It’s amazing to realize how little one needs when all the household goods are packed up and on a boat across the ocean to our new home.
Currently, we have one mixing bowl, one wonky pan, 2 pots, and place settings for 6. There is no peeler or colander. It’s like camping, but somehow worse.
I’m washing a lot of dishes.
Paper items are expensive but convenient at times like these.
I miss some items that I usually use every day, like my blender and stand mixer, but I can mostly work around that.
And we do this transition every few years.
We like to eat real food. Takeout and fast food is expensive and unhealthy.
But over the years, I realize how little I need for a functioning kitchen. I have some essentials that I pack or ship to myself so I have them as long as possible during our transitions.
My kitchen essentials:
Silicone Whisk
My favorites are the OXO, Rösle Flat, and Ball Whisk. I use these all the time – for making scrambled eggs, grits, porridge, pasta, sauces. I pack these in my suitcase when we travel!
Silicone Spatula
I like seamless ones like Silchef or di Oro. I love these for mixing cookies and sauteing foods. The heads don’t come off when the batter is thick!
Measuring Cups
We love these pourable dry measuring cups and these different size liquid cups. These measuring spoons fit into most spice jars.
Silpat
I can’t imagine baking cookies without a silicone mat anymore! These Silpats come in different sizes to fit any baking sheet! Nothing sticks.
A Good Pan
You don’t have to spend a ton of money to get a good all-purpose pan. We’re moving away from the nonstick coating that peels and bubbles and is not healthy!
Nonstick pans only last about 3 years. We use stainless for most of our cooking.
We’ve found these nonstick to get the job done, and quite well, but we’re trying to move away from aluminum:
Cuisinart GreenGourmetTramontina Professional Nonstick Restaurant Fry Pan
These pans are great for omelets and stirfries!
Good Knives
We’ve had a Henckel’s knife block set for almost 15 years and still love it! I’d buy it again.
Thermometer
No one wants undercooked or overcooked meat! Our longtime favorite meat thermometer is the Thermapen.
Cheese Grater
We love a a simple box grater for block cheeses. Also love a microplaner for small jobs, like Parmesan, citrus zesting, and frozen ginger root.
Electric Kettle
I love that these are called “water cookers” in German. This glass electric kettle is similar to the one we love. I don’t have to use the stovetop to boil water!
Coffee Maker
I still love my Bodum French Press. We haven’t gotten into the pour-over craze. We still have a drip coffee maker with thermal carafe for most mornings. I’d love to have a Moka Pot if we had a gas stove. You’ll never, ever see me with any coffee pods!
We have lots and lots of kitchen equipment. We love cooking and I love teaching my kids to cook our favorite foods. But, we really only need a few great tools to get the job done right!
My favorites are tongs! and silicon spatulas as well! Great list.
Hi Jennifer, sometimes we really do need to pare it down to the essentials right? On my list would definitely be a cheese grater (like yours) and a peeler. Can’t imagine life without them!
Visiting today from Lori’s #MomentsofHope Linkup
I love my silpat too. It was a wedding gift though, and it’s starting to show its age. I’ve been thinking of getting those silicone whisks. Thanks for the recommendations.
I completely agree with your list! We have so much stuff in our kitchen and don’t even use half of it. One of my favorite things, though, is our apple cutter. We go through so many apples and my kids always want them cut up!
What a great list! The coffee maker is #1 on my list, without that, the other stuff wouldn’t be used! ha/ha
Henckel’s knives are the absolute best! There are probably lots of utensils that I rarely used and could be tossed or given away. Great list!
What a great list! And it’s so good that you know which items are the most important, even to packing them in your suitcase. That is a perfect idea for transition time. Blessings to you in your move!
Great list of essentials. Definitely the coffee maker.
These are all great tools! I love kitchen essentials but our kitchen has gotten so cluttery lately! I’m sure once we move, we’ll be purging a lot of stuff (except the appliances!!! Can’t live without my crockpot!!!) Your list will definitely help when the time comes!
I just bought an Instant Pot and I am loving the meals from that! I have never seen the electric kettle! Fun post, thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!
Love getting an inside look into what someone else thinks is so useful. Thanks for sharing your favorites!
You are so right – there is so much in our kitchen that we just don’t use! My favourite things have to be the kettle and the toaster. Because that’s breakfast sorted right there!
P.s. thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday