Buy These First (in this order)
Non-slip, closed-toe shoes
Long hours and hard floors cause pain. Good shoes help prevent injury and improve stamina.
United States & Europe: The most popular are Birkenstock Profi Birki / Super Birki
Sweden: The Arbesko brand is very popular
Chef’s knife (20 cm / 8”) with blade guard
One dependable tool for almost everything. Focus on control, not collecting knives. You can geek out over knives later in your career if that is one of your interests. But we think it’s a huge waste of money for most cooks.
Recommended brands: Victorinox Fibrox Pro, MAC Professional, Wüsthof Classic or Ikon, Zwilling Pro
Diamond steel (honing rod with abrasive)
Works on most steels; refreshes the blade with 2–4 light strokes per side.
Recommended: Wüsthof Diamond Steel — they can be a bit pricey for a piece of steel, but they last forever. You do not have to buy one again.
Paring knife (8–10 cm / 3–4”)
For precision trimming, peeling, and small detail cuts.
Recommended: Victorinox paring knives are cheap and perfect.
Serrated / Bread Knife (20–25 cm / 8–10”)
For bread, cakes, and delicate tomatoes. Serrated edges don’t need frequent sharpening.
Recommended: Victorinox Fibrox Serrated, Mercer Culinary Millennia Bread Knife
Boning / Fillet Knife (15–18 cm / 6–7”)
For breaking down meat and fish with accuracy. Flexible for fish, stiff for poultry and meat.
Recommended: Victorinox Fibrox Boning or Fillet Knife, MAC Japanese Fillet Knife
Peeler (choose one you like using)
Safer, faster, and more consistent than a knife for peeling. Replace if it drags.
Recommended: Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, Victorinox Swivel Peeler
Thermometers
Instant-read (for internal temps), IR (for surface temps; remember emissivity), and a digital oven thermometer (ovens can be inaccurate—verify chamber temperature).
Recommended: Thermapen ONE (instant-read), Etekcity Infrared Thermometer (IR), CDN Digital Oven Thermometer
Digital scale (1 g resolution)
For consistent seasoning, baking, and curing.
Recommended: Jennings CJ4000, Escali Primo
Microplane or zester
Essential for zest, garlic or ginger paste, nutmeg, and finely grated cheese.
Recommended: Microplane Classic Zester/Grater
Marker and tape (for labeling)
FIFO depends on labels. Always write the item and date (add time if needed).
Recommended: Sharpie Industrial Permanent Marker, 3M Masking Tape
Notebook (for learning)
Record recipes, ratios, timing tricks, and chef corrections. At home, a dedicated notes app works too.
Recommended: Rite in the Rain Waterproof Notebook
Timer (dedicated or on watch/phone)
Don’t rely on instincts for timing. Use a timer for everything.
Recommended: ThermoWorks TimeStick, any cheap digital kitchen timer
Kitchen shears (with separable blades)
Open bags cleanly, trim herbs, and spatchcock poultry. Easy to sanitize.
Recommended: OXO Good Grips Kitchen Shears, Wüsthof Come-Apart Shears
Water bottle (labeled)
Stay hydrated. It makes a huge difference. Just get a discreet bottle.