May. 06, 2024
Cooking Chinese food does not require a ton of special kitchen tools, and you probably already have many of them. However, there are a few items that are quite important and they can make your cooking so much easier. Below are some of the essential Chinese cooking tools and appliances in my kitchen. I use them very frequently and some of them daily.
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One of the most important Chinese kitchen tools is a pan for making stir fries.
I recommend a large nonstick skillet to anyone who is just starting to learn to cook Chinese food because it is the easiest to master and yields great results. I’ve talked at length about why you should choose a skillet over a wok, and whether you should choose a skillet or a wok depending on your kitchen setup.
Most American kitchens do not have a gas stove, and many gas stoves do not have a high enough BTU output to properly heat up a wok. A skillet has a larger contact surface and heats up better, since it sits closer to the heating source and will be fully in contact with the cooktop if it’s electric or induction.
A nonstick skillet is a great option, because many Chinese stir fries deal with starchy ingredients. For example: marinated meat that contains cornstarch, as well as rice, noodles, and dumplings. If you don’t use a nonstick, it will require more oil and a bit of experience to prevent the food from sticking. Nonstick pans do not have this issue.
Currently I’m using an OXO 12” Nonstick Frying Pan in my kitchen. I like the quality of the pan, but the rim is a bit on the low side for stir frying.
NOTE: Nonstick pans have a shorter lifespan depending on how and how often you use them. The coating will gradually wear off and the pan will eventually start to stick. If you use your nonstick pan frequently (several times a week) with high heat, you will probably need to replace it every three years or so. So you should choose your price point with this in mind.
I highly recommend a large carbon steel skillet if you are a more experienced cook, do not mind using a bit more oil in your dishes, want a pan that will last a lifetime, and/or are concerned about the health effects of nonstick coatings. Check out my post on why you should use a carbon steel pan to cook stir fries.
Some of the most reputable carbon steel skillet manufacturers are De Buyer and Matfer. I’ve been using my De Buyer 12.6” frying pan for years and absolutely love it.
If your goal is to make super authentic tasting Chinese food that has that smoky aroma (wok hei), you might want to consider a flat-bottom wok.
I prefer a flat-bottom wok over a round-bottom one. For a round-bottom wok, you will need a wok ring so the wok will stand on the stove properly, which further increases the distance between the wok and the heating source. A flat-bottom wok usually heats up better.
I love my De Buyer 9.5” Country Chef Pan (it is shaped like a flat-bottom wok) and use it to make simple stir fries for two people. I’ve tried their 12.5” flat bottom wok in the past and loved its performance, but I stopped using it because it was too heavy for me to handle.
Unlike the wood and silicone spatulas that are popular in Western kitchens, the Asian style wok spatula has a sharper edge and lopsided design that helps flip the food and makes it easier to transfer food to a plate.
For a carbon steel or cast iron pan, choose a stainless steel wok turner. For nonstick wok, use a silicone wok turner to avoid damaging the nonstick coating.
A steamer is quite essential in a Chinese kitchen, but I wouldn’t consider it a must-have depending on your cooking style.
If you love dim sum, steamed buns, and other steamed dishes, then you will need a steamer. If you don’t usually cook these types of dishes, you can skip it.
There are two types of steamers: stainless steel and bamboo steamers.
Stainless steel steamer
This is my favorite type of steamer. I have a small kitchen and space is precious. A stainless steel steamer can also double as a large soup pot, which is super convenient.
Bamboo steamer
Bamboo steamers can be stacked, so they are great for steaming a lot of food at the same time. The bamboo steamer lid releases steam better than the stainless steel, so delicate food such as yeasted steamed bread usually comes out better.
The downside of bamboo steamer is its size. Plus, you will need a very large and deep pan (this is usually a wok in China; a very large and deep skillet with a steaming rack will also work) to hold the water and the steamer. The whole setup takes up a lot of space in the kitchen.
No matter which type of steamer you use, you will need parchment paper or steamer cloths to line the steamer, so food like steamed buns and dumplings can sit properly and won’t stick.
Every kitchen has knives, but for cooking Chinese food, a very sharp knife that’s comfortable to hold is super important. No matter whether you are slicing meat, cutting vegetables or mincing aromatics, Chinese cooking involves a lot of knife work. You should shop for a knife that balances well in your hand and is comfortable to hold. It should be sharpened frequently to maintain its edge.
If you only buy one knife, some of the most versatile knives are the chef’s knife, Chinese cleaver, Santoku, and Nakiri.
The Chinese cleaver is usually the default knife in a Chinese home kitchen and it can handle every task from mincing herbs to chopping through chicken bones. For me, I found it a little heavy to handle. And since I’ve adapted my cooking quite a lot since moving to the US (less chopping up whole chickens), I rarely use a cleaver.
