Kitchen Tools

I thought it would be helpful to share the kitchen tools I use daily. I believe choosing the right tools makes cooking a lot easier. So the time you spend in the kitchen will be delightful, instead of feeling like a chore.

Must-Have Tools

Nonstick skillet

Calphalon 12-inch jumbo fryer

If you’re wondering why a Chinese blog would recommend a nonstick skillet over a wok, please read this article first. In my current kitchen, I have an electric stove. I cannot use my flat-

bottomed wok to stir-fry because the surface area of the part in contact with the heating element is too small to transmit enough heat into the rest of the wok.

Woll 11-inch fry pan

I have a Woll 11-inch fry pan, a Calphalon 12-inch jumbo fryer, and a Woll 8-inch fry pan in my kitchen that I use daily, for stir-frying, roasting, baking (both large skillets can go into the oven), and almost everything else. Yes, the nonstick layer will wear off eventually and you’ll need to replace the pans. But if you use them properly (do not heat up an empty pan, and always use a silicone spatula), they can last many years and provide value well beyond the money invested.

(PS. I recently purchased a portable gas stove and will start to cook with a wok again. I will add more info on how to choose a wok after conducting more experiments.)

Cast Iron Dutch oven

Lodge 5-quart cast iron dutch oven

I use my Lodge 5-quart cast iron dutch oven exclusively for making stew. It chars the food beautifully and retains heat very well. If you try once, you’ll be surprised at how the dish will taste so much better when cooking in the cast iron one. If you’re new to cast iron cookware, it might seem intimidating. Check out my post on how to season, clean, and store your new cast iron pan.

Silicone Wok Spatula

This is a must if you have a nonstick skillet. Even bamboo and wooden spatulas will leave scratches on nonstick surfaces. Spend 10 dollars on a large enough wok spatula, and your nonstick pans will last much longer.

Silicone Kitchen Tongs

Not only can you use them to flip food and remove it from the pan (or grill), the tongs are also necessary for tossing fried noodles without spilling half the ingredients on your stove. If you don’t have any in your kitchen,order a pairnow.

Steamer

5-quart Culina Steamer

I have a 5-quart Culina Steamer and I LOVE it. It’s a solid and heavy pot that retains heat very well. I boil noodles and cook soup in it all the time. The steamer is well designed and can hold a lot of veggies. Try steaming veggies and serving them with oyster sauce or garlic soy sauce, and you’ll be amazed at how many veggies you can put away in one sitting. You can also use it to cookmeatballs and steamed fish.

Rice cooker

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 Rice Cooker

The first thing I did after moving to my new home in the US was to donate our old beat up rice cooker to Goodwill and purchase a Zojirushi NP-HBC10 Rice Cooker (just like the one mom uses).

It has options for cooking brown rice, sushi rice, glutinous rice, and porridge, and it produces perfectly cooked rice every single time (you can actually notice that the rice tastes more delicious when made with this rice cooker). It comes with a timer setting too, so you can put everything together before bed, set the timer, and get freshly cooked rice in the morning. My mom used to do this daily, so my dad and I would have fresh rice in our lunch boxes.

After moving to the US, we found a high quality rice cooker still a necessity. We cook brown rice (sometimes with mixed grains) once a week, serve it with soupor use it to make fried rice for quick meals. It does take up some space. What you can do is keep the rice cooker in the closet and move it out once a week (or once a month) to cook a big batch of rice, freeze the rice (for up to a month), and reheat the rice in the microwave before serving (check out this post to learn how to freeze rice properly).

Stock Pot

Farberware 16-Quart Stockpot

When I discovered the Farberware heavy-duty 16-Quart Stockpot, I realized I couldn’t live without one. I’ve used it to make all sorts of stocks (chicken, pork and beef). And I’m planning to use it to make a real deal 18-hour tonkotsu ramen stock (you need a large enough pot to hold many pounds of pork bones; the Momokufu ramen recipe even calls for an additional whole chicken and loads of bacon).
  

 

Knives

Global 7-inch Santoku Hollow Ground Knife, Global paring knife, Victorinox 12-inch slicing knife

I own a few kitchen knives but I only have one favorite knife – the Global 7-inch Santoku Hollow Ground Knife. I use it daily to chop practically everything. Not only is it solidly built and easy to handle, but you can use the 3-step sharpener to keep your knife sharp all the time. I also own a Japanese utility knife (for filleting fish, etc.), a Global paring knife (for peeling and cutting fruit), and aVictorinox 12-inch slicing knife (for perfectly sliced brisket and prime rib).

