Essential Items In My Minimalist Kitchen

When I first got married I was enticed by the door to door vacuum cleaner sales person, the direct marketing makeup and kitchen parties as well as the fancy “lifetime warranty” knife sets. I was being sold some high ticket items and “sets” that I now know I did not need and wouldn’t use. But don’t worry, they have a “zero interest payment plan” for you.

You could find yourself forking out over $500 for a set of pots and pans, and that doesn’t include bake ware. It can be dizzying looking at the fancy knives that can cut through rope and pennies. But as a home maker who cooks for 7 and cooks nearly everything from scratch, let me save you the space and money and tell you what you really need and what really is quality. I think this entire list costs a total of $850 and it includes everything you need to cook great, healthy meals and serve them around your table.

Some are affiliate links and some aren’t. I just chose what I use and what I think is best.

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven – $80: For pasta, soups, beans, roasts & larger “one pot” meals. – Comes in 3 colors.
Cuisiart Chef’s Classic 3 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven – $50: I use this size for boiling eggs and cooking rice – Is the same link as above, but you choose the size option.
Lodge 10.25″ Cast Iron Skillet with Handle Holder – $30: This is a workhorse. I literally use it every day. Eggs, stir fry, burgers, skillet meals, gravy and more.
Cast Iron Skillet Lid – $20: Helps in the cooking and splatter free process.
RSVP Pierced Stainless Steel Strainer – $26: An America’s Test Kitchen Favorite, and truly the best strainer I have ever owned.
Pyrex Serve and Store Containers – $17: These are nesting and good sizes for lunches and leftovers. I have had my Pyrex set since I was first married.
Pyrex Mixing Bowls – $17 – These are great because they can be used for mixing, storing and microwaving.
Pyrex Easy Grab Glass Bakeware and Storage – $45: This 3 qt, 9×13 pan was also an America’s Test Kitchen winner. A lot of recipes call for the 9×13 as well as an 8×8 pan. I like to use the 8×8 for fudge and brownies. The 1 cups are great for packing condiments for lunches or as sealable butter dishes.
Nordic Ware Rimmed Half Sheet Baking Pan (2 Pack) – $22: Another ATK winner. Also, something I use every day (with the stainless steel cooling racks). I broil all my meats, cook bacon, toast bread, cook my Thanksgiving turkey, make cookies and birthday cakes with these. They are the perfect size and clean up easily. (They are aluminum and so I don’t often cook directly on them. I use the racks.)
Stainless Steel Baking / Cooling Rack (2 Pack) – $17: These fit perfectly in the above rimmed baking sheets and I use them to cool all my baked goods. Also, another ATK winner.
OXO Good Grips Utility Cutting Board – $18: It is hard to decide on a cutting board, but since this works better with meat contamination I decided to opt out of the wood cutting board. I admit it though, I have both.
Victorinox 3.25″ Paring Knife – $9: You really only need 3 knives in a kitchen. A paring knife, a chef’s knife and a serrated knife. (Some say a bread knife, but I choose a 5″ utility knife.) Also, the fact that the Victorinox knives come in sheaths is great for safety and keeping them sharp. An ATK winner.
Victorinox 8″ Chef’s Knife – $33: I use this regularly and love everything about it. An ATK winner.
OXO 5″ Serrated Utility Knife – $9: This is great for butterflying chicken breasts, cutting through the bone on a turkey, and it works well on bread as well. But I do have a 10″ bread knife. It was an item I saved for and I do a lot of baking.
Meat, Candy, Deep Fry Thermometer – $11: I never knew how much I would use a thermometer, but I use it every time I cook meat. This one is great because it has a holder for your pan if you are making caramel, fudge, candies or using a deep fryer option.
Kitchen Aid Scissor and Sheath – $13: What would a kitchen be without kitchen scissors? I love these and that they have a cover.
OXO Good Grips Peeler – $14: When you are a veggie eater, this is in constant use.
OXO Good Grips Can Opener – $17: This is super easy to use. I love it.
2 Piece Kitchen Grater Set – $15: I really like these because they store flat, have covers and can also be used as a zester.
Corelle Dinner Ware Set – $70: To be honest, I would buy two sets of these. I wish I knew there was an all white set when I got married because my tastes have changed and I don’t “love” my pattern, BUT they have held up to our large family. Corelle Ware is a classic.
Glass Ware Set – $27: These suit my classic tastes well. They are simple and sturdy and a good size.
Salt and Pepper Grinders – $19: I love my freshly ground salt and pepper, and these have such great reviews.
53 Piece Flatware Set – $33: Not only does this include a table setting for 8, but it also includes steak knives and a serving set. It is an amazing deal.
Large Silicone Spatula – $13: An ATK winner and an all around great spatula for icings, pies and any scraping needs.
OXO Good Grips Locking Tongs – $13: I hadn’t know what I was missing my whole cooking life until I tried these. There is nothing I don’t like about them.
OXO Wooden Turner – $6: Now you could get a set of wooden spoons and then feel frustrated sifting through them or guilty about purging the duplicates, or you could just buy the most versatile one there is. This turner is great for breaking down ground beef, sizzling stir fry or stirring soups.
Oster Blender / Food Processor / Smoothie Maker – $82: You can end up spending a lot of money on this type of item, especially if you buy a separate food processor. They also take up quite a bit of space in your cabinets. I have found that even cooking for a family of seven that this blender meets all our needs and at 1/3 of the cost.
Cuisinart Stainless Steel Pasta Server – $8: Believe it or not, I actually use this a lot for serving chunky vegetables like broccoli, but also it is perfect for pasta.
Cuisinart Stainless Steel Ladle – $10: I do make soups regularly and can you imagine how tedious it would be to serve chili without a ladle?
12″ Stainless Steel Whisk – $12: While I do think a hand blender is a great addition to a kitchen, if you are short on space of money, a whisk or fork can do pretty much every job and is a kitchen must have.
Stainless Steel Fish Turner Spatula – $17: Oops, I just realized I have 31 things. But a kitchen needs a stainless steel spatula and this one is the perfect size. It picks up omelettes, brownies, pie slices and pretty much everything I can think of. It’s the best.

