The kitchen is one of the calming corners of the house where you can let go of all your worries and stress. Flavorful aromas circulating throughout your home can increase appetite and improve your mood.

However, you can’t really prepare anything without quality cooking essentials. So, if you have a small kitchen and want to know the essential culinary items, read on.

In this guide, we’ve compiled nine cookware items you’ll need to have for a minimalist kitchen!

1. Pots and Pans

Each home cook should have a basic selection of pots and pans at hand to prepare wonderful meals. When you have high-quality tools, your dishes turn out better.

Whenever you want to prepare spaghetti, soups, or fry a chicken, you need both pans and pots. Now, let’s see some of the most important pots and pans you need to have in your small kitchen:

• Non-stick pan. The first item in cookware sets is commonly a non-stick pan. The latter is one of the most often used pans, and its name implies that food does not stick to its surface. Breakfast dishes like pancakes and omelets are a breeze to make with them as well as sautéed fish and vegetables. The slick surface makes cleanup a pleasure, and you can cook a meal with less oil.

• Cast-iron pan. This skillet is ideal for deep-frying. It’s great for browning meat since it evenly distributes heat. When you use these pans a lot, they become even better and last a lifetime. When correctly seasoned, meals can be cooked at high temperatures while still preventing sticking. Preparing a dish in a cast-iron pan will make it even tastier as it contains all the flavors from the previous meals you prepared.

• Saucepan. A 2- to 4-quart pot is required for liquid-based meals. It’s ideal for simmering and boiling. Saucepans are useful for creating sauces and soups, noodles, as well as tiny servings of rice and buckwheat.

• Stockpot. A stockpot with a capacity of 8- to 10- quarts is great for cooking huge quantities of pasta or soup. They are ideal for making soups, stock, and stews.

• Dutch oven. This cookware item excels at braising. It’s ideal for searing meat and cooking slow-cooked foods. With a dutch oven, you may make stews with a rich and thick texture. The pot may be used on the stovetop or in the oven, and it’s great for casseroles and deep-frying foods.

• Baking sheets. In the minimalist kitchen, two baking sheets are all that is required. Other than cookies, sheet pans are fantastic for serving a meal, roasting veggies, and more.

2. Two Knives

Knives are among the most frequently used utensils. So instead of spending the money on a huge set, purchase a little set of two.

You use a knife whenever you want to cut, chop, dice, and julienne ingredients to prepare a dish. You can have two knives for your minimalist kitchen:

• Chef’s knife. You may have heard that chef’s knife is one of the most important kitchen utensils for preparing dishes. Once you want to chop or dice ingredients uniformly, swiftly, and safely, you need a chef’s knife. The majority of your culinary activities can be handled by a chef’s knife, which is crucial for your cooking performance. A high-quality chef’s knife may seem expensive at first, but it will pay you off by serving a long time.

• Paring knife. What a chef’s knife lacks behind in, the paring knife comes to the rescue. It’s ideal for hulling strawberries, mincing garlic or onion, and peeling vegetables and fruits that are small.

It’s always a good idea to spend money on a high-quality knife which is the most crucial kitchen utensil for your cooking.

3. One Pair of Tongs / Two Spatulas / One Whisk

Tongs, spatulas, and whisks are other crucial cooking utensils. Have them in your small kitchen:

• Tongs. Tongs should be shorter for more control when grasping noodles and moving a piece of meat. First of all, you need to understand why you need tongs as they have various types with different functions, materials, and sizes. Most tongs are suitable for tasks such as griping, flipping, or serving food.

Stainless steel tongs are commonly seen in the kitchen and are ideal for grabbing hot food, moving them around, and collecting pasta from pots.

However, they can harm the surface of non-stick pans. Non-stick tongs made of silicone or nylon are recommended for non-stick cookware. However, you risk tearing little or delicate foods while moving with these. There are no good or bad tongs --- it all depends on what you want to do with them.

• Spatula. Spatulas should be made of high-quality, dishwasher-safe silicone to make them easy to clean and prevent food from sticking to the sides.

• Whisks. In a mixing bowl, a whisk works well for whisking and mixing eggs as well as emulsifying oils. Whisking creams and vinaigrettes is faster and easier than forking them.

4. Measuring Cups and Spoons

One set of measuring cups and spoons can help you prepare pastry and cakes exactly as the recipe suggests. At first, if you are new to cooking, it isn’t a good idea to eyeball your cooking as your dish may not come out tasty. So, these utensils always come in handy.

5. One Colander

You need a colander once you want to clean fruits and vegetables, drain pasta, squeeze water, etc. The standard 5-quart size will be enough for your needs. Considering your budget, buy a colander that meets your needs.

6. Two Quality Cutting Boards

Once you chop ingredients, you not only need a chef’s knife but also a cutting board for that.

You can consider buying two chopping boards --- one will be used for ready-to-eat items like fruits, vegetables, and cooked food, and the second one for cutting raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

As a rule of thumb, you can use a wooden cutting board for vegetables and fruits and a plastic one for poultry.

7. Mixing Bowls in Three Sizes

In most minimalist kitchens, a set of lasting mixing bowls in three stacking sizes is essential. These can be used to cook, season ground meat, store food, and even serve salads and chopped fruit.

8. Oven / Refrigerator / Stove

These essential kitchen appliances will come in handy every time you prepare a meal at home. Replace them with long-lasting, high-quality alternatives once they cannot be used anymore.

Keep an eye out for energy efficiency labels. It’s critical to think about eco-friendly appliances that will save you money in the long run.

9. Kettle / Blender

And don’t forget about essential kitchen appliances that can save you time and energy. Use these two appliances for your everyday cooking activities. For example, with a high-quality blender, you can make tasty fresh smoothies, apple soups, cocktails, etc.

Final Thoughts

And these are some of the minimalist cooking essentials you need for your small kitchen. So double-check them and fill your atmosphere with mesmerizing flavors today.

Happy cooking!