Setting Up Your Kitchen
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Creating a Kid-Friendly Kitchen
Child friendly kitchens are important even though your child might not grow up to be a cook or like cooking but hopefully they will and every child should have some basic skills.
Here’s some hints for organizing your kitchen to be child-friendly:
Kitchen Cabinet: Choose a lower cabinet and empty it. Into it, place all of the kid-friendly dishes. Put in it the plastic Spiderman bowl, Barbie plate and sippee cups. Add a container to hold the child-size flatware. Put in a napkin holder with napkins. Not only can they set their place at the table and get a cup when they want a drink but they can help empty the dishwasher and put their own clean dishes away.
Kitchen Drawers:
Pantry: If you have young children and there are some things you do not want to them to constantly help themselves to, then you might place the snacks on an adult-height shelf. Take a clear box and place an assortment of approved children’s snacks, such as granola bars, at a lower level for them. Likewise, if your children pack their lunches choose a lower shelf and place all the items that they may take in their lunchbox.
Refrigerator: Have a snack zone in the fridge. Add a bowl of fruit that everyone likes, such as grapes or oranges. Add your small vegetable nibbles, containers of yogurt or pudding, cheese sticks and so on. This keeps everyone from rummaging through the fridge and also keeps them from eating ingredients you have planned to use in meals.
Add a sturdy step stool to the kitchen: Dragging a chair over is not only dangerous for the child to stand on but short sighted. You are hoping to teach your child to help often in the kitchen so you should buy a safe stool.
Chemicals & Cleaning Solutions: If you have small children, these chemicals you will typically want to store in a place that is not accessible by children. If you do store them (say under the kitchen sink), then consider putting a handle lock on the cabinets, so they cannot be opened by small children.
Here’s some hints for organizing your kitchen to be child-friendly:
Kitchen Cabinet: Choose a lower cabinet and empty it. Into it, place all of the kid-friendly dishes. Put in it the plastic Spiderman bowl, Barbie plate and sippee cups. Add a container to hold the child-size flatware. Put in a napkin holder with napkins. Not only can they set their place at the table and get a cup when they want a drink but they can help empty the dishwasher and put their own clean dishes away.
Kitchen Drawers:
Pantry: If you have young children and there are some things you do not want to them to constantly help themselves to, then you might place the snacks on an adult-height shelf. Take a clear box and place an assortment of approved children’s snacks, such as granola bars, at a lower level for them. Likewise, if your children pack their lunches choose a lower shelf and place all the items that they may take in their lunchbox.
Refrigerator: Have a snack zone in the fridge. Add a bowl of fruit that everyone likes, such as grapes or oranges. Add your small vegetable nibbles, containers of yogurt or pudding, cheese sticks and so on. This keeps everyone from rummaging through the fridge and also keeps them from eating ingredients you have planned to use in meals.
Add a sturdy step stool to the kitchen: Dragging a chair over is not only dangerous for the child to stand on but short sighted. You are hoping to teach your child to help often in the kitchen so you should buy a safe stool.
Chemicals & Cleaning Solutions: If you have small children, these chemicals you will typically want to store in a place that is not accessible by children. If you do store them (say under the kitchen sink), then consider putting a handle lock on the cabinets, so they cannot be opened by small children.
5-Tips For Organizing a Kid-Friendly Kitchen
The Smartest Way to Organize Your Pantry
Decant to Remove Mess - Air-tight containers deserve a spot on your shelf. Decant granola, crackers, nuts, and dried fruit into these stylish see-through containers for a sleeker, more organized display. We like Rubbermaid's Sleek Brilliance line (from $7.99, bedbathandbeyond.com). Instead of buying individually packaged goods, buy in bulk, and then divide snacks up in smaller containers. This is a good way to keep portions under control and an easy way to instruct the kids on healthy eating habits.
Use Height to Your Advantage - There are two good reasons why you might want to keep the sweets high up. First, as Amy Pottinger of Caviar and Crayons says, "No one wants to walk into their kitchen to find sugar and flour all over the floor!" And isn't that the truth? Keep all of the sweeter goods and baking staples—sugar, candies, cookies, etc.—stored on the highest shelf. The second reason is to free up storage space for healthy snack options at eye level. And here's another tip for parents: Dedicate a shelf or separate drawer to shatterproof cups and dishes, all kept within easy reach, so they can grab their own snacks each afternoon.
