Korean Kitchen Utensils: 10+ Useful List For Beginners

Today, Korean meals are one the most delicious famous cuisine in the world? Do you want to figure out how their Korean Kitchen Utensils 밥그릇 (Bapgeureut) do magic?

Kimchi 김치, Kimbap 김밥, Samgyeopsal 삼겹살 are just a few of the most famous and incredibly delicious Korean food that you can see in a Korean restaurant. Their variety of Korean dishes like vegetables, noodles, soups, stews, and rice dishes. Aside from the ingredients and recipes they use, kitchen utensils play a big role in preparing a delicious Korean meal.

Do you know what another great thing about Koreans is? They keep on-trend. They use modern gadgets and kitchen appliances that can make your cooking easy and convenient. So, in this blog, we will learn about different Korean kitchen utensils.

 

The Korean Cuisine And Cooking Methods

The rich history of Korean cuisine can be traced down to ancient times. Rice, vegetables, fish, and meats make up the majority of Korean cuisine. The quantity of side dishes that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice gives traditional Korean meals their names.

Traditionally, Korean meals have been served with boiled rice or 밥 (bap), soup or 국 (guk), Kimchi (김치), and side dishes or Banchan (반찬) to be taken all at once. If you want to know about different Korean food, you can check this blog.

There are different cooking methods and techniques that Koreans use to cook their food. Because baking and frying were not prevalent culinary methods in the past, Koreans resorted to fermenting, boiling, blanching, seasoning, and pickling instead. Fermentation is the most well-known of these processes.

Some Korean dishes, such as fish or seafood, contain fermented vegetables or foods that have been marinated in salt and water for hours or days. Fermentation enhances the flavor of food while also preserving it. Fermenting may take days; that’s why it takes time but, raw meat, such as fish or seafood, or raw eggs, can be included in a variety of meals that do not require cooking.

Like what is mentioned above, Koreans have already upgraded their cooking utensils and appliances. Most of their cooking equipment are good deals and of high quality, like a pressure rice cooker to cook rice quickly. But, even if Koreans have these advancements, the traditional way of Korean cooking is still preserved and being used up until this day.

 

Korean Kitchen Utensils To Cook Korean Food

kitchen in korean Korean Kitchen Utensils

Now that we have learned some information about Korean cuisine, let us learn some basic Korean kitchen utensils that are used for cooking Korean food. These utensils will include cookwares and appliances that Koreans use.

냄비 (Naembi) Or 프라이팬 (Peuraipaen)

English Translation: Skillet (Frying Pan)

Korean Kitchen Utensils | 냄비 (Naembi)

Do you enjoy Korean pancakes like 해물파전 (Haemul Pajeon) or seafood pancakes? Well, the 냄비 (Naembi) is one of the kitchen utensils to use. This can be used in your everyday frying and cooking rice meals like kimchi fried rice, so this is a really important Korean kitchen utensil that you must know.

수 냄비 (Yuksu Naembi)

English Translation: Stock Pot

수 냄비 (Yuksu Naembi)

The next Korean kitchen utensils that we will learn is stockpot or 수 냄비 (Yuksu Naembi) in Korean. You know Koreans enjoy soups like 삼계탕 (Samgyetang), 김치찌개 (Kimchi Jjigae), and 부대찌개 (Budae Jjigae), right? Actually, soups are one of the most common dishes at a Korean dining table, so stockpots at home are really needed.

밥솥 (Bapsot)

English Translation: Rice Cooker

밥솥 (Bapsot)

Of course, we cannot talk about Korean food without cooked rice and other rice meals like 김밥 (Kimbap). Rice is Koreans’ staple food. If you watch K-dramas today, you’ll notice that one of their must-have kitchen appliances is the rice cooker. Of course, rice cookers have been there for quite some time, but Koreans are continuously upgrading them to cook rice easily.

브헤제 (Beuheje)

English Translation: Braiser

브헤제 (Beuheje)

One of the most delicious and popular Korean food is the 갈비찜 (Galbijjim) or Braised Beef Short Ribs in English. To make this, you’ll have to invest in a braiser 브헤제 (Beuheje). A braiser is a pan that combines the functions of a Dutch oven with a skillet, allowing you to sear, braise, simmer, and even roast.