The chef’s knife and Santoku have a similar shape and they are extremely versatile. Chef’s knife is usually heavier and longer. Because I’m short and have small hands, I always prefer a Santoku, which is easy for me to maneuver.
My personal favorite knife is a Japanese Nakiri knife, which is shaped like a small cleaver but it is smaller and lighter. It is designed for cutting vegetables, but it’s OK for cutting meat as well.
My favorite knives are Korin Tsuchime Hammered Damascus Santoku and Korin Tsuchime Hammered Damascus Nakiri. Both are well-built beautiful knives that are well priced (they are often out of stock and have a long waitlist).
For a cheaper price range, the Zwilling Chef’s Knife and Global Santoku Knife are great options.
For a slightly higher budget, check out the Miyabi Chef’s Knife and Miyabi Santoku Knife.
Sharpening your knife is as important as the quality of the knife itself, if not more so. I have this brandless cheap knife with a plastic handle. I still keep it in my kitchen, even after collecting many high-end knives after all these years, because it still cuts super well due to proper maintenance.
If you plan to sharpen the knife at home, DO NOT use those knife sharpening stations that have multiple sharpeners embedded on a base. Each knife has its own character and requires different sharpening angles. A sharpening station won’t work properly sometimes and might damage the blade.
If you want to learn how to properly sharpen your knife, check out the how-to videos by Korin Knives and use Japanese water stones. Alternatively, you can also find a knife sharpening service close to you and spend a small fee to keep your knife well maintained.
You should always use a cutting board whenever you pick up your knife. It will protect your blade, it makes cutting easier, and it keeps the knife from slipping, which causes injuries.
My favorite cutting board is the Tenryo Hi-Soft Cutting Board. It uses a high quality synthetic material that is easy on your hand and has a lower impact on the knife. I find it more comfortable to cut and I like that it prolongs the knife’s lifespan, and keeps your hands safe. The downside is, the cutting board will gradually wear and show shallow scratch marks, so you might need to replace it every few years.
Even though I try to reduce the use of plastic products around food, my set of IKEA plastic cutting boards will always have a spot in my kitchen.
Plastic cutting boards are lightweight, have a texture that is not too tough, and the surface has enough grip so the knife doesn’t slip. It also lasts a very long time, is quite cheap to buy, and does not require special maintenance.
I’ve also used bamboo cutting boards and various types of wooden cutting boards, but they are not my favorite.
Bamboo boards are lightweight and quite durable. But they are hard on the knife and the surface can be slippery. Depending on the climate, your bamboo cutting board might crack and need replacement.
Wooden cutting boards are beautiful. But depending on the type of wood, it might be hard on the knife and the surface can be slippery. Wooden cutting boards also require special care such as applying oil to protect the surface. Even with care, wooden boards might crack with heavy usage, or be stored in a climate that’s not suitable for the specific type of wood.
Cooking chopsticks are something I use daily and they are extremely important in a Chinese kitchen. No matter whether you’re using them to flip meat when searing it, trying to fish out ingredients from a hot pot, or removing noodles from a pot of water, cooking chopsticks constantly come in handy.
Alternatively, you can consider a pair of kitchen tongs for these tasks, although they’ll give you less precision. Kitchen tongs are also great for flipping noodles without spilling during a stir fry.
For cooking chopsticks, I prefer ones that are skinny and long, which are lightweight and easier to handle. They should be made of wood and have a natural finish. This way, the surface will have enough grip to prevent the food from slipping. A natural finish is also more durable since the chopsticks continually come in contact with high heat.
A slotted spoon and strainer spider are very useful when you need to remove food from frying oil, pick out ingredients from broth, or transfer dumplings out of boiling water.
A fine mesh skimmer removes scum from the surface of braising / boiling liquid to keep the broth clear. It can also remove small spices from soup and residue from frying oil.
I use a skinny zester to grate garlic and ginger in addition to zesting citrus and grating cheese. I found this type of zester very easy to handle and the blade quite sharp. It creates finely grated aromatics for dumpling fillings and dipping sauces.
Even when you’re not baking, a kitchen scale can be super helpful if you’re not familiar with Chinese cooking. Sometimes ingredients are hard to measure in spoons or cups. For example, dried goods such as mushrooms and lily flowers, as well as vegetables that come in very different sizes such as bok choy. I try my best to measure all my ingredients by weight to prevent confusion.
I love my Zwilling Kitchen Scale. It has a sleek and minimal design, and it comes with a USB charger.
This is not limited to Chinese cooking, but I found the Zwilling Vacuum Sealer and Containers very practical in my kitchen.
Sometimes I use them to store prepped ingredients. A lot of the time I use them to store leftovers or meal prep, because freezing can cause textural changes for certain foods.
