Dutch oven

Cast iron dutch ovens are the bomb! I own five of these in various sizes and coatings. Unbelievably useful for anything from stews, roasts, baking and slow cooking.

A good quality cast iron dutch oven literally lasts for generations if it’s properly cared for. Two of mine are 100 years old and still going strong.

Enameled or uncoated is a matter of taste and availability. Personally I prefer uncoated for some dishes, but if you only get one and dislike the taste of iron you’re better off getting an enameled version like those from Le Creuset.

Cheese slicer

I feel safe saying that you will not find one Swedish household where they don’t own a cheese slicer.

Incredibly useful, not only for slicing cheese. I use mine for slicing cucumber, frozen butter, potatoes and also occasionally for peeling root vegetables.

If you haven’t got one already, get one! Available in your nearest IKEA or in their on-line stores.

Pressure cooker

Another immensely useful tool. Reduces cooking time for almost everything.

Word of caution here; do not buy something on the cheap here, opt for a good brand with safety vent. Also, don’t fall for the temptation of using your grandmother’s old one. 

Sharp knives

A normal home cook don’t need fancy knives. The may want them, as do I, but there is no absolute need as long as you keep the edges sharp.

I do have a couple of fancy knives since we buy meat in bulk which usually comes only roughly butchered and I need to do the rest myself. I have a large and a small chef’s knife and a filleting knife. That’s it for cooking purposes. As we bake our bread and rarely buy sliced loaves I also have a great bread knife.