The 12 Kitchen Essentials Every Home Needs
We’ve all been home for the better part of a year now. It’s safe to say we’ve all gotten to know our homes and kitchens very well at this point. Personally, I’ve logged more time standing at my kitchen sink and cleaning dishes than I have sleep over the last year (Cook. Clean. Repeat until you die). Because we’ve been all up in our kitchen’s business trying to hone the craft of homemade everything, you’ve no doubt run into situations where you didn’t have the utensil or tool you needed. I know I’ve ordered more kitchen stuff over the last year than anything else, so I wanted to put together what I consider to be the ultimate list of kitchen essentials every home needs in order to function properly and efficiently.
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If you don’t have one yet, I get it. They’re an investment and seem very bulky and maybe somewhat unnecessary, but trust you me—they’re crucial. A KitchenAid stand mixer can do all things. She’s all-powerful, almighty, all in. She mixes, she whips, she kneads. She makes doughs, frostings and creams, she even perfectly mixes The Dip. The stand mixer does things your hands could never dream of attempting, therefore she is necessary. Also, these edge beaters with the silicone make a world of difference for scraping the sides down. No spatula necessary!
Listen closely. You may think that a blender and food processor are one and the same, but you’d be wrong. They’re cousins who have some similar qualities because of either their mom or dad, but they offer different talents. I fought this fact for years believing a blender could take care of all my processed needs, then finally got this $40 top rated processor and realized I was an idiot. Don’t be an idiot like me; add a true food processor to your regime.
I know there are much fancier blenders out there, but ya girl balls on a budget. One of my best friend’s has this blender and, after using it at her home a few years ago, I was literally floored at how powerful it was, ordered one, and have been using it ever since. It has intense horsepower and will produce the smoothest, creamiest smoothing or salad dressing. Ice stands no chance. It’s simple and effective—what more could you want?!
God only knows why I slept on a Lazy Susan for my spices for so long. Like, what was I waiting for? She might be lazy, but Susan is sturdy, strong and holds a lot of fucking spices! Sure, she may not be the sleekest or prettiest girl on the counter, but she’s reliable, that’s for sure.
This another example of sturdiness over looks. These mitts may not be a hip, cool print but they’re coated in silicone and protect the shit out of your hands. As someone who is constantly cutting or burning my fingers and hands in the kitchen, they’ve come in very… handy.
I have a feeling this is going to be a polarizing one. I grew up with a toaster oven. Like, we didn’t have your standard toasters where the bread stands upright. It was always a toaster oven in which you could not only toast your bread but melt cheese and things on top of it. I know your life-size oven is, well, an oven BUT this is like a mini oven on your counter so you don’t have to fuck with the big one for simple things like: toasting a bagel, reheating last night’s pizza, or like I said, melting cheese onto toast. IDK. My kitchen just doesn’t feel complete without one.
I’m not talking about your typical fork, spoon, knife organizers but about all the other stuff. The spatulas, wooden spoons, ice cream scoops, whisks, etc. I got these acrylic dividers for all of that last year and OMG the difference they made! I can’t recommend them enough. It sure beats having all your shit shoved into a drawer with no order or point; ugh, just the thought makes me shudder.
I was 33 years old when I realized how many people don’t know about or own a garlic press. How? How can you not know about it or own one? It makes the mincing of fresh garlic 3000x easier (that’s not a proven stat but I’d be willing to bet it’s not far off). Like I truly use this almost every single time I cook. I couldn’t imagine “mincing” garlic myself with a knife or a grater or something. You load this thing up with as many peeled garlic gloves as you can, press, and voila! You can have fresh minced garlic. There’s nothing easier and I won’t hear of it.
This is another kitchen essential I use almost daily. I have a more traditional juicer if I’m not putting the lemon or lime juice directly into the meal, but I use this waaaaaay more. It truly is a kitchen essential in every way.
I got this in 2020 and never knew how much I needed it until that very moment. No dish brush should be subject to laying haphazardly in the sink or, worse yet, on the kitchen counter. Get this and give your dish brush the home it deserves.
Yes, it’s viral. But it’s really good, guys. Sadly, I won’t be able to use mine once I move in with Z because he has an induction stovetop (which I hate. I WANT GAS), so I’m using it as much as possible right now. I think it’s totally worth the money. It’s easy to clean, aesthetically pleasing, and does it all!
Truth be told, I didn’t know Great Jones existed until Dan (AKA GrossyPelosi) featured their baking sheets on his Instagram. I was in the market for more baking sheets, saw the Great Jones Holy Sheet was available in green, and asked for two for Christmas! I’ve been baking cookies, meats, and veggies on them ever since and am in LOVE. They’re so heavy and sturdy and so fun to look at. 10/10 recommend.
What’s in your kitchen?
