We've created a short list of what you need to succeed during the dinner rush hour: Measuring: Trustworthy recipes are nearly fool proof if you measure ingredients accurately. This is why measuring cups and spoons are must-have items in the kitchen. Liquid measuring cups, like those by Pyrex, let you measure oils for salad dressings, milk for pancake batters and other broths for soups and sauces. Dry measuring cups are handy for doling out flour, rice and beans. Self-leveling measuring spoons ensure accuracy every time you measure smaller amounts. Mixing: Mixing bowls are the ultimate kitchen workhorse: they're necessary for combining ingredients into a mixture, they act as a catchall for discarded bits and pieces during preparation and they can also go to the table as serving pieces. Get a set of three nesting mixing bowls in small, medium and large. Stainless steel, glass and melamine all work well for basic prep jobs, but stainless bowls also work as a double boiler when melting chocolate over a saucepan; this saves you from having to buy a specialized gadget for these occasional tasks. Chopping: If you're going to invest in basic cooking tools, knives are a good place to spend a little more for quality. Sharp, good quality knives make food prep easy. Three-piece starter sets can get you through basic cleaning and paring to slicing meats and cutting through tough vegetables and thick bread crusts. A 4-inch paring knife, 6-inch utility knife and 8-inch chef's knife should cover your bases. Cooking: A basic starter cookware set, which includes a sauce pan or two, a stock pot, saute pan and skillet, will fulfill your most basic cooking needs. Save the coating of your non-stick pans by stirring your cooking food with wooden spoons. Round and flat wooden spoons help to stir sauces, deglaze and scrape food from the bottom of pans. Silicone spatulas stand up to scorching heat of the stove and won't stain. Use them for mixing airy batters, stirring tomato sauces and berries that may stain wooden spatulas. | 