Pantry Organization

Before I spent any money on any other item in my kitchen, I would focus on organization. It makes the most efficient use of your space and helps you stay aware of what you have and are regularly using.

Airtight Food Storage Containers – $36: I use these for oats, sugar, raisins, coffee, beans, popcorn, cocoa, flax seed, chia seeds, dark chocolate chips, rice and sunflower seeds.
Bino Plastic Storage Basket – $8: These are great for potatoes, bulk pasta or extra bags of misc. items. I also use the large size to store linen table cloths.
Mainstays Can Organizer – $14: Seriously, an organizational life changer.
Lid Organizer – $8: Since I only use one skillet, I have used this organizer to keep my pyrex container lids easy to find.
Acrylic Bin – $9: I love keeping my oils & leavening agents all in one place. It just keeps the shelf from getting out of control.
Lazy Susan Spice Racks – $20: It is frustrating to be bound by the sizes of a prepackaged spice rack. With these you can choose your own spices and jar sizes while still keeping them easily accessible.
4 oz. Spice Jars & Labels – $15: Spice choices are usually pretty personalized and this purchase will make it easy for you to do what is best for your tastes.
Large Spice Jars – $11: There are some spices that I go through in large quantities, things like: ground salt, pepper, minced onions, chili powder and cinnamon. That is where these jars come in.
Adjustable Drawer Organizer – $29: I have lived in homes with small drawer bays and large ones and I wished my drawer organizers had been more adaptable and also had been able to hold utensils … not just flatware. That is why I love this organizer. It is everything I wished I would have had from the beginning.
3 Tier Wire Plate Rack for Kitchen Shelves -$11: I keep forgetting things! I have two of these. They are so space efficient and I would never want to go back to not having them.