Designate "Grab and Go" Snacks - Implement something called the "anytime shelf." These are the healthier snacking options that are permissible between breakfast, lunch, and dinner—in other words, they are treats the kids can eat anytime. Storing them at eye-level allows the kids to help themselves whenever they feel hungry. For Annie Shea Thompson of DIY Décor Mom, it's all about instilling healthy habits: "For my family, a well-designed, kid-friendly pantry is all about fostering independence with my kids and involving them in cooking early-on," she says. "I set-up snack-baskets with mom-approved options (applesauce, pretzels, dried fruits, raisins, etc.) in easy-to-reach locations so the kids can help themselves at snack time."
Help Kids Learn with Labels - While you teach the importance of healthy eating habits, help them develop another skill: reading. Label the shelves—a set of chalkboard stickers and an erasable chalk marker ($11.99, amazon.com) will do the job—and use it as a teaching moment for younger kids who are still learning how to read and introduce new foods to older ones. Dedicate a lower shelf to corralling lunch boxes and packs. If you happen to love the art of organization as much as we do, a matching set of canisters, bins, and other storage vessels will streamline the look of your pantry.
Leave Notes - One last tip (and something often missing in a pantry): Write a list of allergies displayed in the cupboard available for the babysitter, a family member, or anyone else who helps to manage the household. You can also include emergency phone numbers and a plan of action in case of an allergic reaction.
Decant to Remove Mess - Air-tight containers deserve a spot on your shelf. Decant granola, crackers, nuts, and dried fruit into these stylish see-through containers for a sleeker, more organized display. We like Rubbermaid's Sleek Brilliance line (from $7.99, bedbathandbeyond.com). Instead of buying individually packaged goods, buy in bulk, and then divide snacks up in smaller containers. This is a good way to keep portions under control and an easy way to instruct the kids on healthy eating habits.
Use Height to Your Advantage - There are two good reasons why you might want to keep the sweets high up. First, as Amy Pottinger of Caviar and Crayons says, "No one wants to walk into their kitchen to find sugar and flour all over the floor!" And isn't that the truth? Keep all of the sweeter goods and baking staples—sugar, candies, cookies, etc.—stored on the highest shelf. The second reason is to free up storage space for healthy snack options at eye level. And here's another tip for parents: Dedicate a shelf or separate drawer to shatterproof cups and dishes, all kept within easy reach, so they can grab their own snacks each afternoon.
Designate "Grab and Go" Snacks - Implement something called the "anytime shelf." These are the healthier snacking options that are permissible between breakfast, lunch, and dinner—in other words, they are treats the kids can eat anytime. Storing them at eye-level allows the kids to help themselves whenever they feel hungry. For Annie Shea Thompson of DIY Décor Mom, it's all about instilling healthy habits: "For my family, a well-designed, kid-friendly pantry is all about fostering independence with my kids and involving them in cooking early-on," she says. "I set-up snack-baskets with mom-approved options (applesauce, pretzels, dried fruits, raisins, etc.) in easy-to-reach locations so the kids can help themselves at snack time."
Help Kids Learn with Labels - While you teach the importance of healthy eating habits, help them develop another skill: reading. Label the shelves—a set of chalkboard stickers and an erasable chalk marker ($11.99, amazon.com) will do the job—and use it as a teaching moment for younger kids who are still learning how to read and introduce new foods to older ones. Dedicate a lower shelf to corralling lunch boxes and packs. If you happen to love the art of organization as much as we do, a matching set of canisters, bins, and other storage vessels will streamline the look of your pantry.
Leave Notes - One last tip (and something often missing in a pantry): Write a list of allergies displayed in the cupboard available for the babysitter, a family member, or anyone else who helps to manage the household. You can also include emergency phone numbers and a plan of action in case of an allergic reaction.
Setting Up a Kitchen Kids Will Love
Whether they are playing the role of a head chef, baker, cafe owner, kitchen porter, parent or waiter, children love playing different roles and scenarios in imaginative play. With a play kitchen, your child can imagine themselves in all kinds of roles while rustling up some mouth-watering imaginary treats.
Benefits of a play kitchenA play kitchen is one of the best things you can have in your home for encouraging imaginative play. A play kitchen can:
Play kitchens with style
Explore our range of play kitchens and get a modern, commercial-looking kitchen that’s perfect for your budding chef. Providing hours of fun, our play kitchens consist of everything you would expect from a gourmet kitchen.
Take our Gourmet White Toy Kitchen, which features a four burner cooktop, oven, sink, and even a dishwasher! Finished in a lead-free and non-toxic white colour with silver metallic trim, it features:
Building a play kitchenBuilding your own play kitchen allows you to customise it to suit your child’s individual personality. Use what’s in front of you - a play kitchen doesn’t require anything too flash, just a little bit of creativity. Check your garage, recycle stuff from your own kitchen, use old paint as primer, and have a real-looking, stylish kitchen on a budget.
