This may sound strange, but some products can actually cut down the amount of waste you produce. Now, don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t negate the cold hard facts about overconsumption. I’ll continue to preach about lowering our consumption but with that comes making better purchases for things – even kitchen utensils – to lower your overall impact on the planet long-term.
As someone who cooks a lot and also cares about the planet, I’ve found there are plenty of kitchen utensils that’ll help you cook in a more eco-friendly way. These items are great to have, but not everything on the list is mandatory – just ideas if you have a reason to need them and helpful to ensure your utensils last! With that said, let’s talk about my recommendations for kitchen utensils that can help you be more sustainable.
A good knife
Investing in a good chef’s knife is pivotal for anyone who cooks but also for those with sustainability in mind. With proper care, a good chef’s knife can last a lifetime! Plus, it’ll make cooking prep far easier, equaling less food waste and a greater inclination to cook at home (meaning less waste from prepacked or take-out foods too!). Furthermore, a good knife is safer too because you exert less force when cutting. So this is something I highly recommend investing in.
A cast iron pan
If I could only have one cooking pan, it’d be a large cast iron skillet! Cast iron pans are sturdy, multipurpose, non-toxic, and much easier to care for than people make them out to be. You can use cast iron for just about anything – from baking to everyday cooking. Plus, with proper care, it’ll last you more than a lifetime. Although maintenance is key, you can totally wash your cast iron with soap and water. After washing, thoroughly dry and re-oil your pan and every so often do an actual re-seasoning and you’ll be good to go.
A Good vegetable peeler
In tandem with investing in a good knife, investing in a good peeler is also a low-impact kitchen utensil choice. Not only will it help speed up cooking prep time, but it can help diversify how you can eat certain foods which is a big help in increasing the likelihood of cooking at home and using up all your produce. Plus, peelers help make foods more palatable if you’re wary of certain textures or produce irregularities. In the end, with a good peeler, you can cut down on prepacked food and lower food waste.
glass baking pan
Glass baking pans or baking dishes are naturally non-porous and nonstick, so when cooking with these you won’t have to line with baking paper, and clean-up is a breeze. It’s also a versatile item, allowing you to cook a wide array of things. Glass baking dishes also retain heat well, making them perfect for family dinners or keeping desserts warm. They won’t rust like metal pans and are oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe. Overall, this is a great item to have that will last a long time if you like baking, making casseroles, or roasting without having to use single-use products to do so.
A good muffin tin
A good muffin tin is a must for baking, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to salvage cupcakes that don’t come out of the pan clean! Not fun. Although choosing the right muffin tin will vary from person to person, I highly recommend researching and investing in a quality muffin tin. Baked goods will be much easier to take out of the pan, you won’t need to line it with anything, and it’ll last a long time. Cast iron, ceramic or ceramic coated, and stoneware are what I’ve found myself liking the most, but there are stainless steel and non-reactive aluminum options that are great too.
Silicone baking mat
A staple for any zero-waste home chef and for good reason! Having a reusable baking mat eliminates your need for single-use baking paper while also not limiting you to cooking things that won’t stick on your sheet pan. In general, a silicone baking mat will also help preserve the life of said sheet pan by helping make the clean-up process smoother (aka gentler!) so you won’t find yourself buying new sheet pans often. Plus, you can use the silicone baking mat for nonbaked things too – like chocolate-covered fruit or fruit leathers – so it’s a great multipurpose item as well.
Wooden Spoon
Less intuitive as being a sustainable option, but a 100% wooden or bamboo spoon is a great eco-friendly kitchen utensil. They aren’t abrasive on cooking surfaces – so gentler on your pans! Plus, they can be composted when worn down enough to require retirement. I have a set of bamboo spoons that have lasted well over 8 years at this point and are still going strong! They’re cheap, will outlast any plastic alternatives, won’t melt in the heat, and will last you forever with proper care.
Pastry brush
A pastry brush isn’t a mandatory kitchen utensil but having one is definitely a game changer. I prefer silicone pastry brushes and find they last a long time and have great functionality. They’re multipurpose, you can do things like cover cakes with simple syrup and grease pans. But having a pastry brush eliminates the need to buy aerosol oil sprays too! Put a little oil in a cup and wipe the oil over whatever you’re cooking instead and you’ll wonder why you ever needed a spray. Less waste and better cooking game – a win-win.
Shop smarter and invest in kitchen utensils that'll last.
Having these tools not only makes my life easier but it also cuts down on potential waste across the board. They’re not 100% necessary by any means, but if you like to cook or want to cut down on single-use products these kitchen utensils are worth the investment. We can shop smarter and invest in things that will serve us well without doing as much harm to our planet!