소테팬 (Sotepaen) Or 볶음용 팬 (Bokkeumyong Paen)

English Translation: Saute Pan

소테팬 (Sotepaen) or 볶음용 팬 (Bokkeumyong Paen)

The 비빔밥 (Bibimbap) is indeed one of the most popular Korean dishes that people enjoy in different parts of the world. It is a dish made up of rice, namul (seasoned and sautéed vegetables), mushrooms, meat, soy sauce, Gochujang (chili pepper paste), and a fried egg, among other components. So, to cook this, you’ll be needing a saute pan 소테팬 (sotepaen). This is indeed one of the most important Korean kitchen utensils that you must know.

돌솥 (Dolsot)

English Translation: Stone Pot / Stone Bowls

돌솥 (Dolsot)

Stone bowls or 돌솥 (Dolsot) is one of the signature earthenware bowls used to serve Korean food, specifically soups and stews. These bowls hold a lot of heat; that’s why it’s perfect when you are cooking your favorite stew and soups. It will also complete your Korean dining experience.

칼 (Kal)

English Translation: Knife

칼 (Kal)

Knives are one of the most important Korean kitchen utensils when you are cooking Korean food. Knives are 칼 (Kal) primarily used to cut ingredients like garlic, onion, and ginger, but of course, they also use this to cut meat and more. Well, I know I don’t need to tell you what knives are for, but with Koreans having lots of ingredients for the food they eat, knives are definitely one of the must-have Korean kitchen utensils.

가위 (Gawi)

English Translation: Scissors

가위 (Gawi)

This may be weird to some, but Koreans use scissors to cut meat. If you have experienced dining in a Korean barbeque restaurant, you might have used scissors to cut meat after cooking it on a grill. You can use this to slice meat to eat it easily.

가스버너 (Gaseubeoneo)

English Translation: Gas Burner

가스버너 (Gaseubeoneo)

If you have watched the Korean drama Reply 1988, you can see the difference between the burner used by Jung Hwan’s family and Deok Sun’s family in the early episodes. But now, look how upgraded Korean gas burners are now. In fact, they never failed to show these kinds of upgrades in their K-dramas as a promotion.

Gas burners play a huge role in Korean cuisine. Although Koreans also use grills and fermenting, gas burners made it easy to cook Korean food quickly.

그릴 (Geuril) Or 석쇠 (Seoksoe)

English Translation: Grill

그릴 (Geuril) or 석쇠 (Seoksoe)

The next word for Korean kitchen utensils that we will learn is the grill. Grills are very iconic since it is used in Korean bbq like Samgyeopsal. There are different types of Korean grill that you’ll see in a Korean restaurant. The first one uses charcoal, and the other one uses butane.

Of course, the most common is the one that uses charcoal, but modern Korean grills, especially those that are used at home, use butane for convenience.

Korean kitchen utensils are not so different from what most people in the world use. But, Koreans have a signature way to use these utensils that relates to their culture and cooking methods. They are also making advances in different kitchen appliances.

These appliances can be bought in local shopping malls. Admittedly, the price of some of these appliances is expensive, but your money will surely be worth it. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can wait for the sale.

 

Other Korean Cooking Utensils

After learning the basic Korean kitchen utensils, here’s another batch of utensils that you should learn. Some of them are maybe familiar to you because you have seen or heard them while watching K-dramas or reading different kinds of Korean content.

 Utensils – 밥그릇 (Bapgeureut) Or 기구 (Gigu)

The first batch is the utensils. Utensils include the things you use for mixing, grinding, peeling, and measuring. These Korean kitchen utensils are very important in preparing food to get the right taste of what you are cooking. Remember, Korean cuisine has flavorful and tasteful food so getting the right mix is a must.

Hangeul (Korean)RomanizationEnglish Translation
숟가락
스푼
sutgarak
seupun
spoon
포크pokeufork
젓가락jeotgarakchopsticks
계량스푼gyeryangseupunmeasuring spoon
계량 컵gyeryang keopmeasuring cups
밥주걱bapjugeokrice paddle
껍질 벗기는 칼kkeopjil beotgineun kalpeeler
거품기geopumgiwhisk
집게jipgetongs
연육제yeonyukjemeat tenderizer

Cookware – 취사도구 (Chwisadogu)

The next batch of other Korean kitchen utensils is the cookware. Even if you watch traditional K-dramas, you’ll notice that Koreans are very particular with the cookware they used when preparing and serving the food, even back in ancient times.

