8 Korean Cookware Items You Need

Korean cuisine is very different from others; the way you prepare and cook require various cookery tools to end up with the best results.

You could try and use standard utensils and cookware; however, you will find the experience trickier, and the results will not be as good as they could be.

We take a look at some of the top Korean cookware you will need to make the most delicious dishes!

1. Rice Cooker

Rice features in almost all Korean dishes, so having a device that can cook it perfectly is a good idea! Y

es, you could just cook rice on the hob, but a rice cooker can make the process simpler and also it can keep the rice warm until you are ready to plate everything up and eat.

It is recommended that you purchase a rice cooker that has the capacity of at least four cups; this is so you can get the most out of it.

2. Bamboo Mats

You could argue that bamboo mats aren’t essential, however, if you are a big lover of gimbap (seaweed rice roll) you will find making your own far easier if you have one of these!

You will find that when using a bamboo mat, your rolls will be far more compact and tighter, therefore creating a better dish.

3. Wok

Having a wok-style frying pan is essential for cooking Korean cuisine! Dishes such as bulgogi or japchae noodles can be prepared with ease in a wok because you can toss the food effortlessly.

Woks are great for high-heat cooking and dishes that involve a sauce because tossing the food allows all the contents to get some flavouring.

4. Large Mixing Bowls

Typically found in most kitchens, large mixing bowls are handy for all aspects of cooking, especially with Korean dishes.

A lot of Korean dishes require marinating, so having large bowls to use for this process is very handy! Furthermore, it goes without saying that they are useful when mixing together ingredients. Having a large bowl allows for bigger quantities and also limits the amount of mess made.

5. Vegetable Peeler

Korean cuisine involves a lot of vegetables, so it is recommended, to make your life easier, you have a peeler. Using a vegetable peeler can speed up the preparation process, and therefore you can get cooking quicker!

Using a knife to peel on vegetables such as carrots or potatoes can be quite dangerous, using a vegetable peeler eliminates the possibility of you cutting yourself.

6. Cast-Iron Skillet

In a lot of Korean dishes, frying is required in the cooking process. Cast-iron skillets evenly disperse the heat and therefore cooks the food more evenly. By cooking the ingredients more evenly, vegetables cook quicker and meat often browns better.

Using a cast-iron skillet for Korean dishes will make the process simpler, and food taste better!

7. Grater

Some ingredients in Korean dishes need to be incredibly fine, so using a grate is possibly the easiest way to achieve this. You can use a grater to chop ginger or garlic finely, but it can also be used for fruit and vegetables, it is so multipurpose!

Overall, a grater is a convenient tool to have in your kitchen as you will likely use it for most dishes.

8. Mortar and Pestle

Having a mortar and pestle in your cookware collection is useful because it can breakdown tough ingredients but also blend flavours. For example, garlic is used frequently throughout Korean dishes, and it can be a tedious task trying to chop it finely; if you use a mortar and pestle, this process can be much more straightforward and less time-consuming.

When it comes to using the tool to blend flavours, you can mush together a combination of spices to create the perfect marinade for your meat.

With this list, you should be able to fully equip your kitchen to start your Korean cooking. All you need now is ingredients!

Why not check out our online Korean supermarket to source your ingredients?