My Kitchen Tour: Minimalist Cooking Essentials
Even though I love to cook, I’m still a minimalist in the kitchen. You don’t need lots of electronics and specialty gadgets to create great dishes. I might even argue that the extra money to buy, time to clean, and space to store those specialty items isn’t worth saving a few moments by using a garlic press or an herb peeler.
One YouTube commenter accused me of “having more shit than a kindergarten classroom” which is such a wonderfully crafted insult and I plan on passing that gem onto someone else 🤣When I take absolutely everything out of my kitchen cabinets and drawers to photograph and describe said items, it feels like they’re right. Then I go to other people’s kitchens and they’ve got whosits and whatsits galore but not a sharp knife in sight and I go back to feeling like a minimalist again.
Read on for a tour of what this cook considers essential to have in the kitchen and let me know where you think I am on a scale of one to kindergarten classroom.
A few generalizations about my kitchen situation:
NO ELECTRONICS
There are virtually no electric gadgets that plug into the wall—I do manual kitchen prep with just one exception—my immersion blender. I find that things that need to be plugged in tend to cost more money, take up more space, are harder to clean, and break more often. They are also more likely to end up stored permanently on the counter which adds up to eye sore fast in a studio apartment. That means no toaster, electric can opener, and no electric coffee maker at our place.
NO SINGLE-FOOD GADGETS
I don’t own gadgets that do one job for one type of food. That means I don’t own a garlic press, avocado slicer, spiralizer, or herb peeler. The exception is my citrus reamer, which I technically own two of.
NO KITCHENAID STAND MIXER
GASP. I realize these gigantic multi-function gadgets are highly coveted but to me it’s the kitchen equivalent of excessive bedroom throw pillows. Supposedly an indicator of success, but you spend more time moving it out of the way than actually using it. Also I don’t measure things, therefore I don’t bake, so therefore I don’t need one of these. When I need to mix things, I do it with my ARM 💪🏼(and a wooden spoon).
First things first: coffee
COFFEE CANISTERS
I’ve got coffee canisters for storing whole beans. The black one is for regular coffee and the grey one is for decaf coffee. I found some like these over 5 years ago at CB2 but I’ve also seen and admired these high-tech ones from Crate and Barrel.
HAND GRINDER
I’m an insufferable hipster which means I use a hand grinder. Takes about 75 cranks or 3 minutes for 4 tablespoons (grounds for 2 people). It’s totally fine for just the two of us, but does take a little effort and forethought when we’re hosting brunch. I’ve owned this grinder for over 5 years and it shows no signs of wear. I also travel with it—made perfect coffee at gas stations on our cross-country road trip.
TEA KETTLE
I’m a huge fan of my Fellow Kettle. It has a built in thermometer with a convenient marker to denote optimal brewing temp. The narrow spout is ideal for brewing coffee and the cover also doubles as a convenient meat thermometer!
V60 POUR OVER
The quintessential, uncomplicated coffee maker. Takes up virtually no space and is easy to clean. This accompanies the hand grinder when I travel to see my family who, despite multiple passive aggressive blog posts on the matter, still drink Folgers.
CHEMEX
Chemex makes a beautiful cup of coffee, looks gorgeous on the counter, and doubles as a beverage pitcher, wine decanter, and flower vase. Ta-da!
FILTERS
I use Chemex filters for both the Chemex and the pour over. I also use them occasionally as a splatter screen when pan frying. Ryan lays one down in bathroom sink when he shaves off his beard to catch all the hair and then toss it in the compost.
You know what, I’ll stop right here and just write a separate blog post about coffee.
Cutting, peeling + blending
KNIVES
My knives are both Classic Ikon Wüsthof which I can’t pronounce but they work wonderfully. I have the 6 inch Chef and the 9 inch Serrated. Very pleased that I invested in high quality knives. I don’t own one yet, but I have plans to round out my fancy knife collection with a paring knife.
KNIFE SHARPENER
I’m always baffled at the sheer quantity of kitchen tools and gadgets most people own but there isn’t a single sharp knife to be found. If you own a knife, you should own a sharpener, just like you own a cutting board. I have this one but might upgrade to the foolproof one.
PEELER
My Rösle peeler is beautiful, easy to clean, and anyone who uses it comments on how well it works. Apparently you can’t go wrong with products that have twö döts över ä vöwel.
CAN OPENER
We all need to open cans, and I use this one to do it. It was gifted to us in our wedding shower in 2008. If it ever dies, I’ll get the Rösle one.
CUTTING BOARDS
Everything tastes better when it’s cut on a wooden cutting board, amiright? I understand that you all think that cutting raw meat on wood is unsanitary, but it’s been scientifically proven to be a myth. That said, I thoroughly clean with dish soap and a scrub brush immediately after each use and treat periodically with coconut oil. Had these for many years and can’t find the ones I own but I like this big one and this small one.
IMMERSION BLENDER
My immersion blender is dead useful, easy to clean, and fits in the drawer. I use it for whipping cream, blending soups, pureeing chimichurri…
MANDOLINE SLICER
A mandoline is a new addition to my kitchen that I wish I’d bought sooner. Salads are more delightful with thin slices of watermelon radish and sweet potato chips are gloriously crispier.
MICROPLANE
A microplane is another new addition that I can’t believe I lived three decades without. Perfect for zesting citrus, grating parmesan, and shaving fresh nutmeg. Be very careful—I’ve zested my fingers a few times.
