A basically equipped kitchen requires not only cookware and bakeware but also a variety of kitchen tools. The following list includes basic tools needed to prepare most recipes. Not everyone will need all of these tools. If you are equipping your first kitchen, read through the list and determine which tools you need based on the type of cooking you intend to do. Buy other tools as you find a need for them.

An apple corer is an inexpensive utensil that removes the core of an apple while leaving the apple whole. An apple corer/slicer is a wheel-shaped utensil that not only removes the core of an apple or pear but also cuts it into wedges.

Blenders are excellent for mixing drinks, grinding spices, puréeing foods and making smooth sauces. An immersion blender serves some of the functions of a regular blender but has the added convenience of being immersible in saucepans, bowls and glasses. Electric blenders are not interchangeable with food processors. A blender will not chop, slice or shred foods; a food processor is needed for these operations.

Bowls suitable for food preparation can be made of ceramic, metal, glass or plastic. A basic kitchen should have a variety of bowls, such as 1-, 2- and 3-quart bowls as well as a bowl large enough for bread dough.

Brushes made of natural bristles, such as boar bristles, or nylon are used to brush crumbs off cakes, brush excess flour from doughs and apply syrups, glazes and melted butter. Brushes should be washed by hand with hot, soapy water and then air dried. Boar bristle brushes are more expensive but last longer.

This triangular metal or plastic tool with saw-tooth edges is used to make patterns in frosting.

A cake tester is a long wire used to test cakes for doneness. Wooden toothpicks can also be used in place of a cake tester.

A carving board, usually made of hardwood, is similar to a cutting board, but it has a "gutter" around the edges or down the center to catch meat juices.

Cheesecloth is an inexpensive, white cotton that is sold in various weaves, from fine to coarse. It is used for making bouquet garni, straining liquids and juicing fruits for jelly making.

This hand-held utensil, which consists of a food container with a grating cylinder and a hand-turned crank, is designed to grate hard cheeses, such as Parmesan. Most rotary graters will also grate chocolate. Hard cheeses may also be grated on a box grater or flat metal grater with small holes.

A citrus stripper is a small tool with a head that has a single notched groove. It is used to remove thin strips of citrus peel to use as garnishes. Or, it may be used to remove strips of peel at equally spaced intervals to add a decorative touch to the fruit.

A colander is a bowl-like utensil made of metal or plastic with equally spaced holes that allow liquids to drain away from solids. Many colanders are raised to facilitate draining. Others have handles that allow them to be suspended over a sink or saucepan. Two or three colanders of different sizes are handy, but if you decide to buy only one colander it should be large enough to drain a pound of cooked pasta.

Cookie cutters of metal or plastic cut round, square or decorative shapes from cookie dough. The cutters come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Round cutters are also used to cut biscuit dough.

A cookie press consists of a tube that is filled with cookie dough and a mechanism that pushes the dough through decorative disks. Use cookie presses only with recipes that were developed for them, because dough consistency is very important to its successful operation.

A cooling rack is a raised wire rack used to cool baked goods. It is raised to allow air circulation around the baking pan, which hastens cooling and prevents steam accumulation. When cakes or breads are removed from pans, they are also cooled on cooling racks. Individual cookies are removed from baking sheets and cooled on cooling racks. Cooling racks come in various sizes.

Custard cups are individual dishes made of ovenproof glass or ceramic suitable for desserts such as baked custard and crème brûlée. Sizes vary from 4 ounces to 12 ounces. They are also useful for holding small amounts of ingredients.

A cutting board is a flat piece of wood or plastic that is used as a cutting surface, protecting both knife blades and countertops. It can also be used to roll out cookie and pastry doughs. Sizes vary. If you wish to buy only one, select a large cutting board. The cutting board should be stable during cutting. Wooden boards need special care; they must be washed by hand, thoroughly air dried before storage, oiled periodically and sanded occasionally.

