Must Have Kitchen Items

The items for your kitchen that I consider essential, along with a KitchenAid mixer giveaway (giveaway closed)!

I’m not a gadgety kind of gal, so there aren’t a lot of items I would tell you that you need to have in your kitchen. You can probably skip the slushie maker, grilled cheese sandwich maker, and the cotton candy maker! However, if you’re just starting out in the kitchen, there are several items that you really must have!

Quality Knives

Once you’ve used good knives, you’ll never consider buying a knife at the dollar store. Quality knives will slice, chop and mince easily, and you’ll actually lessen your chances of cutting yourself, because you won’t be trying to hack through food with them! This is the set I have and love.

Instant Pot

If you haven’t gotten on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet, you really should! My sister uses hers to make homemade yogurt. You can cook rice in it, boil eggs whose shells will slip off, and cook a roast to amazing perfection in an hour or less.

And of course you can use your Instant Pot for all sorts of dinner ideas, such as this Pork Roast, or this Ham and Potato Soup. For even more ideas, including desserts, we’ve got a Pinterest board dedicated to the Instant Pot!

Food Processor

If you do any amount of putting up produce from your garden, a good food processor is a necessity. Grate your zucchini, carrots, or cheese in seconds. Use it to make Fresh Pizza Sauce in less than 5 minutes. Make homemade peanut butter.

Depending on your needs, you can buy a smaller food processor, or a huge one, but one thing is for certain: you won’t want to buy the cheap one, since the motor will burn out quickly (I’m speaking from both my experience, and the experience of several friends!)

Good Pots and Pans

Pots and pans are basically the starter item for most meals. Having a nice set will make your job cooking better. Kerry loves her Calphalon cookware set. I actually have a super old set of stainless pots and pans that used to belong to my parents, that I love. But we’ve both started using a lot of cast iron, as well.

Blender

Blenders are great for whipping up a smoothie, but you can actually use them for so much more! We use our blenders to make popsicles, breakfast casseroles, soups, and homemade baby food.

KitchenAid Mixer

My first big purchase on a kitchen item was my KitchenAid stand mixer, and I have never regretted it! I use mine all the time to whip up cookies. It’s also invaluable for whipped cream and frosting, and you can even use it to knead your dough for you!

All three of us have a KitchenAid Mixer, and we all think that you need one, too! That’s why we’ve got this fabulous giveaway for you to enter to get a mixer of your own!