Welcome back to our column A Cut Above where we share important cooking techniques and tips to help you get the most out of your HelloFresh cooking experience and become a master in the kitchen! Today we’re talking kitchen essentials. You really only need a few staple items to pull together a well crafted meal, so get rid of all that clutter and read on for our must-have kitchen tools!

Chef’s Knife – Your knife is the starting point to nearly every meal you will prepare – from chopping vegetables to slicing meats or carving a turkey, so make sure it’s a good one! And be sure to keep it nice and sharp – a dull knife is a hazard to your fingers!

Paring Knife – The paring knife is key to more detailed cutting work, like peeling fruit or segmenting citrus.

Wooden Spoon – A hearty wooden spoon will become your old friend in the kitchen. They last forever and you’ll use it in everything from sautéing to baking.

Microplane Grater – A Microplane Grater works like magic. Really. It makes zesting citrus, grating cheese, garlic or nutmeg a total breeze. Seriously, it’s a game changer!

Photo credits: Crate & Barrel , Chef’s Catalog, Target, Crate & Barrel