The kitchen can easily become the most cluttered room in your house. Here are 15 must have minimalist kitchen essentials to help you narrow down your kitchen products for a clutter free kitchen!
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As a minimalist, I try not to own more products than I actually need. Because I love to cook and bake, the kitchen was the hardest room to declutter in my house!
I decided to pay more attention to the things I always reached for in the kitchen and the things I rarely used. I narrowed it down to my minimalist kitchen essentials. Things I didn’t really need after all were:
- small pots and pans
- plastic Tupperware
- slow cooker
- multiple sized blenders
- different types of knives
- wok
- multiples of random items (too many utensils, multiple pots/pans, etc.)
The first thing I did was get rid of multiples that weren’t needed. I didn’t need 10 spoons, so I narrowed it down to 4. I did this with all my products and just kept an amount that made sense for us.
Minimalist Kitchen Essentials
Here are my minimalist kitchen essentials that I actually use quite often if not daily:
1. Instant Pot
The instant pot is a product that I had my eyes on for awhile before I finally purchased one. I’m so glad I did! It’s so versatile and I use it for so many things! I especially love cooking beans in it because they cook so much faster than in a regular pot.
I use it for rice, beans, potatoes, chilis, soups, and much more! Since getting the instant pot, I don’t use very many other pots so it’s perfect for my minimalist lifestyle.
2. French Press
Personally, I’m more of a tea person myself but my husband sure loves his coffee! In fact, he was the one who wanted the French press and convinced me to get one.
I love our French press and electric kettle because it’s so quick and simple to use. Unlike other coffee makers, a French press is smaller and much easier to store. I never really leave it out on the counter to avoid visual clutter.
3. Non-Stick Pan
After realizing that I didn’t need multiple pans, I now only use two non-stick pans! I have a large pan and a medium sized pan. The large pan I mainly use for dinner and the medium one we usually use for breakfast if we make some type of scramble.
I have had this non-stick pan for three years now and it’s still going strong! I love that I don’t have a bunch on pans taking up cabinet space and it’s so easy to keep organized.
4. Toaster
Both my husband love having toast for either breakfast, as a snack, or on the side of some delicious soup! A toaster was a must have for us and I feel like it is for most people.
We did receive a toaster as a wedding gift three years ago, so we’ve been using that one since. Our toaster is a little big (4 slice toaster) but it’s nice because we both usually have two slices each anyway! Here is the toaster we have.
Luckily, I can store it away instead of leaving it out on the countertop. It fits fine in our cabinets because we are quite minimal with everything else!
5. Casserole Dish
Personally, I love to bake. Especially during the winter months! Everyone needs a good casserole dish, in my opinion. You came make so many different meals such as lasagna, enchiladas, and other delicious casseroles!
All you need is just one to keep it minimal, I find one works just fine for me.
6. Silicone Utensils
Because I use non-stick pans, I like to use silicone utensils. I have this set here and they work perfectly!
Using silicone utensils ensures that my pans don’t scratch and stay in good condition. Making my items last as long as possible is so important to me!
7. Blender
When we got married, we were gifted a Ninja Blender. We’ve been using it for the past 3 years and it works just fine. It did come with multiple blender cups, but I found that we just needed one.
I got rid of the other ones to help keep my kitchen clutter free. We use our blender every single day for smoothies, protein shakes, sauces, and even soups!
The Ninja Blender is actually the only appliance we leave out on the countertop. Luckily, it doesn’t create a lot of clutter since it’s only one thing.
8. Mixing Bowls
Because I love baking, I have a set of light weight mixing bowls that I use for cookies, breads, muffins, and more!
Mixing bowls are great so that you don’t have to use other, smaller bowls making it harder to mix. These light weight ones are so easy to clean afterwards too!
I also use these mixing bowls for when I make large salads for my husband and I to have for dinner. They are so versatile!
9. Colander
Pasta is definitely a staple in our house. It’s cheap, easy, and my husbands favorite meal! Having a good colander is a must for straining our pasta well after cooking.
We don’t just use it for pasta though! A colander is great for rinsing beans, veggies, and fruit to clean them before cooking or eating.
10. Steamer Pot
Having a steamer pot makes it so easy to steam up some delicious veggies! However, I love using it to make tamales during the holiday season and I also use it when I make my homemade vegan deli meat.
11. Measuring Cups & Spoons
Usually, I don’t measure out ingredients when I am making my own recipes. However, I do use them when trying out brand new recipes!
Having a simple set of measuring cups and spoons is a must in our kitchen!
12. Can Opener
Although I am trying to use less canned food and make more things at home (such as beans), a can opener is always a good thing to have in hand.
I use mine quite frequently and couldn’t imagine life without it. The one we have isn’t fancy at all, it’s simply a hand held one that stores away easily!
13. Knife Set
Of course, if you make any type of homemade meals at home, you always need a good knife set!
Like I said before, I used to have too many knives. I now use just 2 knives which has worked great for me! While it can be nice to have different knives that can cut different things better, I don’t think it’s always necessary.
You can get the job done for most things with just a few knives. I use this knife for slicing larger things like melons, pineapple, or thick squash. This knife is more of my everyday knife and I use it for almost everything!
14. Glass Tupperware
If you are using plastic tupperware, it’s time to say goodbye! I used to have tons of mismatched plastic tupperware and it made my kitchen super cluttered.
Finally, I made the switch is glass tupperware and never looked back! It lasts so much longer, doesn’t stain, and it just higher quality.
15. Baking Set
Of course, I couldn’t forget my baking trays! These include a cookie sheet, muffin pan, bread pan, and pie pan.
I love to bake, especially sweets! If you do too than you know a baking set is a must!
This is just a list of minimalist kitchen essentials that I think are must haves because I reach for them quite often, if not daily. If there are items on this list that you will never use, then you don’t have to have it! It’s so important that we keep our purchases intentional. Find what works for you!
Sincerely,
Denise
