Essential Cooking Tools

I have been noticing the things I use for cooking on an almost daily basis, that make cooking with whole ingredients so much easier.

I love my enamel cast iron dutch oven.  I use this 6-quart one for making tomato sauces, cooking large batches of beans, and making soups and stews.

 If you don't buy anything else, get a good chef's knife.  So many kitchens I visit have drawers full of knives, but not one that will chop vegetables properly.  When cooking a plant-based diet, you will find there's a lot of chopping to be done!  So I love my decent- sized cutting boards as well as my 8-inch Henckels Forged Knife. Wusthof is another brand that makes good forged knives.  It does need to be sharpened after each use.  The only other knives you need are a paring knife and serrated knife.

This pretty mixer gets a workout at our house, mostly making bread dough, pizza dough, and whipping cream for special occasions.

I also love my 12x16 metal jelly roll pans for  making granola and roasting tomatoes and root vegetables.  Other kitchen tools I use frequently are:
* cast iron skillets
* a mixing bowl set
* bamboo spatulas for stir-fries
* a wok
*a good blender
*widemouth glass jars, for storing leftovers and pantry good.  Start saving them ones from your grocery store purchases, and also look for them at garage sales and thrift stores.
* a small pan with a spout, for heating milk and melting butter ( and then you won't need a microwave)
* 2-qt and 3-qt covered saucepans, for cooking grains