Whether you are outfitting a new kitchen or upgrading equipment, there are some essential pieces you’ll want to always have in your kitchen.
Whether you are just starting out learning to cook, or are a seasoned pro, there are many pieces of equipment that are essential to preparing and cooking a meal. Of course, there are many specialized gadgets you can have, but they aren’t necessary.
The equipment can be broken up into three different categories: preparation, range-top, and bakeware. When you are starting out, it’s perfectly acceptable to get some of “the cheap stuff” when it comes to kitchen equipment. The first kitchen I had of my own, in college, was a lot of hand-me-downs and thrift store purchases. When we got married, Justin and I were gifted with a lot of kitchen equipment that we used to replace the older stuff. Now, when I need something new, I save up and buy quality items so they will last for a long time.
I’ve linked all of these to some of the best options that you can purchase on Amazon for their prices. Sometimes you may find a product cheaper, but quality matters for many of these.
Also, make sure you know what type of pots and pans you want before you purchase any cooking utensils. If you have nonstick pans make sure you don’t use any metal utensils or it will ruin the surface of the pans.
This is also a great list if you are starting a wedding registry for a new home!
Originally Published On: August 9, 2018
Last Updated On: June 15, 2021
Essential Kitchen Equipment for Preparing Meals
- Bottle Opener
- Can Opener
- Chef Knife
- Clear Glass Liquid Measuring Cups
- Colander
- Corkscrew
- Cutting Board
- Dry Measuring Cups
- Flexible Metal Spatula
- Grater and/or Shredder
- Kitchen Shears
- Ladle
- Long-Handled Fork
- Measuring Spoons
- Meat Mallet
- Meat Thermometer
- Mixing Bowls
- Oven Thermometer
- Pancake Turner
- Paring Knife
- Pasta Server
- Rolling Pin
- Rubber Spatula
- Serrated Knife
- Slotted Spoon
- Tongs
- Vegetable Peeler
- Wire Cooling Rack
Range-Top Essentials
2-quart Saucepan
4-quart Saucepan
6-inch Skillet
8-inch Skillet
12-inch Skillet
8-quart Stockpot
Flat Pan
Essential Bakeware
8×8 & 9×13 Baking Dish
8- or 9-inch Loaf Pan
8- or 9-inch Round Baking Pan
Baking Sheet
Baking/Pizza Stone
Casserole Dishes
Jellyroll Pan
Muffin Pan
Download a copy of the Essential Kitchen Equipment checklist to see what you are missing in your kitchen:
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This is such a comprehensive list. There are definitely some items I can add to my kitchen!
I always find myself stuck without something I need mid-cooking. This is a great list for those times since I never end up writing down what I need while it happens and then forget lol. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I always feel like my kitchen is lacking things. This is a great list. Thanks for preparing and sharing it!
I had a baking stone that was nice and seasoned. It cracked! I have a baking sheet that is a stone though.
This is such a good list! I am starting to realize I am missing a few key items in my kitchen now.
What a great idea for a post! This is a very handy and useful guide for those heading off into the world and setting up their first apartments this fall – excellent timing!
Great tips on knowing what you want to buy before you purchase everything. I’m definitely missing quite a few of these items… good thing our anniversary is coming up soon!
This is such a great list. I always feel like I have too many kitchen gadgets, but I love them! It’s nice to see what other people use daily.
What a thorough list of kitchen essentials! I don’t have a pizza stone, but I need one now!
I can’t wait to get some of the items you mentioned in our wedding registry next month! I need to get my cooking game back on!
I’m happy to say that I already have most of these items. I truly use all of them, you can never have to many kitchen tools.
This is a nice list of kitchen essentials!
The first thing I did when I got engaged was fill my registry with kitchen and cooking utensils! I’m obsessed. Cooking is so much fun.
Hi, This is a nice list of kitchen essentials!I can’t wait to get some of the items you mentioned in our wedding registry next month! I need to get my cooking game back on!
This is awesome and will help people who want to cook. I will keep this just in case I will need it. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your kitchen tools that I need ro have! This is worth to share with others 💗
So nice to have all these items in one list. That makes shopping simplified for me.
I need to add these to my kitchen. Ive been wanting to spend my time more in the kitchen
We have gained a lot of kitchen equipment over the years. It really does take a lot of cooking supplies to be prepared for meal prep.
This was so helpful to me, I am always looking for ways to make cooking easier and there’s nothing more annoying than finding you don’t have the right piece of kit for a recipe! I’ve already made some notes from your post!
Great list of essential kitchen equipment. I can definitely list some of them which I can use in my kitchen. Thanks for the info. I’ll add it to my cart!
My husband is a kitchen gadget fanatic. I went ahead and shared this with him sheepishly because well, do we really need anyone gadget? I guess… LOL
This is really helpful for us who are setting up a new kitchen. I love the list
These are what you’ll actually use in the kitchen. I need more bakewares.
I may be making a list of things here that I don’t have yet. I’ll have to grab them 🙂
I love to cook and have most of these in my kitchen, but not all. Thank you for the recommendations!
Such a great list. Now where was this when I was a newlywed? Funny, though I still don’t have a jellyroll pan. I need to add this to my wishlist of kitchen items to get.
Great list and a great guide for me in buying essential kitchen equipment. Thank you so much!
What a great list. Thank you for putting this together, I found a few things I don’t have already in my kitchen.
This is a great list! I have pretty much everything on it, but it definitely took me a long time to get there, especially to get good quality pieces. I wish I had this list when I was starting out!
We just renovated our home and had to buy all our kitchenware from scratch. I already have most of the items on this list but forgot about the wire cooling rack and some others. It’s so frustrating to forget about these things till you’re right in the middle of cooking, as most recipes never mention what equipment you need to prepare your dish.
Yyyeeesssss….I need a meat malette so bad! It’s good we are soon leaving the lockdown and curfew times behind us here. Thanks for sharing your list.
These are truly essential kitchen equipment. I have most of them too in my kitchen.