A List of Kitchen Essentials
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When I ask friends, family, and clients what gets in the way of cooking at home, the answer is surprisingly consistent: they don’t have the right kitchen essentials. When even a simple meal feels harder than it should, it’s often not about skill or motivation; it’s about tools!
Over the years, I’ve built a collection of kitchen tools and gadgets through trial, error, and plenty of cooking! Some are daily essentials, while others only come out a few times a year, but when you need them, you’re really glad you have them. The best versions can also be surprisingly hard to find, which makes getting started (or upgrading) feel overwhelming.
To make this easier for you (and hopefully save you some time!), I’ve put together this guide to help you build or level up your kitchen essentials. I’ve organized this guide into three sections:
Everyday essentials items that make cooking easy, efficient, and accessible (even for beginners).
Nice to have cookware and appliances that help you level up in the kitchen.
Places to go if you have time to hunt for quality kitchen appliances and tools that won’t break the bank.
EVERYDAY KITCHEN ESSENTIALS
These are the items that I reach for constantly to make great meals. If you’re looking for the minimalist approach, start with this list to get what you need to build from there.
Aprons
The Hedley & Bennett Essential Apron is comfortable and made with durable materials, and doesn’t fade over time. I own five Hedley aprons, three of which I use and wash every week, and they have yet to fade. Pro tip - don’t put the aprons in the dryer.
Cookware
I have an array of cookware that I’ve purchased and acquired over the years. Based on my cooking needs, I have a selection of stainless steel, non-stick, and cast iron.
Cast Iron: Getting comfortable with cast iron cooking takes some time, but it's definitely worth the effort. This is probably one of the best surfaces for cooking almost anything because it maintains heat and cooks evenly. With proper maintenance to prevent rusting, a cast iron can last you for many years.
Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: Great for oxtails, rice, soups, and stews. If you’re cooking for one or two people, a 3–4 qt size is perfect.
Lodge 10-inch Skillet: An ideal all-purpose size and one of the best surfaces for even cooking.
Cast iron wok: Handles higher heat than a non-stick wok and delivers beautifully crisp vegetables.
Lodge Cast Iron Wok
Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Ovens at Marshalls
Stainless Steel: A pan or pot made from heavy-bottom multi-ply stainless will prevent foods from quickly burning. Here are my recommendations:
All clad d3 omelet pan: This is great for cooking eggs or even roasting spices
Stock pot: A stock pot is important for soups and/or boiling large batches or pasta or potatoes
Cuisinart stainless steel stockpot and glass lid from Marshalls
Non-Stick: Best for delicate foods and low-medium cooking.
2 QT Sauce pan: I use my sauce pans to make sauces, reheat soups and stews, or to hardboil eggs
Flat wok stir frying pan: if you’re not comfortable with a cast iron wok, the non-stick option is another alternative
Cooking Utensils
A wall of kitchen tools at Marshalls
I suggest having silicone, wood, and metal utensils to match what you’re cooking and the type of cookware you’re using.
Use silicone or wood on non-stick and enameled surfaces
Use wood or metal on raw cast iron surfaces
Suggestions I love:
Sautee tool
Metal Spatula (for cast iron pans and griddles - excluding enameled)
Tongs: use these to flip while shallow frying
Bakeware
Ball Whisk: A ball whisk is ideal for batters to ensure they are incorporating all of the dry bits into the overall mix.
Dry Measuring Cups: for dry ingredients such as flour and sugar
Liquid Measuring Cups
For smaller measurements of liquid
Measuring spoons: these are used for dry ingredients such as baking powder or baking soda
Silicone spatulas: ideal for scraping the batter
Pastry brush: a pastry brush is multipurpose for applying melted butter or sauce on your proteins
Baking Sheets and Wire Racks: a baking sheet and wire rack has dual purposes for baking dessert and roasting veggies or proteins.
Silpats Mat - I use these in place of parchment paper when baking.
Banana Nut Bread cooling on a baking sheet and wire rack
Food Prep & Storage
Mixing Bowls - I have a set of stainless steel and glass to marinate for longer periods of time. I use the glass bowls when I need to marinate or refrigerate an item.
Glass Food Storage Containers - this is a matter of preference, I prefer glass over plastic, especially when I need to reheat a dish.
Salad Spinner: A salad spinner is great for washing all types of leafy greens such as lettuce, kale, and collards. It can also be used to wash herbs and fruit like berries.
Mesh Strainers: I mainly use the mesh strainers especially when straining pasta or rinsing rice. You can also sift flours with the mesh strainers. I do also own plastic strainers which I will also use to wash fruits, veggies, or strainer macaroni pasta. I think this is a matter of preference.
