Home Chef Kitchen Appliance Essentials List

Vincent Larson

Marketing Manager

kitchen appliances

Whether you’re just moving out on your own or looking to revamp the most important room in your house, you must have all of the kitchen essentials in your possession. Of course, depending on who you ask, this list of essentials can vary drastically. Some lists you find may have items you’ve never heard of or ones you don’t even know how to use.

It’s time to cut through all the confusion. This list of kitchen essentials is the only one you’ll need. By the end of this guide, you’ll know what you need to have on hand, why it’s important, and what to use it for. You’ll be on your way to your dream kitchen in no time.

Kitchen Appliances in Modern Kitchens

Kitchen appliances in modern kitchens are much different than the ones in kitchens past. At the turn of the 20th century, gas stoves were starting to replace coal burning in the name of convenience. In the 1940s and ‘50s, kitchens began to lean more toward the convenience we see now, though many of our appliances today were still decades away.

Today, many large and small appliances have been created for convenience. From slow cookers that let you “set it and forget it” to induction stovetops that give you an instant on-and-off heat feature. Kitchen appliances that weren’t even around 40 or 50 years ago are now considered essential because they make the cooking process easier and more enjoyable for people of all skill levels.

kitchen appliances

Large Cooking Appliances

The first group of kitchen appliances to consider are the ones that make up the room itself. Large cooking appliances are often a part of the kitchen, sometimes even coming with your house or apartment when you move in. Without these appliances, there’s no kitchen to cook in and no need for the other essentials on this list.

Range Hood

A range hood is an appliance that clears the air above your cooking surface while cooking. They’re typically mounted above your cooktop or on the ceiling if your stovetop is on an island. This hood will vent air through ductwork to the outside of your home or filter the air and send it back into your kitchen.

These hoods are important because grease, smoke, and moisture can enter your air when cooking. A working range hood will combat these, keep your air clean, remove odors, and keep the space from getting too hot.

Range hoods come in many styles to match your kitchen aesthetic. You can choose a stainless steel one or one that compliments accent colors, like the Classic CX7, which comes in a stunning steel blue.

custom range hood

Sink and Faucet

The kitchen sink and faucet offer benefits many modern chefs likely take for granted. Having running water to use while cooking that you simply turn on and off as needed is a huge convenience. Whether you’re washing your hands, filling a pot, or cleaning dishes, having this combination is crucial.

Many kitchen sinks are stainless steel, but other common options include copper, enameled cast iron, porcelain, and acrylic. They also come in many styles, including farmhouse, double, and triple bowls. The Farmhouse DT even has a built-in towel bar, making storing dish towels easy.

Even more customizable than the sink is the faucet you choose to go with it. Kitchen faucets come in many metals, finishes, shapes, and sizes. Some have separate sprayers, while others have a pull-down sprayer head. You even have options like the Modern Style – Pot Filler Faucet, which has an extendable arm that makes filling pots on your stovetop easier. No longer will you need to carry a heavy pot of water back to the stove.

custom sink and faucet

Microwave Oven

The microwave oven is the original convenience-minded kitchen appliance. This appliance uses microwaves to warm food at an impressive speed that isn’t possible on the stove or in the oven. They come in different wattages, with the higher wattages warming food faster than lower alternatives. Some even come with “quick keys” that allow you to warm specific foods at the touch of a button.

Microwaves are great for different uses, including:

Quickly reheating leftovers
Helping defrost food
Warming water for tea if you don’t have an electric kettle
Cooking quick convenience meals

Dishwasher

Though the dishwasher was invented in 1887, it wasn’t a household appliance until the 1950s. By the 1970s, the dishwasher was a common kitchen appliance in homes across America. If you have one, you know why. Dishwashers keep you from the time-consuming act of washing dishes by hand.

Not only do dishwashers clean your dishes, but they can even sanitize them by getting rid of microbes and germs with hot water – much hotter than you can use for hand washing. Dishwashers clean your dishes thoroughly and save you precious counter space by eliminating the need for drying racks.

Oven

Many people don’t realize the many benefits of their oven. An oven can be a standalone appliance, like a built-in, or it can be part of your stove in a cooking range. Many people associate the oven with baking, and while that’s an excellent use, it’s not the only way to use it.