Although you can always cook your rice in a regular pot, a rice cooker is a must-have in my kitchen. You can set it and forget it. You don’t need to worry about burning on the bottom. And it cooks brown rice and multigrain rice perfectly every time without soaking. If rice is a staple in your diet, I highly recommend a rice cooker.
I use a Zojirushi Rice Cooker that has multiple functions such as sushi rice and brown rice. I highly recommend the Zojirushi brand no matter which line you pick.
The Zojirushi Kettle is the appliance we use daily to make coffee and tea. It has different temperature settings and keeps the water heated to that setting. Since my husband Thomas and I are heavy tea drinkers, this kettle is a must-have in the kitchen.
If you want something smaller and cheaper, this Cuisinart Electric Kettle is another great option. It also has different temperature settings for various types of tea. It doesn’t keep hot water warm for very long, but it boils very fast.
I love to use my Instant Pot to make congee and beans, and to braise meat. It is essentially a pressure cooker, but I love that you can set it up and forget about it. It is super helpful if you like to cook things in bulk for meal prep. And it is perfect for shortening the cooking time needed for beans and tough cuts of meat.
I rarely use the oven these days since I bought my Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven. I use it to roast vegetables and meat and make fried food without deep frying. Compared to my big oven, an air fryer heats up so much faster, and it cooks faster too. It sears food well and you can reduce the oil you use in your cooking. My air fryer / toaster oven takes quite some space on my counter, but I like the fact that it can hold quite a lot of food so I don’t need to cook in batches.
We use these Chinese cooking tools in our kitchen every day. That said, you don’t absolutely need any of these items to cook from our blog. But if you’re interested in broadening your base of kitchen equipment, here are some of the basic tools that we use and recommend. Not everything here is specifically in the category of Chinese cooking tools, but may be useful to preparing Chinese recipes all the same!
All of our recipes reference this Chinese cooking tools page whenever we use them. We provide detailed directions an how to use these Chinese cooking tools in our recipe posts and when you click on any cooking tool link, it will open this tools page and jump to the specific Chinese cooking tool that is used. Take advantage of this gallery of Chinese cooking equipment and other useful kitchen tools and we are sure you will learn some new skills!
We do have some Amazon links on this page so you can check prices on our recommendations. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This is the most important of the Chinese cooking tools–the charismatic front man of the band, if you will. As many of you probably already know, many Chinese dishes are cooked using a wok, which is a wide and somewhat shallow domed pot that gets wickedly hot when you have a good flame going. Our woks reach temperatures that we’re pretty sure Smoky the Bear wouldn’t approve of. But it’s the high heat that gives food that indescribable, flavorful edge known as “wok hay.”
You’ll also need a handy wok lid for steaming, boiling, and bringing up the temperature for things that need a bit of a longer cooking time. When in doubt, whip out your wok!
Ok, so don’t be tempted to get a non-stick model. At the temperatures required for Chinese cooking, these are of questionable safety. Don’t start a fire, but don’t be afraid to heat that thing up, either! The wok is the heart of any Chinese kitchen. Just make sure you find a good one.
On the left is a picture of a wok similar to the one we have in our NJ kitchen, which you can see in a couple of our recipes, like this fried rice. On the right is a carbon steel set from Amazon, which has some pretty great reviews. Whatever wok you choose, know that you’re making a significant investment! We’ve owned several woks for years and years. Our NJ wok is over 40 years old! Amazon is a great source to shop for anything, woks included so Click HERE to go wok shopping now!
Check our our post on What is the Best Wok to Buy for detailed explanations on selecting and buying a wok and if you decide to go with a carbon steel wok, check out our post on How to Season a Wok to season it before use and tips for daily care to build a non-stick patina!
These days, some ranges come with a big wok burner, which has that bigger flame needed for authentic Chinese cooking. I think we’re the only one we know who has one of these (not everyone wants THAT big a burner on their stove, I’m sure. We’re just crazy. If you want to get an idea of what it looks like, check out this older post). Anyway, if you have a regular-sized gas or electric stove, you may want to consider investing in a wok ring. These aren’t strictly necessary, but helpful nevertheless.
A wok ring sits on top of your existing burner and ensures that your wok won’t slide around while you’re cooking. Personally, we don’t use one and I don’t think it’s all that necessary if you have a cast iron or steel grate on your gas range, but that doesn’t mean it’s not useful. You make the call on this one.
Click HERE to shop for a Steel Wok Ring
Chinese cooking requires a good metal spatula. For most stir-fries you can use any run-of-the-mill implement you have lying around (made out of wood or metal), but for things like fried rice, glutinous rice cakes, or anything you’re making in large amounts that might stick to your wok, it’s handy to have a sturdy metal spatula that really scrapes up the tasty bits on the bottom of the pan and can handle large amounts of food with one flick of your wrist. There is a good traditional spatula and hoak set on Amazon that I think is quite authentic. The 14 inch length is a good size for home use and the ones pictured below are 14″ Stainless Hand-tooled Wok Chuan & Hoak (Spatula & Ladle) Set.