With regards to food safety and cutting boards, there is no definitive answer as to what material is safest for use with foods that may contain bacteria, such as poultry and meat. No matter what the material, it must always be thoroughly washed in hot, soapy water after it comes in contact with poultry or meat and before it is used with any other foods.

A dough scraper is a rectangular implement, usually with a wooden handle and a metal blade. It is used for loosening and turning dough and for scraping excess dough from the work surface. It can also be used for cutting dough and for transferring chopped ingredients from a cutting board to a pan.

An egg separator is a metal or plastic utensil that allows the egg white to fall through openings, leaving the egg yolk separate and intact.

An egg slicer is a tool designed to cut perfect slices of hard-cooked eggs with thin wires.

Electric mixers come in many styles and sizes. Portable hand-held and stand mixers are available. Portable mixers can do most of the operations of stand mixers, but they sometimes have difficulty with heavy doughs. (They also leave you with only one free hand.) The frequent baker may find the stand mixer more practical. Select one with a dough hook and whip for more versatility. If you choose to have only a portable mixer, buy a high quality one that is comfortable to hold.

A flour sifter consists of a fine mesh screen and a mechanism to push flour through the mesh. A sifter with a 2- or 3-cup capacity and a crank-type handle is a good choice. A strainer can be used instead.

This multipurpose electric appliance can be used to chop, slice, shred, mix, purée, knead and sometimes whip with efficiency. Although a kitchen can function without one, a frequent cook with limited time may find a food processor useful.

Specially designed funnels are available for canning, sausage-stuffing and confectionary purposes, but most cooks will find a general-purpose funnel useful for filling jars and bottles.

A garlic press is a hand tool that presses one or two cloves of garlic through small openings to mash them. Garlic presses can be difficult to clean. Some cooks believe that crushing garlic results in a harsh flavor, but many prefer the convenience of a garlic press.

A four-sided box-shaped grater/shredder is a versatile and inexpensive tool that has several different size openings for grating vegetables and cheese. Graters that are flat sheets of metal with similar openings and a wire handle are also available. These often come in sets.

Juicers and reamers are used to extract juice from citrus fruit. Juicers, which often strain out seeds and large pieces of pulp, may be used over a small bowl or cup, although some juicers come with a container to hold the juice. A reamer is a hand-held tool, often wooden, that is inserted into a citrus half and twisted to extract the juice.

Kitchen shears are a very useful tool for cutting. They are an excellent choice for trimming fat from poultry and cutting fresh herbs, pastry, canned tomatoes, dried fruit, paper, cheesecloth and string. Select heavy-duty shears made for the kitchen. Some shears separate into two parts for easier cleaning. Poultry shears are designed to cut raw poultry; they are strong enough to cut through bone and cartilage.

Kitchen string is a medium-weight, all-cotton string that is used for trussing poultry, tying certain meat roasts and securing a bouquet garni.

Good quality, sharp knives are absolutely essential in the kitchen. Most good knives are made from a combination of carbon steel and stainless steel. Carbon steel is superior for holding a sharp edge; however, it pits and stains easily. Mixing carbon steel with stainless steel makes a sturdier and easier to maintain blade. Knives are available with wood or hardened plastic handles. A high quality knife has a full tang, meaning that the blade runs the entire length of the handle. It should be securely riveted to the handle in several places. When selecting knives, pick them up to see if they feel comfortable in your hand. Which knives you select depends on your cooking style, but every kitchen needs at least three knives: a paring knife, utility knife and chef's knife. Other knives can be purchased as the need arises. A sharpening steel is a good investment for keeping knives sharpened. Good cutlery should be washed by hand as dishwashers are often too hot.

A paring knife has a short 3- or 4-inch-long blade. It is used for peeling, slicing fruit and vegetables, chopping herbs and other fine work. A utility knife has a 6-inch-long blade. It is a general purpose knife for slicing fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and cheese. A chef's knife has a wide, slightly curved blade from 7 to 12 inches long. This knife is used primarily for chopping food using a rocking motion. To use a chef's knife, grasp the handle of the knife with one hand, rest the fingertips lightly on the top of the blade near the tip end and rock the blade back and forth over the food.

