Andrew’s Favorite Things

You’ve been asking for my favorite gear for years, and I finally created this handy roundup with all my favorites. From woks and knives to salt and coffee, here’s what I actually use in my home kitchen (and beyond). This page contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Books

The Bizarre Truth
Andrew Zimmern’s Field Guide
Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World of Food (YA)
AZ and the Lost City of Ophir

Cooking Utensils

For everyday cooking, I love natural wood utensils and silicone spatulas. When I dig through my cabinets and drawers, I can’t believe how much of my stuff is from OXO Good Grips— they are excellent for basics.

Pot, Pans & Woks

I have A LOT of All-Clad. But I know they can be very expensive. It’s worth investing in a sauce pan, a larger sautee pan and a stock pot. After that, you can kind of pick and choose (though a full set is really nice).

Yoshikawa Black Steel Beijing Wok
Yosukata Blue Round Bottom Wok Pan
Anolon Cookware
Le Creuset Dutch Oven
The All-clad Full Shebang
Joyce Chen Wok
Carbon Steel Pan
GreenPan Non-stick

Knifes & Cutting Boards

Every home cook needs a few quality knives. My go-to knives come from Shun. I have an embarrassing amount of them, but for your average person, I think a good chef’s knife, paring knife, kitchen shears and a serrated knife can do just about any job. Fun extras include a blunt nose nakiri for vegetables (primarily); a santoku (basically an all-purpose chef’s knife); cleaver; boning knife; and a slicer. It’s also worth mentioning Shun’s sister brand, kai, here– a more economical knife brand that’s great quality. Also worth mentioning Coutelier Nola for interesting vintage knives, and Korin for special collector’s items.

Baking Gear

I’m not much of a baker, but when I do, it’s the William Sonoma gold line. It’s the best. Their sheet pans are awesome for roasting vegetables, or doing a sheet pan dinner.

William Sonoma Gold Touch Bakeware

Tools & Gadgets

I personally don’t believe you need a gadget for every task– who even has space for that? But some of my favorites are things that do their job well and last forever. Two favorites shown here: the Zyliss rotary cheese grater (I’ve had mine for 40 years!), and the Peugeot Pepper Mill– I’ve never seen the screws come loose in these, not even with restaurant wear and tear.