Click HERE to shop for Metal wok spatulas
It’s a bit expensive online so you may want to check your local Asian store where you can check the price and the look and feel for this and many other Chinese cooking tools in person. Prices and availability vary in local stores so Amazon may still be the right way to go if you are like us and love to have things just show up on your doorstep! We found only the metal spatula but no hoak at one of the local stores in NJ.
This Chinese spider/strainer is great for frying or straining and is commonly seen in many Chinatown restaurants. These days, however, any strainer or even a slotted spoon for frying or draining liquid from wontons or dumplings will do just fine. We use a variety of strainers in The Woks of Life kitchen including the traditional Chinese spider pictured below. It’s perfect for scooping egg roll filling out of the wok as you can see in our Egg Roll recipe – just like the Chinese cooking tools used in Chinese restaurants! I am sure you will use it for frying like we do every year when making crispy shrimp chips for Chinese New year!
Click HERE to shop for Chinese Spider and Strainers
These strainers are essential during deep frying to remove fine food bits and particles which may burn and spoil your oil. They also help decant the oil after frying for reuse.
There are many other uses for a very fine mesh strainer, including straining your egg custard mixture when making Hong Kong Egg Tarts—the absolute KEY to a glassy, smooth tart. You’ll be glad you invested in this handy tool when you use it the first time. It also comes in handy for straining stocks and broth and also for keeping your frying oil clean and free of batter particles that tend to burn if left in the oil. Use this fine mesh strainer to strain your oil while you’re frying and definitely after you are done so you have clean oil for your next deep fried dish. The tool pictured below is the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Double Rod Strainer but there are many choices out there that come in different sizes and brands. It’s one of those tools that has very specific uses but when the time comes to use it, you will be happy that you have one in your arsenal!
Click HERE to shop for more fine mesh strainer on Amazon
Without a doubt, this will save you the most headaches in the kitchen and is the most essential of all electronic Chinese cooking tools. Rice cookers these days come in a variety of styles and price points. Some have tons of different settings (for cooking different kinds of rice, porridges, and the like), while others just have an on and off button. Whatever your preference is, one of these babies will make sure you have perfect rice waiting for you every time. Our collective experiences says, save your money and pass on the multi-purpose units and go with a single purpose rice cooker.
Rice cookers really vary and can get very expensive, but this Aroma cooker is a number one best seller on Amazon and is a great value, especially if you’re a first time purchaser! I seriously cooked entire meals on a regular basis in one of these in the corner of my college dorm room. This Aroma 4-Cup (Uncooked) 8-Cup (Cooked) Digital Rice Cooker and Food Steamer works great and is very economically priced!
Tiger brand rice cookers like the one pictured below, Tiger America 10 c. Elec Rice Cooker/Food St ( JNP-1800 ), are some of the best and most reliable–though also pretty pricey! There are so many brands to choose from with different features and sizes so it is definitely worth it to do some browsing and shopping. We have a great post on How to Cook Rice Without a Rice Cooker that is definitely worth the read but pressing a button to get the perfect rice every time without any fussing is definitely worth the purchase!
Click HERE to shop for a Rice Cooker and you will have perfect rice every time!
Get ready for the fall and winter season and order your hot pot today! For more information on this popular Chinese meal, see our Hot Pot How-to page. The sonya hot Pot pictured below – Sonya Shabu Shabu Hot Pot Electric Mongolian Hot Pot W/DIVIDER is a good choice but there are many products to choose from so we encourage you to shop around!
Click HERE to shop for a Chinese Hot Pot!
Everyone will need some skimmers to fish out their food from the hotpot before it disappears into the deep! Be sure you get a set of these for your next Hot Pot meal.
Stainless Steel Wire Skimmer (Qty 10)
A lot of people just think of stir fries when they think of Chinese food, but many dishes involve steaming as well (e.g. steamed fish, buns, shumai, etc., etc.). A metal steaming rack can go in the bottom of a deep pot or in your wok to hold up a heatproof dish full of delicious steamables.
Click HERE to shop for Steel Wire Steaming racks
If you are using your wok to steam a larger plate of fish, then this more shallow rack will likely work better and is worth the money. Before I got this rack, I had to use a couple of bamboo chopsticks at the bottom of the wok to hold the plate. When my dad was young, my grandfather used to use an empty tuna can with the top taken off one side and hole punched on the other. If you’re on a budget or you can’t find one of these, either of those methods works also!
8.3″ Diameter Round Cooker Steamer Rack Stand
The bamboo steamer allows you to make multiple dishes at once by stacking layer upon layer of bamboo racks, requiring only one burner and one wok. Each dish (set in its own rack) can be cooked in its own time, and several layers can be added. One set consists of two racks and one lid, but you can get as many as you need.
