41 Most Important Apartment Kitchen Essentials for Your First Apartment
Make sure you have everything you need in your first kitchen! These apartment kitchen essentials will be perfect to get started in your new place.
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Coming from a dorm room or home with your family, moving into an apartment is a massive adjustment. All of a sudden, you actually have to make sure you have all the things you are so used to just not needing or magically being in your kitchen at home.
My best recommendation is to go room by room in your apartment to make sure you have everything you need. For the kitchen, this list covers just about everything you’d need to get started cooking on day one.
This post is all about apartment kitchen essentials!
Apartment kitchen essentials
As a preface to all the apartment kitchen essentials, I wanted to give a quick disclaimer about some stores for buying everything!
My number one store recommendation for buying stuff is Amazon, and that’s where all my recommendations will be coming from. However, just remember to check the reviews before buying on Amazon. They have amazing kitchen essentials that will last you a while, just do a bit of research to make sure you are getting the best stuff.
Target is another great option with quality items. The last store I’d recommend checking is Home Goods. This is definitely a hit-or-miss store, but they have a bunch of apartment kitchen essentials that you can find at really great prices.
dishes and silverware
The most important apartment kitchen essentials you will need are dishes and silverware. If you don’t have anything to eat the food on and with, there’s really no need for any of the other things on this list!
Depending on how many people are in your apartment, you can buy whatever size makes sense for you. Keep in mind that if you want to start with less and eventually buy more, you may have trouble finding the exact same dishes in a couple of years.
The easiest way to buy dishes is to go for a set that includes large plates, small plates, bowls, and mugs. This way, you get everything at once, and it will all match.
For silverware, every set will come with forks, spoons, and knives.
pots and pans (and lids!)
Regardless of how experienced a chef you are, you will certainly need some pots and pans.
I’d recommend getting two sizes of each, small and large. This way, you should be covered regardless of what you are planning on cooking.
Don’t forget to get lids with your pots and pans! You will definitely need these for certain meals.
baking sheet
For baking sheets, you can go with disposable or reusable ones. However, even the disposable ones can be used a bunch of times before actually getting rid of them.
I would buy two baking sheets at least, just in case you want to make a couple of things at once.
casserole dish
Depending on what you usually cook or plan to cook in your new apartment kitchen, consider buying a casserole dish. This can be used for so many things, not just casseroles!
You can buy a real one or a disposable one. Same as the baking sheets, the disposable ones will last you a little while before having to use a new one.
knives
Something your silverware set won’t come with is a good set of cooking knives (you’ll usually get some butter knives with most silverware sets).
You are definitely going to want a set of knives, and this is somewhere I’d recommend spending a bit more money. Especially if you are a beginner in the kitchen, cheap knives are going to make cooking a hell of a lot harder. Buy a brand that you know is reputable to make sure you are getting a quality set.
You don’t need to buy a massive knife block or a big set.
small appliances
microwave, toaster, blender, coffee maker, kettle
Which small appliances you choose to buy will definitely depend on your lifestyle. If you want to buy only the bare minimum, I would recommend a microwave and toaster/toaster oven.
However, depending on the type of foods and drinks you like, you might also want to buy a blender, coffee maker, or hot water kettle. You can also start out without these items and buy them later on if you think you need them.
These items may get a little pricey unfortunately. Also, make sure to see if any of them are already in the apartment (a lot of places will come with a microwave already).
cutting boards
Cutting boards are a must in an apartment, even if you don’t cook very often.
I’d recommend getting a small and a large cutting board, which will also come in handy if you are cooking multiple things at once.
I also like to steer clear of flimsy, bendable cutting boards and opt for a sturdier one. This will last longer and prevent you from having to spend more money on new ones down the road.
storage containers
A good set of storage containers will be so helpful in a kitchen and save you from having to cook every night!
Depending on what you like, you can go with plastic or glass containers. I always opt for plastic because they are easier to handle and lighter-weight when you bring them on the go.
Make sure to buy a bunch of different sizes of containers so you can use them for dinner leftovers or a little snack. It’s easiest to just buy a big set that comes in a lot of sizes.
basic utensils
spatula, tongs, whisk, peeler
In addition to your silverware, there are some other utensils that you’ll need when you’re cooking. If you are looking for the bare minimum of what you’ll need, stick with a spatula, tongs, whisk, and a vegetable peeler.
