One thing that does get enough attention is a good board. You use it more than you think. I have a huge block end butchers board. It used every day. (Separate Plastic boards for fish/Chicken are nice too). More on reddit.com

One cast iron pan, one nonstick pan, one sauce pan with a lid, one small pot with a lid, one cookie sheet. One spatula, one set of tongs, one slotted spoon, one unslotted spoon, one wooden spoon, one medium size whisk. A can opener, a grill lighter, a meat thermometer. A cutting board, a chef’s knife, a paring knife. Get your knives sharpened every 4-6 months even if you think they cut ok. There’s a shop that sharpens knives for like $4 a knife here. It’s a good deal. That’s all I can think of atm If you’re a beginner you’re probably going to destroy most of these items within the next few years. Don’t focus on buying quality brands or items. Focus on buying okish things and learning to take care of them. For instance don’t heat your nonstick pan on high heat. Use a cast iron for high heat, nonstick for medium and low heat. Don’t ever put your hot pans in water, it can warp them. Don’t leave plastic utensils like spatulas sitting in a hot pan - they’ll melt. Stuff like that. More on reddit.com

Tongs (all sizes) Bench scraper Mini food processor More on reddit.com

Initially just sticking to the basics would work fine so: One good chefs knife (nothing fancy, just something sharp+comfy) Cutting board A pan and a medium pot A couple of utensils (wooden spoon, spatula, tongs) That’s honestly all you need to get going. Later on you can add things like a baking sheet, dutch oven or extra knives once youve figured out your cooking style. Like my sister uses a ton of pans but i do better with less of them so it kinda just depends on you. If you don’t feel like buying everything separately tho, get a starter set. Thats what i did when i was moving out, i was gifted mine but this ones pretty similar to it. It covers all basics so youll be fine initially, a mix of pots, fry pans and utensils. You probably won’t use every single piece right away tho but it’s nice having the options while you’re learning. Also don’t stress about having professional gear in the beginning. Just focus on the basics and practice. You’ll naturally figure out what’s worth upgrading once you’ve been cooking for a bit. More on reddit.com