We use the steamer most often to steam dumplings and buns. Just place your steamer in the wok, fill the wok with water until it comes up to about half an inch on your steamer. Then line each level of the steamer with a layer of thin napa cabbage leaves or cheese cloth, place the dumplings two inches apart on each tier, and steam to perfection! Once your food is cooked, you also have an instant, impressive serving platter. They come in various sizes. You’re going to want a large one, around 10 inches across. There are a selection of them on Amazon and you can see that they vary in price so happy shopping!
10-Inch Bamboo Steamer Set
For more detailed information in Bamboo steamers and how to care for them, see our post on How to use a Bamboo Steamer.
Judy (aka my mother) has sworn off the use of the microwaves. I’ve given up trying to innocently melt a stick of butter in there or reheat yesterday’s leftovers. I’ve been caught too many times at this point.
So…what’s the best way to reheat things then? For things that need to be crispy, we just heat up the wok, cast iron pan or sauté pan. For most everything else, we use this multi-level steamer to reheat leftovers, including rice, veggies, pasta, lasagna or whatever. It’s actually extremely fast and effective. We also use it steam vegetables, melt butter, and reconstitute old, dried out brown sugar.
It’s a really great tool to have in the house, and it probably is a lot healthier than the microwave oven. Because it’s metal, it’s much easier to clean and maintain than the bamboo steamer, making it perfect for everyday use.
6-Quart 3-Tier Chinese Steamer
For more information on using a metal steamer and how to steam food, see our post on How to Steam Food
Stainless Steel Folding Hot Dish Tongs
Did you ever wonder how you were going to lift a hot plate from your steamer in tight quarters or burning yourself while doing it? This tool makes things a whole lot easier for smaller sized plates and dishes and we use tools like this one often in our kitchen.
Rimobul Asian Kitchen Stainless Steel Folding Hot Dish Plate Bowl Clip Plate Retriever Tongs
Another plate lifter that really works is this interesting looking gadget pictured below. We think it is better than the plier-like tongs that require a strong hand and grip strength to use. Check this one out if you do user a steamer often!
Want more information on Chinese Kitchen Equipment Suppliers? Feel free to contact us.
We think this Blendtec blender is a lifetime blender because unless you take it to China and plug it into a 220 volt outlet by mistake (yup, it did happen and it was scarry!), this could be the last blender you’ll buy. Take it from a family who have gone through multiple blenders that were either not up to the job or just burned out.
Blendtec Total Blender, FourSide Jar, Black
We actually purchased the classic model which works great for frozen fruit and ice smoothies but it also makes short work of making powdered or castor sugar from granulated sugar in a pinch or making whole grain flour from whole grains for our favorite Homemade multi-grain bread and Homemade multi-grain English muffins recipes. The Blendtec classic has an 8 year warranty which is why we purchased it although the newer models do look enticing. Blendtec is definitely a high end blender that got infamous for blending an entire Apple ipad as an advertising stunt. It’s not cheap but worth saving for and is a pleasure to use. Definitely do your research and while we often question ourselves if we should have bought a Vitamix blender, that feeling goes away after we use our Blendtec.
Blendtec Classic 475
These are key for hearty winter stews, soups, and bubbling dishes of eggplant or tofu. They go right from the stove to the table too! So far, it’s best use on our blog in this Hong Kong Clay Pot Rice and the Chicken and mushroom clay pot recipes.
Medium Chinese Clay Pot (2 qt)
Decorative Earthen Pots are also available and double and a more attractive serving vessel. Shown below are one of many varieties and designs available so keep on the look-out for a nice one at your local Asian store, or if you’re traveling abroad in China or Asia! Remember that for any clay or earthen, be sure to soak it fully submerged in water for at least 24 hours before using it. We’re not sure of the science but all of the shop owners we encountered say this step is required before use and it is easy enough to do it.!
Earthen Donabe Clay Pot
Every serious cook needs one of these cast iron roasting pots. I use the term loosely because truthfully, we really don’t “need” most things per se but this pot is definitely the best for stews and cooking Whole Braised Ducks and Soy sauce Chickens. You can even use them to make rustic breads in the oven which a good friend of mine does all of the time. Shown here is an oval pot which we think is more versatile – like braising a whole duck or poaching a whole fish. Do some shopping and investigation on this one because a good enameled pot like this one from Le Creuset is not cheap but one of those items you “need”!
Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 5-Quart Oval French (Dutch) Oven, Cherry
If you plan to make Cantonese Roast Pork Belly or are the ultimate kitchen gadget person, then invest in one of these cool tools, the Orblue manual meat tenderizer!