Cutting board

Boos Maple cutting board

I typically use a set of cheap bamboo cutting boards. But if I want to do some serious cutting or work with dough, I’ll switch to the giant Boos Maple cutting board (20”x15”x2.25”). The Boos board is as huge and heavy as the ones sushi chefs use. Every time I use this heavy board I feel like a pro. If you’re planning to purchase a high-end cutting board like this, be careful of its size and weight. I love my Boos board, but I find it a bit too heavy to handle (I’m only 5’3”). Consider getting the thinner one (20”x15”x1.5”) if you plan on moving it around a lot.

Fine Mesh Strainer

A must-have in any kitchen. I use various sizes in my kitchen to remove loose tea leaves, strain quinoa and other grains, and drain deep fried food (very important. It’s the proper way to strain extra oil from the fried food and prevent it from turning soggy).

Hand Blender

Cuisinart 2-speed hand blender

A treasure in our kitchen. We use a Cuisinart 2-speed hand blender (with 3 attachments) for making morning power drinks (coffee, tea, and smoothies), beat eggs to stiff peaks for baking and making fluffy omelets (or super light waffles), and pureeing soup (and hummus, and a lot of other things).

We don’t have space for a big fancy blender. We found that this hand blender can do almost everything that a big one does, and it’s easier to clean.

Kitchen Scale

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull-Out Display

You want this in your kitchen if you’re serious about cooking (like me). But if you only cook every once in a while and do not bake, then you probably don’t need one. If you’re making Chinese dumplings,buns, and noodles, the dough won’t be terribly wrong if you convert the grams to cups properly or you cook them often enough that you can “feel” the dough without measuring at all (like my grandma). On the other hand, if you bake tricky things (such as mooncakes), not only will you need a food scale, you will also need a pocket scale that weighs in 0.1 gram increments.

Mortar and pestle

I use them to crush and grind spices (especially Sichuan peppercorns). If you like cooking Asian food, this one is a must-have. I personally like the tall, narrow design of the RSVP grey marble mortar and pestle. It gives you a large enough space to work with. And your ingredients are less likely to spill out.

Tools that make your life easier

Food processor

Cuisinart Pro Custom 11

We own a Cuisinart Pro Custom 11 and use it for various tasks – from making black sesame paste and almond flour to grinding meat (safer and more delicious than supermarket ground meat). It has very positive reviews about its chopping function too, so you might want to check it out if you hate chopping or need to cook for more than 2 people. I always prefer chopping veggies with my knives, but I’d like the machine to help me if I need to cook onion soup for a party. They have stopped producing that model but you can find the new version on Amazon.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

We have a 5-quart KitchenAid (with the glass bowl) and I found it to be a great help when mixing doughs (e.g. for Chinese meat pies,handmade noodles).

I’m still testing the KitchenAid with different types of dough in Chinese cooking, and I’ll report back when I find out more.

 

Wok

Woll 11.75-inch nonstick wok

I know I’ll offend all the Chinese chefs by putting the wok in this category. I just want to point out that you don’t have to purchase a wok to cook great Chinese food. I do have one – a Woll 11.75-inch nonstick. Currently, I only use it for deep-frying and braising, because my electric stove never generates enough heat to stir-fry. The great thing is that a wok has small bottom surface and high walls, so you can use less oil and minimize oil splatter when deep-frying on the stove top.

Kitchen shears

OXO poultry shears

I almost listed this as a must-have. I own a pair of OXO poultry shears and use them to cut all sorts of things. For example, you can use them to cut green onions directly into the skillet and remove tough ends from veggies (so you don’t need to use, then wash, a cutting board). As their name suggests, you can use them to take apart chicken and turkey (works even better than a cleaver, and is much safer). Next time a recipe asks you to break apart wings or legs, you know which tool to reach for.

 

Julienne peeler

OXO julienne peeler

The OXO julienne peeler saves me tons of time and trouble. In a lot of Asian cooking, the food needs to be cut into strips (like for this potato salad). You can generate evenly sized stripes with this julienne peeler in 1/5 the time.

