Cooking Utensils

Cooking utensils for making Malaysian food are not much different than from the rest of the world. Traditional cookware includes claypots, aluminum pots, woks, bamboo steaming baskets and also cast iron flat girdles for making chapattis and the like.

Check out this giant multi-tier steamer that is unique to the Malay community.

Modern cookware like Pyrex pots, non-stick teflon saucepans and high grade stainless steel pans are also widely used nowadays.

When you have your own place and start cooking for yourself or your family, you would normally buy some basic equipment to start with.

What are required? How much is enough?

What would you rather have? A grand showroom kitchen which is hardly used or, a warm, bustling kitchen, filled with activities and the smell of wonderful cooking?

In this page I will discuss what you should have in your kitchen to make your life easier and not being overstuffed with unnecessary things you do not need.

These are the categories:

Cooking utensils - wok, steamer, saucepan, frying pan, girdle.

Gleaming, shiny stainless steel wok.
Many women dream of owning one!

Kitchen tools - knives, scissors, thongs, ladle and turners, strainers, chopping board, can opener, ice-cream scoop, scaler, peeler.
Cook's tip: to avoid your knives from getting dull quickly, do not keep them together with other stainless steel tools. Instead, keep in a drawer in their own sheaths or invest in a proper knife block.
Preparation accessory - salt and pepper dispenser, measuring bowls, egg separator, garlic peeler/crusher.
Flatware for dining - fork, spoon, knives and soup ladle.
Diningware - dinner set, tea set, children-safe items.
Food storage - air tight containers, airy basket for onions, garlic and potatoes, microwave-safe, freezer and fridge containers.
Baking accessories - cake tins, jelly molds, weighing scale, kitchen timer, pastry brush, wooden spoon, spatula.
Electronics gadgets - blender, food processor, cake mixer, juicer.

The criteria to consider when choosing your kitchen necessities:

Health and Safety
Material
Budget
Availability
Functionality
Frequency of usage

Stainless steel cooking utensils are easy to clean and maintain.

Ease of cleaning and maintenance. Can you afford a dishwasher?
Versatility and durability
The kind of hob/stove/cooker/oven/microwave oven you are using

They all seem overwhelming. Do not worry, take baby steps one at a time. Prioritize on what are more important and plan ahead for a better, functional kitchen.

Anyway, to help you make your choice, feast your eyes on these large selection of kitchen and household gadgets here.

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