Is this your first time shopping for your kitchen? Whether it’s your first or second, or twentieth time, if you’re exploring for best deals for your kitchen, this article is your best choice!
What you need in a functioning kitchen are the bare essentials- stove, fridge, cupboards, and boxes to store your food in. We’re assuming you already have the basic cutlery and kitchen utensils as well.
We’ve established that you already have the bare bones to make a beautiful kitchen, but now if you have the little wad of extra cash to work on it, we’ll make it as easy on the pockets as it can possibly get while also making sure it looks it’s absolute best!
Essential Splurges
As the name suggests, we’ll tell you a few things which are essential for your kitchen, but not enough to make it to the basic bare bones of the kitchen.
These things will save your soul when you’re working in the kitchen, and add to the environment you need to work in day in, day out.
Microwaves
You might be wondering what something like microwaves is doing on this list. Microwaves are considered essentials by some and a luxury for others. It’s a blessing to have even if it’s a little on the expensive side.
If you’re a mom, living alone, a student struggling to survive, immersed in your professional career, or simply someone lazy, this is your new best friend. It’s going to save your time and energy and make life a lot easier for you.
There are a lot of companies that sell microwaves- some are more expensive than the other but all of them perform the basic functions, so you can have your pick. If you’re on a tight budget then go for the one with the minimal functionality, because it’ll heat your food if nothing else!
Bowls
Is this the most absurd thing on the list? Possibly. But keep reading and you’ll find out why it made it onto the list here. It’s the one thing you need in your kitchen.
Let’s face it, when you’re living in a capitalistic world, you don’t have the time and space to live to impress others, you’re all just trying to survive. Believe it or not, bowls are your best bet at surviving.
Bowls are like chameleons; they can serve all purposes. You can eat everything from rice, soup, stew to popcorn in that. You don’t need plates anymore; your bowls will serve all purposes. You can use it for your baking endeavors, your salad dressings, and even as a serving bowl when your guests unexpectedly drop by.
Buy bowls of all sizes and colors- get some fancy ones and some casual ones and live your life off of them.
Strainer
Strainers are as underrated as it gets. They are multi-purpose and can be used in all areas of your kitchen adventures. They’re there for your everyday use when you need to strain your tea leaves and have just the hot soothing liquid, and they’re there when you need to separate your pasta before it overcooks in the water.
Strainers are cheap to get and are well worth their money. It’s good to invest in a stainless steel strainer which can last you a good time rather than go for cheap brands that either break or get ruined with exposure to water.
They come in various sizes but a good idea is to get one in the small size, and one in the biggest size. Everything that comes in the middle can be dealt with by either one of those.
Cutting board
Cutting boards save money and blood- literally. They’re the perfect space for when you need to chop up vegetables for your mean or fruits for your food salad.
Some people prefer to forego the board and like cutting on the countertops; an issue that occurs because of this is that a lot of vegetables and fruits release acidic juices (lemons, oranges, etc) which can easily stain marble countertops and leave stains which don’t wash away.
Cutting boards also save you from injuries as the surface prevents the knife and other cutting equipment from slipping as they generally do. They’re safer to use and are quite cheap to purchase as well!
Kitchen Mats
On average people spend up to 2-3 hours in the kitchen per day. There’s so much to do; washing, cleaning up, cooking, prepping, heating up, and everything in between. There’s always a flurry of movement and periods where you have to stand for a long time and look after what you’re cooking. By the end, there’s no doubt that everyone’s exhausted.
Nothing can take away the full exhaustion, but something that can be done is investing in good kitchen mats that can be used to alleviate the stress. Too many dishes are ruined because someone slips and drops everything, so a good idea would be to start with investing in a rubber mat, cork mat, or cloth mat to keep next to the sink to absorb all the water that’s splashed around.
A brilliant invention is the gel kitchen mats and the anti-fatigue mats that are nothing less than a blessing when you have to stand for long hours next to the stove and cook. It’s also not a very flammable material so isn’t a fire hazard.
There are also some mats which are pet friendly that can be purchased for your kitchen so that you have company when you’re toiling away in it.
Kitchen mats are pocket friendly, helpful, and also aesthetic to make your kitchen pop out. We have multiple articles detailing how to care for them, their different types, and where they can be purchased from so have a look!
Is this it?
No way! There are so many kitchen essentials, it’s impossible to list them all. The list changes according to what kind of cook you are and what you usually use in your kitchen. What we’ve discussed in this article are the bare splurges for everyone.