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Kitchen Material Basic and Advanced


Here the asked LIST: the must have Kitchen Materials for aspiring cook, CAP/Commercial Cookery Cert III and Culinary Arts program! 

As requested by lot's of you here is the list and a good idea of the basic materials you need as an aspiring cook. If you later decide to pursue professional certifications, you will already have the right tools. How handy!

Revision: 2023

As you may know already I pursue the Australian Cert III in Commercial Cookery and the French CAP (as a “candidat libre”) while becoming a chef. This list is a solid guidance inspired by professional institutions and additional equipments you will need to get and master during your training.

If you are interested in professional certifications, please have a look at my articles on French CAP (coming soon) and Commercial Cookery Cert III  for more information. 

Essential Kitchen Items:

  • Kitchen Tools (The List bellow)
  • (Professional) Non-slip Shoes
  • (Professional) Uniform (recommend having two to avoid washing struggles)

Learning Materials:

  • Computer
  • CKA Notion Templates to stay organized in your learning (coming soon)
  • Recommended Cookbooks
THE LIST: This is the minimum list of what you will need and not everything will be in offered starter kits that you may have access as part of your training program.
Don't get me wrong this is a budget. Buy as much as possible professional grade quality for long lasting materials.  You can get everything for approx 800$/1000$ ( you can go way higher depending of the quality of the product) but you need to budget for this if you are serious about your training and want to be efficient. 
I will also provide some entry level but good quality recommendations either you are based in Australia (AUD), France (FR) or US (United State) just click on the corresponding option.


Material Description
Cooks Knife 21cm
US / FR / AUD
Couteau de chef
This is the most versatile knife in a cook's kitchen, used for chopping, slicing, and dicing.
Paring Knife 9cm
US / FR / AUD
Couteau d'office
A smaller knife used for peeling and precision cuts, commonly used for fruits and vegetables.
Turning Knife 8cm
US / FR / AUD
Couteau tournant
A small curved knife used for making decorative cuts, usually in fruits and vegetables. (for professional training you will need it to succeed your "tourné" cut)
Boning Knife 15cm
US / FR / AUD
Couteau désosseur
A thin and flexible knife used for removing bones from meat, poultry, and fish.
Cleaver Knife
US / FR / AUD
Couperet
It is a heavy, rectangular-bladed knife used generally for chopping meat and bones.
Pastry Knife 26cm
US / FR / AUD
Couteau à patisserie
A serrated knife used for cutting delicate baked goods such as cakes and bread.
Sharpening Steel 25cm
US / FR / AUD
Fusil à aiguiser
A rod used for realigning and maintaining the edge of kitchen knives.
Bowl Scraper
US / FR / AUD
Corne
A flat, flexible tool used for scraping and cleaning bowls.
Y Shape Peeler
US / FR / AUD