Other specialized knives include serrated, boning, slicing, carving, Asian knives and cleavers. Serrated knives are good choices for slicing bread and tomatoes. Boning knives have a slender blade that make them ideal for removing bones from meat and poultry. Slicing and carving knives are designed to cut cooked meat and poultry. Meat requires a wide rigid blade and poultry a thinner blade. Asian knives perform many tasks from slicing to chopping, but it takes practice to perfect the techniques. Cleavers are generally heavier than Asian knives and are strong enough to chop through bone.

Wooden knife handles require a little extra care, since they must be oiled periodically and protected from long exposure to water and heat. They should never be washed in the dishwasher.

A ladle has a deep bowl attached to a long handle for reaching into deep pans and removing liquids.

Measuring cups are specialized tools needed for accurate measuring of dry ingredients and liquid ingredients. You will need a set of four metal or plastic dry measures (1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup) to measure ingredients such as flour, sugar, nuts, cheese, raisins, fruits and vegetables. Clear glass cups with calibrations marked on the side are needed to measure liquids. An ideal set includes 1-cup, 2-cup and 4-cup measures.

Every kitchen needs a set of measuring spoons (1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon and sometimes 1/8 teaspoon). These will accurately measure small amounts of both dry and liquid ingredients.

Also called a meat tenderizer, a meat mallet is a hammerlike tool that has a head marked with a waffled surface. It flattens the meat while breaking surface fibers. The flat side of the mallet can be used to flatten tender cuts.

A melon baller is a small tool that shapes melon into perfect balls. It is also useful for coring apple halves and scooping out cherry tomatoes prior to stuffing.

Metal spatulas are tools with narrow thin metal blades attached to plastic or wooden handles. They are ideal for spreading. Some are 8 inches long and rigid whereas others are shorter and flexible. A flat spatula forms a straight line from handle to blade. An offset spatula is angled near the handle, causing the handle to be raised slightly.

Unsurpassed for grinding small amounts of herbs, spices, nuts and seeds, a mortar and pestle is a useful tool for an experienced cook. Marble is the best choice since it does not absorb the odors of food as wood does.

Parchment is heavy paper that is impervious to grease and moisture. It is sold in sheets and in rolls. There are many uses for it in the kitchen, including making sealed envelopes for cooking en papillote and lining baking sheets for cookies, meringues and cream puffs. It allows for easy removal.

A pastry bag is a cone-shaped bag made of canvas, plastic or plastic-lined cloth. It is used to pipe foods, such as frosting, whipped cream, cream puff dough and mashed potatoes, in a decorative pattern. It is open at both ends. The food to be piped is placed in the larger opening. The smaller opening can be fitted with decorative tips.

This hand-held tool consists of several u-shaped wires or metal blades attached to a handle. It is used to cut butter or shortening into flour, which is an essential step in pastry making. Although two knives can be used to accomplish the same task, the pastry blender is more practical.

Made of canvas, a pastry cloth is used to roll out pastry. When well floured, it minimizes sticking. Some pastry cloths are marked with concentric circles that serve as guidelines. It does require thorough cleaning to remove oils before they become rancid. A large cutting board can also be used for rolling out pastry.

A pizza wheel is a round metal wheel attached to a handle. It can be rolled across pizza to cut it. Choose one with a sharp heavy-duty blade.

Rolling pins are used to roll pastry and cookie dough. They can be made from hardwood or marble. The typical American rolling pin is made of wood with a handle on each end. It rolls on bearings. The French version has no handles. A heavy rolling pin allows for the most efficient rolling, because the weight of the pin does most of the work, requiring less effort from the user. A marble rolling pin is used to make pastry. It stays cool and does not warm the butter; however, it is very expensive and unnecessary for someone who seldom makes pastry.

