Building a Natural Foods Kitchen

I get asked a lot about the kitchen supplies I use. I’ve been cooking for myself and my family for many years now and my staples have not changed much, if at all, over the years. Quality over quantity is what I feel to be most important. Another important consideration of what I bring into my kitchen is whether or not it’s beautiful. I like looking at pretty things. I just do. And anything too visually stimulating or offensive is just not helpful to my nervous system and not something I want to see out on my countertop or on my stove all the time. And lastly, I am really conscious of the materials used in my kitchen supplies. I hardly use anything plastic and I don’t have any nonstick Teflon pans. A lot has been written about the way these materials can cause health issues in children and adults over the long-term, so I will leave it up to you to do your your research on this topic. Here are some of my well-loved kitchen supplies. I’m purposefully leaving out big expensive appliances, like high speed blenders, food processors, and stand mixers. While those things are nice to have and are very useful and save time, they are not absolutely necessary to make healthy meals at home. Simple tools are all you really need.

Chef’s Knife and Wooden Cutting Board

Arguably the most important tool in the kitchen, a good chef’s knife will be your best friend in the kitchen. Find one that is comfortable to hold for you, keep it sharp, and take care of it. Alongside the chef’s knife, I have many sizes of cutting boards in my kitchen. I especially like to have one devoted to vegetables and one devoted to just fruit. If you’ve ever had a cut-up apple that tastes like garlic or onion, then you’ll see why.

Saucepan

I have a set of tri-ply stainless steel saucepans, frying pan, and stockpot, but you really need only one good-sized saucepan and one stockpot for doing basic things in the kitchen like cooking rice or boiling a pot of water for pasta. I choose stainless steel over aluminum or any coated material, because there is no risk for leaching chemicals.

Cast Iron Skillets

There’s a reason why cast iron cookware has been around for so long. It’s the original nonstick surface, with no harmful chemicals, they are not very expensive, and these pans literally last forever. I have a 6-, 9-, and 15-inch cast iron skillet in my kitchen and they’re used for everything from searing meat and making pancakes to frittatas going from stove-to-oven and baking fruit crumbles.

Dutch Oven

If I could have one pot in my kitchen, it would be my Dutch oven. I use either my 9-quart or 6-quart sized Dutch oven every single day. They live out on my stovetop and they are beautiful to look at and a pleasure to cook in.

Glass and Stoneware Baking Dishes and Stainless Steel Baking Sheets

I have various sized baking dishes, pie pans, and loaf pans and two stainless steel baking sheets in my kitchen, but if you’ve got oven-safe stainless steel, cast iron pans, and perhaps a Dutch oven (see above), you can totally bake in those instead. A stainless steel sheet pan is pretty great for roasted vegetables and baking cookies, though, so I’d recommend having one of those handy, at least.

Wooden Utensils (spoons, citrus reamer, etc.)

I have a collection of wooden cooking utensils that I love. I love using wood over plastic, first because of the plastic chemical leaching issue, but also because they’re beautiful.

Stainless Steel Cooking Utensils (ladles, tongs, spatula, whisks, potato masher, strainers in a few sizes, etc.)

All pretty self-explanatory tools that are very useful in a working kitchen. Just the basics are all you need and you’ll use them forever.

Tea Kettle

I drink tea multiple times a day, so my tea kettle is very important to me. I like a good old fashioned tea kettle that you boil on the stove, but if you’re the type of person that likes an electric kettle, just be sure there’s no plastic on the inside of the kettle.

Glass Mixing Bowls and Wooden Bowls

I’ve got various sizes of glass, ceramic, and wooden bowls that I’ve collected over the years, and each one is used for different purposes. You can never have too many bowls…or at least I can’t!

Glass Food Storage Containers (jars, etc..)

I store all of our food in glass containers. No plastic containers for me. Jars are inexpensive, come in all sizes, and can be used for anything. They can even be frozen (I store batches of bone broth in glass jars in the freezer, just be sure to not overfill the jar before freezing to avoid shattered glass).

Mortar and Pestle

I love my mortar and pestle. The one I use all the time is actually a Japanese version called a suribachi and I use it for grinding spices and herbs, and pounding garlic and anchovies to make tasty salad dressings.

Microplane Zester and Grater

A handy tool to have for sure, I use my microplane for grating fresh ginger or turmeric for tea or zesting citrus. Of course a cheese grater is used for just that, grating cheese, but can also be used for grating carrots, zucchini, potatoes, and other vegetables if you don’t have a food processor.