A Simple Kitchen: My Minimalist Kitchen Essentials

If you have ever been into a BedBath and Beyond you will know the absurd kitchen gadgets that you are marketed to make your life easier. I wouldn’t say I am a complete minimalist. I do enjoy simple living, and I like striving for a minimalist lifestyle to some degree. 

Simple kitchens makes life with kids more doable, ya know? Especially if you do 95% of your cooking at home.

I have so much space in my small kitchen that is left empty on purpose. Yes, I am talking about drawers and kitchen cabinets. Empty. A phenomenon right? It is helpful as I cook most if not all of our meals from scratch in our kitchen. No unnecessary kitchen items are lying around that never get used.

As a from scratch aspiring cook myself, I want to have the most efficient kitchen with the most efficient kitchen tools. I do not want to spend a lot of time searching around for things regularly. That is a waste of time. 

Let’s dive into my top favorite tools for cooking traditional from-scratch foods in my kitchen! 

MY MINIMALIST KITCHEN ESSENTIALS LIST

I dislike wasting money on cheap items. For example, I use my blender multiple times a day for smoothies and other recipes. I purchased a cheap one, and it broke within six months. I finally just invested about one year ago in a Vitamix and it was a complete game-changer for me. 

Some of these kitchen appliances may seem to have a higher price tag, but they are items that either have a lifetime warranty or will last a lifetime. I am willing to put forth a little extra money on the front end. 

LARGER TICKET ITEMS WORTH THE INVESTMENT

Dutch Oven

I use my Dutch oven in place of my slow cooker or crockpot. I like to put meats like chicken and red sauce with white wine and slow cook a meal all day at about 200-225 degrees. It does it all. A worthy investment if you want hands-off cooking with meals that have a lot of flavors. 

Stainless Steel Cookware

 Pots, saute pan, and frying pan. I prefer All-Clad. I also love using Green Pans. They are non-toxic non-stick frying pans. 

I was talked into these All-Clad pans back when I was doing our wedding registry. My parents have had their All-Clad pans since their wedding 37 years ago and they are still going strong. They are stainless steel so they do not go out of style. They are durable. They are worth the investment. I have a few sauce pots (one large pot and one small pot) as well as a few frying pans, saute pan, and a few other items. See the whole set here.

Cast-iron skillet

I make several yummy meals in my cast-iron skillet: English Muffins, skillet chocolate chip cookies, biscuits, cornbread, sourdough skillets, and so much more. They are a classic to have on hand and I love how durable they are. They are also pretty simple to season and take care of! 

Knife Set

The amount of time I spend chopping, dicing, slicing, and cutting fresh foods is astronomical. Having a nice knife set is crucial to being efficient and quick while meal prepping. 

Blender

I tell this story on my podcast constantly about making a poor investment with my blender, only to buy yet another one. I finally invested in my Vitamix and have not looked back since. It does an outstanding job. I also use it to make soups, milk, and nut butter!

Kitchenaid Mixer 

We received this as a wedding gift. It’s been ten years and it is still going strong. I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer weekly and am almost ready to upgrade to the glass bowl! It looks so pretty to me. 

Food Processor

Having a food processor makes recipes go much faster. When I make homemade salsa, I will sometimes throw everything into the food processor and call it good. Simple chopping will take a fraction of the time with this baby! 

MY TOP 10 ESSENTIAL KITCHEN TOOLS

1. Stainless steel pots +Green Pans
2. Dutch oven
3. Half Gallon Mason Jars with lids 
4. Vitamix
5. Kitchen towels from IKEA
6. Glass storage containers from IKEA
7. KitchenAid mixer
8. Cast Iron Skillets
9. Pyrex mixing bowls 
10. Large cutting board and a good knife set

OTHER ITEMS: LIST OF MINIMALIST KITCHEN ESSENTIALS

• Cookie Sheets (3)
• Rolling pin
• Box grater
• Plates, Cups, Bowls, and Utensils
• Pie Plate
• Large pot to make bone broth in
• Pyrex glass baking dish
• Wooden Spoon (I have about 5)
• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• Rubber spatula

KITCHEN ITEMS I PURGED OUT OF MY HOME

Back when I decluttered my home and started my Minimalist Mamma declutter program I took a long hard look at what I needed in my kitchen. I also decided to do away with my single-use kitchen gadgets like waffle makers and citrus juicers because they were not getting the use I thought they should be getting.

Smaller kitchen gadgets that were also single-use went into the donation pile. I had an avocado gadget that took out the seed. You don’t need a special tool for that. My garlic press also went away because I either would smash the clove with a glass cup and chop or buy Dorot garlic cubes from Trader Joe’s. 

• Citrus Juicer
• Waffle Maker
• Garlic Press
• WonTon Press
• Strawberry Huller
• Slow Cooker
• Rice Maker
• Electric kettle
• Hand mixer
• Coffee Maker
• Instant Pot

DIFFERENT KITCHEN ITEMS THAT TEMPT ME TO PURCHASE

Even though my kitchen is minimal and I have some workhorses that serve me constantly, I still get tempted by the small things. I have been on the verge of getting an immersion blender because it is easier to blend up certain dressings, soups, and smoothies right out of a mason jar. 

That is simplicity at its finest. 

I already have a Vitamix. For now, I will put that to good use and forego the immersion blender. 

Another tempting kitchen item that I have not invested in yet is the Berkey Water filter. I have heard so many great things. I guess, for now, I will keep on drinking water out of our fridge. Maybe one day! 

Like this list? Let me know what your essentials are!