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Updated on Apr 26, 2022

20 Basic Things You Need In Your Kitchen To Make Awesome Asian Foods

Whether you're a pro chef or an aspiring amateur, you'll want these handy tools in your kitchen to make all kinds of tasty Asian food.

by Allison Jiang

BuzzFeed Staff

While BuzzFeed celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), we also believe in celebrating the contributions from Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders year-round. Please enjoy this APAHM-themed product post from BuzzFeed Shopping, the entrepreneurs who create these great products and services, and know that you can enjoy these businesses well beyond this wonderful, dedicated month.

1. A rice cooker that every Asian family knows is the daddy of all rice cookers. Zojirushi rice cookers have a reputation for making perfect rice every time and I can say that they are worth every penny.

model hang lifting the rice cooker by handle

reviewer photo collage of white rice and salmon, and rice cooker with lid open and lid closer

2. A terracotta steamer basket set you can use to cook stone-pot bibimbap, steamed dim sum, and dozens of other yummy options. The options are endless when you can steam and boil at the same time!

steamer basket, extended steamer basket, and ceramic bowl on table

3. A hot pot and shabu-shabu pot with a divider so you can enjoy two different soup bases at the same time.

pot full of two different hot pot bases, with lid and ladles

reviewer photo of pot with hot pot ingredients set up

4. A soy milk maker for anyone craving a classic Chinese breakfast or just looking for an easy way to make a delicious milk alternative.

reviewer photo of creamy soy milk being poured into a glass

5. And then a tofu press to make delicious tofu from your soybean curds (because, fun fact, tofu is just coagulated soy milk).

turquoise tofu press with tofu inside, as well as the lid and included cheesecloth

reviewer collage photo of tofu press on top with block of pressed tofu on bottom

6. A personal electric noodle cooker (and oatmeal cooker, pasta cooker, and egg cooker) that's both adorable and functional.

reviewer photo of pink pot surrounded by shabu-shabu ingredients on table

pink small noodle boiler with noodles inside

7. A sustainable bamboo bento box guaranteed to make your lunches about a million times cuter.

yellow, black, and red bento boxes stacked, with a bento box full of apples on the right

8. A noodle strainer that will make cooking them so easy you can finally live out your dreams of eating noodles for every meal.

person using noodle strainer to take noodles out of a pot

reviewer photo using spider strainer to strain out fried dough out of pot of oil

9. A tamagoyaki pan for making the perfect fluffy Japanese rolled omelette every time.

person using tamagoyaki pan to make omelette

reviewer photo of Japanese rolled omelette

10. A little ramen pot perfect for when those cravings hit after a night out (or, let's be honest, in the middle of the day).

ramen pot bubbling on stove with ramen in the pot

11. A rolling mat, because lord knows I'm tired of ordering expensive sushi and kimbap when I could just make it at home.

the rolling mat rolling up sushi, with circular offsets to the side explaining its features

reviewer photo of fried sushi burrito with container of sauce, with captions "YASSS DADDYYY" and "Fried sushi burrito"

12. A pair of enormous cooking chopsticks that you can use for stirring, serving, plating, pretending you're a giant, or whatever else floats your boat.

model using long cooking chopsticks to make shrimp tempera

13. A sturdy granite mortar and pestle set for when you want to make a spicy Thai dipping sauce and want to get an arm workout in at the same time.

granite mortar and pestle on chopping board with basil, lime, and tomatoes

14. A hand-hammered wok constructed from carbon steel so you can whip up a stir-fry in no time. Crank that heat baby!

Mammafong® / Etsy

Mammafong® is an AAPI-owned, woman-owned small business based in Sydney, Australia, that makes carbon steel woks and cookware. This wok is pre-seasoned, which means that it comes with a nonstick coating of natural oils that will build up flavor as you cook.

Promising review: "I’ve been looking for a quality carbon steel wok for a while and when I found this one on Etsy of all places, I was pretty excited to say the least. I’ve used it once so far and can tell this wok will be a staple for my cooking. It worked incredibly well for a stir-fry, even on my not-very-high-output range that only has heating coils. I purchased the pre-seasoned wok and was able to cook with it right away. Overall I highly recommend this wok to anyone who is interested in learning to cook with one (especially if you have nice gas burners!)." —Lily Meronek

Get it from Mammafong® on Etsy for $72.99.

15. A small-batch Vietnamese chili sauce that's perfect if you insist on making everything spicy (aka me).

two jars of chili sauce with spoon on it, garlic and chilies surrounding

16. A household induction cooktop that's safer than a gas burner and strong enough to boil hot pot or sizzle meat right in your house.

reviewer photo of hot pot with two different soups on cooktop, surrounded by lots of different hot pot ingredients (meat, shrimp, mushrooms, tofu)

17. An at-home Korean BBQ grill with MOATS ON THE SIDE for anything you want (cheese).

product image of Korean BBQ meats and vegetables on pan and melted cheese in moats on side

reviewer bird's-eye view photo of Korean BBQ meat, kimchi, and vegetables on pan with cheese in moats on side

18. A tava griddle for making rotis, dosas, parathas, or any other flat tasty treat — it works on any kind of cooktop.

reviewer photo of two tawa griddles cooking pancakes

19. A compact and affordable knife sharpener, because chopping up eight cloves of garlic for your garlic rice with a dull knife is pure torture.

model sharpening knife in sharpener, tomatoes in background

20. A kimchi container that you can use as a safe home for all your homemade pickling experiments.

product image showing the clear interior of the container

You, after making a four-course Asian meal just for yourself:

Kim's Convenience / Netflix

For even more awesome kitchen product recommendations, you can check out "39 Kitchen Products That Actually Do What They Say They Will."

