Eating at home is one of the best ways to save money and lead a healthier lifestyle. However, making the same recipes all the time can get boring. These 9 kitchen essentials will help you level up your cooking game and make food that tastes gourmet at home. From the Ninja Creami to the Instant Pot, these appliances and tools will help you shake things up and explore an array of new cooking techniques and flavor profiles.
1. Ninja Creami
The hype is real—if you love ice cream, the Ninja Creami is a kitchen essential. It allows you to make your own ice cream or sorbet base, freeze it overnight, and run it through the machine to create a gourmet dessert. Although you can make full-fat treats with the Creami, you don’t have to. Healthy recipes with lower amounts of fat and sugar still turn out great.
In my Creami Deluxe, I’ve made everything from blueberry basil sorbet with no added sugar to strawberry protein ice cream. I love having the ability to create custom ice cream flavors with fun mix-ins that aren’t available on store shelves. The Ninja Creami has leveled up both my cooking and wellness game, so I consider it a must-have.
2. Dutch Oven
Le Creuset and Staub Dutch ovens are another cult favorite kitchen essential for good reason. Recipes that are designed to be cooked low and slow, such as stews and soups, really do taste better in a Dutch oven. My Staub pot has a rainfall lid that helps baste the food as it cooks, and you can definitely notice the difference. The food develops a more complex flavor while cooking and stays moist and tender. You can even bake delicious, crusty loaves of bread in your Dutch oven.
Although French Dutch ovens can be pricey, they’re worth the splurge, especially if you can find one on sale. The Zwilling and Le Creuset outlets are great places to find discounted cookware. You should also keep your eyes peeled for affordable Dutch ovens at thrift stores, estate sales, and your local TJ Maxx or HomeGoods.
3. Vitamix Blender
My parents generously decided to pass down their Vitamix blender to me. It’s over five years old now and still going strong. It produces smooth and creamy smoothies, sauces, soups, sorbet, and more. I sometimes make my own non-dairy milk and love that I don’t have to boil or soak the cashews in advance. The Vitamix processes hard ingredients like nuts with ease and yields some of the silkiest non-dairy milk I’ve ever had.
Plus, Vitamix sells a special dry grains container that you can use to knead bread and grind your own flour and spice blends. This powerful, versatile blender can do it all and completely replaces a food processor in my opinion. It will help you level up your cooking game and last for years if you take care of it, so it’s worth the price tag.
4. Stainless Steel Pans
Although nonstick pans are convenient, the coating eventually gets scratched up, potentially causing it to flake off. I didn’t want specks of coating in my food, so I upgraded to a stainless steel frying pan. At first, stainless steel has a bit of a learning curve. You have to put the right amount of oil in the pan and get it hot enough to prevent food from sticking.
But once you dial in your cooking technique, you’ll never want to go back to nonstick. Stainless steel pans are usually dishwasher and oven-safe. They produce more even browning than nonstick and don’t take long to heat up, making it easy to sear food quickly. They’re also extremely durable and can be cleaned with abrasive powders like Bar Keepers Friend if they get stained. I love that I don’t have to baby my stainless steel pan or worry about it getting damaged, making it a kitchen essential for me.
5. Cast Iron Griddle
The oval burner in the center of my stove mostly went unused until I found out about cast iron griddles. Lodge makes a small one with handles that fit my stove perfectly. I love cast iron because it develops a “seasoning” over time, which gives proteins and vegetables an amazing sear. Buttermilk pancakes also come out perfectly browned and fluffy, just like they came from a diner!
However, it’s important to note that cast iron requires some special maintenance. To avoid stripping the seasoning, you must use gentle cleaning methods and “reseason” the cookware often. This usually involves coating the griddle in a thin layer of oil and popping it in the oven for a while. If you’re willing to put up with this quirk, you’ll be rewarded with a nonstick piece of cookware that produces fantastic results.
6. KitchenAid Stand Mixer
A KitchenAid stand mixer is a baker’s best friend. It can handle just about any batter or frosting, from sticky enriched bread dough to thick American buttercream. My mixer makes it easy to quickly whip up a batch of rolls or bake a dozen cookies. Now that I don’t have to knead or beat ingredients by hand, I bake all the time and experiment with more complex recipes. I haven’t been to a bakery in months because I can execute gourmet dessert recipes at home without even breaking a sweat!
I was lucky enough to receive my mixer as a housewarming present. However, I’d absolutely pay retail price for this kitchen essential, especially if I could find a decent sale. It’s also not unusual to find used KitchenAids at estate sales, flea markets, and thrift stores. These mixers are built to last and are often passed down from one generation to the next, so don’t rule out older machines.
7. Instant Pot
I’ve never been able to master the art of making fluffy rice on the stove. But luckily I haven’t had to deal with crunchy or overcooked rice since getting my Instant Pot, which is a multi-function pressure cooker. It cooks a wide variety of grains perfectly, from quinoa to white rice to couscous.
Plus, I can turn on the slow cooking function, chuck a bunch of ingredients in, and come back several hours later to the perfect stew. The Instant Pot can even make yogurt, proof bread dough, pop popcorn, saute ingredients, keep food warm, and more. This versatile kitchen essential lives on my countertop and gets used almost every day.
8. Steamer Basket
If you love Asian flavors, you need a steamer basket. Although you may be tempted to throw frozen dumplings in the microwave, a steamer will do a much better job. I use mine to reheat frozen bao buns, dumplings, pierogies, veggies, and more. Plus, steamer baskets are great for soft-boiling eggs and cooking seafood, making them a kitchen essential.
9. Pizza Oven
It can be difficult to find the perfect slice of pizza, especially if you don’t live near New York City. After fruitlessly searching for a superior pie, I finally caved last year and invested in a pizza oven so I could control the results myself. Although I’m still mastering my technique, I’ve been able to produce pies that are much better than my local pizza shop. Since many pizza ovens can only be used outdoors, the winter months are probably a great time to hunt for deals on them. If you’re a pizza lover and can score one at a discount, I’d definitely recommend this kitchen essential.
You Can Still Make Tasty Food Without These Kitchen Essentials
If these kitchen essentials are out of your price range, don’t get discouraged. You can still make tasty food with whatever cookware you have on hand, even if it’s just a pan and a spatula. Over time, you’ll likely be able to score some great thrift store finds and deals that will help you fill out your kitchen with high-quality tools. But remember that the most important elements of any recipe are love and creativity. As long as you’re having fun in the kitchen, nothing else matters!