There are a few things every person should have in their kitchen. As you move out of the dorms this summer, or graduate and move to an apartment with friends, you may want to consider getting some of these tools. They’ll help you cook up some healthy meals. Here are the first five (the last five will be posted next Tuesday):

• 8” or 10” Chef’s Knife: This is perhaps the most important kitchen tool. A chef’s knife is needed to mince, dice, chop, and cut your food. And, it is versatile- you can even cut bread with it. Other knives, like paring knives or serated knives, are also useful but this is the one that gets the most play in the kitchen. You don’t have to spend $150 on a chef’s knife. Cooks Illustrated & American Test Kitchen recommends the Forschner Knife collection, which offers chefs knives for less than $50.00.

• 12” stainless steel skillet: This is an important kitchen tool for cooking vegetables, meat, and making sauces. A stainless steel is is best, because it is easy to wash and get off any stuck-on grease or food and it can be put in the oven. The non-stick pans, while useful, do have the potential to flake off into your food.  The Teflon surface has not been proven to cause any health problems in humans, but it is best not to use these pans because the chemicals in the surface will wear off and health consequences are unknown. If you want to get a non-stick pan, grab a cast iron skillet (see #3).  The best stainless steel can be bought from All-Clad. If this is too expensive, there are other less-expensive skillets available from Calphalon and other companies.

• Cast iron skillet: Cast iron skillets are non-stick and very useful for cooking almost anything, including eggs, cakes, and biscuits.Another benefit of using a cast iron skillet is that you will intake some iron (yes, the essential mineral) in your diet by it coming off the pan and into your food. These skillets are not expensive- just make sure you order a pre-seasoned one. You can get them from Lodge Cast Iron Cookware and other outlets.

• 3 1/2 quart saucepan: A saucepan is needed to make sauces, heat up leftover soup, and even boil water to make oatmeal or rice. There are may saucepans on the market; make sure you get one that has a lid and is made of stainless steel. You can get them through All-clad, Calphalon, or other companies.

• Soup pot: A soup pot is useful for not only making soup, but also boiling pasta. Here is a useful guide on what to look for in a soup pot. Same as the saucepan, look for pots that have a lid and are made of stainless steel.

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A knife means a lot to a camper. Knives are one of the critical tools to survive in the woods or any camping or hiking site that you might want to be or explore. It can cut things, dig holes, knives help you in making your shelter, and most of all it is also a weapon for self protection from animal attack or from anyone. In a nutshell, you should never leave for the wildness without these wilderness weapons knives. You may never know what’s in store for you out there, thus a good sturdy knife will give you some security.

Because these items are very essential in the wilderness survival, you should acquire not just any knife but the best suitable set of knives for your wilderness trip. These knives should be durable, solid and hardworking to suit your every need and purpose, especially these wilderness weapons knives. Some knives can be homemade some can be bought. Depending on your preference you can choose to make your own or buy a couple of knives for your wilderness trip.

A stone knife is the basic man-made knife that you can make on your own. Select a good type of stone that is somewhat pointed and lash it in a wood or stick and you have your stone know useful for breaking or hitting an attacker. Bone knife are also useful to puncture at something and it can flake or break something. Just select a bone, usually from an animal and you can further sharpen it by breaking some of the components. A wood knife is another good material to make into wilderness weapons knives. An ideal wood to make a good knife is hard at the edge and drier. You can shape the wood and sharpen it points by sharpening it with a coarse stone. A bamboo piece is another good material to make into a knife. Aside from being light, it is easy to shape and sharpen it. Another is metal, the best to make into a knife. Once you had found a suitable metal shape and size, you can quickly sharpen the edges on a rough stone. If desired, you can hammer the edges of the metal. If you decide to buy a knife, there a many types and designs that you can choose from, ranging from military knives to professional camping knives that you might want to acquire.

Knives are basic necessity when you go out to the wild and camp especially wilderness weapons knives that you can use to protect yourself. To know how to make a knife out of anything you can find wherever you are is an advantage. While purchasing a wilderness survival knife needs your meticulous choice and awareness of what it can be used for.