ORBLUE 48-Blade Stainless Steel Manual Meat Tenderizer – (Black)
The ultimate tool for slicing, dicing, chopping, scraping, and scooping—Chinese-style cleavers have it all. Rather than having a large set of knives of different sizes and shapes, Chinese chefs often just use this ONE tool for everything. It’s all about how you manipulate it to get different results. One fell swoop and it powers through pork bones. After a quick wash, it can slice onions or a block of tofu ever-so-delicately too.
Knife selection can be a very personal choice, and it is always best to buy these things in a store. But if you can’t find one, this model is both economical and useful for more heavy duty chopping, and the low price makes it almost a no-brainer. That said, you absolutely don’t need this knife to cook the dishes on this blog. Most of the cutting that you will do for Chinese cooking can be done with a conventional knife. If you are interested in acquiring one of these, definitely shop around. In a pinch, my dad has used this cleaver to cut kindling…so that should give you an idea of the durability.
WINCO Chinese Cleaver with Stainless Steel Handle
There’s nothing more dangerous in the kitchen than a dull knife! My dad likes to get the sharpening stones out every once in a while but we’ve had this simple knife sharpener for a long time and it does the job quickly and easily for most knives. I’ve seen my dad use it too!
KitchenIQ Edge Grip 2 Stage Knife Sharpener
For those of you who have used a sharpening steel before, we highly recommend this Wusthof model. It has a wider shape instead of the more common round version. This tool is definitely a luxury, but it is worth the money if you are a fanatic like my dad. In my opinion, it’s much easier to use than the round version and is a godsend when you just need a little more edge while you’re working on the cutting board.
Wusthof 10-Inch Diamond Sharpening Steel, Wide
Get a good pair of kitchen shears and you’ll wonder how you lived without it. Trim fish fins, shellfish, cut raw or cooked poultry, or even flowers, quickly and safely. You can maneuver a pair of sharp shears much more effectively and safely than a chef’s knife. Depending on how much cooking you do, our recommendation is to buy a professional one and it will be a pleasure each time you use it and will last you for years! We have used this model below for years, like the simplicity of the design and have really never had the need to sharpen it. It is an essential tool for the avid cook and gardener. We harvest many vegetables and crops with this durable shear every season!
Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twinshear Kitchen Shears, Black
We use multiple colanders in our kitchen and on a busy day we use them all! We have a variety of them that are fine mesh, copper plated, decorative plastic and stainless steel but our colander of choice is stainless steel because it is durable and easy to clean.
CLick HERE to shop for colander or even two!
In the old days and even today, Chinese cooks would use a pine tree cutting board because it was soft and easy on the cleaver and perfect for meats. You may be able to see this today in some Chinese restaurants where they sell roasted meats and cut them to order. A more practical, readily available choice is a large rectangular bamboo cutting board, which is quite versatile, and very easy to clean. The one below that we use is great and has a groove around the board to catch excess liquid before it can drip off the board and onto the counter – very handy!
Extra Large Bamboo Cutting Board – 18×12 with Drip Groove
We have an Ikea garlic press that we bought at the IKEA in Beijing. It’s available on Amazon as well. The price is decent and it works great. It’s the best for avoiding garlicky fingers and I have to say, chopping large amounts of garlic is probably my least favorite kitchen task ever. There is a LOT of garlic involved in Chinese cooking.
Ikea Koncis Garlic Press, Stainless Steel
Okay, okay–technically, most definitely not “Chinese,” but it’s great for grating ginger and garlic, excellent for zesting, and perfect for parmesan cheese. Great for grating ginger and spices, and excellent for zesting, I swear by this thing. It’ll make all your other graters and zesters blush with embarrassment at their inadequacy.
Microplane Classic Zester/Grater
Sometimes you just need a simpler box grater for quick and easy shredding or to grate some ginger. They are inexpensive and essential in the kitchen for quick and easy tasks.
Click HERE to shop for a box grater now!
We have learned over the years that electrics are really worth using for Chinese cooking and we love the Cuisinart processor and have been using one for years. Honestly, the only reason for not taking this out for use is the consequence of cleaning it up so sometimes we just use the traditional box grater or even the microplane!
Click HERE for to shop for a food processor now!
Mandoline slicers are great for slicing large quantities of vegetables or even if you just want thin or julienne slices. They are easy to use and worth the effort although you must be careful when using these sharp tools! Judy uses one often, especially when cooking Sichuan Stir-Fried Potatoes.
Swissmar Borner V-1001 V-Slicer Plus Mandoline
If you are a novice cook or just trying to perfect your knife skills, these gloves may be just what you need in the kitchen to build your confidence. Even professional chefs use them in high stress environments when risks of cutting yourself are high!
NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves – High Performance Level 5 Protection, Food Grade. Size Medium. Free Ebook Included!