If you can, pop it on casters so it’s moveable too.
Step 1 - Start with your base cabinetry. Are you using an old TV or nightstand, or a desk, table or chest of drawers? For this example, we’ll use an old TV cabinet. Sand your TV cabinet down really well to ensure your paint will stick.
Step 2 - For your backsplash, take a 12” x 1” x 6 feet piece of pine board and secure it to the top of the cabinet using wood glue, straight metal brackets and screws. If you can, clamp your backsplash in place overnight to allow the glue to dry.
Step 3 - Prime and paint the pine board and your TV cabinet with your chosen colour. To make your splashback look ‘real’, draw some vertical straight lines every 2.5 inches down the length of the board. Give your lines depth with a fine-point silver pen.
Step 4 - Take a piece of black craft foam, a piece of child-safe Perspex and some superglue to create your stove top and oven. You can add some knobs using wood disks and contact paper. Your knobs can then be screwed directly into your cabinet.
Step 5 - To make the sink, pick up a cheap faucet from Bunnings and a mixing bowl. Measure the rim of the bowl and cut a hole in the top of your cabinet that’s slightly smaller. The lip of the bowl should sit just over the hole.
Step 6 - For storing utensils, either add a shelf to your splashback or attach a curtain rod or Grundtal bar. With some S-bend hooks you can hang saucepans, frypans and buckets for your utensils.
Step 7 - Populate your child’s new toy kitchen with the accessories they’ll need to play with. Check out our full range of kitchen accessories here.
Engaging play in your play kitchenWhen playing with your child in their play kitchen, let them lead. When you pretend play with kids it’s important not to guide them. If they ask you for help and ideas it’s okay to prompt them, but try to let them take the reigns whenever possible. This will make their experience in the kitchen a whole lot more fun.
And don’t forget that for even more fun, stock your kitchen well. HipKids can help with this, whether you’ve bought a kitchen from us or you’ve made your own. At HipKids we’ve got aprons, rolling pins, whisks, bowls, blenders, mixing spoons, pastry brushes, pastry wheels, cookie cutters, cup cake trays, cake pans, cake stands, weighing scales, and even a coffee machine.
From the ‘food’ side of things, we’ve got toy fruits and veg, toy wooden cupcakes, popcorn machines, biscuits, sushi, pastries, whole chickens, smoothie goods, eggs, juice, milk, sauce and bread.
The more you stock your kitchen, the more fun is to be had! Check out the full range of toy kitchen play sets at HipKids today.
Benefits of a play kitchenA play kitchen is one of the best things you can have in your home for encouraging imaginative play. A play kitchen can:
- Enrich creativity
- Enhance language and communication
- Improve social skills and teamwork
- Help develop planning and organisation skills
- Mimic important life skills
- Offer a sense of independence
- Boost cognitive and problem-solving skills
- Encourage mathematical learning
- Enhance visual recognition
- Promote healthy food choices
- Develop fine motor skills
Play kitchens with style
Explore our range of play kitchens and get a modern, commercial-looking kitchen that’s perfect for your budding chef. Providing hours of fun, our play kitchens consist of everything you would expect from a gourmet kitchen.
Take our Gourmet White Toy Kitchen, which features a four burner cooktop, oven, sink, and even a dishwasher! Finished in a lead-free and non-toxic white colour with silver metallic trim, it features:
- Doors that open and knobs that click for realistic play
- Hardened child-safe Perspex and magnets on doors to keep them closed
- Door hinges made from durage metal
- A removable sink for easy clean-up
- Sink tap swivels and tap knobs that turn
- Removable internal shelves
- Plenty of storage.
Building a play kitchenBuilding your own play kitchen allows you to customise it to suit your child’s individual personality. Use what’s in front of you - a play kitchen doesn’t require anything too flash, just a little bit of creativity. Check your garage, recycle stuff from your own kitchen, use old paint as primer, and have a real-looking, stylish kitchen on a budget.
If you can, pop it on casters so it’s moveable too.
Step 1 - Start with your base cabinetry. Are you using an old TV or nightstand, or a desk, table or chest of drawers? For this example, we’ll use an old TV cabinet. Sand your TV cabinet down really well to ensure your paint will stick.
Step 2 - For your backsplash, take a 12” x 1” x 6 feet piece of pine board and secure it to the top of the cabinet using wood glue, straight metal brackets and screws. If you can, clamp your backsplash in place overnight to allow the glue to dry.
Step 3 - Prime and paint the pine board and your TV cabinet with your chosen colour. To make your splashback look ‘real’, draw some vertical straight lines every 2.5 inches down the length of the board. Give your lines depth with a fine-point silver pen.