One of my favorite ways to use the peeler is to create julienned potatoes or sweet potatoes, saute them in a bit of duck fat, and season them with salt and pepper. The potatoes will be cooked quite quickly and there will be a wonderful char on the surface. I serve them as a side for seared duck breast.

Mandoline

Benriner Japanese Mandoline Slicer

We own a Benriner Japanese Mandoline Slicer, but do not use it as often as the julienne peeler. The mandoline slicer is faster if you need to create large batches of sliced veggies. And you can slice more types of food with it – such as tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers. It does take up a bit of space on the counter. The mandoline will be a good choice if you have more kitchen space, do not like cutting, make a lot of salads or Asian food, or need to cook veggies for a large crowd.

 

Cut resistant Gloves

NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves

I cut myself a LOT because I spend many hours in the kitchen, almost every day. So I got myself a pair of NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves. I do not wear them if I’m just chopping a few veggies for a quick stir-fry. On the other hand, they offer great protection when I need to cook quickly (something will always go wrong when your guests are waiting for the main course while chatting with you), or when I am slicing with a mandoline, filleting a giant catfish (very tough meat) or boning a chicken.

Garlic Press

WMF Garlic Press

I “stole” my mom’s WMF Garlic Presswhen moving to the US. This is a big time-saver when you need to mince a whole head of garlic to make chili garlic sauce. I use it all the time for stir-frying, too. Instead of cutting the garlic with a knife, I use the garlic press to squeeze the garlic directly into the skillet.

Garlic grater

Ceramic Grater Plate

I use a Ceramic Grater Plate to grate garlic and ginger when I want them really fine. For example, I choose the grater plate over the garlic press if I’m adding ginger into wonton filling or dumpling filling, because it can be unpleasant to bite into a piece of ginger that wasn’t ground finely enough.

Need a shopping guide for Chinese ingredients too? Click the image below to check out:

 

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20 Essential Chinese Ingredients

 

Do you often struggle with Chinese cooking because you don’t have a certain ingredient in your kitchen? Or have you discovered a delicious recipe, but couldn’t make it because the nearest Asian market was an hour away? Have you thought about making your favorite take-out dish at home but are too intimidated to start?

You’ll feel relieved after reading this post.
In fact, you only need a few basic ingredients to cook most Chinese dishes. In the list below, I’ve included two sections. The first section contains 10 must-have ingredients that might require a trip to an Asian market. The second section contains 10 ingredients that are nice to have and will expand your ability to cook even more authentic Chinese dishes. But you might not need all of them, depending on your personal cooking habits. After getting these basic items, you’ll be able to cook a wide variety of Chinese dishes by combining them with other ingredients from the average grocery store.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look.
[I have included a short introduction for each ingredient. If you want to read more about it, click on the picture or title. It will lead you to a more thorough article on use, storage, and shopping.]

10 must-have Chinese ingredients

Soy Sauce (or Light Soy Sauce)

I personally keep a stock of Kikkoman soy sauce, Lee Kum Kee light soy sauce, and Thai golden mountain sauce (a flavor-enhanced soy sauce), which I use on a daily basis.

Soy sauce is the foundation of Chinese and other Asian cooking, so you’ll really want to get the right type. Read the label before you buy any soy sauce. The main ingredients should be just soybeans, wheat, water and salt. Some of the flavor enhanced-soy sauces also contain syrup and alcohol. These should always come after the main ingredients.
Back in China, we mostly use light soy sauce, which has a lighter color than regular soy sauce and tastes saltier. We pair it with dark soy sauce, to add color to a dish, if needed. If you don’t want to have too many bottles in your pantry, you can get regular soy sauce instead. It creates very authentic tasting Chinese food. The dish might be a bit lighter colored than you hoped, but won’t taste any different.

Shaoxing wine (or Japanese sake, or dry sherry)

I have Shaoxing wine, Japanese sake, and dry sherry in the pantry. Although sometimes we run out of Shaoxing wine (We have to travel 3 hours to get a proper non-salted one).

Shaoxing wine is the only cooking wine used by most Chinese families, but the right type can be tricky to find outside of China. Read the label before you purchase any Shaoxing wine. It should NOT contain salt. The US-branded Shaoxing wine often contains a very high salt content, because that’s the only way it can be sold in a shop without liquor restrictions. Do not get this type.

