What makes an item a kitchen essential for you? For me, kitchen essentials are items that I would replace right away if they broke or became lost. Items that make the kitchen feel at home, or items I would rather not do without if possible. From waffle irons to spoons, here are my top 10 tried and true kitchen essentials.
Oil Decanter: We use olive oil on a daily basis, it’s our main oil along with coconut oil. Because of this it’s nice to be able to buy olive oil in a bulk amount and save money in the long run while also keeping it very effortless to pour. When I was looking into oil decanters a few years ago I wanted something that was going to hold a lot of oil while still being lightweight, something that looked like it was going to last for a long time, as well as have a clean, simplistic profile--one that wouldn’t go out of style. We chose this oil decanter and love it! I especially love that it has a flap to cover the pour spout. Within the first few uses I knew it was a new favorite kitchen tool.
Wooden Spoons: Boy oh boy do I love wooden spoons! From mixing up batters or tossing salads, to simply cooking with them, I love having a few of these on hand. I found this set of wooden spoons and spatulas, like most things, on Amazon. They had good reviews and I loved that they were made from bamboo. Again, I wanted something that was going to last, while also being nice to hold and use.
Waffle Iron: I really, really love waffles. For a decade now I’ve been making waffles from scratch, sometimes on a regular basis (weekly waffle night), sometimes more sporadically but none the less often! Over the years I’ve had a round waffle iron and two rectangular ones, all different brands but all being electric. Our current waffle iron is, sadly, on it’s way out so we’ve been contemplating getting a stove top waffle iron without beeps or heating elements that wear out over time. As well as being easier to clean, you’d probably be able to take the non-electric kind camping with you. Either way, electric or not, a waffle iron is a kitchen essential for us.
Electric Kettle: With an electric kettle you get boiling water quickly without using a microwave or waiting for a pot of water to boil. Perfect for hot drinks, instant soups or foods, and just about anything you’d need boiling water for. I could/would swap this out for a stove top kettle so that it would last longer (again, heating elements burning out). Maybe we’ll consider that in the future but for now I love the speed of the electric one we have.
NutriBullet: We have had our NutriBullet for ages now and it still works great. This is an item I would go out and replace that same day or the very next day because we really use it on a daily basis, sometimes more. From 2-3 smoothies a day to all the oat flour we make there are days where we use our NutriBullet at least 5 times. I also love the ease of cleaning / washing it, plus how well it blends and grinds things up.
Wok: We use our wok so often we don’t even use frying pans anymore. The versatility of a wok is amazing, the size is perfect for all sorts of frying/simmering/sauteing/steaming jobs. Honestly if all I had for pots and pans was a wok, a small sauce pot, and a stock pot I’d be totally set and ready to go.
Mixing Bowls: Like the wok, mixing bowls are so versatile. Not only are they perfect for mixing things but we often use them to evenly coat vegetables in oil and seasonings. You can peel vegetables over them so the skins are in one contained space. Also, using a mixing bowl to hold food scraps from the cutting board instead of putting them on the counter works really well. The list can go on. Marinating food, serving salads, or rolls, holding fruit, chilling food, plus so much more. This is a kitchen essential for sure.
Bread Machine: Although (and because) I’ve written this post about our bread machine before, it deserves a spot on this list. A bread machine is another kitchen tool I would go out and replace right away simply because it’s how we get the majority (but usually all) of our bread. You just put the ingredients in, turn it on, and walk away. A little while later you have fresh baked bread calling your name!
Kitchen Timer: I’m always running around so it’s easy to forget to look at the clock to see how long potatoes have been boiling or baking, or if the pizza dough is ready yet. I find it much handier to keep a kitchen timer (or two) on me while cooking. Sometimes I’ll grab one and set it to the time I need to start cooking the meal so I get the timing of everything right if it’s a busy day. Bonus: I also use it to time laundry.
Cookies Only Cookie Sheet: Last but not least, I keep one cookie sheet as the “cookies only” cookie sheet, all other cookie sheets are used like normal baking trays. I make cookies fairly often and I do this so that one: there is always a tray available to make cookies, and two: the non-stick coating, and tray in general, stays nice.
Those are my top 10 kitchen essentials! I’d love to hear yours! Do we have any in common? I hope you guys have a great day/week!
