{"id":1418,"date":"2025-10-06T21:18:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T21:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/?page_id=1418"},"modified":"2026-02-25T07:52:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T07:52:18","slug":"equipment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/equipment\/","title":{"rendered":"Equipment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Notes:<\/strong>
I’m an essentialist, so I don’t like redundant or one-use tools (with a few exceptions).
I much prefer wood and aluminum for utensils, and stainless, carbon steel, and cast iron for cookware.
None of these are sponsored or comissioned, they are just my reccomendations based on my preferences, research, and experience.
I don’t have everything on this list, but these are the tools my complete kitchen will have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Knives<\/h3>\n\n\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Cookware<\/h3>\n\n\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Appliances \/ Gadgets<\/h3>\n\n\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Measuring \/ Containers<\/h3>\n\n\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Serving<\/h3>\n\n\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Cleaning \/ Sanitizing \/ Maintaining \/ Safety<\/h3>\n\n\n\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Justification of Choices:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Materials: <\/strong>I prefer wood, metal, and stone. I try to avoid plastic, rubber, and silicone. My favorite woods to use are acacia, teakwood, and walnut due to their hardness, durability, and antibacterial properties. For cookware I prefer stainless, carbon steel, or cast iron. I don’t use non-stick at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Knives<\/strong>
Lamson Premiere Chef’s Knife:<\/strong> well balanced, sharp, and made from high-carbon 4116 steel which is durable and resistant to corrosion. I prefer thick bolstered knives, and the curve of the knife suits well for rocking and chopping: not too straight or too curved.
Shapton Sharpening Stones:<\/strong> shapton is a well liked company that delivers quality whetstones. The 1000 grit is perfect for sharpening, and the 5000 grit is great for finishing. Use both to get a razor sharp knife.
Acacia Cutting Board:<\/strong> made from end grain acacia, which prevents dulling of the knife and ugly cut marks. Acacia is a hard and durable wood with antibacterial properties. I specifically chose a cutting board with no juice groove so that I can move ingredients off the board easily. Requires maintenance with mineral oil and beeswax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Cookware<\/strong>
Babish Stainless Steel<\/strong>: tri-ply, studded, and has y-shaped handles for heat diffusal. Safe up to 500F or 350F with the lid.
Babish Carbon Steel<\/strong>: safe to 350F, brushed finish grants non-stick properties.
Chai Pot<\/strong>: <\/strong>I drink tea regularly enough to have a dedicated pot for it. I prefer chai pots to tea pots, because you can strain and cool the tea at the same time in the open air. Pair with an electric kettle, and you can make perfectly brewed tea that doesn’t taste burnt or bitter in under 5 minutes.
Lodge Cast Iron<\/strong>: pre-seasoned and high quality. Will last multiple lifetimes if treated properly. Requires seasoning with oil.
Lodge Dutch Oven:<\/strong> retains heat very well, durable, and affordable. There are better options for quality (heat retention, moisture distribution etc.) but the Lodge offers a solid durable product for a reasonable price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Tools<\/strong>
ChefSofi Mortar and Pestle<\/strong>: pure granite; course enough to grind food thoroughly, and smooth enough as to not leave stone grounds in food.
Typhur Thermometer<\/strong>: waterproof, accurate to \u00b10.5\u00b0, and measures in 0.5 seconds.
Scale<\/strong>: accurate to 0.18oz and has a tare function.
Vovoly Grill Spatula:<\/strong> wide and angled, chiseled edges for easy flipping. Use only with griddle or cast iron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Appliances<\/strong> \/ Gadgets<\/strong>
Calphalon Espresso Machine: <\/strong>budget option but still maintains proper temperature and pressure requirements for espresso. Comes with milk frother and cup heater.
Chefman 900W Microwave:<\/strong> has a physical door handle, quick cook controls, defrost and power level adjusting. Microwave is 900W which is not too hot as to burn food nor too weak as to take forever to cook.
Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer:<\/strong> comprehensive and quick cooking, not too noisy, and provides a half-way alarm for turning food. Plenty of room and multiple cooking modes.
Rotary Cheese Grater:<\/strong> because grating by hand sucks.
T-fal Compact Deep Fryer:<\/strong> enough space for necessary tasks, has an oil filter and drain box for easy cleaning and storage of oil.
True Cubes Crystal Ice Mold:<\/strong> makes 2″ crystal ice very easily. No clouds or imperfections.
Vitamix 5200 Beldner:<\/strong> industry standard blender, uses a 1380 watt, 2hp motor, and blends ingredients very smoothly without overheating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Cleaning\/Sanitizing\/Maintaining<\/strong>
Hydrogen Peroxide: <\/strong>simple and natural sanitizer, doesnt have the harshness of bleach or the smell of vinegar.
Castile Soap:<\/strong> gentle, organic, eco-friendly, and cruelty free, castile soap provides an excellent and healthy way to remove dirt from cookware, kitche surfaces, or even skin. It comes unscented so you can scent it with whatever smell you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Everything Else<\/strong>
Because it fits my aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Notes:I’m an essentialist, so I don’t like redundant or one-use tools (with a few exceptions).I much prefer wood and aluminum for utensils, and stainless, carbon steel, and cast iron for cookware.None of these are sponsored or comissioned, they are just my reccomendations based on my preferences, research, and experience.I don’t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1420,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1418","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1418"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2455,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1418\/revisions\/2455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fmidnight.com\/gourmet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}