Ball Mason Jars: I have multiple sizes for different uses.
16 oz Wide Mouth: I store batches of soups, stews and sauces in these jars and freeze.
8 oz Wide Mouth: I store spices or homemade yogurt in this size
32 oz Jar: This size is perfect for pantry ingredients like sugar, rice, and beans.
Mason Jar Lids: I use the metal lids that come with the jars when freezing items. When storing at room temperature I like to use the plastic lids.
Food Scale: a food scale has many functions. I like to use it for portion control when doing meal prep for myself or a client. I also like to use the scale when baking to ensure precise measurements of my ingredients.
Experimenting with Haitian Pikliz in a 32 oz Ball Mason Jar
Food Scale
Cutlery
When it comes to cutlery, everyone has a preference. Knowing what I know now, my advice is to start with 1 or 2 and build on your collection over time. I like to use a chef's knife and have a few different versions that I’ve accumulated over the years. As you cook more, you’ll get a better sense of what styles, brands, and lengths you prefer, and you’ll find (as I did) that different brands excel at different types of knives. Remember, you want to invest in tools that you’ll enjoy and actually use.
Kitchen Shears - this is a solid pair of scissors that you can use to cut herbs or even meat
Set of stainless steel knives: Below are some options that I have, from affordable to a higher price.
Chef Knifes
Shun: this is a Japanese version of a chef knife
Wustoff: this was my first and oldest chef knife
Mercer: Mercer is a solid brand and more on the affordable side
Other knives to add to the collection:
Pairing Knife: good for cutting or carving fruits
Boning Knife: exactly as it sounds, this workhorse will help you to remove the meat from the bones
My first chef knife by Wustoff
Cutting board: Either one of the options below would work well as a cutting board. You don’t need both, but I personally like and use both.
Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting Board: I use this board for cutting most foods.
Tempered Glass Cutting Board: I use a glass cutting board for raw meat.
Magnetic Knife Block: This could technically be considered a nice to have, but if you want to be able to quickly access your knives, I recommend using a magnetic knife block. It prevents dulling and looks nice on the countertop.
Magnetic Knife Block
Nice to Have Kitchen Appliances (Take it up a notch!)
These items aren’t strictly necessary, but they can make cooking more fun, efficient, and versatile. Since kitchen appliances are my “toys,” I enjoy purchasing and using different items for research and trying new dishes. Here are my recommendations:
Mixers: If you bake regularly, an artisan mixer is definitely worth the investment.
Kitchen Aid: Knowing what I know now, I would’ve purchased certain attachments to save space on other appliances such as:
For the multi-function minimalist approach, an immersion blender with mixer attachments can also get the job done.
Immersion Blender - This is great for baking cookies or blending a soup in the pot.
Blender(s)
Old School Vitamix 3600 Plus+
Air Fryer: Some people might argue this is an essential these days, but I’ll leave that debate for another day. What I will say is that an air fryer adds a crisp that you can’t always get in the oven or on the stove. Here are two I love:
Breville Smart Oven Pro: my personal favorite overall because you can do more with it like toast, reheat, airfry, bake, and keep warm. I use this more than my full size oven.
Cosori brand: I think you get a better crisp on things like salmon, homefries and bacon.
One of my Marshalls adventures
Vacuum Sealers: As you start to cook more, you’ll definitely want to make sure you’re properly storing your food. Vacuum sealers prevent foods from getting freezer burn and make thawing easier.
Vacuum Sealer Bags: I recently discovered that Walmart also carries a variety of sizes
If You Have Time to Explore: Great Places to Shop to build your kitchen essentials!
If you’re an explorer like me, blind searches with low expectations at places like HomeGoods, Ross Dress for Less, Williams-Sonoma, or even a Habitat for Humanity Restore always result in pleasant surprises. Treasure hunting requires patience, curiosity, and an eye for quality. You may not always find exactly what you’re looking for, but that’s part of the fun. Some of my best kitchen pieces were happy accidents.
Note: When I’m under a time constraint or not in the mood for an adventure, I usually turn to Amazon, Williams-Sonoma, or Webstaurant.com instead.
Stores I like
Homegoods
TJ Maxx/Marshalls
Ross Dress for Less
Williams Sonoma
Habitat for Humanity Restore
Goodwill
I hope this guide helps you start to build or even refine a kitchen that works for YOU. If you have any product reviews, recommendations, or questions, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to talk about kitchen gear!
Need help beyond the kitchen essentials with meal prep or to elevate your home cooking experience? Whether you want your pantry perfectly stocked or would like a restaurant-quality meal made in your own kitchen, I've got you!
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Happy Cooking! And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for chef tips and behind-the-scenes looks at my favorite gadgets in action.
