I bake. A lot. You’ve surely noticed. I’m also a minimalist when it comes to just about everything but photos. My kitchen is small and the cupboard space even smaller, as in only-under-the-sink-storage, so I don’t have oodles of specialized kitchen gadgets hanging around. What I do have is a small group of must-have essential kitchen tools that I use regularly weekly.
Here are the do-dads and whatchamacallits that live happily in my cozy kitchen… and should probably be in yours too! This list might look long, but trust me, it doesn’t take up much space and should be sufficient for just about anything you fancy whipping up. In fact, I almost named this post “Wedding Registry Kitchen Essentials” because it is pretty much everything I owned as a newlywed and has kept this kitchen up and running 5x/day for 5 years and counting.
Appliances
Blender- Gotta have this for our daily green smoothies!
Toaster
Kitchen Aid Mixer – Handy for garlic cheddar biscuits or DIY body butter!
Crock Pot or Pressure cooker
Pots, Pans & Baking Essentials
Medium pot with lid
Small non-stick skillet for omelets
Large ovenproof skillet with lid11″x 13″ Baking pan
2- 9″ Round cake pans or springform pans
9″ Square baking pan- Got brownies?
11×13″ Baking pan
Loaf pan
12 Cup muffin pan
Pie pan
Commercial baking sheets- Can’t be without Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Everyday Items
Whisk
Mixing bowls
Spatula- Scrape out every last bit of Chocolate Truffle Cake goodness!
Grater
Vegetable peeler
Sieve
Cutting board
Steamer basket
Can opener
Wooden spoon
Ladle
Serrated bread knife- Slice carefully through homemade croissants.
Chef’s knife
Paring knife
Useful Extras
Inspiring Cookbooks. I own: Jamie’s Food Revolution, Nigella Kitchen, & Barefoot Contessa at Home
Stovetop espresso maker
Piping bag and 1M tip- Cupcake decorating made easy!
Zester
Corkscrew
Bundt pan- This makes Fig Walnut Coffee Cake a breeze!
Roasting pan
Ramekins- A dessert essential. Brownie Batter Ice Cream, served!
What items did I miss that you absolutely can’t live without? Be sure to share your top minimalist kitchen essentials in the comments below.
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A good set of knives and a couple wooden spoons. Oh and my cast iron dutch oven.
Knives and wooden spoons are definitely important. You know, I’ll have to check out the dutch oven. To be honest with you, I’ve heard the term but don’t even know what it is… (and I call myself a cook.) *Blushing.* Thanks so much, Lydia, for stopping by.
Can I just say that every recipe on here made me want to bake! Especially those homemade croissants! Yummy!
Hope you found your apron and whipped out the flour, Chelsea. Baking is so much fun! I actually look forward to all of mine and my husband’s meetings each week just as an excuse to get the oven heated up. Thanks for visiting.
Jelli, your daughter is so cute!!! Adorable! I should take after her and enjoy green smoothies more 🙂 Love this list. I’m lacking in the inspiring cookbooks and must play catch! Hope you have a happy friday and a great weekend.
I have a tiny kitchen, too (which is often the bane of my existence, but I make do!). To make more room about a year ago, I took all of the pans, pots, and gadgets that I don’t use regularly and stored them in bins in the garage. That helped with the space issue SO much, and it showed me just how much I use and re-use the same dozen or so items. Great list–I wish I’d had this when I was making my registry!
Thank you, Natalie. Every time we move, I realize what kitchen tools I go back to time and time again. I think that moving is part of what inspired my cutting down on unnecessary gadgets in the first place. I hate packing and unpacking!