Step 4 - Take a piece of black craft foam, a piece of child-safe Perspex and some superglue to create your stove top and oven. You can add some knobs using wood disks and contact paper. Your knobs can then be screwed directly into your cabinet.
Step 5 - To make the sink, pick up a cheap faucet from Bunnings and a mixing bowl. Measure the rim of the bowl and cut a hole in the top of your cabinet that’s slightly smaller. The lip of the bowl should sit just over the hole.
Step 6 - For storing utensils, either add a shelf to your splashback or attach a curtain rod or Grundtal bar. With some S-bend hooks you can hang saucepans, frypans and buckets for your utensils.
Step 7 - Populate your child’s new toy kitchen with the accessories they’ll need to play with. Check out our full range of kitchen accessories here.
Engaging play in your play kitchenWhen playing with your child in their play kitchen, let them lead. When you pretend play with kids it’s important not to guide them. If they ask you for help and ideas it’s okay to prompt them, but try to let them take the reigns whenever possible. This will make their experience in the kitchen a whole lot more fun.
And don’t forget that for even more fun, stock your kitchen well. HipKids can help with this, whether you’ve bought a kitchen from us or you’ve made your own. At HipKids we’ve got aprons, rolling pins, whisks, bowls, blenders, mixing spoons, pastry brushes, pastry wheels, cookie cutters, cup cake trays, cake pans, cake stands, weighing scales, and even a coffee machine.
From the ‘food’ side of things, we’ve got toy fruits and veg, toy wooden cupcakes, popcorn machines, biscuits, sushi, pastries, whole chickens, smoothie goods, eggs, juice, milk, sauce and bread.
The more you stock your kitchen, the more fun is to be had! Check out the full range of toy kitchen play sets at HipKids today.
Kitchen Essentials
This is my ultimate list of kitchen essentials. Almost weekly you guys ask about what my kitchen essentials areor what I use for that while I am doing a Dinner Served Live on Instagram or when I am sharing a dish or even a gathering. I love giving recommendations for great items but I figured what better way to really share these things with you guys than with a great post full of EVERYTHING I actually have in my kitchen and use.
Yes, I went drawer by drawer through my kitchen to create this so you can know the exact items I use daily to cook every one of our meals from breakfast to dinner and preserve all the goodness of the seasons as well.
I have spent years perfecting what we use in our kitchen and simplifying to things that are neutral and fit our style and life. Mind you, I cook and entertain A LOT and more than the normal person so I will need a few more things than you might but my hope is this will recommend some great tools to you and let you know you don’t always need the fanciest thing on the market but just the one that works well for the everyday cook.
Also, for so many couples getting married I am hoping this is extra helpful to building a great registry of kitchen essentials. Many of these items we actually received when we got married over 8 years ago. I know the struggle of knowing what you ACTUALLY need to put on a registry so I am hoping this will help you build a good registry whether it be for a new home or for your wedding. This way you will know what to place on their so you are actually getting things that will last in your kitchen for years. As I said many things such as our dishes and cutting boards and appliances were things we received from our wedding. I think when in doubt register for things are simple, quality, and neutral. The best thing we ever got was our white dishes. They go with everything every time of year and I never get sick of them. I have other plates for gatherings but these are the ones I use 85% of the time. I only use other ones for things that are just for shoots or other styled things or if I don’t want to tote porcelain plates to a beach. The rest of the time we are using these plates.
I also want to say, that I have suggested pieces and items below but I beg you first to take this list and go to a local kitchen store you love in your town to find these kitchen essentials. Spend time hunting on trips and so on for these items if you have the chance to. It will make them mean more and create a beautiful feeling to your kitchen. Many local artisans carry kitchen staples especially serving pieces in particular so go support them don’t click these links unless you just want to see. I would beg you rather to go find them somewhere close to your doorstep.
Finally, I also have things for kids. Now that Hayes is older I want him to learn what it is to use plates and cups that aren’t plastic. He seems to do well with them at the age of 2.5 and knock on wood nothing has broken. So we usually opt for these types of things for now though I am suggesting other options that worked well for us during the learning phases and first foods.
Okay so let’s dive in. I have broken it all up by categories in the kitchen to make it easy for you.
