Kitchen Essentials I Can’t Live Without

After deep cleaning and decluttering my kitchen, I realized there were plenty of things that I could do without. I also came to appreciate the kitchen items that I use on a daily basis. If you are looking to start your kitchen for the first time, or cut back to just the essentials, this is definitely where I would start.

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Cooking from scratch and trying to eat a mostly whole foods diet is how we run things around here. That being said, we spend A LOT of time in the kitchen. When I say these are things I can’t live without, I mean these are things that I use multiple times a day. I cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and provide 1-2 snacks every day for my 5 kids.

My Kitchen Essentials

Plates/bowls:

When we first got married, we bought the standard dishes set. It came with dinner plates, salad plates, bowls and mugs. I have gotten rid of all the mugs since we have different ones we like to use, and many of the plates became chipped or broken. Rather than buying a whole new set that may or may not match I started replacing pieces as we need them from the Dollar Tree. I can buy single, plain white plates instead of having to get an entire new set.

Pans:

I love my small loaf pans. I haven’t quite perfected how to cook banana bread. It either turns out with a runny middle, or a completely crisped outside. I have found that by cooking it in these mini loaf pans they come out perfect every time! And it’s way more fun to eat a little loaf for snack time!

Pots:

We use these all. the. time. They are seriously the best pans ever. I decided a few years back to get rid of all my pots and pans that had Teflon on them. I had a cast iron skillet, but the learning curve on that was a little steep for me. These pans were the perfect transition. You do need to use a bit more butter or oil, but that just makes everything taste even more delicious!

Pyrex:

Gone are the days of stained plastic dishes. I got rid of all plastic dishes to store food in to keep things a little safer while using the microwave. I love how the Pyrex dishes can look nice enough to serve food in, and then you simply pop a lid on to store leftovers in the fridge.

Pizza Pan:

Whether it is baking our own pizza or reheating left over pizza, these pans are great. We have pizza for sure every other week, but let’s be honest. I think we are keeping Little Caesar’s in business. Plus, our kids love to read and participate in the Pizza Hut Book It Program, so that is just one more excuse to eat pizza.

Blender:

This blender is the best. I put all sorts of frozen fruits into it for our smoothies in the morning and it works fabulous. We burned through motors on so many other blenders before finding this one. I also use it for blending up soups and made applesauce with it for the first time this fall. It is much more affordable than a Blendtec, but I feel like we get really similar results.

Knives:

We used to have one of those knife blocks with a bunch of knives that were really not quality made. We had some that broke in half while I was cutting them, or the handles fell off. Instead of purchasing a whole new knife block we bought a couple good quality knives. We also got a knife sharpener to keep our knives in great working condition all the time.

So, that’s what we use on a daily basis! Now you’ve seen the inside of my cupboards and know where I store everything too, so feel free to stop on in and cook a meal for us! haha

What kitchen products can you not live without?