The Sun Basket Guide to Kitchen Tools

You won’t need a lot of fancy equipment to cook Sun Basket meals. Most of our recipes can be made with just a pan and a couple of simple tools. Here’s a list of our kitchen must-haves, all with a few not-completely-necessary items that can be nice to have on hand. 

Must Haves: 

Bowls: Sun Basket recipes call for three sizes of bowls

Small bowl: 1 quart
Medium bowl: 3 quarts 
Large bowl: 5 quarts 

Colander: You’ll need this for rinsing grains and beans, and straining pastas. 

Cutting Board: Wooden or plastic are both great options, but get a big one—at least 15-x-20 inches—so you have plenty of room to work. 

Fine-Mesh Strainer: For rinsing and straining smaller grains and pastas such as quinoa, orzo, and couscous.

Knives: Invest in a good-quality 8-inch chef’s knife and keep it sharp. This is the single most important thing you can do to make cooking easy and enjoyable. A paring knife is not essential, but it’s a great tool to have around. 

Peeler: For peeling potatoes and other vegetables. 

Pots and Pans: Cast-iron and stainless steel make the best pans. They retain heat well, are easy to clean, and last a long time. Non-stick pans are great for cooking eggs and fish. Just make sure you choose one that’s made from a material that won’t break down at high temperatures. 

Small frying pan: 8 inches
Medium frying pan: 10 inches
Large frying pan: 12 inches 

Small sauce pot: 2 quart
Medium sauce pot: 4 quart
Large sauce pot: 6 quart

Sheet pan: An 18-x-13 inch sheet pan is a kitchen work horse. Use it for roasting vegetables and proteins. 

Nice to Have: 

Fine-toothed grater: A rasp grater makes quick work of grating ginger, garlic, and citrus zest. Much easier than mincing the seasonings with a knife. 

Juicer: Not essential—you can squeeze citrus with your hands, or twist a fork into the cut fruit to get the juice out, but a hinged Mexican juicer is good to have on hand.