Browse links

20 Basic Things You Need In Your Kitchen To Make Awesome Asian Foods

1. A rice cooker that every Asian family knows is the daddy of all rice cookers. Zojirushi rice cookers have a reputation for making perfect rice every time and I can say that they are worth every penny.

2. A terracotta steamer basket set you can use to cook stone-pot bibimbap, steamed dim sum, and dozens of other yummy options. The options are endless when you can steam and boil at the same time!

3. A hot pot and shabu-shabu pot with a divider so you can enjoy two different soup bases at the same time.

4. A soy milk maker for anyone craving a classic Chinese breakfast or just looking for an easy way to make a delicious milk alternative.

5. And then a tofu press to make delicious tofu from your soybean curds (because, fun fact, tofu is just coagulated soy milk).

6. A personal electric noodle cooker (and oatmeal cooker, pasta cooker, and egg cooker) that's both adorable and functional.

7. A sustainable bamboo bento box guaranteed to make your lunches about a million times cuter.

8. A noodle strainer that will make cooking them so easy you can finally live out your dreams of eating noodles for every meal.

9. A tamagoyaki pan for making the perfect fluffy Japanese rolled omelette every time.

10. A little ramen pot perfect for when those cravings hit after a night out (or, let's be honest, in the middle of the day).

11. A rolling mat, because lord knows I'm tired of ordering expensive sushi and kimbap when I could just make it at home.

12. A pair of enormous cooking chopsticks that you can use for stirring, serving, plating, pretending you're a giant, or whatever else floats your boat.

13. A sturdy granite mortar and pestle set for when you want to make a spicy Thai dipping sauce and want to get an arm workout in at the same time.

14. A hand-hammered wok constructed from carbon steel so you can whip up a stir-fry in no time. Crank that heat baby!

15. A small-batch Vietnamese chili sauce that's perfect if you insist on making everything spicy (aka me).

16. A household induction cooktop that's safer than a gas burner and strong enough to boil hot pot or sizzle meat right in your house.

17. An at-home Korean BBQ grill with MOATS ON THE SIDE for anything you want (cheese).

18. A tava griddle for making rotis, dosas, parathas, or any other flat tasty treat — it works on any kind of cooktop.

19. A compact and affordable knife sharpener, because chopping up eight cloves of garlic for your garlic rice with a dull knife is pure torture.

20. A kimchi container that you can use as a safe home for all your homemade pickling experiments.

You, after making a four-course Asian meal just for yourself:

Also, feel free to enjoy all of BuzzFeed's APAHM 2021 coverage!

20 Basic Things You Need In Your Kitchen To Make Awesome Asian Foods

1. A rice cooker that every Asian family knows is the daddy of all rice cookers. Zojirushi rice cookers have a reputation for making perfect rice every time and I can say that they are worth every penny.

2. A terracotta steamer basket set you can use to cook stone-pot bibimbap, steamed dim sum, and dozens of other yummy options. The options are endless when you can steam and boil at the same time!

3. A hot pot and shabu-shabu pot with a divider so you can enjoy two different soup bases at the same time.

4. A soy milk maker for anyone craving a classic Chinese breakfast or just looking for an easy way to make a delicious milk alternative.

5. And then a tofu press to make delicious tofu from your soybean curds (because, fun fact, tofu is just coagulated soy milk).

6. A personal electric noodle cooker (and oatmeal cooker, pasta cooker, and egg cooker) that's both adorable and functional.

7. A sustainable bamboo bento box guaranteed to make your lunches about a million times cuter.

8. A noodle strainer that will make cooking them so easy you can finally live out your dreams of eating noodles for every meal.

9. A tamagoyaki pan for making the perfect fluffy Japanese rolled omelette every time.

10. A little ramen pot perfect for when those cravings hit after a night out (or, let's be honest, in the middle of the day).

11. A rolling mat, because lord knows I'm tired of ordering expensive sushi and kimbap when I could just make it at home.

12. A pair of enormous cooking chopsticks that you can use for stirring, serving, plating, pretending you're a giant, or whatever else floats your boat.

13. A sturdy granite mortar and pestle set for when you want to make a spicy Thai dipping sauce and want to get an arm workout in at the same time.

14. A hand-hammered wok constructed from carbon steel so you can whip up a stir-fry in no time. Crank that heat baby!

15. A small-batch Vietnamese chili sauce that's perfect if you insist on making everything spicy (aka me).

16. A household induction cooktop that's safer than a gas burner and strong enough to boil hot pot or sizzle meat right in your house.

17. An at-home Korean BBQ grill with MOATS ON THE SIDE for anything you want (cheese).

18. A tava griddle for making rotis, dosas, parathas, or any other flat tasty treat — it works on any kind of cooktop.

19. A compact and affordable knife sharpener, because chopping up eight cloves of garlic for your garlic rice with a dull knife is pure torture.

20. A kimchi container that you can use as a safe home for all your homemade pickling experiments.

You, after making a four-course Asian meal just for yourself:

Also, feel free to enjoy all of BuzzFeed's APAHM 2021 coverage!

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