The Parisian kitchen
Kitchen Essentials: Tools That Last
French home cooking needs very little equipment, but it needs the right equipment. Here are the tools that make the recipes on this site and in the books easier, faster and more reliable.
Why this selection
Every item on this page was selected for its quality, for two reasons. First, good tools give good food: an evenly baked crust, a silky velouté, madeleines with their little hump. Second, a well-made tool lasts for years, sometimes for generations, instead of ending up in a landfill after a few months. Buying less but buying better is the most Parisian way to stock a kitchen, and the kindest one for the planet.
- Quality first: tools that help you cook dishes you are proud to serve.
- Built to last: cast iron, stainless steel, carbon steel, solid wood and sturdy ceramic, rather than gadgets that break.
- Reusable over disposable: a silicone baking mat instead of rolls of parchment, ceramic pie weights instead of beans, freezer molds instead of plastic bags.
- Trusted by home cooks: every product is highly rated by American home cooks.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them, the price is the same for you and a small commission helps keep the recipes on this site free.
For quiches and savory tarts
A good tart pan and a few pastry tools: that is all a perfect quiche needs.
Wilton Excelle Elite 9-Inch Tart and Quiche Pan
The removable bottom lets you lift the quiche out in one piece, fluted edges intact. The pan for every quiche and savory tart on this site.
See it on AmazonEmile Henry 9-Inch Deep Pie Dish
Burgundy ceramic that spreads the heat gently and goes straight from the oven to the table. A beautiful dish for quiche, and a lovely gift.
See it on AmazonMrs. Anderson's Ceramic Pie Weights
Keep the crust flat while it blind-bakes. Ceramic beads last forever, unlike dried beans you end up throwing away.
See it on AmazonFrench Rolling Pin, 17 Inches
The tapered pin of French kitchens: light, precise and easy to pivot, so you roll a perfect circle of dough.
See it on AmazonOXO Good Grips Dough Blender
Cuts cold butter into flour for a flaky pâte brisée, no food processor needed.
See it on AmazonMrs. Anderson's Tart Tamper
Presses dough into mini muffin cups in two seconds. The trick for fast mini quiches when friends come over.
See it on AmazonWilton 24-Cup Mini Muffin Pan
For bite-size quiches, the favorite French apéro snack.
See it on AmazonLodge 10.25-Inch Cast Iron Skillet
Perfect for a tarte Tatin, sweet or savory: caramelize on the stove, then finish in the oven. Practically indestructible.
See it on AmazonBenriner Mandoline Slicer
Even, thin vegetable slices for the ratatouille tart in a couple of minutes. Always use the guard or a cut-resistant glove.
See it on AmazonCuisinart 8-Cup Food Processor
Makes pâte brisée in 30 seconds and chops the vegetables for a big pot of soup.
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For soups and stews
One heavy pot and a hand blender, and every French soup is within reach.
Lodge Essential Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6 Quart
Enameled cast iron keeps a gentle, even heat, ideal for soups, stews and braises. The best value in enameled cast iron.
See it on AmazonLodge Essential Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 7.5 Quart
The bigger size, for pot-au-feu and for cooking once to eat twice.
See it on AmazonStaub 4-Quart Round Cocotte
French cast iron from a brand born in Alsace. The little spikes under the lid baste the food as it cooks. A pot you will hand down to your children.
See it on AmazonLe Creuset Round Dutch Oven, 5.5 Quart
The iconic French Dutch oven, made in northern France since 1925.
See it on AmazonKitchenAid Variable Speed Hand Blender
Blend a velouté right in the pot: no hot soup to pour into a blender, and one less thing to wash.
See it on AmazonCuisinart 3-Piece Fine Mesh Strainer Set
For a clear pot-au-feu broth, silky soups and sifted flour. Stainless steel, so it will not rust.
See it on AmazonSouper Cubes 1-Cup Freezer Molds
Freeze soup in one-cup portions, pop them out and reheat only what you need. Less waste, and no single-use bags.
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For French cookies and baking
Sturdy pans and reusable mats for golden madeleines and crisp sablés.
USA Pan Nonstick Madeleine Pan
Heavy steel for crisp golden edges and the famous little hump on top.
See it on Amazonde Buyer Madeleine Pan
From a French cookware maker founded in 1830, for those who want the Parisian pastry-shop version.
See it on AmazonNordic Ware Half Sheet with Cooling Grid
Heavy aluminum that does not warp in the oven, plus a grid to cool your cookies. The workhorse of every baker.
See it on AmazonAmazon Basics Silicone Baking Mat
Replaces parchment paper for years. Nothing sticks, and cookies bake evenly.
See it on AmazonAteco Fluted Round Cutters, Graduated Sizes
Stainless steel fluted cutters for sablés and jam window cookies, in every size you need.
See it on AmazonAteco Offset Spatula
Lifts delicate cookies off the sheet and spreads jam or frosting neatly.
See it on AmazonHOTEC Silicone Pastry Brush
Butters madeleine molds and brushes egg wash on puff pastry. Washable, and it never sheds bristles.
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Precision and clever little tools
Small, inexpensive tools that make every recipe easier and more reliable.
OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Kitchen Scale
French bakers weigh everything. It is faster and more accurate than cups, and the pull-out display stays readable under a large bowl.
See it on AmazonThermoWorks ThermoPop 2 Instant-Read Thermometer
Tells you in seconds when a quiche is set (160°F) or a roast is done. No more guessing.
See it on AmazonRubbermaid Oven Thermometer
Many home ovens run 25°F too hot or too cold. This little dial tells you the truth.
See it on AmazonMicroplane Classic Zester
Lemon zest, fresh nutmeg, Parmesan and garlic in a few strokes.
See it on AmazonOXO Good Grips Bench Scraper
Cuts and lifts dough, then clears the counter in one sweep.
See it on AmazonORBLUE Danish Dough Whisk
Mixes thick batters with no lumps and never clogs like a balloon whisk. Wonderful for crêpe batter.
See it on Amazonde Buyer Blue Carbon Steel Crêpe Pan, 9.5 Inches
The kind of pan Parisian crêperies use. Season it once and it becomes naturally nonstick, for life.
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