Appliances
Immersion Blender
An immersion blender (also known as a stick blender) is used to blend or puree food in the container its is being prepared in.
We use our immersion blender all the time. From blending soups and sauces directly in the pot, to whipping up homemade whipped cream for dessert, to easily making mayonnaise for hard boiled eggs, our recommended pick is a versatile two-speed blender from Conair that’s a cinch to use (and is even easier to clean). Plus, it’s very reasonably priced.
Immersion Blender (Premium)
If you’re looking to purchase a multi-speed all-in-one immersion blender with attachments, look no further than theBreville all-in-one processing station.
It comes with a variety of useful attachments that are all ergonomic, high quality, and very easy to clean. They turn your immersion blender into an extremely versatile tool. We love this package deal!
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Kitchen Scale
For precisely measuring raw food (and coffee beans, in my case) a small, lightweight, scale is needed. Look no further than American weigh scales digital pocket scale.
With a bright LED display, highly incremental measurements in US and metric units, and compact size, this scale is perfect for most weighing functions you’ll ever need.
Blender
If you’re a fan of making smoothies, sauces, dips, or soups, you’ll likely want a powerful blender instead of using a food processor every time.
Our pick is the Oster Versa blender that comes in at less than ½ the price of a Vitamix (our premium pick and the de facto standard for powerful blenders) and performs just as well.
This is a stylish blender with a 1,400 watt motor that pulverizes anything you can throw at it. This is a great purchase for the price, and we highly recommend it.
Blender (Premium)
Our premium pick is the Vitamix Professional series 750 blender. If you’re in to blenders at all, there’s not much to be said about Vitamix. They’re the best, and they command a premium price.
You have likely seen Vitamix’s in commercial restaurants because of their power and ease of use and cleaning. If you’re looking for the best of the best, the Vitamix is a fantastic pick.
Blender (Budget)
If our recommended pick is still a bit more than you’d like to spend for a blender, theNinja Professional Blender is a great budget alternative.
Coming in at only $80, this powerful blender will do much of what its higher priced counterparts will do at a fraction of the price. It’s a great buy on a budget.
Other Kitchen Essentials
Food Storage ContainersAluminum Foil Parchment Paper TowelsSponges Heavy SpongesDish RackIce Cube TraySmall Trash BagsLarge Trash BagsSmall Trash BinLarge Trash Bin
Food Storage Containers
High quality food storage containers are essential for bringing lunch to work and storing ingredients (or cooked meals) in the refrigerator so they stay fresh for several days. Ourrecommended glass containers from Kinetic are dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, and oven safe and are made from environmentally friendly glass (instead of plastic).
This is a set of three containers with locking lids, which is great for a single cook who plans on taking their lunch to work. If you cook for your family or significant other and need more than three containers containers, try our premium option which comes in a bigger set.
Food Storage Containers (Premium)
You can purchase these highly rated glass food storage containers from Snapware in sets of 10, 16, and 18. They’re reasonably priced, made in the USA, and are also dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, and oven safe and are made from BPA free Pyrex glass.Aluminum Foil
Aluminum foil can be used in the kitchen for all sorts of different purposes. From cooking to cleaning, protecting, scrubbing, lifting, or steaming, this is one versatile kitchen essential. As as important as aluminum foil is, however, it’s also one of those items that you can easily forget to re-stock up on, leading to expensive impulse purchases at your local grocery store.
For this reason, we recommend stocking up on high quality foil from Reynolds. With two rolls and 500 square feet of high quality, inexpensive foil, you’ll be able to relax and get back cooking without worrying about re-purchasing for a long time.
Parchment Paper
Parchment paper is used in cooking as a disposable non-stick surface that greatly helps with avoiding messes in the kitchen.
Simply line your casserole dish or baking sheet pan with parchment paper and you’ll be able to clean up in a flash. Our recommended parchment paper from Kirkland is high quality, comes in high quantity packaging, and is a very reasonable price.
Towels
Everybody needs towels in their kitchen for drying dishes, wiping up spills, dusting, and regular cleaning. But towels aren’t something most people give much thought to when stocking their own minimalist kitchen.
After much searching and testing, we found these “flour sack” towels and haven’t looked back. They’re 100% cotton, very reasonably priced, and work exactly how kitchen towels should.
Sponges
Just like with kitchen towels, when it comes to sponges most people choose one type and don’t look back. But as with all of our other recommended kitchen items, some sponges are better than others.