Best Linens For Your Kitchen:Linens are a huge kitchen essential even for the more minimalist among us. Last year I started working at eliminating our paper towel usage. Now we buy one pack of 12 for the whole year vs 2 to 3 times that. I now use Flour Sack cotton towels for all of our Kitchen cleanup needs. I love having these towels around and they wash up so well. I have about 24 for the week and just wash them as we go throughout the week. I also keep a slew of napkins on hand for entertaining and even daily meals as a family. Cloth napkins also help to eliminate waste so I enjoy having these to use. I typically look for linen or cotton based napkins. Soon we will have some in our store but for now these ones are the ones I would suggest. Finally, I don’t get holiday focused with linens at all and stick to the basics. I use natural elements to create holiday decor instead of linens. I also stick to natural fibers like flax or hemp linen and organic cotton for all linens. This means they wear better and they can bio degrade later.
What Serveware to Have In Your KitchenYour choices here realllly depend on how much you entertain. These are the things I make sure to have on hand for every dinner party and consider pretty much my kitchen essentials for gathering. How many of them I need depends on the gathering I am holding and many times I request guests bring things if I need more than I have on hand. That said, I think these are the basics. Some of the items may seem slightly weird but I make sure to have small bowls for instance, on hand for cheese platters and apps that need small dishes to place things in or even if you are doing a buffet and there is something that has herbs on top or salt or some of the like. I also make sure to always have tons of bowls. I feel like bowls are essential. I love hunting for them and keep them all in similar palettes so they can play together and go with almost any tablescape I am putting together. Once again I don’t buy things for holidays at all. I use white because it allows the food to shine which to me is the greatest decor in every season.
The Essential Glassware for Your BarWe have learned from lots of moving just what is actually worth the money and what isn’t in the glassware department. We have broken more wine glasses and cups than I care to share with the world, but it is unbelievable. So I am giving this list with the knowledge that these things are great, hold up and if they do break are simple to replace. The only place I invest in my glassware is that I think you should have one REALLY nice set of cocktail glasses and in all honesty I actually drink wine out of our Mazama glasses as well. We currently only have 4 but hope to add some more in the next few years. They are gorgeous and heavy duty. They are our favorite thing in our kitchen so yes they are $44 a piece but they are heirloom pieces to us and I think you should have some of those in your kitchen. Other than that I love IKEA for glasses and these ones are great because they really hold up with kids and guests. I never worry about them because 1 they don’t break easily and when they do they are simple to replace. I think we have lost maybe 2 in the years we have had them. Then the large glasses are awesome because you place lids on them and use them for storage when you run short on a week that has a lot of leftovers.
What Cooking Tools You Need For A New Kitchen:I know this is a lot but if you cook like we do you know that it takes great tools to get the job done. These are some of my kitchen essentials that I know I couldn’t cook without. I have learned over the years that great tools are what matter the most in creating food and feeling like I can eat healthily. Sure maybe there are a lot of them here, but these are my favorite ones.
The Essentials for A Home Bar:If you are someone who enjoys making a cocktail or mixing up any sort of drink these are the items you actually need. We love making large ice cubes from drinks and having all the tools to make cocktails when the evening calls for it.
The Essentials for Baking At Home:These are the items I swear by to have on hand for cooking everything we love to cook from Paella to Thanksgiving dinner to even a Sunday roast. The biggest thing to know is that when you are buying cookware be aware of chemicals and aluminum because they will transfer during the heating process of cooking.
Low Waste Food Storage Essentials:When you cook at home, you usually end up with leftovers and need things to store your food. These items are the kitchen essentials I swear by especially for storing in ways that both eliminate waste but also keep our health in mind. Glass and silicone are the go-tos in our home and these items are the ones I love the most. I want to note though here specifically that I use these items for storing food both in our fridge and freezer. Getting the right containers for the freezer is important. When buying glass for the freezer get the freezer-ready jars or else they may shatter and pay close attention to the lines for liquids on the jars as well. I also use different silicone bags for storage depending on the place I am storing. The Stasher bags do awesome for fridge and dry snack storage but pop open more easily in the freezer. The ones with the runner on top work great for freezing but are more challenging for continual opening and closing. I also use the bins for storing and organizing our fruit and veggies in a drawer. These are easy to clean and store vegetables in that do not need to be in the fridge. It is important your bins keep things separated and allow for airflow. I use our liquid-ready Weck Jars for homemade nut and seed milk, broth, and any other liquids we plan to keep in the fridge that week.
The Necessary Small Appliance for Your Kitchen Essentials:Depending on how you eat depends on the larger kitchen tools and small appliances that you need. Many of these items we use every week and some just for the occasional thing here and there. Either way, they are kitchen essentials. Though I have lived without a Food Processor for a long time, I do think it is a necessary piece in the kitchen that I need to get again. I could go through each one of these as to their importance and maybe I will:
Food Processor – Great for pulsing food and making lightly chopped things, making slaw super quick, creating dough, and more.
