After you have a garden and start collecting some beautiful produce... or are able to collect beautiful harvests from other sources, the next step is actually using it, how one does that, and... well, what are the tools we use at the homestead in order to get that done. Similar to the tools we use in the garden, our kitchen equipment is highly subjective to our farm. Your set up might look similar or vastly different depending on your needs, but as always, hope this information will be helpful to someone.
The Basics - Probably stuff that already exists in a regular non-homestead kitchen
-Chef's knife -- some people like a smaller knife. My chef's knife gets hard use, and I use it for everything. Cutting, dicing, chopping, the chiffonade, gets done with a knife that has a stable handle and a sharp edge -- I can do about 95% of my sharp blade tasks with one knife. The other 5% I think goes to a knife with a serrated edge, like a bread knife.
-Sharpener -- can't get a sharp edge without a kit for sharpening knives. I have a whetstone and a butcher's strop, a honing blade and one of those quick sharpening handles, and switch through using all of them at various times depending on the project.
-Chopping board - a good sturdy cutting board. I love it. I love the big ones--- not too big that it's impossible to fit into the sink and too bulky for me to move around, but I love that 'thunk' of a blade hitting the surface.
-Rolling pin - for making things flat
-Peeler -- for all those skins. A peeler with a good sharp edge is life-changing. I recently got gifted a new one and the difference between the cheap one that I got when Hank and I first got married to this new one is amazing.
-Mixing bowls, jars, and buckets of various sizes -- from little ramekins to large mixing bowls and buckets to separate rinds and pits as well as the various groups of foods and ingredients used for processing. Also for food storage, pickling, fermenting, and just using as cups.
-Funnels + strainers + colanders -- I have a funnels for liquids and canning funnels that fit normal and wide mouth jars, as well as liquid funnels and mini funnels because I am clumsy and spill everything. Also, I make use of the stainless steel reusable coffee filters to use as fine mesh strainers, as well as the normal perforated ones that come with the canning funnels. Also in this category would be any cheesecloths/muslins to use for filtering out liquids and solids too. I use milk filters for dairy processing and disposable coffee filters for straining in combination with the funnels as well, especially if I don't want to wash the cheesecloths.
-Kitchen scale -- for measuring. I like the ones that have multiple units on it.
-Kitchen thermometer -- I have a digital one and a traditional liquid one that goes past 500F for cooking with sugars.
-Measuring cups and spoons -- I recommend having a traditional set, and one for cheese making that has really small units (like 1/16th tsp)
-Cheese grater + spice grinder -- not just for cheese. But also, for veggies.
-Wooden spoons, rubber spatulas, stainless steel spoons -- I go through these so quickly, and always have a big stash next to the stove.
-Dutch bread whisk -- this is specifically for bread making, but I use it in place of the traditional egg whisk because things don't accumulate inside of it.
-Curd Spoon - this is a big round spoon with lots of little dots on it for collecting cheese curds and skimming out whey. I actually use this for skimming out a lot of different things in different cooking preps, not just cheese.
-Nut/Shell cracking device - in a pinch, a hammer works too, but this is efficient and risks fewer fingers
-Sharpie -- excellent to label glass jars and freezer bags, because I think I will remember what's in the container on the counter or in the fridge, but I don't. I never do.
-Stock pot - I have a one gallon stainless steel pot for most day-to-day soup-y type cooking, and a heavy bottomed 5- gallon stock pot for making large batches of broth and/or cheese. We also have a very thin aluminum stock pot that we use for scalding chickens in that occasionally gets used for lard and/or huge broth operations.
-Cast-iron pans - I love cooking on cast iron. Take care of your pan and it'll last for many generations. It gets lovely hot. It is easy to clean. It is heavy and just has a permanent home on my stovetop.
-Wok - I guess not everyone has this, but since we're Asian, I do a lot of high heat cooking in my wok. I recommend carbon steel because it is light and holds heat, and doesn't have the chemical non-stick coating on it. Again, take good care of it and it'll last a lifetime.
Appliances and Bigger Tools -- Some of these are a luxury, I'll admit. And I think that I can totally function without them and just the basic tools above. That being said, their existence does make things faster and a lot easier in the long run, especially at the quantities that we do things.
Slow cooker - throw in something in the morning, and by dinner time it is ready. I love the smells that fill the house whenever we use the slow cooker. We use it ALL the time.
Instapot - I'll admit that I'm not such a die-hard fan of the instapot as much as other people are. I use it mainly for yogurts, pasteurizing milks, and steaming eggs (which it does perfectly). I find pressure cooking foods don't have the same flavors that I love from the slow cooker or just doing it the traditional way on the stove top or in the oven... Other people are better at using them than me so I get it if you completely disagree with me. I will throw in a bones to make quick, small portions of broth, so it does get regular use in our kitchen, it's just not as beloved of an appliance as the others.