If you aren’t quite sure what you are going to need, the best way to buy these utensils is to buy a set. These usually aren’t too expensive and will come with absolutely everything you need while you are cooking. If you happen to be missing anything, you can buy anything individually.
You can also buy cooking utensils later on once you see what you want and need.
serving essentials
platters, utensils
Even if you aren’t planning on hosting any big gatherings, it can never hurt to have some serving essentials. A serving platter or two will definitely be helpful if you have a lot of food that won’t fit on your regular plates. However, you can usually get away without these if you are trying to save money.
Something I would definitely have is serving utensils, though. Even if it’s just one set of a larger fork and spoon, this will be so important to serve any food.
oven mitts
It’s easily forgotten, but super, super important! Make sure you get a pair of oven mitts for when you are cooking. You definitely don’t want to burn yourself.
I’d recommend a silicone pair instead of fabric. That way, if you get food on them, they are super easy to clean.
measuring cups
While I am definitely a big fan of saving time and eye-balling recipes, I would still make sure to have some measuring cups in your kitchen.
These sometimes come in two different sets, measuring cups and measuring spoons. The most important measurements to have are:
Measuring cups:
- 1/4 cup
- 1/3 cup
- 1/2 cup
- 1 cup
Measuring spoons:
- 1/4 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon
If you want to really have everything, I’d also recommend buying a liquid measuring cup. Yes, liquid and dry ingredients are measured differently!!!
mixing bowls
You don’t need to go crazy here buying every sized bowl, but having a couple of mixing bowls will definitely make cooking easier.
A lot of sets will come in three to five sizes, which should be perfect. Bonus points if they come with lids too.
Colander
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I can’t imagine anyone in an apartment kitchen won’t be making pasta at some point. So, make sure you are prepared and have a colander.
If you are tight on space, you can get a collapsable one. These are also great because you can get a couple sizes for pasta, fruit, or anything else.
disposables
tin foil, parchment paper, plastic bags
I call all these items disposables because they all usually go in a drawer together and are, of course, disposable. Make sure you have some tin foil, parchment paper, and different sizes of plastic bags.
This is absolutely necessary anytime you want to take something to go!
ice cube trays
If you don’t have an ice machine in your freezer, buy a couple of ice cube trays so you are still able to make some ice for your drinks.
Kitchen cleaning essentials
Now that you have all of those apartment kitchen essentials, make sure you don’t forget about all the cleaning essentials you need! For most of these, you can buy them at any supermarket, Target, or Walmart.
trash can
Make sure you check your apartment kitchen before buying a trash can because some will have one built in. If not, make sure you buy one so you can keep things clean.
trash bags
Regardless of whether you buy a trash can or the apartment comes with one, you will 100% need trash bags. Remember to check the size of the trash can you have so you can buy the correct size for the bags.
dish soap
Dish soap is an obvious essential in the kitchen. You don’t have to get fancy here, just buy whatever dish soap you are used to or whatever is cheapest.
hand soap
And with the dish soap also comes hand soap. You don’t want to have to wash your hands with soap for the dishes, so make sure to remember to buy some hand soap as well.
sponges
Don’t forget to buy sponges to wash all your dishes! I always like opting for cheaper sponges that I can often replace, as opposed to a nicer sponge with a handle or anything like that.
dish drying rack
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Whether you have a dishwasher or not, I would definitely recommend buying a dish drying rack for next to the sink. There are so many different styles of these depending on how much you want to be able to dry at once.
If you don’t have a dishwasher, it is obvious why you’ll need this. However, even if you do, I’d still recommend some sort of drying mat or rack. Sometimes, there are things that can’t go in the dishwasher, and sometimes, you just want to wash and dry something quickly.
dish towels
You will definitely want to have a couple of dish towels handy for drying dishes or cleaning things up around the kitchen.
Make sure to buy something that matches the rest of the colors in the kitchen!
All-purpose wipes/spray
One of the most important apartment kitchen cleaning essentials is some sort of all-purpose wipe or spray. This will make your life so much easier when it comes to cleaning your kitchen.
You can use this on the countertops, island (if you have one), and kitchen table.
paper towels
And, of course, you’ll always need paper towels in your kitchen.
Swiffer
For the floors, I’d recommend getting a Swiffer to keep things nice and clean. These are so easy and genuinely make cleaning the floor a little fun.
vacuum
With the Swiffer, you’ll also want to have a vacuum to pick up crumbs before you wash the floors. You don’t need something crazy fancy, just something to get the job done.
This post was all about apartment kitchen essentials!
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