There is a whole range of cooking tools in the chinese kitchen that I'm sure are very unfamiliar to a non-chinese cook.

I will attempt to build a list as well as describe their uses as clearly as I could.

Pots

You can cook many yummy chinese soups with a single large soup pot. But there are some cooking tools that can make chinese soup making easier. You may even already have some of these soup cookers at home.

Some of these were not specifically designed to cook chinese soups (except the chinese double-boiler) but hey, who cares as long as they can do the job.

The slow Cooker

Also known as the crock pot, this is like my most favourite pot for making chinese soups. It is especially good for long simmering soup. Click slow cooker for more information

The Thermal Cooker

This is like the coolest energy saving soup pot. It uses trapped heat to cook. Most people under-use it to keep food warm. Click thermal cooker for more information.

The Chinese Double Boiler

Actually more of a jar than a boiler or pot, this neat ceramic soup pot is used to cook nourishing tonics by double boiling. Click chinese double boiler for more information.

The Rice Cooker

A versatile kitchen appliance for cooking rice, congee and chinese soups. Click rice cooker for more information.

Lunch boxes

Chinese lunch boxes

Chinese lunch boxes can be tingkats, vacuum lunch boxes and thermal flasks to pack chinese soups for lunch and even for picnics. Click chinese lunch boxes for more information.

Small Accessories

Steaming wire plate

Fondly known as the tripod but is actually a wire support for steaming food in a wok.

Plate Grabber

This little device grabs and remove hot plates or bowls from the steamer or pots without getting too close to the heat.

Cookbooks

Cookbooks are indispensable cooking tools (^_^). Check out my cookbook recommendations.