Kitchen essentials
You do not need a drawer full of gadgets to cook good dinners on a weeknight. These are the everyday tools most recipes rely on, grouped by job. Start with what you are missing and add the rest over time.
Knives and boards
Chef's knife
One sharp, all-purpose blade handles nearly every chopping job, and a sharp edge is easier to control than a dull one.
Paring knife
Takes care of the small jobs a big knife makes awkward, like trimming shallots, coring tomatoes or halving grapes.
Serrated bread knife
Saws through crusty loaves and ripe tomatoes cleanly without squashing them.
Large cutting board
A big board gives you room to chop and push ingredients aside, so food stays on the board instead of the counter.
Honing steel
A few strokes before you start keeps your knife cutting cleanly, which keeps prep quick.
Pots and pans
Large skillet
A 12-inch (30 cm) pan is the weeknight workhorse for searing, stir-frying and one-pan dinners for four.
Small nonstick frying pan
Eggs, pancakes and single portions slide right out, and cleanup takes seconds.
Medium saucepan with lid
The right size for rice, grains, sauces and a few boiled eggs.
Dutch oven
Heavy enough for soups, stews and chili, and it moves from the stovetop into the oven.
Baking and roasting
Rimmed sheet pan
Roasts vegetables and whole sheet-pan dinners with only one pan to wash afterwards.
Rectangular baking dish
A 9 by 13 inch (23 by 33 cm) dish fits bakes, casseroles and roasted chicken pieces for the whole table.
Parchment paper
Lines trays and dishes so nothing sticks and washing up is quick.
Oven mitts
Thick mitts let you grab a hot tray with confidence instead of reaching for a folded towel.
Prep and storage
Nesting mixing bowls
A few sizes hold chopped ingredients, marinades and salads, and they stack away in one cupboard spot.
Colander
Drains pasta, rinses canned beans and washes greens in one step.
Salad spinner
Dries washed leaves and herbs so they keep longer in the fridge and dressing clings to them.
Measuring cups and spoons
Recipes come out the way they were tested when the amounts are right.
Digital kitchen scale
Weighing is quicker than filling cups for many ingredients, and it works with metric and US recipes alike.
Glass storage containers with lids
Hold prepped vegetables and leftovers where you can see them, so they get eaten.
Small tools
Wooden spoon
Stirs anything in any pan without scratching the surface.
Silicone spatula
Scrapes bowls and pans clean, so the last of the sauce ends up on the plate.
Kitchen tongs
Turn meat, toss pasta and move roasted vegetables without piercing them.
Fine rasp grater
Zests citrus and grates garlic, ginger and hard cheese in seconds.
Vegetable peeler
Peels carrots, potatoes and cucumbers faster than a knife, and shaves cheese too.
Instant-read thermometer
Tells you when meat is cooked through without cutting into it, so you stop guessing.
Cook with what you have
Every Suppercharge recipe lists the cookware it needs before the ingredients, and marks the optional pieces, so you know what to get out before you start. Our guides cover planning, shopping and prep.