7 Kitchen Must-Haves for the Newlywed Cook
New to the kitchen or maybe just looking to streamline your kitchen ware? Here is my list of 7 kitchen essentials I use daily.
Our two-year anniversary is coming up, and now that we’ve had some time to break in our wedding gifts, I thought I’d share about which tools and gadgets we use most in our kitchen (and which items I wish we put on our registry!) These are, hands down, the most used items in our kitchen.
Now, there are a lot of kitchen products out there that look beautiful, and you might be convinced that you will actually use them. The truth is, you can make so many delicious recipes with some simple kitchen ware and tools – you don’t need a bunch of super-specific, fancy products!
If you are newly engaged or newly married, this might help you narrow down what you actually need in your kitchen versus those items that look really nice, but just clutter your space. And if you’re like me, your space is already limited; the more versatile a kitchen item is, the better.
Here is a quick rundown of our favorite kitchen items that we use ALL the time. Read on for why we love them, tips on how to use them, and where you can find the item to purchase.
- Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- Cast Iron Skillet – 8 inch
- Cast Iron Skillets – 12 inch with lid
- Stainless steel saucepans
- Immersion blender
- KitchenAid stand mixer
- French press
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Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
From baking sourdough bread to making soups, stews, pasta dishes and more – I love our enameled cast iron Dutch oven! It’s something we use daily. It is the gold standard for baking the perfect sourdough boule. The Dutch oven provides an optimal environment for the bread to bake evenly, and generates enough steam to form that delicious crispy golden crust and perfect rise.
In addition, the enameled Dutch oven is easy to clean, can go from stovetop to oven, and tolerates high heat. It is so versatile and long-lasting – definitely a must-have in any kitchen! I have the Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. It comes in a variety of fun colors – my Dutch oven is the color Island Spice.
Cast Iron Skillet – 8 inch
Another item we use daily in our kitchen – the Lodge 8 Inch Cast Iron Pre-Seasoned Skillet. The smaller size of this skillet makes it perfect for fried or scrambled eggs in the morning, or a grilled sandwich for lunch. We cook our eggs in this skillet every morning, and while it took a bit to get the hang of cooking with cast iron, we would never go back to nonstick!
If you’re new to the natural living sphere, nonstick cookware is full of chemicals and can transfer to your food. So the sooner you swap out nonstick, the better! Cast iron is a great alternative. While there is a bit of a learning curve to cooking with cast iron, there are several benefits! In addition to being a more natural cookware, cast iron is durable and long-lasting, heats evenly, and is easy to clean.
Cast Iron Skillet with Lid – 12 inch
Another cast iron product that we love – the Lodge 12 Inch Cast Iron Pan with Lid. The larger size is great for cooking veggies or protein for dinner, and the lid is handy for when you want to sear the food without a mess. One of my favorite ways to cook Brussels sprouts is to start them on the stove top with some good fat such as ghee, and then once they sear a bit I transfer them to the hot oven to cook through. We use this same method with a steak, and it turns out delicious!
Cast iron is so versatile in that it can go straight from the stove top to the oven. The 12 inch size is perfect for a variety of dishes, and clean up is a breeze! If you’re looking for cookware that will still be staples in your kitchen in 30 years, cast iron is the way to go.
Stainless Steel Saucepans – 1 qt and 3 qt
While we did not receive stainless steel saucepans as a wedding gift, I wish we had! In ditching the nonstick cookware, I’ve found that stainless steel is my favorite cookware for saucepans and pots. A full set is great, but if you have limited space, I’d say my most-used sizes are the 1 quart and 3 quart.
In addition to being a safer alternative to nonstick cookware, stainless steel is a classic and durable option. While I prefer cast iron for sautéing, searing and frying, good stainless steel saucepans are an absolute necessity for steaming and boiling. Think steamed veggies, boiled potatoes or pasta. I also have a larger 8 quart stainless steel pot that comes in handy when cooking for a crowd.
Immersion Blender
In my opinion, the immersion blender is an underrated kitchen tool! It’s powerful, easy to clean, and doesn’t take up much space. From pureed soups to sauces and dressings, to applesauce, to baby food – I am always finding new uses for my immersion blender.
The Cuisinart Immersion Blender comes with a mixing/measuring cup, which is perfect for blending up small quantities of food. For pureed soups, I just blend it right in the pot or Dutch oven I’m cooking in! It’s quick and easy to use, plus you won’t have to dirty a regular blender!
KitchenAid Stand Mixer
I’ll be honest – before I had one, I thought stand mixers were overrated. Turns out I was wrong! It is so convenient to measure your ingredients right into the mixer and let it do the work. There’s also several additional attachments you can buy, such as the pasta roller and cutter, ice cream maker, or meat grinder.
I have the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer. Surprisingly, I didn’t even have a stand mixer on my wedding registry, but I’m so glad it was gifted to us! I also have the Ice Cream Maker Attachment, which whips up ice cream in a breeze. Plus, I don’t have to find room for another kitchen appliance, in the case of a separate ice cream making machine.
French Press
Alright alright, I’ll admit…this is a pretty specific kitchen item as it’s only use is making coffee. But – it makes the BEST homebrewed coffee! Unless you want to drop the big $$$ for a home espresso machine, French press is the way to go.
We didn’t get our French press as a wedding gift, but after going through two or three (very breakable) glass presses, this French press from Mueller Austria is the most durable one we’ve found. Plus, the 34 ounce size makes a wonderfully large batch of coffee!
The key to making great coffee is to start with fresh, organic coffee beans and filtered water. Grind the coffee beans fresh – don’t buy ground coffee! Coarsely grind the beans, add them to the French press with piping hot water, and then cover and wait about 4 minutes before pouring. Once you taste fresh French press coffee, you won’t want to go back to the standard coffeemaker coffee!
Whether you’re just getting started in the kitchen, or you’re a seasoned cook, I hope this list was helpful to you. If so, please drop a comment below or share with a friend. Thanks for reading!
