One of the most fun and rewarding things a family can do together is have fun in the kitchen. Food is a bonding activity, and families all over the world sit down together to have a meal at the end of the day, knowing that food will bring them together and cure any ill.
Extending that love of food to the preparation and cooking of meals, especially when you involve your children, is such a great experience. You’ll be teaching them skills they’ll use their entire lives, while also bonding with them and creating memories and nostalgia that will stay with them forever. We all have those memories of making cookies at Christmastime with Grandma, or helping Dad turn steaks over on the grill.
If your family loves to cook together, there are a few items you should always have on hand in your kitchen to keep things running smoothly and efficiently. These are items you should definitely splurge on, though they’re generally very affordable anyway.
Good Knives
Obviously these are for adult use – keep away from the kids.
Having good, sharp knives is an essential item for anyone on the kitchen, especially someone who makes a lot of involved meals. Trying to chop veggies with a dull knife is a special kind of hell for a cook. You can find the right knife block for you easily and affordably, in a variety of styles to suit any kitchen. Make sure any knife set you choose has multiple knives for various purposes – we can’t tell you how many knife blocks we’ve seen that don’t have a serrated knife! How on earth will you cut your bread?
A Juicer
Regardless of the cuisine, if you cook frequently, you’re going to be using a lot of citrus fruit juices. Used in baking and all sorts of different types of dishes, lemon juice is the most popular by far. But the seeds are such a pain to get rid of, and your hands will smell like lemons for days. Investing in a small manual or even electric juicer is a good investment. They’ll save you time and work much more efficiently so you’re not wasting half the fruit. And best of all, you won’t have to deal with those pesky, slippery seeds anymore.
Plenty of Pot Holders
How many families have just one pot holder? It boggles the mind. If you cook and bake frequently, and enjoy letting people serve themselves from the table, you need a wide variety of pot holders to keep in the kitchen. General rule of thumb is to have one “nice” set that matches your kitchen, to bring out during holidays and special occasions, and one set of not so nice ones that are for every day use. Pot holders are super cheap; you can even buy them at the dollar store. If you’re looking for something a little fancier, or you’re just feeling crafty, they’re actually very easy to make.
These are just three items that every home cook should have in their kitchen, on the ready for when their family wants to make a great meal. There are tons of other staple items and standbys that you should stock your kitchen with, though, especially if your family loves to cook!