A flexible utensil with a paddlelike rubber, plastic or nylon head attached to a handle, a rubber spatula is ideal for mixing, folding and scraping mixtures from bowls and cookware. A wide variety of sizes is available, and most cooks will find it useful to have several. Some are stain resistant and heat resistant.

Ice cream scoops, sometimes called dishers, are used not only for portioning ice cream but also for portioning cookie dough, muffin batter or mashed potatoes. Many are designed with a scraping blade that aids in releasing the food from the scoop. Scoops come in a variety of sizes and are labeled with a number from 8 to 100. The smaller the number, the larger the bowl of the scoop. Good sizes for cookie batter are 40, 50 and 80. Muffin batter can be scooped with a number 16 or 30. Choose a sturdy metal scoop if it will be used for frozen foods.

Metal or bamboo skewers are used for kabobs, saté and appetizers. They are available in a variety of lengths. Select skewers that are flat rather than round, if possible, so that the food will not slip around when the skewers are turned on the grill. Bamboo skewers, which are disposable, must be soaked in water for 30 minutes before using on a grill to prevent them from burning.

Every kitchen needs several spoons for mixing and stirring. Spoons are available in plastic, wood and metal. Choose plastic or wood for nonstick surfaces, because metal will scratch these surfaces. A long-handled spoon is a good choice for tall pans. Whatever the material, select spoons that are stamped from a single piece; joints break and are more difficult to clean. If wooden spoons crack, they can harbor bacteria so it is best to discard them. Wooden spoons will last longer if they are not subjected to the dry heat of the dishwasher.

The bowl of a slotted spoon has slots that make it useful for removing foods from liquids.

Strainers consist of wire mesh that is stabilized by a rigid handle or ring. They are used to separate liquid from solid ingredients, to sift flour, to separate fine particles from foods and purée soft foods. Most kitchens should have at least one strainer. A medium-size strainer with handles that will allow it to be suspended over a bowl is a good choice. The wire mesh should be sturdy and made of stainless steel to prevent rusting.

There are many specialized kitchen thermometers. A mercury thermometer for the oven is recommended for every kitchen. It allows the cook to read the actual oven temperature, which often varies from the dial setting. Remember that the oven temperature of a normal electric oven fluctuates continuously in a range as wide as 75°F. When checking the dial setting for accuracy, check the oven temperature on the thermometer frequently through the glass of the oven door if possible. Meat thermometers are inserted into meat or poultry before roasting to measure the internal temperature of the meat. An instant-read thermometer is used to quickly check the temperature of a food. It cannot be left in the oven. A candy thermometer records higher temperatures than meat or instant-read thermometers allowing it to be used for candy syrups. Deep-fat thermometers measure even higher temperatures.

Many ranges, ovens and microwave ovens have built-in timers. Free-standing timers are also available. These come in a range of prices; some are portable and some need a source of electricity. A few high-tech timers can be programmed to time several items simultaneously.

Tongs are indispensable for turning foods, especially meat that is best not pierced with a fork. Two basic types are available--heavy wire tongs that are joined like scissors and lightweight metal tongs that have a spring at the end.

Turners are ideal for turning and lifting foods. They may be made of metal or plastic. Choose sturdy metal ones for most uses. A wide surface is often useful. Choose plastic turners for nonstick surfaces. A wedge-shaped turner is a good choice for serving pie and cake.

A swivel-bladed vegetable peeler is designed to remove a paper-thin layer, such as the peel, from fruits and vegetables. Used with long, sweeping motions down the length of the food, it is an efficient alternative to the paring knife for such foods as carrots, potatoes and apples.

Made of wires that loop to form a bulbous shape, wire whisks are designed to aerate and mix. Select whisks with sturdy wires and handles that are easy to grip.

A zester has several tiny sharp holes on a curved head attached to a short handle. The purpose of this tool is to remove fine shreds of citrus peel, called zest.