In all of our searching and testing, Scotch-Brite’s Dobie all purpose pads are the clear winner. They have just enough scouring ability that you don’t need a dedicated scouring pad, but work just as well as a delicate sponge does. Plus, they have a 5 star rating on Amazon over several hundred reviews, so we’re not the only happy customers out there!
Heavy Sponges
If our all-purpose sponges aren’t enough for a heavy job, Scotch-Brite’s heavy duty scrub sponges will be able to scour any tough job you have to do. These sponges are tough and will last a many tough jobs in the kitchen.
If they get smelly all you have to do is put them in the dishwasher, run a cycle, and they’ll come out as good as new. For lasting quality that doesn’t break apart on the tough jobs, these sponges are our winners.
Dish Rack
Even if you have a dishwasher you’ll still need to hand wash some items or to give cookware a quick rinse. A quality dish rack is needed because you can place your dishes on the rack and have it drain the water back into the sink.
Our recommended dish rack is Polder’s advantage dish rack. It comes with a typical dish rack design that we’re all familiar with, and it looks stylish and works as it should.
Dish Rack (Premium)
If you want to fancy your dish rack up, theZojila Rohan dish rack is the ferrari of dish racks. It’s made of brushed stainless steel and features an innovative drain system that differs from the typical design you see in most dish racks today. This is a pricey purchase, but the positive reviews back it up.Ice Cube Tray
You probably haven’t given much thought to ice cube trays. They’re all the same, right? Well, if you’ve ever triedRubbermaid’s ice cube trays, you’ll know that there are better options out there!
These trays allow you to release the cubes with a single, simple twist that will get the entire cube out. Never again do you have twist and hit your trays to get broken ice cubes out.
You may think that ice cube trays won’t make much of a difference to your life, but if you often use ice cubes these trays will make the process a whole lot easier.
Ice Cube Tray (Premium)
Now if you’re an ice cube aficionado and want the best of the best, OXO’s silicon ice cube trays are what you should buy.
The silicon lid seals water into the tray before freezing which allows you to place the tray any way you like in the freezer. Popping the cubes out is an extremely simple affair, and the reviews of this tray are glowing.
Small Trash Bags
Because everyone needs trash bags, you may as well choose the best designed ones you can find. These small trash bags from Glad are perfect for apartment dwellers who only have room for asmall trash bin.
These bags come in a 4-gallon size, which is perfect for under-the-sink trash bins that need to be tucked away. They’re also extremely sturdy and can handle being carried when full without you having to worry that they’ll tear and spill garbage everywhere. For a small bag that does a tough job, these trash bags are a great quality buy.
Large Trash Bags
These bags come in a 13-gallon size, which works well for taller trash bins that aren’t stored under the sink. They also have reinforcing bands woven throughout the bag which makes them extremely tough and sturdy – a nice feature that gives peace of mind when carrying a full bag. Whether you use these bags in your busy kitchen or even in the office, you won’t be disappointed.
Small Trash Bin
Designed for apartment dwellers using smalltrash bags, this stainless steel small trash bin from Simplehuman is elegantly designed, highly rated, and comes with a 5-year warranty.
It has custom handles on the inside of the bin that holds grocery bags in place so they never sag when filled with trash. Even the step that opens the can is designed well – it works with a small amount of pressure and has a soft-close feature that won’t make a racket when you close the lid. Overall, this is a fantastic bin for use under the sink in your kitchen or bathrooms.
Large Trash Bin
This large trash bin from Simplehuman is perfect for people who have the space for a full-sized, high-quality trash bin. This bin also comes with a 5 year warrantly and will fit your large trash bags perfectly.
It comes with a steel foot pedal with a soft-close feature that makes closing the bin after use quiet and smooth (which is a nice change from those bins that close with a crash). Innovative design allows you to place the bin right up against the wall and still allow the lid to be opened. For use as a standalone bin that isn’t tucked away anywhere, this large bin is a clear winner.
Sum-Up
Fully stocking a minimalist and efficient kitchen with cookware doesn’t have to be frustrating or cost a lot of money. By purchasing only high-quality multi-purpose items that have a strong value proposition, you can end up with a fully stocked kitchen that will last a lifetime (without costing you an arm and a leg!).
- Preparation Tools & Essentials
- Cookware & Bakeware
- Cooking Tools & Kitchen Utensils
- Appliances
- Other Kitchen Essentials
And don’t forget that there’s no point in purchasing cookware if you have no intention to cook! Check out our cooking guide for beginners, our free simple recipes, or feel free to start a free trial of our personalized meal planning service here.
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