Moving into a new apartment or home? Congratulations! However, before you settle down in your new paradise, you need items to put in your first kitchen. A good idea for beginners is to get a cookware company that creates starter kits or customized kitchen toolkits. However, if you want to choose the right kitchen items separately, the process can be a bit overwhelming. Regardless of your budget and preference, there is always something you need in your kitchen. Here is a handy checklist of the ten items you need for your first kitchen:
1. Measuring Spoons and Cups
There is always a need to prepare the food items (measure the ingredients) before you start the cooking process. The prep requires a wide range of kitchen items such as measuring spoons and cups. Although the specific items you need for this first preparation step depends on your cooking experience and the type of food, these basic items will help you measure accurately.
2. Sharp knives
Sharp knives are a necessity in the preparation stage of cooking most foods. You may need different sizes and types of knives to cut or chop ingredients like onions, tomatoes, meat, etc.
3. Cutting Boards
When it comes to cutting boards, you need to pick sturdy boards, usually plastic or wood. Wooden cutting boards are porous, and thus not perfect for cutting raw meats.
4. Salad Spinner and Immersion blender
You need to invest in items such as a salad spinner, immersion blender, and a garlic press if you’re an avid cook. They often come in handy when preparing your favorite fruit or vegetable salad or when blending some fresh juice.
5. Baking sheets and cookie sheets
You may need a few baking items even if you’re not an experienced baker. Baking sheets (with sides) and cookie sheets (without sides) will come in handy for baking and cooking various food items. You can use these tools to roast vegetables, make chocolate chip cookies, roast salmon, or even bake breaded chicken. With a cookie sheet, you can easily slide off your finished cookies. If you are likely to whip up some breakfast muffins, a batch of brownies or a birthday cake in your kitchen, you may need cake pans, muffin tins, and baking pans.
6. Pots and pans
Unless you’ll only be cooking in the microwave, you need a set of pots and pans. It’s advisable to have a range of sizes including 2-quart and 1-quart saucepans, a Dutch oven, and a 10-quart or 8-quart stock pots. Make sure that you buy pots with lids. Ensure that you choose materials that are sturdy and built to last; copper, non-stick, or stainless steel are great options.
You will also need a skillet or frying pan for stir-frying rice or frying eggs. One of your frying pans should be nonstick. You will also need a casserole for making lasagna or scalloped potatoes. Consider investing in different sizes of stoneware, glass, or porcelain.
7. Tongs, spoons, and whisks
Your kitchen drawer or pitcher should have a variety of crucial utensils such as tongs, spoons, spatulas, cooking chopsticks, rubber scrapers, ladles, utensil holders, slotted spoons, wooden spoons, skimmers, and whisks. You should buy multiple sizes and materials of utensils. For example, you can purchase spatulas and wooden spoons made of different materials and of different lengths. Invest in a colander for draining pasta, picking through dried beans, and rinsing rice. You should also include a potato masher in your list of utensils for making guacamole and mashed potatoes.
8. Refrigerator and oven
If your kitchen doesn’t come fitted with major appliances such as a refrigerator or oven, you may have to make major investments. Go for quality rather than size as these are expensive kitchen appliances that should last longer.
9. Dishes and mugs
Of course, you need to invest in a set of cutlery, dishes, mugs, and drinking glasses. To make life easier, purchase a cutlery divider.
10. Smaller appliances
Appliances should be categorized as splurge kitchen items when shopping for your first kitchen. Although they are not essential, they are also necessary. Consider investing in smaller appliances such as a toaster, blender, microwave, and coffee maker.
Whether you are moving into a new house or first apartment, the kitchen will be an important part of your new life. In order to prepare delicious meals, you need these kitchen essentials. In addition, you can expand your cooking repertoire with some nice-to-have additions as long as they fit your budget.