This thermometer is an essential tool to ensure that you are deep frying at the right temperatures. I bet you have heard many people say, and this includes my grandmother, “just look at a bamboo chopstick in the oil and when it bubbles, it is the right temperature”, or maybe you’ve heard – “toss a potato in the oil and when it browns, the temperature is right.” These are people speaking from lots of experience in the kitchen and you can definitely go by feel and still get good results but why guess and risk ruining your dish? This is one of the best purchases we have made for frying and it’s very safe with the long design that keeps a good distance from the hot oil. You will be glad you have one after you have used it a few times!
CDN IRL500 InstaRead Deep Fry Turkey Thermometer
This meat thermometer is all you really need for testing internal meat temperatures. It is used by professionals and easy to carry in you pocket, very economical and we have used this one in our kitchen for years. Follow the link below to check it out on Amazon and you’ll also see a slew of fancier electronic ones if you’re a techno gadget person! It’s an essential tool for serious cooks, just like the deep dry thermometer shown above so go out and get one now.
Taylor Precision Products Classic Instant Read Pocket Thermometer
We love using sheet pans at home because they are so versatile and useful and the professionals can’t be wrong. Every commercial kitchen uses sheet pans but at home a half sheet pan is the perfect size with many uses. First, this aluminum pan is perfect for making any cookies or any of our Chinese Bakery or milk bread recipes and we have been using it for years. Second, add a roasting rack and it is perfect for roasting Chinese spare ribs, chicken wings, Roast pork or even small roasts that require the meat to be elevated and roasted above a little water rather than sit in the pan. The edges are an inch high so nothing runs off the pan. Buy yourself some heavy duty foil to line the pan, roast away, discard the foil and you’re done! Our third favorite use is to use it for dredging or cooling fried items where oil is easily drained. Just place a folded kitchen towel on one side and any excess oil flows to one side and your food is free of excess oil!
We have three of these pans and on a good cooking day, they are all out and being used!
Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet
This stainless steel cooling rack is an essential tool that goes hand-in-hand with your sheet pans. Use as a cooling rack for all of your baked goods or together with your half sheet pan and you have the perfect roasting setup to make your roasted meats. The 10 x 15 size fits nicely into a half sheet pan with just enough space around the edges to make your roasting setup easy to handle. The stainless steel finish is long lasting and easy to clean and you’ll wonder what took you so long to acquire this rack and a half sheet pan for your kitchen!
Stainless Steel Cooling Rack – 10 Inches X 15 Inches Heavy Duty, Commercial, Metal Wire Grid Rack
These aluminum tart tins are just awesome for making Hong Kong egg tarts. We used to save up our tins, wash them and reuse them for baking which is a good frugal practice but purchasing a batch of these for making Hong Kong Egg Tarts or any other mini tart recipe is truly worth the money!
Sealike 250 Pcs Disposable Baking Circular Egg Tart Tins Mold Mould Makers Cake Cups Foil Tart Pie Pans with Stylus
This Kitchen Aid Stand mixer is an essential tool that you must save up for if you are a serous cook, baker, foodie, and if you want to make our milk bread and the best chocolate cake recipe you have ever had! We own an older model for over 20 years now and it is still going so not much else to say other than we highly recommend it. There are lots of models out there and you may be tempted to go with a cheaper model but we are really happy that we went with the professional series stand mixer that has the arm to lower and raise the bowl. It is totally worth the cabinet space needed to store it or you can buy one of the twenty-four colors that it comes in and leave it out on your counter for all to marvel at!
KitchenAid KP26M1XWH 6-Qt. Professional 600 Series – White
Now this inn’t Chinese either but it is great for measuring ingredients and especially if you are looking at recipes of international origin. We use this scale almost every time we cook whether it is for measuring meats or for baking. The scale has a great feature to zero out the plate or container. Just set the container on top of the scale, hit the button and you’re at zero and you can now add ingredients into the container or onto the plate. It doesn’t sound like much but it is key and this scale is a bargain. Get one and you’ll wonder how you were cooking without it!
Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale, Elegant Black
A mortar and pestle is an incredibly useful tool in the kitchen. It’s a necessity for quickly crushing spices like cumin and peppercorns (check out this recipe for chili cumin Beijing lamb skewers!) and pulverizing garlic, onions, and herbs. Believe me, once you have this tool in your kitchen, you will find countless uses and wonder how you lived without it for so long.
White Marble Mortar and Pestle
We recently added this larger granite one for heavy duty grinding. It makes things quite a bit easier!
Cole & Mason Granite Mortar and Pestle, 5.5-Inch, Black
We have been using different types of vegetable brushes for years now for potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and the list goes on. It’s inexpensive and cleans your veggies and fruits removing any residual pesticides better than just rinsing over water. You want one of these inexpensive items and it’s a great item to add to your order to put you into the free shipping realm. Purchase one for your loved ones and they will appreciate it.
