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Here are the kitchen tools and equipment every southern cook needs to cook all the basics of Southern Cuisine. Step up your game with these!
You don’t need tons of fancy equipment to make a good meal.
One time, when I lived in Italy, we wanted to make tiramisu. We were so broke we didn’t even have a hand mixer, much less a counter top mixer. My roommate needed to make the whipped cream and so… well… she whipped that junk by hand.
She just sat there and whipped it and we traded in and out occasionally when her hand got tired and then after a good long while we had whipped cream for our tiramisu.
So my point is this… you don’t need a ton of fancy equipment, but you do need a few things to get you by...so you aren’t whipping heavy cream for 30 minutes by hand.
Kitchen Tools And Equipment For The Southern Cook
Here are some basic tools and equipment for your kitchen and how you can use them.
1. Cast Iron Skillet (Handle Covers Included)
There are so many things you can cook in the cast iron skillet. You can do fruit cobblers and cinnamon rolls and veggies and rolls and meats and basically anything you can think of.
We got rid of all our nonstick cookware this year, replaced it with cast iron and some stainless steel, and haven’t looked back.
20+ Easy Fruit Cobbler Recipes
2. Biscuit & Pastry Cutters
No Southern cook’s kitchen tool collection is complete without biscuit cutters. These can double as cookie cutters as well.
Some of the items linked below are biscuit cutters and pastry cutters which will help you cream butter and sugar.
Best Homemade Southern Biscuits
Southern Style Buttermilk Biscuit
3. Ball Jars & Canning Equipment
My grandmother had cans, cans, everywhere. She had cans of tomatoes, cans of corn relish, cans of fruit, cans of veggies, cans, cans, cans, and canning equipment.
She had her own garden for years and that’s how she preserved all her harvest. If you want to can (or even pickle) then here are some of the basic tools you’ll need.
4. Pressure Cookers, Slow Cookers & Air Fryers
Whether you are using an old fashioned pressure cooker or an Instant pot, pressure cookers are staples in the southern cook’s kitchen.
For fall and winter months, and dips year round, slow cookers save the day. And, worth mentioning, that air fryers help you make your southern favorites without all the grease. Iffffff you are into cutting some calories.
5. Bundt Pan
The pound cake is a quintessential Southern dessert and, well, you need a bundt pan to make it happen.
You can make a pound cake in a tube pan if you watch your serving sizes, and you can also make a lot of different types of cakes in the bundt pan.
Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake
6. Deviled Egg Platters & Egg Cookers
I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a church potluck in my life that didn’t have deviled eggs. Also, there are never enough. Like… you want two eggs at least, right? It’s fine, I’ll speak for myself.
Because eggs roll around on normal platters, you typically will want to serve them on a deviled egg platter, specifically if you have to transport them somewhere.
7. Pitchers For Sweet Tea And Other Bev-uh-ra-ges
Every kitchen needs a big ole pitcher. My aunt is a master sweet tea maker and I have countless memories of getting myself a tall glass of sweet tea on ice.
You can fill a pitcher with other stuff too. Like flowers!
8. Casserole Dishes Galore
Any southern cook worth her salt needs some casserole dishes. We make casseroles as the main dish, the side dish, desserts, and – OF COURSE – for all things potluck.
Cheesy Sausage & Croissant Casserole
9. Oyster Knives & Shuckers
Beside my grandpa’s house he had a shelter of sorts we called The Oyster House. True story.
He had a special place to grill oysters and eat them. With tabasco and a saltine, of course, the old school way.
10. Milk Frother & Coffee Must Haves
Who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee? Whether you like it pour over, Keurig, decaf, or from a fancy cappuccino machine… make your own home a refuge.
