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You don’t have to be a professional chef to cook like one. In fact, you don’t need any training to cook delicious and easy dishes. For the everyday chef, it’s all about having the right tools and equipment. You wouldn’t expect a mechanic to fix your car without the proper tools, and you wouldn’t expect your hairdresser to cut your hair without the proper tools. So, in order to cook wonderful meals for your family, make sure you have the following items:

knives
Even before preparing a sandwich or a salad, it is important to have a good set of knives. In general, a set of five knives will do the job. The biggest knife in your set should be a chef’s knife, but you should also have a paring knife, utility knife, and slicer. Steak knives are also great, but they’re often not sharp or precise enough for the average kitchen prep job. Along with your knife set, make sure you have a sharpener. Believe it or not, dull knives are often the cause of knife accidents in the kitchen. You should also make sure you have some great cutting boards to avoid ruining your countertop.

mixing bowls
Although it is considered required kitchen equipment, many home chefs do not have a proper set of mixing bowls. Although you can get by without mixing bowls, it makes almost any recipe that much harder to complete. You should have at least two large mixing bowls, since you will be using both for some recipes, as well as a medium bowl and a small bowl. Buying them as a set can save you a significant amount of money. Look for mixing bowls that have lids, so you can store food as needed without plastic wrap. Also, choose bowls that are ceramic or stainless steel, as plastic bowls can pick up strange odors and stains over time.

Cookware
Every serious home chef should invest in some good cookware. Yes, he can buy a mismatched set of pots and pans at yard sales and dollar stores, but the fact is, he gets exactly what he pays for. Instead, he spent the extra money on cast-iron pots and pans in a variety of sizes; making sure the metal isn’t thin or uneven, which can mess up the cooking time. Also look for pots and pans that are oven safe, as some recipes will ask you to move food from the stovetop to the oven.

cooling rack
Whether you’re making cookies or muffins, chances are you need a baker’s cooling rack. Cooling racks help cool items more quickly by removing as much heat as possible from the pan or baking sheet and allowing cool air to hit the product from all sides. In many recipes, without a cooling rack, the food will taste burnt or overcooked. If you love to bake, look for a multi-tiered cooling rack; otherwise a single cooling rack will do the job.

timer
Even if your oven has a built-in timer, consider purchasing a kitchen timer. They are inexpensive and can be very useful. After all, you may be cooking more than one food at a time, and a single oven timer can’t keep track of both. A small kitchen timer can also travel with you, so you can leave the kitchen and not have to worry about not hearing your oven chime.

recipe folder
Lastly, every home chef should have a recipe binder. As you cook more and more, you will begin to find recipes that you love and want to save. Some will be on little recipe cards, but others will be in magazines or online. You need a binder that can hold all of these recipes, no matter how big or small. Find a plastic folder, like a photo album. That way, you can carry the recipe with you at all times while cooking without worrying about spilling something and ruining the recipe. Also find a folder where you can see both sides of the paper or card you put in the folder, as many recipes are printed on both sides.

Just because you’re not a professional doesn’t mean you can’t make restaurant-quality food at home. Your kitchen simply needs the right tools to make it possible. Start with the essentials, knives, pots, pans, etc., instead of spending money on fancy tools like egg poachers and ice cream makers. Once you have the basic equipment, you can also start shopping for the fun items for your kitchen. Before long, you’ll have a plethora of tools, and your family will be begging you to cook instead of wanting to go out to eat.