My Current Kitchen Must-Haves

As a homemaker who cooks most of our meals from scratch, I spend a lot of my time in the Kitchen. I know that sounds like a nightmare to so many people, but I count it a blessing and find joy in making new things. Today’s post is a collection of my current kitchen must-haves for a simple and enjoyable time while cooking and baking.

I’m not usually one for ‘gadgets’ or ‘hacks’, but if there’s a tool that makes my job easier, I’m all for it.

And I’d like to put a disclaimer here. Sometimes the term ‘must-have’ insinuates that everyone must have it. However, that’s not really what I’m saying. what I am saying is that if I had to seriously dwindle my kitchen tools, these are the item that I must have to operate my kitchen, while also being a good steward of my time and resources. You definitely do not need to have every tool I have to be a good homemaker. These are not requirements to being a homemaker.

With that being said, this list is comprised of many items including a few appliances, pots and pans, kitchen organization, and also small tools for cooking and baking. I hope you’ll find something useful in this post.

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Large Appliances

KitchenAid Stand Mixer– I use my stand mixer for so many things- multiple times a week. With the dough hook, I can knead my dough faster and better than I ever could by hand. I use the whisk attachment to shred chicken, mash potatoes, and make whipped toppings like whipped cream and meringue. And of course, my paddle attachment comes in handy for cookies, dips, and protein balls. Though I’m not to that point myself, I love that a KitchenAid Mixer can become many other appliances like a pasta maker, meat grinder, grain mill, and so much more with its wide array of attachments. The purchase of a Stand mixer can actually help you dwindle some of your existing appliances!

Presto Pressure Canner– This is the exact pressure canner that I have. When deciding between this one and the popular All American Pressure Canner, (aside from the price difference) I mostly took into account its ability to be used on induction ranges. In our apartment, we have induction ranges, and obviously can’t switch to gas, so I went with this one. It’s big enough to do large batches if you purchase a second base, but small enough to fit under a short vent hood or microwave setting. I would also recommend buying a canning supply kit.

Pressure Cooker– I actually can’t recommend a specific one, because while typing this, I found out that mine has been recalled. However, I can recommend having a pressure cooker! I love to use it to make rice and other grains, and it’s how I make my own broths. A Pressure cooker is integral to my kitchen.

Pots and Pans

Stainless Steel Cookware Set (Affiliate Link)- This set is not one that I currently own, because I haven’t pulled the trigger on the expense, but these have amazing reviews, and I will likely be purchasing them in the near future.

Large Stock Pot– You probably already have one of these, but it’s worth mentioning its importance. I find that a large stock pot is so handy in my kitchen. Typically, I use mine for everything from soups to pasta, to water bath canning. I prefer stainless steel, but the kind doesn’t matter so much.

Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven– I received a non-enameled Dutch oven as a wedding gift, and used it to make bread when I was getting started. I do still have it, and I have loaned it to a few new bakers, but my favorite is the enameled version. With traditional cast iron, you should avoid acidic foods like tomato-based recipes because the acidity will break down the seasoning. The enameled version is protected, so I can baked sourdough loaves and also use it to make soups and roasts in the colder months. It truly is a staple in my ‘kitchen must-haves’ collection.

Baking

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls (Affiliate Link)- One of the claims on these bowls is that they’re sized for every task, and I can personally attest to that claim. The biggest bowl is HUGE! I received these as a wedding gift, initially thinking I’d never need all those sizes, but they’ve come in handy on more than one occasion.

Dough whisk (Affiliate Link)- Lots of people think that this item is pretty gimmicky, but I really love it. There’s something about it that incorporates ingredients gently, and without any lumps. I use it regularly to make dessert breads, sourdough, and really anything else you’d use a whisk for.

Sourdough supplies (Affiliate Link)- I received this kit as a gift for Christmas last year right before I started baking sourdough. I have used everything in this kit and loved every bit of it. I did buy a new lame this year, but the one that comes with the kit is great for beginners, and comes with extra blades. This kit is a great price for everything included, but you don’t have to buy the whole thing. You can definitely buy the items in the kit separately.

Banneton baskets- These baskets are great for pre-shaping your dough and letting them rest before baking. I know these are not necessary for baking bread, but I find that they do come in handy.

Scoring Lame- This is another item that isn’t absolutely necessary for making a loaf of sourdough bread. However, if you want to make decorative scores or really get those deep scores to get great ears on your loaves, a bread scoring lame is extremely helpful. In the kit shown above, a long handled lame is included, but this year I received a new handled lame that allows me to get more detailed with my scores and make more decorative designs on my loaves.

