Minimalist Kitchen Essentials | 6 Favorite Basic Kitchen necessities

As a newbie minimalist, I try to use items that have multipurpose use. Today I will be covering 6 essential items in a minimalistic kitchen. These are some of my favorites, and most used items in the kitchen. They are ranked at top because of their versatility and amount of usage I have out of them.

The first is a Japanese chef’s knife. We purchased this knife when we were in Japan many years ago. A Japanese chef’s knife is generally lighter and sharper than a European chef’s knife. A good quality Japanese Chef’s knife can be very expensive. This one I have is a relatively cheaper.

This knife can be used to cut just about anything. From fruits to meat to fish.

The second item is a wooden cutting board. I have multiple cutting boards of different materials and sizes at home. My most favorite is this large wooden cutting board. It has little feet on the back of it to keep it high and stable for when I work on it.

The smaller wooden cutting boards also make a great serving plate. I think it looks a little hipster when I plate sandwiches. When not in use, I put them on the self as display.

The third essential kitchen item is a good cast iron pot. I have a skillet, a Dutch oven pot, and a sauce pan. Cast Iron kitchenware is made out of one piece of iron, it is said to last a life time.

Out of the three, my favorite is the Dutch oven. I use it to make one-pot-done meal almost 5 times out of a week.

The sauce pan is smaller and thus is great for the name suggests, making sauces. Its curved side design allows for the sauce to gather in the middle and easier for stirring without burning.

Cast iron skillet is best for cooking meat. It creates the best caramelization reaction on the side of the meat that touches the pan.

The fourth essential item is wooden or bamboo utensils. Wooden kitchenware needs a little caring if you want it to last a lifetime. I covered how to care for wooden cutting board and utensils in a previous video. You can watch it here.

Wooden utensils are great for ceramic coated pots and pans. Metal and plastic utensils are not as forgiving on ceramics, and will cause scratches that eventually ruins the pan.

The fifth and sixth kitchen essential items are continuous spray bottle and Swedish dish cloth. I do cleaning around the house with vinegar and water mixture a lot. And every time I clean an area I need to spray a least five to six times to get the area wet enough. With continuous spray bottle, I can save my grip muscles.

Many good things can be said about the Swedish dish cloth. It absorbs like a paper towel, and scrubs like a sponge. As a parent of two young children, we go through a lot of paper towels each week. Since the introduction of Swedish dish cloth, I had reduced usage on paper towel, reduced waste and saved earth. 😉

What are your favorite kitchen essentials? Are there any items that you think I should know about? Let me know in the comments!

Links:

Japanese chef knife *We purchased ours in Japan, but there are some good options here

Bamboo Cutting Board (similar to what I have)

Wood Cutting Board (similar to what I have)

Fine Continuous Spray Water Bottle

Swedish Dish Cloths - I have it in my shop!

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