On a gluten-free diet, you’ll be preparing a lot of your own food. It needn’t be expensive to stock your kitchen with the essential cookware, and the right items can prevent it from becoming a laborious affair. If you become more invested in the art of cooking, you can grow your supply of gadgets to no end, but below is a list of the basics.

Cast iron skillets ($6-75, depending on the size)
3-4 sizes, ranging from tiny to jumbo. The very small pans do well at sautéing garlic or dry-toasting spices, the middle ones are good for frying eggs or making individual quantities, the larger ones are great for sautéing greens or making stir-fries, and the enormous ones are for cooking for the whole house or entertaining company. Cast iron pans are relatively inexpensive, and will last forever if you care for them well. They won’t deposit toxic chemicals into your food like most other skillets, and they help preserve the nutrient content in your cooking.

Cast iron pot ($30-75)
Big enough for soups or large quantities of grain

1 very sharp, high quality cutting knife ($40-100)
A chef’s knife will become your best friend in the kitchen—well worth the initial investment. I like a Japanese knife made by Caddie, but have some Bandaids on hand until you become an excellent slicer.

Cutting board ($10-40)
Chances are we have one of these around the kitchen, even if we’re not in the habit of cooking. But is it used strictly for gluten-free foods? If not, invest in another.

Powerful blender ($35-250)
Smoothies are a great, nutritious meal on-the-go, or use this to make bean dips, dressings, etc.

Steamer ($7-110)
From the stainless steel flapped kind with holes that you set in a pot to a multi-tiered professional grade rice and vegetable steamer, this might very well become one of your more indispensable kitchen items

Coffee grinder ($10-25)
Even if you don’t drink coffee, this can be used for the powerful punch of fresh-ground spices or to convert any whole grain into flour—presto.

Vegetable peeler ($4-16)
Because the days of stripping potatoes with a dull hand knife are over. Pay a few dollars more for a good blade and comfortable grip—it’s well worth it!

Can opener ($3-5)
For those times when you can’t wait around for a pot of beans to cook.

Rubber grip for opening tightly sealed jars ($2)
There’s nothing worse than a tweaked wrist and a sealed jar of olives you’re needing to get at.

Measuring cups ($8-15)
Especially helpful for grain cooking proportions, and can double as a ladle. Stainless steel is best.

Tongs ($8-14)
For serving salads, flipping meat, plucking vegetables… Again, I recommend stainless steel.

Wooden spoon ($2-6)
Great for everything but the blender

2 Spatulas ($3-10 ea.)
Both the metal kind with slots and the rubber scraper kind

Unbleached Cheese Cloth ($3)
Great to have around for baking, sprouting, and making nut milk

Large glass baking pan ($12-16)
Pyrex or something similar

Colander ($9-25)
The stainless steel kind which stands on its own is easiest to use

Large mixing bowl ($4-15)
Multipurpose

Quart jars ($1.50 ea. or $10-12 for a case)
Great for storing fresh-cooked soups or sauces, or dried grains and beans, and for making herbal infusions or lemonade.

Optional: pepper grinder ($12-50), mortar and pestle ($15-75), smaller paring knife ($3-25), timer ($8-15), food processor ($50-600), handheld immersion blender ($30-100), fruit and vegetable juicer ($80-350), rice cooker, sushi mat, muffin tin, cookie sheet, additional mixing and prep bowls of various sizes ($3-25 ea), and on and on…