Kitchen Essentials - what tools do you need

Okay so my post yesterday about the Crate and Barrel makeover has me thinking. Thinking about how we are SO overly spoiled in our kitchens. I know that without my cuisinart I could never again make the perfect pie crust. Without my 375 hp Kitchen Aid Mixer marshmallows would be very difficult to make. I really do want the 575 hp version! My electric roasting pot is ever so wonderful, especially the fact that it is non-stick.

However, does it really take all kinds of fancy items to be a great cook? I think not. I will (when I get the pictures portion of this blog working - which should be after the show next week) post a picture of my very small kitchen. It is about 100 square feet - total. Yes, it is that small. And what makes it even worse is when the house was built, it didn't have modern conveniences like we have now. I'll show you in the pictures how someone added those. It's a post unto itself! LOL! However, most great cooks can make magic in their kitchens with limited means. A well stocked pantry, a select group of utensils, some quality pots and pans, and practicing those cooking skills daily are the makings of a great cook! My mother-in-law is one of those people. Limited means, limited ingredients = great cook and good eating. She grew up one of twelve children in a house without electricity and learned to make the best food. We all flock to her home when she's cooking a pot of chicken and dumplings!

So to answer the question - no. We don't need all those things. In fact we don't need most of them.

What are the items that are must haves in your kitchen?

Mine is my Cuisinart. I bought it back in 1985. I will never part with it and hope and pray it never goes out. You see the company was sold a while back and the motors are not nearly as good as the one mine has. So with that one item I could run my kitchen and be satisfied. Oh, and of course, a great chopping knife!