My Kitchen Essentials: Affordable Must-Haves to Set Up Your First Kitchen

Starting your first kitchen can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially for young married couples, college students, or anyone new to cooking. You want to create a space that is functional yet doesn’t break the bank. The good news is, there are plenty of affordable kitchen essentials that can help you kick off your cooking journey without causing too much financial stress. Let's explore some must-have items that are practical, useful, and perfect for beginners.

Building Your Kitchen: Essential Items

Our apartment is barely 650 sq ft and that leaves us with a tiny kitchen with only 2 lower cabinets. With that in mind, I've made this list based off of things that we have in our tiny kitchen and couldn't do without.

• Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Pot

• Rice Maker

• Crock Pot

• Blender - we have two

  • A Nutribullet Blender

  • A Vitamix (my gift to myself when I was 19, so I've had it for 6 years now and am so happy I did)

• Le Creuset Kettle - we got one from our registry and it's a fun staple on the stove top and makes hot cocoa, tea, or anything else so much more realistic to make.

• Stainless Steel Pans

• Glass Tupperware for Meal Prep

• Mixing Bowls

• A Couple Nice Serving Dishes

• Wooden Cutting Board

• Meat Thermometer - you're not bad at making chicken, you just don't have a meat thermometer

• Kitchen Scale - something that's invaluable if you bake especially sourdough.

• Glass Measuring Cups

• Wooden Spoons

• Scrubber

Creating a Functional Space and Getting Started

As you begin to gather these kitchen essentials, remember to create a space that reflects your personality and lifestyle. Think about organization and placement; keep frequently used items at arm's reach and dish ware that you don’t use as often stored out of sight.

A friendly tip: Start with gathering the basics, and over time you can expand your collection as you grow more comfortable and adventurous in the kitchen. Don't forget that building a kitchen takes time and while you don't need to splurge, you should still create a sustainable kitchen that you won't have to replace every year.

Happy cooking!