A handheld tool used for peeling skin from fruits and vegetables. This perler make it easy to manoeuvre around curves and contours, making it ideal for removing the skin from more complex shapes.
Straight Peeler
US / FR / AUD
Econome 
Straight peelers feature a straight blade for peeling the skin of fruits and vegetables in an upward motion. This type of peeler is best for tougher skins, such as potatoes, and can also be used to remove eyes from potatoes.
Wooden Spoon
US / FR / AUD
Cuillère en bois
A classic kitchen tool used for stirring, mixing and serving. (Recommend 2)
Stainless Slotted Spoon
US / FR / AUD
Ecumoire
Spoon with holes, used to remove and drain small or delicate foods from boiling water, hot oil, or sauce.
Stainless Spoon
US / FR / AUD
Cuillère en acier inoxydable 
Multi usage spoon used to manipulate, mix or remove delicate foods with sauce.
Kitchen Spider
US / FR / AUD
Araignée 
The Kitchen Spider is wider than a slotted spoon, it is a round, long-handled strainer with a wide metal basket that resembles a spider's web. Handy to collect many ingredients in a bowl of boiling water or for frying
Whisk
US / FR / AUD
Fouet 
A tool used for whipping and blending ingredients, often used in baking.
Fish Bone Tweezers
US / FR / AUD
Pince à arêtes
 A small tool used for removing bones from fish.
Skewers
US / FR / AUD
Pique à brochette
Thin, pointed rods used for grilling food items.
Measuring Spoon Set
US / FR / AUD
Cuillères doseuses
A set of spoons used for measuring ingredients.
Measuring Cup Set    
US / FR / AUD
A set of cups used for measuring liquids.
Measuring Jugs    US / FR / AUD
Un bol à mesurer
A Jug used for measuring liquids. I recommend 1L and 250ml version
Small Cup Set
US / FR / AUD
Petits conteneur de mesure 
Small cups that will be used to store and reserve ingredients, liquids, spices during the mise en place and while cooking. It will become very handy
Sharpening Whetstone
US / FR / AUD
Pierre ponce
A flat, rectangular block used for sharpening knives.
Tea Towels 
US / FR / AUD
Torchons    
An absorbent cloth used for drying dishes and cleaning up kitchen spills.
Anti Slip Mat    
 US / FR / AUD
Tapis Anti-dérapant
A mat used to prevent slipping and sliding on countertops during food preparation.
Digital Thermometer 
US / FR / AUD
Thermomètre 
A tool used for measuring the temperature of food.
Dual Grater 
US / FR / AUD
Thermomètre 
A kitchen tool used for grating cheese and other food items.
Lighter 
US / FR / AUD
Thermomètre 
A tool used for lighting stoves and grills.
Tongs 
US / FR / AUD
Thermomètre 
To manipulate food
Long Food Tweezer 
US / FR / AUD
Thermomètre 
Handy for manipulating delicate food or for frying
Small tweezer 
US / FR / AUD
Thermomètre 
Small Food presentation tweezer
Kitchen Scissors 
US / FR / AUD
Ciseaux de cuisine 
Believe me, you will find many uses of a kitchen scissor in your kit. They are different from normal scissors usually more robust and resilient steel
Piping bag with standard pits sets 
US / FR / AUD
Poche à douille 
You need the tips sets, you can use reusable piping bag however as they can be hard to clean properly, disposable is usually recommended to avoid any risk.
Double Ended Melon Baller 
US / FR / AUD
Cuillère parisienne / boule à melon
Presentation tool to mold beautiful spheric spheres out of a fruit or vegetable
Scale 
US / FR / AUD
Balance
Scale to measure ingredients 
Precision Scale 
US / FR / AUD
Balance de précision 
Scale more precise for grams (highly recommended for precision)
Baking Mat 
US / FR / AUD
Scisceaux
A non-stick mat used for baking and pastry making.
Colander 
US / FR / AUD
Passoire  
This is a kitchen tool used for straining liquids from solids.
Conical Strainer or Chinois 
US / FR / AUD
Chinois
This one is usually quite expensive for a good quality chinois. This is a kitchen tool used for straining liquids from solids very precisely with the technique .
Ruler 20 or 30cm 
US / FR / AUD
Régle
Help with precise cut and measuring especially at the beginning
Brush (silicon) 
US / FR / AUD
Pinceau
Heat and Stain resistant, ideal for basting, coating or greasing
Round Cookie Biscuit Cutter Set 12 
US / FR / AUD
Versatil tool, will help with mise en place (round shapes) cutting pastry or helping elements to hold together
Digital Timer (Magnetic) 
US / FR / AUD
Minuteur
Help with timing, easier to manipulate than a phone, Ideally have 2    
Marker 
US / FR / AUD
Feutre 
To date and mark food     
Knife Case 17 piece   
US / FR / AUD
A protective case used for storing and transporting kitchen knives.    

If you are learning from home and don't have access to commercial kitchens, you will need chopping board, pans, pots, bowls, fryer and cooking equipments. This list exclude this but let me know if you need any recommendation I will add it to this article. 


Comments:
- For Aspiring choices I tend to recommend fair quality / fair price / longevity products. If you are interested in ultimate recommendations then let me know in PM. 

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