Stand Mixer – This is the ultimate mixer and has tons of attachments for pasta, ice cream, and more. I use it probably 15 times a year, but if you bake at all, this is the ULTIMATE. I also use it to make our butter instead of using a hand mixer.
Pressure Cooker – Save a ton of money by purchasing bulk beans, lentils, etc and cooking them without soaking in under 8 minutes or so. You can also quickly make rice and what I use it for most is for broth especially bone broth. You can do it in less than 2 hours. It is insane. People make meals in them but I just enjoy them for cutting costs and making it quick to make things such as beans, broth, and grains.
Crock Pot – We use this mostly in the fall and winter months for cooking a roast or making chili or soup at the beginning of the day and enjoying it at the end of the day. It is such a seasonal thing to have a meal slow cooking all day I think.
Water Heater – Makes it easy to make tea or coffee but also is what I use when making pickles. It heats our purified water fast and makes it quick to get veggies crisp with the boiled water. Also, we have had this same model for over 8 years now and it works beautifully still.
Immersion blender – I use this to make smooth soups mostly. It eliminates pouring hot liquid into a high-speed blender. For the price, it is worth eliminating the headache.
Spiralizer – To make eating healthy and easy it is fun to spiralize veggies so they have a different texture. I don’t do it enough but I love having the options.
Hand Chop – I hate chopping garlic and nuts and this guy makes it SUPER fast and easy to do it.
Hand Mixer – I use this for quick muffin making or more or even when I don’t want to haul out our stand mixer
High-Speed Blender – We went for years without one and I have to say I know the price is high but if you use your blender a lot it is WELL worth it. We use this every day if not twice a day for sauces, smoothies, dressings, you name it. I love it and in 4 years have used it more than 1,200 times…so we have gotten our money’s worth out of it. For sure this is our most used appliance in our home.
Toaster – This is just a must to have but we don’t use a ton. This is something we keep in a drawer for guests and for times we make toast but that is it.
The Kitchen Essentials for Your Coffee Bar:We make coffee every morning like most people and we do Pour over style. Everyone has their way these days they make coffee but we love this method. It is very easy and simple. We love the flavor it creates since we typically are drinking very specific light roast beans so the flavor really matters and pour over lends to that. These are the kitchen essentials we use. We also drink decaf herbal tea at night and I love having a teapot around.
What Dishes and Tableware You Actually Need In Your Kitchen:I believe in keeping our tableware pieces very simple and focused on the absolute kitchen essentials. Everyone should have a set of white dishes. I don’t care what you think you want, a set of white dishes will last forever and work for EVERY occasion. We added white to our Wedding Registry from Crate and Barrel years ago and we still use them every day and for many of our gatherings. Not to mention they have held up over these years from countless gatherings. I cannot speak more of the importance. The other items are suggestions, but at the very least have white dishes. I like to add color to our table and gatherings with collected dessert plates in neutral tones. People love seeing different things after the white dinnerware and it is fun to eat dessert on something with a little variance I think. If you want another dishware then this great, but at the very least have a set of white dishes you will be extremely surprised by how well they work in a kitchen. You should also know you need to have 12 of everything in a kitchen that sets a table. Some people say 10 but the 12 is in case something gets broken. You don’t have to unbox everything, but I really suggest 12. I highly suggest finding dessert plates over time. I have found mine at thrift stores and from potters over the years and people always comment on them. It is really fun.
Yes, I went drawer by drawer through my kitchen to create this so you can know the exact items I use daily to cook every one of our meals from breakfast to dinner and preserve all the goodness of the seasons as well.
I have spent years perfecting what we use in our kitchen and simplifying to things that are neutral and fit our style and life. Mind you, I cook and entertain A LOT and more than the normal person so I will need a few more things than you might but my hope is this will recommend some great tools to you and let you know you don’t always need the fanciest thing on the market but just the one that works well for the everyday cook.
Also, for so many couples getting married I am hoping this is extra helpful to building a great registry of kitchen essentials. Many of these items we actually received when we got married over 8 years ago. I know the struggle of knowing what you ACTUALLY need to put on a registry so I am hoping this will help you build a good registry whether it be for a new home or for your wedding. This way you will know what to place on their so you are actually getting things that will last in your kitchen for years. As I said many things such as our dishes and cutting boards and appliances were things we received from our wedding. I think when in doubt register for things are simple, quality, and neutral. The best thing we ever got was our white dishes. They go with everything every time of year and I never get sick of them. I have other plates for gatherings but these are the ones I use 85% of the time. I only use other ones for things that are just for shoots or other styled things or if I don’t want to tote porcelain plates to a beach. The rest of the time we are using these plates.
