Cooking Equipment List

In addition to The Essential Plant-Based Pantry ingredient list, a kitchen needs basic equipment to successfully prepare the recipes in this book.

Blender: Either a countertop or immersion blender works for blending soups and making cashew cream or pesto, but for crushing ice or making a smoothie, countertop models work best.

Box grater: Use this to grate your own vegetables.

Can opener: The old-fashioned hand-cranked model with the new-fangled twist mechanism doesn’t leave a sharp edge. Plus it stores away in a drawer.

Cast-iron skillet: No kitchen should be without one. Take care when using and washing it so it doesn’t lose its seasoning.

Colander: This tool is essential for washing fruits and berries and draining pasta.

Dutch oven: This pot is especially useful for making soups, stews, chilis, or braising vegetables. Two terrific Dutch ovens are the cast-iron version from Lodge and the enameled cast iron version from Le Cruset. Both are heavy and conduct heat slowly, but once they get hot, they retain heat beautifully.

Food processor: For certain kitchen tasks, nothing beats a food processor—mixing pizza dough and pie crust, making pesto and salsa, chopping nuts, shredding cabbage, and grating large quantities of cheese.

Garlic press: Some argue the virtues of pressed versus minced garlic, but I’m not a discerning enough cook to tell the difference in most recipes. Pressing garlic is a fast way to cut fresh garlic, so I often use a garlic press instead of mincing.

Hot mitts: I like hot mitts that extend up to the bend in my elbows. At this length, the mitts protect my hands from hot pans and my forearms from the steam when draining hot pasta and even the occasional bump on the oven rack. And unlike square pot holders or a dish towel, I can wear them like gloves, allowing me to keep a good grip on hot dishes.

Knives: There are three knives that every well-stocked kitchen should have. The chef’s knife is used for slicing, chopping, and cutting. The paring knife is good for making small cuts and doing any knife work such as peeling while you are holding the vegetable or fruit “in the air” such as a potato or apple, as opposed to placing the vegetable or fruit on a cutting board and cutting it. The serrated knife is used to slice bread and tomatoes. Shop for a knife that fits your hand. Keep your knives sharp, and don’t put them in the dishwasher.

Measuring cups and spoons: For measuring liquids, two- or four-cup glass models are most useful. For measuring dry ingredients and small amounts of liquids, both smaller measuring cups and measuring spoons are a must.

Oven proof baking dishes: I use primarily 13 × 9 × 2-inch and 15 × 11 × 2-inch baking dishes.

Parchment paper: Used primarily for baking, it’s readily available in rolls at the supermarket.

Rimmed baking sheets: Also called half sheet pans, rimmed baking sheets have multiple uses in the kitchen. Those used for the recipes in this book are 17 1/2 × 12 1/2 × 1 inches.

Saucepan: A three- to four-quart saucepan is a nice size for soups and cooking small quantities of pasta.

Silicone spatula or cooking spoons: They used to be called rubber spatulas, but now everything is made of silicone. You can buy scrapers and spoons made from silicone, and they are good for stirring foods while cooking. Wooden spoons also work well for cooking.

Skillet: Most often I use a twelve-inch ovenproof skillet with sloped sides. My favorite brand is All-Clad. They might seem expensive at first, but if you buy the stainless-steel version, you may never have to replace it. My ten-inch cast-iron skillet is a close second favorite. I like the depth of the skillet, and because it’s well-seasoned, I can cook almost anything in it, including foods with tomatoes or tomato sauces.

Strainer: A strainer with fine mesh openings comes in handy to rinse quinoa.

Tongs: I use tongs all the time to toss salads, serve long strands of pasta, and turn vegetables in a skillet or Dutch oven, or on the grill.

Whisk: For making homemade vinaigrette and salad dressings nothing beats a whisk. I like one with long, thin wires.