Alternatively, do consider Japanese sake and dry sherry. Both do very well in Asian cooking and can result in a very similar flavor.

Generally speaking, dry sherry is closer to Shaoxing wine, only with a slight hint of sweetness. Japanese sake is more delicate and mild, and also has a sweet flavor. If you have both on hand, use dry sherry in pungent dishes (esp. spicy ones), and use sake to cook delicate dishes (such as dumpling filling, soup, etc.). We always have sake in the fridge, because we love to drink it, too!

Chinkiang vinegar (or Black vinegar)

Although Chinese cooking uses both Chinkiang vinegar (also called Chinese black vinegar) and rice vinegar, the former is used more often in authentic Chinese cuisine.

As its alternate name suggests, Chinkiang vinegar has a much darker color, close to that of soy sauce, due to the long aging process. It has a rich, pungent, and tart flavor, with a fermented, malty taste and woody character that distinguish it from the light colored and fruity rice vinegar.

It’s a key ingredient in cold salad, dumpling dipping sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and hot noodle sauce.

There is no substitute for Chinkiang vinegar.

It may also be referred to, using the modern pinyin romanization, as Zhenjiang vinegar.

Oyster sauce

Like hoisin sauce, oyster sauce will make every dish taste better. The difference between the two sauces is that oyster sauce is much less sweet and has a richer umami flavor. If you add a drop of oyster sauce to simple friednoodles ornoodle soup, it will enhance the depth of flavor and make the dish instantly taste better. It’s also a very important ingredient in marinades for roast chickenand Chinese char siu (BBQ pork).

I always use Lee Kum Kee’s oyster sauce, because they invented oyster sauce. For vegetarian dishes, use mushroom oyster sauce as an alternative.

There is no substitute for oyster sauce.

Dried shiitake mushrooms

This is one of the most important ingredients in Chinese cooking and is used to add umami and depth of flavor.  They have a very concentrated flavor and most of the time cannot be replaced by fresh shiitake mushrooms. Various classic dishes such as hot and sour soup, egg rolls, and potstickers use shiitake mushrooms to enhance the flavor. The mushrooms also taste wonderful innoodles, claypot rice, and braised meat dishes, in which they get infused with meat drippings.

I always prefer whole dried shiitake mushroom to sliced ones.

Dried chili peppers

 

The key ingredient in Sichuan cooking and an important ingredient in all sorts of Chinese dishes. To cook real, authentic Sichuan food, you ideally need several types of chili pepper that range from super spicy to super smoky. However, it’s very unlikely you can find them all in a single place outside of Sichuan province. The next best thing would be Korean or Thai chili peppers. They are very close to the typical dried chili peppers used in Chinese cuisine.

Sichuan peppercorn

It is the most important ingredient in Sichuan cuisine (as crucial as chili pepper), and commonly used in all sorts of Chinese cooking. It’s the essential spice for creating pantry sauces such as chili oil and spicy garlic sauce. It’s a must in almost all Sichuan dishes, including dry fried green beans and kung pao chicken. It’s a very convenient spice to infuse in hot oil (instead of using garlic, green onion, or ginger) to create simple, delicious stir fried dishes, such as thiscabbage dish or this okra dish.

The sad truth is that there is almost no way to source good Sichuan peppercorns in the US. Because all peppercorns must be heated and sterilized before importation (like all spices), they lose most of the numbing potency that creates the true essence of Sichuan cuisine.

Doubanjiang (fermented spicy bean paste)

A basic ingredient in Sichuan cuisine. Just like oyster sauce, it makes every dish taste better, but in a spicy way.

You’ll need it to cook basic dishes such as mapo tofu and Chinese beef noodles. You can also use it to create these very simple baked wings and stir fried green beans.

Try to find the brand Pi Xian Dou Ban (named after its origin and current source of production). It’s the most famous brand in China and it guarantees the best flavor. You can shop for this brand on Amazon, but the price will likely be much lower in your local Asian grocery store.

Star anise

Whole star anise pods are widely used in braised dishes, such as braised spareribs, beef stew, and braised duck. It’s also a key ingredient in beef stockand noodle soup,

Star anise pods are powerful and have a very long shelf life. So it’s always nice to have them in your pantry.