Aside from the taste, the presentation of the food is part of the Korean dining experience. So, here are some cookwares to learn in the Korean language.

Hangeul (Korean)RomanizationEnglish Translation
베이킹 접시beiking jeopsibaking dish
도마domachopping board or cutting board
뚝배기ttukbaegiearthenware pot
가는 기구ganeun gigugrinder
강판gangpangrater
마늘 으깨는 기구maneul eukkaeneun gigugarlic press
조리용 저울joriyong jeoulkitchen scale
주전자jujeonjakettle
그릇geuleusbowls
국 그릇guk geureutsoup bowl
밥 그릇bap geureutrice bowl
접시jeobsiplate
믹싱 볼miksing bolmixing bowls
만돌린mandollinmandolin
슬라이서seullaiseoslicer
냄비naembisaucepan, pot
시트 팬siteu paensheet pan
여과기
거르개
yeogwagi
georeugae
che
 colander/ strainer
육수 냄비yuksu naembistock pot
껍질벗기개kkeopjilbeotgigaezester
wokwok
쟁반jaengbantray
캔 오프너
깡통따개
kaen opeuneo
kkangtongttagae
can opener
용기포장
식품
보관용기
yonggipojang
sikpum
bogwanyonggi
food container
막자사발과 막자
절구와 절구 공이
makjasabalgwa makja
jeolguwa jeolgu gongi
mortar and pestle
채소 탈수 바구니
채소 탈수기
채소건조기
chaeso talsu baguni
chaeso talsugi
chaesogeonjogi
salad spinner

Kitchen Appliances – 주방용품 (Jubangyongpum)

Of course, we would not miss discussing some kitchen appliances when talking about Korean kitchen utensils. Do you remember Se-Ri’s coffee maker? Indeed, after Crash Landing On You have aired, there’s a prevalence of that kind of coffee machine spreading on different shopping malls and online shops. This just shows how influential K-dramas really are.

But, even they are following the trend, they still keep their traditional ways of cooking. So, here are some Korean appliances that you might want to add to your vocabulary.

Hangeul (Korean)RomanizationEnglish Translation
전기밥솥jeongibapssotelectric rice cooker
압력솥ablyeogsota pressure cooker
전자레인지jeonjareinjimicrowave
오븐obeunoven
토스터toseuteotoaster
레인지reinjistove
커피메이커keopimeikeocoffee maker
냉장고naengjanggofridge
분쇄기
믹서기
bunswaegii
mikseogi
blender
퐁듀pongdyufondue
냉장고naengjang-gorefrigerator

Essential Kitchen Tools

There are other kitchen tools that you should also consider in learning about Korean kitchen utensils. These tools and pieces of equipment are used to maintain the kitchen in order and clean. Check out these few words to start with.

Hangeul (Korean)RomanizationEnglish Translation
고무장갑gomujanggaprubber gloves
쓰레기통sseulegitongdust bin
접시jeobsidishes
식기 세척기siggi secheoggidishwasher/dishwasher safe
냅킨naebkinnapkin
식탁보sigtagbotable cloth

 

Learn Korean With Ling

Are you one of those people who wants to learn Korean but struggling to find time and resources to start? Well, congratulations because you are in for a treat. With Ling App, you’ll learn Korean fun and meaningfully through lessons and interactive activities. These lessons and activities are backed with linguistic research and a spaced repetition system essential in learning languages.

Learning with Ling App feels like you’re playing a game. A variety of topics with translations, audio recordings, images, and example sentences will enrich your vocabulary and develop your skills. You can also chat with chatbots to practice what you have learned. You can use it in actual conversations, just like how native speakers do.

Learning Korean doesn’t have to be hard. It’s just like cooking. You should have the right ingredients, tools, and passion. Learning languages, it’s kind of similar because you must also have the right resources, tools, and passion. Surely, Ling App can be a perfect tool for you. So, learn Korean with Ling App now.

Updated by: Gwyn

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