Rice cooker - why have a rice cooker if you have an instapot? I'm not sure, but I'm Asian, and I don't actually like the way the rice comes out of the instapot as much as I do out of my Korean rice cooker. My rice cooker is also a pressure cooker, so I could probably do other instapot-type foods in it, but it almost always has a pot of rice going in it, and that's also fine with me.
KitchenAid Mixer - for doughs and batters and mixing things of all kinds. I know this machine comes with attachments, but I don't have anything other than the standard hooks that come with it. I have heard from other people that the attachments are fine for small projects, but best to get specific machines for the bigger stuff, and we're pretty much always go big here on the farm. I prefer the stainless steel bowl compared to the pretty glass one because I am clumsy, and I have kids. It sits on my counter and is beautiful.
Food Processor - for grating, chopping, blending and mixing things of all kinds. I especially like to use the food processor for bulk garlic chops, making butter, and chunkier sauce type foods. I'll admit that I don't pull this out that often because it's so many parts to clean afterwards, but for what I do use it for, it saves so much time.
Blender - a good blender is an important part of any kitchen, I think. We use ours pretty regularly, but sometimes have to be careful in the summer type because it can overload the circuit and shut everything down.
Juice Press/Citrus Squeezer - there are a couple different types of things you can use for this. I have a lever type one that is pretty heavy for squeezing citrus and pomegranates and other things that release liquid easily. You can also go with a simple hand style citrus squeezer, but going through a 50 lb. box of oranges takes a bit longer this way and it starts to exacerbate my carpal tunnel.
Steamer juicer - again, probably not necessary unless you're doing a whole ton of fruit processing, but we do this. Great for apples, stone fruits, certain root vegetables, etc. It works by steaming water in a lower compartment that cooks down the produce. The juices released by the produce drips into a middle compartment that has a siphon. We make our apple cider and apple sauce this way. Same with peach/apricot/plum/berry juices, jams, and jellies.
Dehydrator - We have a solar oven rather than a plug-in dehydrator. Things don't often get dehydrated at a fast enough place at our house which is one of the reasons why I haven't invested in one, but our solar oven works to help cook a side on a hot summer day (although you do have to go out and turn it every few hours to make sure it stays hot).
Drying rack/nets - If I can air dry something rather than use the dehydrator, I will. I have big nets and small nets to hang herbs and leafy greens to get nice and crisped outside. The smaller nets zip up to keep bugs out of things. If I've only got a small quantity of something though, I'll usually just tie it with some twine and hang it in a kitchen corner.
Canner - This was an investment. You will hear people go back and forth on whether or not to get an electric canner, water pressure canner. We have a 24-quart pressure canner that can be used to steam and water bath, but also used to pressure can those non-acidic type foods like broth and beans. We went with a stove-top canner so that we can continue preserving food even if there isn't electricity. It's a heavy beast of a thing, and I can't do much else in the kitchen on canning days, but we process a lot of food with it that lasts for months if not years when stored properly.
Cheese Press and molds - if you make hard cheeses, a good cheese press is important to have. You can do a home made set up using weights and multiple surfaces, but if you're processing dairy regularly, it's great to have a dedicated appliance. Farm cheeses and soft cheese can be done with baskets and cheese cloth.
Kettle - because we boil lots of water.
Grain + Nut Grinder - if you process your own whole grains and nuts, this is the tool to turn it into flours and powders and butters. Ours is a manual one that can do fine ground flours as well as oilier nut products (I think in a pinch you can attach it to a bicycle wheel!). Again, it's not something we reach for frequently because pre-ground flours are still readily available, but it was something we got for those "just in case" situations. I have friends who regularly grind their own flour and their baked goods are amazing. It's not a part of my routine as of yet, but I hope to make incorporate it one day.
Soda Water maker and refill canister - in the summer, I make my own electrolyte drinks and incorporate a lot of the syrups that we've made throughout the year with fizzy soda water. And since we go through so much of it, I've also switched to using a large industrial CO2 tank instead of the mini subscription service bottles. I can refill one machine canister about 50 times from the big tank for pennies, and the girls get as much "soda" as they want!
Meat Grinder - again, you could get the smaller attachment for the KitchenAid, but if you're doing a whole pig, a whole cow, a whole anything---the machine with the horsepower dedicated to the task is probably best.
Sausage stuffer - for if you make sausage. It's pretty handy.
Vacuum Sealer - for preserving food in the freezer. We use it regularly on meat processing days
And that's my kitchen in a nut shell. It gets pretty cluttered, and I'm always looking for means to consolidate. I try not to have things that do just one-task, but sometimes that can't be helped as the task is a big one. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
What do you use in your kitchen? What are your favorite tools?
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