Stocking the Kitchen

Looking around your kitchen, you'll probably find that you have most, if not all, of these items. Cooking fabulous traditional Greek foods at home isn't dependent on special tools and pans, but rather on the best of fresh ingredients and recipes that bring out the best in those ingredients.

• Baking/roasting pans: For oven roasting and baking.
• Bottle opener: For wines and bottles.
• Briki: For Greek coffee.
• Cake pans: Different sizes and shapes; springform.
• Can opener: For canned foods.
• Canisters: Varying sizes.
• Ceramic or fired clay pots: In various shapes and sizes for yiouvetsi and other oven-baked casserole dishes.
• Coffee pot: For filtered coffee and/or espresso.
• Colander: For draining vegetables, rice, pastas, etc.
• Corer: One for coring vegetables to be stuffed, one for coring apples and other fruits.
• Cutting board(s): For multiple tasks.
• Electric knife
• Fish knife: For cleaning fish.
• Frying pans: At least one cast-iron skillet or large, deep, heavy-bottomed frying pan, another for smaller frying tasks, and a crepe pan (optional).
• Gas burner: For boiling water on the fly.
• Graters: For spices, cheese, lemon peel, vegetables.
• Grilling accessory: For steaks and burgers.
• Hand mixer or food processor
• Ice cream storage: With covers.
• Juicer: Hand or electric.
• Kitchen scale: For weighing ingredients.
• Kitchen twine: For tying poultry, meats, etc.
• Knives: Paring, slicing, carving, bread, etc.
• Mixing bowls: A variety of sizes and materials for a variety of tasks.
• Mortar and pestle
• Nut cracker
• Olive oil can: For the countertop.
• Pastry bag: For baked goods.
• Pastry cutter: Different shapes and sizes.
• Pastry/basting brushes: For baking and cooking.
• Peeler: For potatoes, carrots.
• Potato masher: For mashed potatoes.
• Pots and pans: From saucepans to stew pots, four basic sizes with heavy bottoms.
• Poultry shears
• Pressure cooker: To speed up the cooking process.
• Ramekins: For tarts, puddings, and caramel custard.
• Rolling pin: For doughs.
• Sifter: For flour and confectioner's sugar.
• Skewers: Wood or metal for souvlaki.
• Spatulas: For multiple tasks.
• Spoons: A ladle, slotted spoon, and mesh spoon.
• Strainer: For teas, etc.
• Tongs: For meats and pastas.
• Whisk: For eggs, meringues, sauces.
• Wooden spoons: For every type of cooking.