As a professional and home-cook, I have come to appreciate the following utensils and appliances - they make life in the kitchen so much more convenient, and help to save time.

Quality, not quantity should be your guide. A well-made set of 3-4 knives is plenty for a beginner or intermediate home cook. If you want to splurge, by all means check out Korin’s astounding knife collection.

Every kitchen should have at least three knives: The chef’s knife, a serrated knife, and a paring knife. The chef’s knife, usually 8-10 inches long, is the knife I use every day and the workhorse in anyone’s kitchen. It is used for chopping, slicing and dicing, basically it’s the all-purpose knife.