Is your kitchen kitted out with all the essentials?
Whether you’ve just purchased your first home or have designed to redesign your space, knowing what you need in your kitchen is hard! Often, it’s not until you need an item that you realize you haven’t got it.
To make sure that doesn’t happen to you, we’ve put together a kitchen essentials list full of those must-have items. Once you’ve bought everything on here, you can relax knowing you have a fully-equipped kitchen ready for you to cook up some delicious meals.
Read on to find out what you need.
1. Cutting Boards
First up, every kitchen needs cutting boards – at least if you want to keep your kitchen tops free from knife scratches! Make sure you have at least two, one for meat and one for other produce, but the more the merrier. Thick, wooden chopping boards are much more durable than plastic ones, so invest in quality and save in the long-term.
2. Kitchen Knives
Good kitchen knives can make the world of difference when cooking and should definitely be on your kitchen essential checklist. Make sure you have at least one high-quality, versatile knife that will work for a range of produce, like these wood handle chef knives. Then, buy a set of knives for different purposes, like bread knives and fish knives, when you have the money.
3. Measuring Equipment
Measuring your ingredients is vital when cooking, and there are a few different tools you might need in your home. Here’s a basic list of kitchen essentials for measuring:
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring jug
- Scales (electric are usually the best option)
Once you have these, you’ll be ready to tackle any recipe that comes your way!
4. Pots and Pans
Pots and pans are some of the best kitchen essentials you’ll buy, especially if you like to cook. You’ll use these with every meal and good quality pots and pans can make all the difference when creating a delicious dish! Here’s what you’ll need:
- A skillet
- A small saucepan
- A medium saucepan
- A large stockpot (for soups and sauces)
- A frying pan
5. Spatulas and Wooden Spoons
Spatulas and wooden spoons are one of the most used items in kitchens. If you’re creating a kitchen essentials list for a new home, we recommend at least one set of spatulas and a variety of wooden spoons and similar wooden utensils. These will come in handy when making sauces, cooking curries, and baking cakes, just to name a few examples!
6. Good Quality Tongs
Kitchen tongs are often missed on a basic kitchen essentials list, but we think they’re vital in the kitchen. Tongs are such a handy utensil, especially when cooking meat or fish. They can also be used for pulling waffles out of waffle makers, flipping over oven-cooked fries, and so much more!
Invest in a pair of metal or wooden tongs rather than plastic. These are more durable and better for the planet.
7. Cheese Grater
Cheese graters are useful for more than just cheese! Being able to grate vegetables, like carrots, is also super useful for example. Opt for a box grater with four different sides, which can be used to slice cheese, zest lemons, and shred zucchinis.
8. Colander or Sieve
A large colander or sieve is a kitchen must-have. You can use it to drain pasta, wash vegetables, and strain soups and broths. If you can, we’d recommend buying a larger-holed colander for washing and draining, and a small-holed sieve for straining and sieving.
9. Mixing Bowls
If you don’t have a good set of mixing bowls, cooking is going to instantly be more challenging! Whether you need to toss vegetables in olive oil, whip up some batter, or mix together ingredients for delicious meatballs, mixing bowls are an amazing piece of equipment. Make sure you have a few bowls in your kitchen of different sizes; we guarantee you’ll end up using them all.
10. Baking Trays and Dishes
A set of baking trays and baking dishes is definitely an essential. Make sure you have a couple of metal baking trays in different sizes, along with a sturdy glass dish. These are perfect for roasting vegetables, cooking meat, and basically anything you need to cook in the oven!
11. Food Processor and Blender
Not every kitchen will need a food processor and blender, but if you love to cook meals from scratch it’s very handy to have. Blenders are often essential when making soups and sauces. If you don’t have the space for a full-size blender, opt for a hand-held one instead.
Food processors are less necessary but will definitely be well-loved if you enjoy cooking and baking. They can help make your cooking tasks easier, like baking bread, creating breadcrumbs, and even making hummus!
12. Rolling Pin
Rolling pins are one of the most forgotten items when creating a kitchen essentials list, but they’re so handy in the kitchen that you should definitely get one! A big, wooden rolling pin should last you a lifetime and can come in handy in a range of situations. Whether you’re making biscuits at Christmas or need to crush nuts, it’s a more versatile tool than most people think and one that you’ll definitely use at one point or another!
Create Your Kitchen Essentials List
Of course, every cook and every kitchen is different. While all of these items are essentials in our eyes, you might be able to skip one or two off of your list, and you’ll probably have a few more to add! But this is a great starting point to creating your home kitchen and buying all the essential tools you need to cook up delicious dishes and tasty treats.