.
• Vegetable peeler
• Kitchen shears: I use kitchen shears to
trim fat off meat, snip herbs, and open
plastic packaging.
• Can opener
• Colander: I suggest two large stainless-steel
colanders, one with micro-perforations for
smaller grains, and one with slightly larger
holes for draining pasta or bigger vegetables.
• Salad spinner: This is almost an optional
piece, but it makes life so much easier, so
I highly recommend it. This dries delicate
lettuce leaves without damaging them,
ensuring you never have a soggy salad.
• Mesh strainer: I use this all the time for
draining and rinsing beans and grains.
• Pastry brush: This is the best way to spread
butter or oil evenly over ingredients for
roasting and grilling, or for greasing a dish
or baking sheet.
• Stainless-steel whisk
• Wooden cutting board: Use this for
vegetables and fruit.
• Plastic cutting board: Use this for meat;
bacteria can leach into wooden cutting
boards. However, be sure to replace your
plastic board if the cutting grooves become
too deep and hard to clean.
• Stainless-steel mixing bowl set
A vegetable
peeler and
paring knife
will make
short work
of prepping
smaller
vegetables.
• Cheese grater
• Parchment paper: I always use nonstick
parchment paper, so assume that any
parchment paper mentioned throughout the
book is nonstick. Kirkland’s brand is my favorite.
note: Not sure what these look like?
Search online to see multiple options.
INVESTMENT PIECES
These items can be expensive, but I truly
believe that they are worth the investment. I
use them daily for smoothies, soups, sauces,
salad dressings, and even making flour. The
time you’ll save hand-chopping, whisking, or
mixing is invaluable, and they will earn their
cost back quickly when you save money on
take-out and dining out. Ask for them for
birthdays, look into gently used options, or cut
out a few indulgent habits every month. If you
can only start with one of the two, I suggest
investing in the high-powered blender. Food
processors don’t do well with liquid contents,
whereas the blender can handle liquids and
many solids as well—my Vitamix can make
oat flour, pesto, and hummus. However, I do
prefer to use my food processor for making
veggie burgers, chopping nuts, grating
vegetables, and making nut butters, when I do.
Making nut butter is as simple as adding 1 to
2 cups nuts of choice to your food processor
and blending until they form a creamy
consistency. You can add a few tablespoons
of coconut oil to get things moving if needed.
• High-powered blender (I have the Vitamix
Standard original)
• Food processor (at least 8 cup;
I prefer Cuisinart)
COOKING/BAKING
BASIC EQUIPMENT
• Small sauté pan (also called fry pan):
8- to 10-inch*
• Large sauté pan (with straight sides):
4 to 6 quarts*
• Small sauce pot: 2 quarts*
•
