Must-Have Kitchen Tools

Most of the people I know that don't like to cook, don't have efficient kitchen tools.  This tiny detail makes all the difference between fun and agony when it comes to cooking.  I live on a slim budget and believe me when I tell you that you don't need expensive kitchen tools (there are some exclusions like the electric appliances), you'll need EFFICIENT tools.  Some of these are:

Knife
If you already have knives, get them sharpened. The sharper, the better.  If you can afford an expensive chef fancy knife, go for it! But, if you're looking to save some dough get your knives nice and sharp.  Why sharp?  Un-sharpened knives don't make sense and they're extremely dangerous.  You tend to apply more pressure, which leads to accidents, and THEN you end up cutting yourself.  My great aunt, who's around 85y/o was having a hard time trying to cook because her knife was so un-sharpened, she couldn't cut an onion with it.  Know she's a happy camper with her razor-sharp knife.  If kids want to help out in the kitchen (with the proper supervision), a sharp knife is safer for the same reason, it cuts smoothly without applying too much pressure.

Tongs
I didn't know tongs were so magnificent until a couple of months ago, don't know what took me so long.  Tongs are like your fingers in the pan, like an extended arm.  They're not only for grilling.  In this case, I don't recommend the cheapest because they tend to break easily.  If you can, try them before buying, trust your grip.  Some meats and veggies loose their juices if poked, so tongs are great to manage food without poking.  They prevent accidents too!

Round Baking Pan
This one is a multi-tasking friend.  Whenever I can't find it, I start to panic, yeah, it's that amazing.  This tool is originally for baking but can be used for marinades/seasoning meats/veggies, breading and my favorite; FRENCH TOASTS (yay).  They're shallow and they come in a variety of sizes.  Rectangular and square pans work too, you'll just need it to be over an inch tall.

Wooden Spoons
You'll see that some recipes call specifically for wooden spoons, for a reason.  Cooking involves chemical changes that most of us aren't aware of, and if you're baking, there's a big chance you'll be dealing with baking soda and/or baking powder.  This is enough reason to use a wooden spoon instead of metal because it will alter the chemical reaction between the baking soda and the flour to rise and/or create the desired consistency.  Also when you have not-so sanitary Teflon-bottomed pans, a wooden spoon won't scrape it like a metal spoon will do.

Whisk
In my case, I got a plastic whisk because by the beach everything gets rusty.  They're not quite effective as the metal whisk but they get the job done.  Always read carefully the recipes and if they call for a whisk, don't use a fork! Again, makes all the difference when it comes to consistency and chemistry of the finished product.

Measuring Cups and Spoons
I recommend to have both the 2-cups and 1-cup measuring cups because some of the 2-cups don't come with the mark for small amounts like 1/3cup.  Get both, they're not that expensive and you can use one for drys and one for wet ingredients.  Measuring spoons aren't expensive either, get ones with the size engraved, I bought ones with the size printed and it got erased by cleaning it, know I don't know what's what instead of the tablespoon because it's the biggest, haha!

Cooking should be fun, now go get them toys. :)