OXO Good Grips Flexible Vegetable Brush
Need we explain? The ultimate utensil—they can pick up anything from a single grain of rice to an entire chicken (it’s tricky, but it can be done). Expand your utensil horizons or at least you can have a set for eating any Asian meals!
We like the bamboo and wood versions over the slippery metal and plastic composite versions. They are a bit more of hassle to clean than the smooth metal and plastic, but they just feel so much more comfortable in the hand and even the most skilled practitioner could get frustrated with them. I know that a lot of Koreans would argue with me on this one but hey. I’m Chinese. Give me my bamboo, and I’m happy.
As my dad’s old friend Ben Williams used to say, “Damn, Bill! You use those sticks for everything!”
9-Inch Burnished Bamboo Chopsticks, 5-Pair
These handy bamboo skewers are great for grilling. Skewer your shrimp for your Shrimp Tacos and use them for a Beijing favorite – Spicy lamb skewers – Yangrou Chuan on the grill. Just remember to soak them overnight for best results before using them or they will burn on the grill.
Farberware 75 Count BBQ Bamboo Skewers, 12-Inch, Natural
Great for everyday stirring and mixing needs. They don’t absorb flavors, colors, and liquids as easily as your average wooden spoon (I still have a wooden spoon that’s all splotchy pink from a beet salad), and don’t conduct all the heat from your wok like your metal spatula. We use these bamboo utensils interchangeably with the wok spatula and at times even prefer them over the metal ones for stir-fry.
Set of 6 Bamboo Kitchen Tools, in Mesh Bag
You probably have one of these already in your kitchen but if not, you should pick one up so you can make a whole lot of scallion pancakes and buns. For regular baking,We like using the tapered French-style rolling pins rather than the traditional American-style rolling pins with handles. They just allow a lot more flexibility. For Chinese recipes (jobs like rolling dumpling wrappers or steamed bun dough), we prefer a Chinese-style rolling pin, which also doesn’t have handles, and is a lot smaller than a European or American rolling pin. It’s about 1-inch thick all the way across, and 11 inches long, for easier maneuvering.
Rolling Pin
If you buy a rice cooker, it will come with a rice paddle–usually made of plastic. These allow you to spoon out your rice without scratching the surface of the rice cooker bowl. They also are less likely than a typical spoon to get big hunks of rice stuck to them. If you lose yours or don’t like using plastic, you can pick up a bamboo rice paddle at most kitchen stores.
Asian Kitchen 9-inch Bamboo Rice Paddle
Canning jars are great for storing chicken stock, tomato sauce or anything else you can think of. Heck, you can even make loads of Hot chili Oil! If you ever tried the stuff, you may need these large jars but probably you want a smaller size. We use these jars all of the time for canning tomatoes after a summer harvest and storing beef stock for Pho or Lanzhou Spicy Beef Noodles, sauce we use for our Soy Sauce Chicken or just plain old homemade chicken stock.
Ok, so these aren’t Chinese tools, but after the wok, cast iron pans are probably the most-used cookware in our kitchen today. We started using cast iron when we got fed up with buying and throwing away scratched non-stick pans. We cook so often that we need something that’s going to really last. Plus, once your cast iron pan is nice and seasoned, it’s practically non-stick anyway! Perfect for pan-frying buns, dumplings, and scallion pancakes. Durability and versatility.
We’ve purchased non-stick pans that were supposedly high quality ($$$) products, but because we could never heat them over a certain temperature, they weren’t always usable for what we wanted to cook. And even the quality ones–no matter how much vigilance we employed in not letting metal spatulas ever graze their surface–would end up chipped and dinged, with the nonstick material flaking off. Maybe we weren’t the best at caring for those pans, but let’s put it this way, your frying pan shouldn’t really require kid gloves, should it? Cooking is messy business, and cast iron can take anything we throw at it. AND it’s a plus that these pans will pretty much last forever. I for one, look forward to passing these babies down to some great grandchildren or something.
Here are some basic tips for caring for your cast iron cookware, which is similar to caring for a carbon steel wok:
Okay, so there are a lot of different brands, models, and sizes out there. For us, we have three main ones that we like using:
These are key for sipping your soups and porridges without burning your tongue. They’re also the perfect size to cradle a wonton or a soup dumpling. Plus, they’re prettttyyy.
Chinese Blue And White Porcelain Style Asian Soup Spoons (Set of 4)
Serve up a heaping mound of rice in one of these bowls and just keep adding bits of food as you go along. It’s different from the American style of piling up your plate first and then digging in. They’re also a handy size for preparing ingredients before throwing them into your wok. It’s the ramekin of the Chinese food world.
Chinese Style Rice Bowls
That’s most of what we use in the kitchen to crank out our recipes folks! Questions about anything you see here? Comment below!
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