Korean cooking utilizes a range of kitchenware, including cast iron pans and griddles, woks, stone pots, earthenware pots, grill pans, chopsticks, rice cookers, and soup spoons. These tools are used for various cooking techniques, such as grilling, stir-frying, deep-frying, boiling, and serving.
Utensils
- Bamboo Skewers: Bamboo skewers are used for grilling barbecue.
- Bamboo Spatulas: A set of large bamboo spatulas, spoons, and forks used.
- Chef’s Knife Set: A chef’s knife set includes a range of knives with different blade shapes and sizes that are essential for chopping, slicing, and dicing.
- Chopsticks: Korean chopsticks, also known as jeotgarak, are longer and thicker than traditional Chinese chopsticks and are used for cooking and eating dishes.
- Measuring Cups/Spoons: These come in many variations for wet and dry measuring. You will need several of each type.
- Rice Scoop: A rice scoop is a flat, wide spoon used for serving and scooping rice.
- Soup Spoons: Korean soup spoons, also known as sujeo, are long, shallow spoons that are used for scooping up soups and stews.
Cookware
- Bungeoppang Mold: A fish-shaped pan used for making bungeoppang.
- Cast Iron Pan: This is essential for Korean barbecue and dishes like Gamjjajun (Korean potato pancakes).
- Earthenware Bowl: An earthenware bowl is a bowl made from clay and glazed with a ceramic finish.
- Earthenware Crock: Earthenware crock is a traditional Korean pot similar to earthenware bowls. It is often used for storing and fermenting foods such as cucumber kimchi.
- Stainless Steel Bowls: A stainless steel bowl is a versatile kitchen bowl that is often used for mixing, marinating, and storing ingredients.
- Stone Bowl: A stone bowl, also known as a dolsot, is a heavy, heat-resistant bowl used for cooking stews like seolleongtang (ox bone soup).
- Wok: A concave pan that is used for stir-frying, deep-frying, and boiling.
Tools
- Bamboo Mat: A bamboo mat is a traditional Korean kitchen tool used for rolling and shaping various dishes, such as kimbap (Korean seaweed rice rolls) and kimchi.
- Cheesecloth: Cheesecloth is a fine, lightweight cloth used for straining liquids and wrapping ingredients.
- Colander: A colander is used for draining liquids from cooked foods, such as rice and noodles.
- Mortar and Pestle: A mortar and pestle is a stone or wood bowl and club used for grinding and crushing ingredients.
- Vegetable Grater: A tool used for grating vegetables such as carrots and radishes.
Appliances
These are staples in cooking Korean food but are not essential. The below items are “nice-to-haves”, not “must-haves”.
- Korean BBQ Grill: A grill plate is a special pan that is used for grilling Korean barbecue.
- Pressure Cooker: An appliance that uses steam to build heat and pressure in an airtight chamber to cook its contents.
- Rice Cooker: An appliance that is used to cook rice and maintain a consistent temperature for perfect rice every time.
- Food Processor: A useful appliance that can chop, emulsify, grate, mix, puree, and shred a wide assortment of ingredients.