Measuring, mixing, + prepping
MIXING BOWLS
A caterer at the startup I used to work at left these behind and when she didn’t respond to my emails, I took them home. You can find good ones at Sur La Table—just make sure they nest with you strainer to save space.
STRAINER
Like I just said, ideally your strainer nests with your mixing bowls to save space.
MEASURING CUPS + SPOONS
Not much to say about a measuring cup but this classic one is sturdy for the microwave and dishwasher. The metals ones are great for dried goods. Glass cup, metal cups, spoons.
CITRUS JUICER + REAMER
I’ve heard that poly couples spend more time talking about sex than actually having it and it feels like a metaphor for owning two citrus thingys. I’ve spent more time than I care to admit trying decide which one to get rid of (#lifeofaminimalist) but decided to keep both. I use the big juicer over a jar for juicing oranges and grapefruits and the small reamer for lemons and limes.
ROLLING PIN
Admittedly, I don’t use this very often, but when I do I guess it comes in handy. I went through a homemade pasta phase for a while but mostly it perches on top of my stove and since it’s never in the way, I haven’t gotten rid of it.
Baking, cooking, + heating
I have a confession to make. In addition to all the stuff you see here, I am also the unhappy owner of a crockpot. I didn’t bother photographing it because a) it’s as heavy as shit and b) I’m planning on trading it in for the one thing I wish I had: a dutch oven. This dutch oven to be exact. Sometimes in the winter I make chili. One time for Thanksgiving I made stuffing in it because we lived in 240 square feet and the oven wasn’t big enough for two things at once. But besides that, I really don’t use it and certainly not often enough to warrant how much space it takes up and how much of a pain in the ass it is to clean.
CAST IRON PANS
I use cast iron pans most often. They hold heat and are non stick if seasoned properly. Mine needed seasoning at the time of this photoshoot. I love that they can go on the stove top or in the oven. I also use them to bake things in.
SMALL BUTTER WARMER
The small butter warmer with the pouring spout is a newer but well-used addition. I often hard boil just one or two eggs and this does the trick. I also use it to keep a sauce warm or to warm up broth while I’m making risotto. Came in especially handy at my last place when I didn’t have a microwave.
STAINLESS STEEL POTS + PANS
A high quality saute pan, medium pot, and large pot will last you a lifetime. These I’ve had since 2008—came in a bigger set but over the years I’ve let much of it go. The large pot and pan share a cover.
BAKING SHEET
Love my baking sheet pan from Sur La Table. It is durable and easy to clean.
SILICONE BAKING CUPS
Not sure why anyone owns a muffin tin! These silicone baking cups take up no space and work great.
RAMEKINS
Ramekins can be baked in the oven and I’ve also been known to coddle eggs with. Used to own four but I think it broke during our move from San Francisco to New York :(
Utensils: flipping, stirring, + whisking
UTENSILS
I’m not going to run down links for these, but Sur La Table and Crate&Barrel have the best options.
Whisk
Pasta spoon
Cocktail stirrer
Rubber spatula
Wooden-ish spatula (MVP)
Stirring spoon
Metal spatula
Ladle
Tongs (2nd place MVP)
Serving dishes
This is where my kitchen feels less minimalist and more kindergarten classroom but we will use the term “essentials” loosley. Several of these platters are hidden in plain site until I need them for serving. For example the long black platter lives on the counter to hold my Chemex and coffee canisters. The wooden rimmed platter holds mail and fresh produce on the other side of the counter. #ididitfortheblog.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Wooden platters
Metal serving utensils
Glass beakers
Black platter
Marble serving platter
Wooden utensils: honey dipper, spoons
Slate serving platter
Cheese knives
Corkcicle (keeps beverages hot or cold, can fit a bottle of wine)
Black + White platter
Bento dish
Wine key
BLUE CERAMIC SERVING BOWL
The crown jewel of my collection. This stunning ceramic bowl from Mainely Pottery (I’m a Mainer) was gifted to us for our wedding in 2008 from our lindy hop friend Mike. It’s the only thing in our kitchen that I’m weird about other people washing. It’s super thick so I like to warm it up with hot water before serving yummy pasta or risotto in.
Storing
GLASS LOCK CONTAINERS
These containers consistently get voted as the best. You probably don’t need the 18-piece set tho.
CANISTERS
Pretty and good for dried goods or loose tea from Container Store.
JARS AND TOPS
I love jars. I have best jars. Never enough jars. I use them to store food, eat, and drink out of. I love how versatile they are and that the small ones nest in the big ones. I also use them around the house for storing loose change in the junk drawer and cotton in the bathroom.
BEESWAX WRAP
I love these but Ryan’s not so sure since they leave a waxy residue on your hands. I use these instead of plastic wrap to store cheese and pastries.
STASHER BAGS
These are my new fav! You can freeze food, marinate it, poach it, and then wash it in the dishwasher. Might deserve a solo blog post.
My one suburban housewife gadget
SODASTREAM
Yes, this thing feels kinda tacky and unbecoming of a minimalist’s kitchen counter. But the thing is, I don’t drink alcohol and I love sparkling water (extra sparkly with a slice of lime) so this seemed like a good way to treat myself and cut down on glass bottle waste from the store. It lives on the counter since we use it daily.
Whew—feels like so. much. stuff. Let me know what you think of my minimalist kitchen essentials list! Anything surprise you? Anything I should add to my collection?
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