As someone who is in the kitchen a lot, I think many would be surprised at how small my space is (I live in San Diego County- the land of small homes unless you have hit the lottery) and the minimal kitchen items I have.  I still have the crockpot from when Brandon and I got married.  I have not invested in an instant pot or the newest fancy gadgets on the market.  Why?  Because in a world where it is easy to get distracted by the shiny things, I also realize that most of those things are not necessary.

So…  What do I have in my kitchen? 

BUT first in case you did not know, we are a military family and have moved four times across the country in the past 14 years.  Four times in the past 14 years is not really that much but I have always downsized with each move keeping only the necessities.  To cook any kind of meal, you only need a handful of good quality items.

Below Is What I Use The Most Often:

• Good Quality Pots & Pans. We watched a product demo at the state fair for LustreCraft cookware (hello- free food samples) and we both really liked them. However, we were not in a position to buy them. When Brandon and I were married, we received a set of these pots and pans as a gift! They are still the best things in our kitchen to this day. They have now transitioned to the name Kitchen Craft. If you have a state fair near you, check them out for their specials as they are still being sold there.
• Crockpot. I use my crockpot all the time and it is an old school one from my set of pots and pans as mentioned above. It looks like this except not as updated but it gives you the idea. If I were to buy a new one, I would get this one. Crockpots are a HUGE timesaver and worth the investment.
• Good quality knives. We have Cutco knives and only because my husband used to sell them and we got a great deal (he no longer does- it was a college summer and desperate for money thing). These knives are still in perfect condition. I believe these can also be found at the State Fairs with some good deals. Completely worth the investment.
• Tea kettle. Silly I know, but essential for me. I love tea and this one gets the water going quickly!
• Blender. I just recently broke my ninja blender (it was a sad day!). I went to order another name brand and just kept coming back to this one. It served us well and is much cheaper than the other brand I thought I needed wanted. The blender can also be used as a food processor which is great!
• Baking sheets. The perfect sheets for baking a large or small batch of roasted veggies! These get used almost every single day at my house.
• Garlic Peeler. Lifechanging! Really a simple invention that saves time in the kitchen!
• Potato/Veggie Scrubber Brush. All the fiber is in the skin of a potato which means I don’t want to peel it. But I also don’t want all the gunk that comes with a potato. By giving it a scrub with a brush, I am able to get the benefits of the potato without all the other stuff.
• Hand Immersion Blender. I use this to puree soups, mix my matcha drink, and even sauces. It comes in handy instead of having to get the whole blender dirty.

I love being in the kitchen but over time I have realized you don’t need much to cook a healthy meal. Focus on quality food and the rest will work out just fine!

Do you have any kitchen essentials that you swear by? Leave them in the comments. I would love to know what works for you.

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