Five spice powder

This is a very powerful spice and is convenient to have around. It’s an important ingredient in marinating and braising, but you can add it to any other dish for depth of flavor. Although most cookbooks will suggest you make your own, I find that store-bought works just fine. Just remember, a tiny amount goes a long way.

10 nice-to-have Chinese ingredients

Dark soy sauce

 From left: light soy sauce, regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce

Dark soy sauce is more like food coloring, as it is used to darken a dish with an appetizing color. It is usually used in combination with light soy sauce in fried rice, fried noodles and braised meat. It will last a very long time in the fridge, so it’s nice to have in your pantry. We always keep a bottle of Lee Kum Kee dark soy sauce in the fridge.

On the other hand, you can use ordinary soy sauce, as it still gives the meat anice seared color. But if you want to create beautiful chow fun, you will need dark soy sauce.

Hoisin sauce

Hoisin sauce is important for cooking Chinese BBQ and as a dipping sauce when serving duck pancakes. I believe it’s a must-have seasoning for some cooks. The reason I listed it here is because you can make your own hoisin sauce quite easily.

Peanut oil

A great bottle of peanut oil will make all your stir-fried dishes instantly better. Try to find an Asian brand that consists of 100% peanut oil. When you open the lid, the oil should be particularly fragrant and smell like peanut butter. It is as fragrant as toasted sesame oil, but with a higher smoke point and a much lower price (per volume, anyway). If you cook simple vegetable dishes, such as bok choy with hot garlic soy sauce or stir fried cabbage, you’ll notice a big difference when using pure peanut oil instead of regular vegetable oil.

Toasted sesame oil

 

Another flavor enhancer in Chinese cooking that’s usually added at the end of a stir-fry, or into dumpling filling. Please note, there are a few types of sesame oil and you’ll need the toasted one for Chinese cooking. It has a transparent reddish brown or amber color.

On the other hand, if you already have a bottle of high quality pure peanut oil, you can use that as a substitute for toasted sesame oil and still get very satisfying results.

Dried wood ear mushrooms

 

Dried wood ear mushrooms and rehydrated one

A common ingredient in hot and sour soup, moo shu stir-fry, egg rolls, noodle gravy, and many other dishes, to add texture. Fresh or rehydrated wood ear mushrooms have a crunchy texture and earthy flavor. They do not taste like much by themselves, but absorb the flavor of whatever they’re cooked with. You’ll need this ingredient in your pantry if you want to cook real-deal Chinese food.

Dried lily flowers (Lily flower buds)

Just like dried shiitake mushrooms, dried lily flower is another flavor enhancer used in all kinds of dishes, and especially in vegetarian dishes. Lily flower itself has a very earthy flavor. When added to a dish, it lends both a nice crunchy, chewy texture and a rich umami, almost like bamboo shoots. It’s a key ingredient in Buddha’s Delight and moo shu vegetables.

Deep fried tofu



We have a name for this type of tofu in Chinese – vegetarian meat. Just as the name suggests, you can use it in a vegetarian dish and it will turn out as satisfying as if you had used meat. If you don’t believe me, try out this stir fried baby bok choy or this Korean stew.

You can find it in any Asian market, though it might be labeled very differently in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese markets. Look for it in the frozen aisle (and sometimes the refrigerated aisle). It comes in different shapes, but all have a golden surface and fluffy texture.
Dried shrimp








Dried shrimp is a handy ingredient to have in your pantry, to add a seafood-like flavor to soup and dumplings without adding many calories to a dish.


Fermented bean curd (Fermented tofu)



I call it Chinese cheese, because its production process and taste are quite similar to those of cheese. You can add it into braised meat (red-cooked) as a hidden flavor. Or you can simply serve it with porridge or noodle soup as a side. Just like you’d spread just a small chunk of bleu cheese on toasted bread, a small piece of this goes a long way. There are two types – white and red. I always prefer the red one because I’m a Northerner. 

Fermented black beans

 The key ingredient in black bean sauce. The flavor is similar to that of soy sauce, just more pungent and powerful. They’re usually used in stir fried and steamed dishes, especially in southern Chinese cuisine. You can find them at an Asian market or on Amazon.

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