I also want to say, that I have suggested pieces and items below but I beg you first to take this list and go to a local kitchen store you love in your town to find these kitchen essentials. Spend time hunting on trips and so on for these items if you have the chance to. It will make them mean more and create a beautiful feeling to your kitchen. Many local artisans carry kitchen staples especially serving pieces in particular so go support them don’t click these links unless you just want to see. I would beg you rather to go find them somewhere close to your doorstep.
Finally, I also have things for kids. Now that Hayes is older I want him to learn what it is to use plates and cups that aren’t plastic. He seems to do well with them at the age of 2.5 and knock on wood nothing has broken. So we usually opt for these types of things for now though I am suggesting other options that worked well for us during the learning phases and first foods.
Okay so let’s dive in. I have broken it all up by categories in the kitchen to make it easy for you.
Best Linens For Your Kitchen:Linens are a huge kitchen essential even for the more minimalist among us. Last year I started working at eliminating our paper towel usage. Now we buy one pack of 12 for the whole year vs 2 to 3 times that. I now use Flour Sack cotton towels for all of our Kitchen cleanup needs. I love having these towels around and they wash up so well. I have about 24 for the week and just wash them as we go throughout the week. I also keep a slew of napkins on hand for entertaining and even daily meals as a family. Cloth napkins also help to eliminate waste so I enjoy having these to use. I typically look for linen or cotton based napkins. Soon we will have some in our store but for now these ones are the ones I would suggest. Finally, I don’t get holiday focused with linens at all and stick to the basics. I use natural elements to create holiday decor instead of linens. I also stick to natural fibers like flax or hemp linen and organic cotton for all linens. This means they wear better and they can bio degrade later.
What Serveware to Have In Your KitchenYour choices here realllly depend on how much you entertain. These are the things I make sure to have on hand for every dinner party and consider pretty much my kitchen essentials for gathering. How many of them I need depends on the gathering I am holding and many times I request guests bring things if I need more than I have on hand. That said, I think these are the basics. Some of the items may seem slightly weird but I make sure to have small bowls for instance, on hand for cheese platters and apps that need small dishes to place things in or even if you are doing a buffet and there is something that has herbs on top or salt or some of the like. I also make sure to always have tons of bowls. I feel like bowls are essential. I love hunting for them and keep them all in similar palettes so they can play together and go with almost any tablescape I am putting together. Once again I don’t buy things for holidays at all. I use white because it allows the food to shine which to me is the greatest decor in every season.
The Essential Glassware for Your BarWe have learned from lots of moving just what is actually worth the money and what isn’t in the glassware department. We have broken more wine glasses and cups than I care to share with the world, but it is unbelievable. So I am giving this list with the knowledge that these things are great, hold up and if they do break are simple to replace. The only place I invest in my glassware is that I think you should have one REALLY nice set of cocktail glasses and in all honesty I actually drink wine out of our Mazama glasses as well. We currently only have 4 but hope to add some more in the next few years. They are gorgeous and heavy duty. They are our favorite thing in our kitchen so yes they are $44 a piece but they are heirloom pieces to us and I think you should have some of those in your kitchen. Other than that I love IKEA for glasses and these ones are great because they really hold up with kids and guests. I never worry about them because 1 they don’t break easily and when they do they are simple to replace. I think we have lost maybe 2 in the years we have had them. Then the large glasses are awesome because you place lids on them and use them for storage when you run short on a week that has a lot of leftovers.
What Cooking Tools You Need For A New Kitchen:I know this is a lot but if you cook like we do you know that it takes great tools to get the job done. These are some of my kitchen essentials that I know I couldn’t cook without. I have learned over the years that great tools are what matter the most in creating food and feeling like I can eat healthily. Sure maybe there are a lot of them here, but these are my favorite ones.
The Essentials for A Home Bar:If you are someone who enjoys making a cocktail or mixing up any sort of drink these are the items you actually need. We love making large ice cubes from drinks and having all the tools to make cocktails when the evening calls for it.
The Essentials for Baking At Home:These are the items I swear by to have on hand for cooking everything we love to cook from Paella to Thanksgiving dinner to even a Sunday roast. The biggest thing to know is that when you are buying cookware be aware of chemicals and aluminum because they will transfer during the heating process of cooking.
