Every serious at-home chef should invest in some good cookware. Yes, you can purchase a mismatched set of pots and pans from yard sales and dollar stores, but the fact of the matter is that you get exactly what you pay for. Instead, spend the extra cash for cast iron pots and pans in a variety of sizes; making sure that the metal is not thin or uneven, which can mess up your cooking time. Also look for pots and pans that are oven-safe, as some recipes will ask you to move foods from the stovetop to the oven.

Cooling Rack

Whether you are making cookies or muffins, chances are that you will need a baker's cooling rack. Cooling racks help to cool items more quickly, since you are removing as much heat from the pan or baking sheet as possible and allow cool air to hit the product from all sides. In many recipes, without a cooling rack, your food will taste burnt or overdone. If you love baking, look for a multi-tiered cooling rack; otherwise, a single cooling rack will get the job done.

Timer

Even if your oven has a built-in timer, consider purchasing a kitchen timer. They are inexpensive and can come in very handy. After all, you may be cooking more than one food item at once, and a single oven timer can't keep track of both. A small kitchen timer can also travel with you, so that you can leave the kitchen and not have to worry about not hearing the buzzer from your oven.

Recipe Binder

Lastly, every home chef should have a recipe binder. As you cook more and more, you will begin to come across recipes you love and want to save. Some will be on small recipe cards, but others will be in magazines or online. You need a binder that can hold all of these recipes, no matter how big or small they may be. Look for a binder with plastic, like a photo album. That way, you can keep the recipe with you at all times while cooking without worrying about spilling something and ruining the recipe. Also look for a binder where you can see both sides of the paper or card you put in the binder, since many recipes are printed on both sides.