Name
Alternative names
Purpose in food preparation
Design
Image
Apple corer
To remove the core and pips from apples and similar fruits
Apple cutter
To cut apple and similar fruits easily while simultaneously removing the core and pips.
Cf. peeler
Baster
Used during cooking to cover meat in its own juices or with a sauce.
An implement resembling a simple pipette, consisting of a tube to hold the liquid, and a rubber top which makes use of a partial vacuum to control the liquid's intake and release. The process of drizzling the liquid over meat is called
basting – when a pastry brush is used in place of a baster, it is known as a
basting brush.
Beanpot
A deep, wide-bellied, short-necked vessel used to cook bean-based dishes
Beanpots are typically made of ceramic, though pots made of other materials, like cast iron, can also be found. The relatively narrow mouth of the beanpot minimizes evaporation and heat loss, while the deep, wide, thick-walled body of the pot facilitates long, slow cooking times. They are typically glazed both inside and out, and so cannot be used for clay pot cooking.
Biscuit press
Cookie press
A device for making pressed cookies such as spritzgebäck.
It consists of a cylinder with a plunger on one end which is used to extrude cookie dough through a small hole at the other end. Typically the cookie press has interchangeable perforated plates with holes in different shapes, such as a star shape or a narrow slit to extrude the dough in ribbons.
Blow torch
Blowtorch, blowlamp
Commonly used to create a hard layer of caramelized sugar in a crème brûlée.[2]
Boil over preventer
Milk watcher, Milk guard, Pot minder
Preventing liquids from boiling over outside of the pot
A disc with a raised rim, designed to ensure an even distribution of temperature throughout the pot. This preventing bubbles from forming in liquids such as milk, or water which contains starch (for instance if used to cook pasta). Can be made of metal, glass or ceramic materials.
Bottle opener
Twists or pulls the metal cap off of a bottle
Bowl
To hold food, including food that is ready to be served
A round, open topped container, capable of holding liquid. Materials used to make bowls vary considerably, and include wood, glass and ceramic materials.
Bread knife
To cut bread
A serrated blade made of metal, and long enough to slice across a large loaf of bread. Using a sawing motion, instead of pushing force as with most knives, it is possible to slice the loaf without squashing it.
Browning tray
Browning plate, Browning bowl
Used in a microwave oven to help turn food brown
Generally made of glass or porcelain to absorb heat, which helps colour the layer of food in contact with its surface.
Butter curler
Used to produce decorative butter shapes.
Cake and pie server
Cake shovel, pie cutter
To cut slices in pies or cakes, and then transfer to a plate or container
This utensil typically features a thin edge to assist with slicing, and a large face, to hold the slice whilst transferring to a plate, bowl or other container.
Cheese cutter
Designed to cut soft, sticky cheeses (moist and oily).
The cutting edge of cheese cutters are typically a fine gauge stainless steel or aluminium wire.
Cheese knife
Used to cut cheese.
Cheese slicer
Used to cut semi-hard and hard cheeses. It produces thin, even slices.
Cheesecloth
To assist in the formation of cheese
A gauzed cotton cloth, used to remove whey from cheese curds, and to help hold the curds together as the cheese is formed.
Chef's knife
Originally used to slice large cuts of beef, it is now the general utility knife for most Western cooks.
Cherry pitter
Olive stoner
Used for the removal of pits (stones) from cherries or olives.
Chinois
Chinoise
Straining substances such as custards, soups and sauces, or to dust food with powder
A conical sieve
Clay pot
A cooking pot made out of clay
Cleaver
Hacking through bone or slicing large vegetables (such as squash). The knife's broad side can also be used for crushing in food preparation (such as garlic).
A large broad bladed knife.
Colander
Used for draining substances cooked in water
A bowl-shaped container with holes, typically made from plastic or metal. It differs from a sieve due to its larger holes, allowing larger pieces of food, such as pasta, to be drained quickly.
Cookie cutter
Biscuit mould, Biscuit cutter, Cookie mould
Shaping biscuit dough
Generally made of metal or plastic, with fairly sharp edges to cut through dough. Some biscuit cutters simply cut through dough that has been rolled flat, others also imprint or mould the dough's surface.
Corkscrew
Pierces and removes a cork from a bottle.