Stainless Steel Bench Scraper- I love my bench scraper. It’s great for picking up balls of dough to place into baskets or just move around. And I especially love it for cleaning off my surface after making a loaf or really making any other dish. This tool has made cleanup much easier after a long day in the kitchen.

Plastic Dough Scrapers (Affiliate Link)- These little doodads are great for coaxing dough out of bowls after a bulk rise. you can avoid getting your hands sticky and get the most out of your bowl after rising. They can also double as cutters when you need to divide dough

Stainless Steel Pastry Cutter (Affiliate Link)- I was also gifted this when I started making various kinds of dough. I use this to cut into crumbly doughs before making things like biscuits and pie crusts, and is an absolute must have in my kitchen. They make the processes of these things go much much faster.

Food scale (Affiliate Link)- I use a food scale for feeding my sourdough starter and measuring out portions if I’m only cooking for myself. A lot of people will say that a scale is not necessary for sourdough starters, but I like to keep mine handy. This is also great for dosing herbal medicines because often they call for doses measured in milliliters or ounces and it’s just easier to measure them this way.

Wooden utensils- I love wooden utensils. They are naturally anti-microbial, require little maintenance, and will not scrape up any cookware. And an added bonus is how beautiful they look on the counter next to the stove.

Bow Bread Knife (Affiliate Link)- I just recently received one of these as a Christmas gift and I LOVE it! It may seem gimmicky, but the positioning of your hand while using a bow bread knife is actually much more comfortable than using a traditional bread knife. It also allows me to make more even slices and it’s also just pretty.

Wood Cutting Board- As mentioned with the wood utensils, this cutting board is naturally anti-microbial, easy to clean, and is beautiful sitting on your counter. I use my wooden cutting board to chop and slice vegetables, slice pizza, and even use as a serving platter.

Glass Cutting Board- I love my glass cutting board for all kinds of meats. Because it is glass and not porous, it does not harbor bacteria like plastic cutting boards can. With a glass cutting board, I can cut all different kinds of meat on the same cutting board and not have to remember which ones I used for which kinds of meat with no worry of cross-contamination.

Immersion blender- I love my immersion blender for really anything that calls for blending. When making soups that need to be puréed, it’s not always safe to place a hot soup into a blender as the pressure builds up with the heat and it may explode and cause a mess. But in almost all of these instances, you can use an immersion blender in its place. Just stick the immersion blender down into the pot. Turn it on and blend until you have your desired texture. I also use my blender to make mayonnaise and other dressings

Organization

Mason Jars- I put these in organization because, well, whether I’m canning food with them or storing things in them that don’t have to be canned. I’m still organizing my food. But either way, mason jars are one of the biggest staples I have, and not only in my kitchen, but in the rest of my house as well. We store dry goods in them, like coffee, chia seeds, nuts and granola, but we also use them for canning purposes, and our every day drinking glasses. These are never leaving my ‘kitchen must-haves’ list.

Canning lids– When canning foods, it’s not recommended to reuse lids after they’ve been used in a canning process. Each newly purchased mason jar comes with a lid and a ring but once you’ve used them one time you do need to purchase new lids. The best place that I have found to buy canning lids is ForJars. They are top quality, affordable, and often beat the sealing rate of the standard Ball canning lids.

Spice rack (Affiliate Link)- I don’t know about you, but I hate cluttered spices. If I can’t see what I already have, I tend to buy more and more of the same spice and just end up with a big mess. This spice rack that I have allows you to switch labels for the spices in the containers, and you can mount it on the wall or set it on the shelf. It doesn’t take up too much room and helps immensely with organization.

Cabinet Door Baskets (Affiliate Link)- I found these last year when I was looking for something to store, my curling, iron and hairdryer, and other under the sink things in the bathroom. I came across a few baskets that I could put under the kitchen sink to hold cleaning supplies and rags for quick access. If I didn’t have organized cleaning supplies and rags, I would clean my kitchen much less often.

So there you have it. These are my current kitchen must-haves. These tools have made my time in the kitchen, simpler and more efficient and allowed me to serve my family better. I’m sure my homemaking grows and changes and as we eventually work our way to a homestead my must haves and my needs will change. I hope you found something in this post that may help you be more efficient and be a better steward of your time and resources. If you purchased anything by an affiliate link today, remember that I may receive a commission from those purchases and I thank you for the support of headed for a homestead and me and my family.

Until next time,
Rebekah