Low Waste Food Storage Essentials:When you cook at home, you usually end up with leftovers and need things to store your food. These items are the kitchen essentials I swear by especially for storing in ways that both eliminate waste but also keep our health in mind. Glass and silicone are the go-tos in our home and these items are the ones I love the most. I want to note though here specifically that I use these items for storing food both in our fridge and freezer. Getting the right containers for the freezer is important. When buying glass for the freezer get the freezer-ready jars or else they may shatter and pay close attention to the lines for liquids on the jars as well. I also use different silicone bags for storage depending on the place I am storing. The Stasher bags do awesome for fridge and dry snack storage but pop open more easily in the freezer. The ones with the runner on top work great for freezing but are more challenging for continual opening and closing. I also use the bins for storing and organizing our fruit and veggies in a drawer. These are easy to clean and store vegetables in that do not need to be in the fridge. It is important your bins keep things separated and allow for airflow. I use our liquid-ready Weck Jars for homemade nut and seed milk, broth, and any other liquids we plan to keep in the fridge that week.
The Necessary Small Appliance for Your Kitchen Essentials:Depending on how you eat depends on the larger kitchen tools and small appliances that you need. Many of these items we use every week and some just for the occasional thing here and there. Either way, they are kitchen essentials. Though I have lived without a Food Processor for a long time, I do think it is a necessary piece in the kitchen that I need to get again. I could go through each one of these as to their importance and maybe I will:
Food Processor – Great for pulsing food and making lightly chopped things, making slaw super quick, creating dough, and more.
Stand Mixer – This is the ultimate mixer and has tons of attachments for pasta, ice cream, and more. I use it probably 15 times a year, but if you bake at all, this is the ULTIMATE. I also use it to make our butter instead of using a hand mixer.
Pressure Cooker – Save a ton of money by purchasing bulk beans, lentils, etc and cooking them without soaking in under 8 minutes or so. You can also quickly make rice and what I use it for most is for broth especially bone broth. You can do it in less than 2 hours. It is insane. People make meals in them but I just enjoy them for cutting costs and making it quick to make things such as beans, broth, and grains.
Crock Pot – We use this mostly in the fall and winter months for cooking a roast or making chili or soup at the beginning of the day and enjoying it at the end of the day. It is such a seasonal thing to have a meal slow cooking all day I think.
Water Heater – Makes it easy to make tea or coffee but also is what I use when making pickles. It heats our purified water fast and makes it quick to get veggies crisp with the boiled water. Also, we have had this same model for over 8 years now and it works beautifully still.
Immersion blender – I use this to make smooth soups mostly. It eliminates pouring hot liquid into a high-speed blender. For the price, it is worth eliminating the headache.
Spiralizer – To make eating healthy and easy it is fun to spiralize veggies so they have a different texture. I don’t do it enough but I love having the options.
Hand Chop – I hate chopping garlic and nuts and this guy makes it SUPER fast and easy to do it.
Hand Mixer – I use this for quick muffin making or more or even when I don’t want to haul out our stand mixer
High-Speed Blender – We went for years without one and I have to say I know the price is high but if you use your blender a lot it is WELL worth it. We use this every day if not twice a day for sauces, smoothies, dressings, you name it. I love it and in 4 years have used it more than 1,200 times…so we have gotten our money’s worth out of it. For sure this is our most used appliance in our home.
Toaster – This is just a must to have but we don’t use a ton. This is something we keep in a drawer for guests and for times we make toast but that is it.
The Kitchen Essentials for Your Coffee Bar:We make coffee every morning like most people and we do Pour over style. Everyone has their way these days they make coffee but we love this method. It is very easy and simple. We love the flavor it creates since we typically are drinking very specific light roast beans so the flavor really matters and pour over lends to that. These are the kitchen essentials we use. We also drink decaf herbal tea at night and I love having a teapot around.
What Dishes and Tableware You Actually Need In Your Kitchen:I believe in keeping our tableware pieces very simple and focused on the absolute kitchen essentials. Everyone should have a set of white dishes. I don’t care what you think you want, a set of white dishes will last forever and work for EVERY occasion. We added white to our Wedding Registry from Crate and Barrel years ago and we still use them every day and for many of our gatherings. Not to mention they have held up over these years from countless gatherings. I cannot speak more of the importance. The other items are suggestions, but at the very least have white dishes. I like to add color to our table and gatherings with collected dessert plates in neutral tones. People love seeing different things after the white dinnerware and it is fun to eat dessert on something with a little variance I think. If you want another dishware then this great, but at the very least have a set of white dishes you will be extremely surprised by how well they work in a kitchen. You should also know you need to have 12 of everything in a kitchen that sets a table. Some people say 10 but the 12 is in case something gets broken. You don’t have to unbox everything, but I really suggest 12. I highly suggest finding dessert plates over time. I have found mine at thrift stores and from potters over the years and people always comment on them. It is really fun.