Crab cracker
Lobster cracker
Used to crack the shell of a crab or lobster
A clamping device, similar in design to a nutcracker but larger, with ridges on the inside to grip the shell.[2]
Cutting board
A portable board on which food can be cut.
Usually smaller and lighter than butcher's blocks, generally made from wood or plastic.
Dough scraper
Bench scraper, Scraper, Bench knife
To shape or cut dough, and remove dough from a worksurface
Most dough scrapers consist of handle wide enough to be held in one or two hands, and an equally wide, flat, steel face.
Edible tableware
Tableware, such as plates, glasses, utensils and cutlery, that is edible
Egg piercer
Pierces the air pocket of an eggshell with a small needle to keep the shell from cracking during hard-boiling. If both ends of the shell are pierced, the egg can be blown out while preserving the shell (for crafts).
Egg poacher
Holds a raw egg, and is placed inside a pot of boiling water to poach an egg.
Egg separator
A slotted spoon-like utensil used to separate the yolk of an egg from the egg white.
Egg slicer
Slicing peeled, hard-boiled eggs quickly and evenly.
Consists of a slotted dish for holding the egg and a hinged plate of wires or blades that can be closed to slice.[3]
Egg timer
Used to correctly time the process of boiling eggs.
Historical designs range considerably, from hourglasses, to mechanical or electronic timers, to electronic devices which sense the water temperature and calculate the boiling rate.
Fat separator
Device used to defat or separate fat from stocks or gravies.
Fillet knife
A long, narrow knife with a finely serrated blade, used to slice fine filet cuts of fish or other meat.
Fish scaler
Urokotori
Used to remove the scales from the skin of fish before cooking
Fish slice
Spatula, turner
Used for lifting or turning food during cooking
Flour sifter
Blends flour with other ingredients and aerates it in the process.[4]
Food mill
Used to mash or sieve soft foods.
Typically consists of a bowl, a plate with holes like a colander, and a crank with a bent metal blade which crushes the food and forces it through the holes.
Funnel
Used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening.[2]
A pipe with a wide, conical mouth and a narrow stem.
Garlic press
Presses garlic cloves to create a puree, functioning like a specialized ricer.
Grapefruit knife
Finely serrated knife for separating segments of grapefruit or other citrus fruit.[5]
Grater
Cheese grater, Shredder
Used to grate cheeses, spices, citrus and other foods
Gravy strainer
Gravy separator
A small pouring jug that separates roast meat drippings from melted fat, for making gravy.[2]
Herb chopper
Mezzaluna
Chops or minces raw herbs.
Ladle
A ladle is a type of serving spoon used for soup, stew, or other foods.
Lame
Used to slash the tops of bread loaves in artisan baking.
Lélé
Baton Lélé
A six pronged wooden stick used in Caribbean cooking like a whisk.[6]
Lemon reamer
A juicer with a fluted peak at the end of a short handle, where a half a lemon is pressed to release the juice.
Lemon squeezer
A juicer, similar in function to a lemon reamer, with an attached bowl.
Operated by pressing the fruit against a fluted peak to release the juice into the bowl.
Lobster pick
Lobster fork
A long-handled, narrow pick, used to pull meat out of narrow legs and other parts of a lobster or crab.[2]
Mandoline
A mandoline is used for slicing and for cutting juliennes; with suitable attachments, it can make crinkle-cuts.
Mated colander pot
Multi-pot;[7] multi-cooker[8]]
Boiling pasta, steaming vegetables
A pot and a slightly smaller tightly fitting colander
Measuring cup: DRY
metal or plastic with straight handle. no spout
Measuring cup: LIQUID
Measuring jug,
Measuring jar
The Pyrex-brand traditional measuring cup (the Anchor Hocking-brand look-alike is shown, right) is available in 1 cup (8 ounce), 2 cup (16 ounce), 4 cup (32 ounce) and 8 cup (64 ounce) sizes and includes U.S. customary units in quarter, third, half and two-thirds cup increments, as well as metric units.
Measuring spoon
Typically sold in a set that measures dry or wet ingredients in amounts from 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) up to 1 tablespoon (15 ml).[9]
Meat grinder
Mincer
Operated with a hand-crank, this presses meat through a chopping or pureeing attachment.
Meat tenderiser
Used to tenderize meats in preparation for cooking. Usually shaped like a mallet.
Meat thermometer
Thermometer used to measure the internal temperature of meats and other cooked foods.
Melon baller
Small scoop used to make smooth balls of melon or other fruit, or potatoes.[5]
Mezzaluna
To finely and consistently chop/mince foods, especially herbs.
Microplane
To zest citrus fruits or finely grate hard foods such as cheese.
Milk frother
To make foam or froth in milk for coffee.
Essentially a small battery powered electric mixer.
Mortar and pestle
Molcajete
To crush food, releasing flavours and aromas
Generally made from either porcelain or wood, the mortar is shaped as a bowl. The pestle, generally shaped like a small club, is used to forcefully squeeze ingredients such as herbs against the mortar.[10]
Nutcracker
To crack open the hard outer shell of various nuts.
Nutmeg grater
A small, specialized grating blade for nutmeg.
Oven glove
Oven mitt
To protect hands from burning when handling hot pots or trays.
Pastry bag
To evenly dispense soft substances (doughs, icings, fillings, etc.).
Pastry blender
Cuts into pastry ingredients, such as flour and butter, for blending and mixing while they are in a bowl. It is made of wires curved into a crescent shape and held by a rigid handle.[4]
Pastry brush
Basting brush
To spread oil, juices, sauce or glaze on food.
Some brushes have wooden handles and natural or plastic bristles, whilst others have metal or plastic handles and silicone bristles.
Pastry wheel
Cuts straight or crimped lines through dough for pastry or pasta.
Peel
Pizza shovel
Peeler
Potato peeler
Vegetable peeler
Pepper mill
Burr mill, burr grinder, pepper grinder
Pie bird
Pie vent, pie funnel
Pizza cutter
Pizza slicer
Cuts pizzas into more manageable slices.
Potato ricer
Ricer
Presses very smooth vegetable mashes or purees, operates similar to a meat grinder/mincer.
Poultry shears
Used for dejointing and cutting uncooked poultry; reinforced with a spring, they have one serrated blade and pointed tips.
Roller docker
Used to pierce bread dough, cracker dough, pizza dough or pastry dough to prevent over rising or blistering.
Rolling pin
A long, rounded wooden or marble tool rolled across dough to flatten it.
Scales
Kitchen scales, Weighing scales
Scissors
Kitchen scissors
Scoop
Ice cream scoop
Spider
Sieve, spoon sieve, spoon skimmer, basket skimmer
For removing hot food from a liquid or skimming foam off when making broths
A wide shallow wire-mesh basket with a long handle
Sugar thermometer
Candy thermometer
Measuring the temperature, or stage, of sugar
Tamis
Drum sieve
Used as a strainer, grater, or food mill.
A tamis has a cylindrical edge, made of metal or wood, that supports a disc of fine metal, nylon, or horsehair mesh. Ingredients are pushed through the mesh.
Tin opener
Can opener
To open tins or cans
Designs vary considerably; the earliest tin openers were knives, adapted to open a tin as easily as possible.
Tomato knife
Used to slice through tomatoes.
A small serrated knife.
Tongs
For gripping and lifting. Usually used to move items on hot surfaces, such as barbecues, or to select small or grouped items, such as sugar cubes or salad portions.
Two long arms with a pivot near the handle.
Trussing needle
For pinning, or sewing up, poultry and other meat.[11]
Needle, about 20 cm long and about 3mm in diameter, sometimes with a blade at end for pushing through poultry
Twine
Butcher's twine, Cooking twine, Kitchen string, Kitchen twine
For trussing roasts of meat or poultry.
Twine must be cotton—never synthetic—and must be natural—never bleached—in order to be "food grade".
Whisk
Balloon whisk, gravy whisk, flat whisk, flat coil whisk, bell whisk, and other types.
To blend ingredients smooth, or to incorporate air into a mixture, in a process known as
whisking or
whipping
Most whisks consist of a long, narrow handle with a series of wire loops joined at the end. Whisks are also made from bamboo.
Wooden spoon
For mixing and stirring during cooking and baking.
Zester
For obtaining zest from lemons and other citrus fruit.[5]
A handle and a curved metal end, the top of which is perforated with a row of round holes with sharpened rims
.