Ovens expose food to a hot environment that’s controlled, allowing for even cooking. They can be used for baking, roasting, broiling, and more. Some ovens have convection technology, making cooking faster by blowing hot air around in the oven for even heat distribution. Ovens are either powered by electric coils or gas ignition.

oven

Stove/Cooktop

The stove is one of the most important kitchen appliances to many people. This cooktop can boil, steam, simmer, and more. They are typically flat surfaces with one or more burners used to heat pots and pans and, in turn, the food in them. A household cooktop typically has four burners, but this number can vary based on size and cooking habits.

There are three popular types of stoves to choose from, each with their advantages:

Gas: These use natural gas or propane as the heat source. They’re known for precision in temperature and instant heat. You adjust the flame to change the temperature instantly, ranging from very low to very high.
Electric: These use heating elements powered by electricity and are made of metal coils, smooth glass, or ceramic-covered elements. Both are different cosmetically but work similarly.
Induction: This technology uses magnetic fields to heat your pots and pans directly instead of a heating element. These cooktops are efficient and safer than other options because they don’t get hot, only the pan.

stove cooktop

Refrigerator/Freezer

Refrigerators and freezers are the epitome of value and convenience. These devices typically come together in one unit, though you can buy separate ones if you choose to. Both of these work to preserve food and keep it cold.

Refrigerators keep fresh meats and produce cold and safe for an extended period, helping your health and budget. They also help keep leftovers safe for a few days, making the most of your cooked food, and keep drinks and food cold, making them more enjoyable.

A freezer takes refrigeration a step further by actually freezing the food inside. Freezers can be used for bulk storage and meal prep because you can cook and freeze food, making it safe for much longer than refrigeration. They’re also great for seasonal fruits – freeze them while in season, and you can enjoy them out of season.

refrigerator

What Makes a Kitchen a Kitchen?

What makes a kitchen a kitchen? The answer to this question has changed over the years. While a kitchen used to be a fire with a pot over it and an ice box, there’s more to it now.

Today’s kitchen includes large and small kitchen appliances alike. In some kitchens, you have cooking utensils, pots, pans, Dutch ovens, and even an ice cream maker. A modern kitchen typically has at least these elements:

Stovetop
Refrigerator and freezer
Sink and faucet
Oven
Dishwasher
Microwave

However, other smaller kitchen appliances and tools can be added to customize your kitchen experience. The truth is there’s no one way your kitchen should be. Whether you cook in a Dutch oven, stainless steel pots and pans, or slow cookers, you can customize your kitchen with the right equipment.

Small Appliances

Now it’s time to look at small appliances and kitchen equipment that can work to make your cooking experience much easier. While not all of these are necessities, they’re well worth having in your kitchen.

Food Processor

A food processor is used to chop, slice, shred, grind, or puree any food you can think of. They come in three sizes: full, compact, and mini. The components that make food processors up are the same no matter the size:

Motor
Bowl with a lid and feed tube
Stainless steel blade
Stainless steel attachments

food processor

The attachments fit on the top of the bowl, between it and the feed tube, and can be used to shred and slice foods. You can also buy more complex attachments for your food processor, including a dough blade and juicers. Food processors are great if your blender is too small for the task. They’re also perfect for anyone who likes to cook but doesn’t like chopping and slicing.

Paring Knife Set

Having a paring knife set on hand is a great idea because these knives are versatile. A paring knife is small, usually at most eight inches in total length, and looks like a mini chef knife. The non-serrated, stainless steel blade is slightly curved, making it a great tool for smaller kitchen tasks like cutting small vegetables, peeling fruits, or slicing ingredients.

The uses don’t end there. Other common uses for this handy tool include:

Coring
Hulling
Scoring
Deveining
Segmenting
Mincing
Dicing
Trimming

A full set of these is a great idea because you always have a clean knife when needed.

knife set

Baking Sheet

A baking sheet is one of those basic kitchen tools you’ll be amazed at how much you use. A sheet pan can be used to bake cookies or other treats in the oven. However, you can also use them to roast vegetables or even cook full meals.

You can get your baking sheet in three styles, depending on what you want to do with it:

Aluminum: These are affordable and come in a variety of sizes. They hold heat well but can scratch and dent easily. It’s also important to note that they can cause a metallic taste in your food, especially tomatoes and citrus fruits.
Insulated: These pans work by helping to circulate air in an enclosed area under the baking surface. This can help reduce hot spots and burnt bottoms of food. It may take longer for food to cook on these, so adjust cooking times as needed.
Nonstick: Another popular option, these pans come in light and dark colors. The dark color can cause food to brown quicker than on an aluminum sheet. The nonstick coating makes removing your cookies, vegetables, or meats from the sheet easy. However, finding nonstick sheets that are dishwasher-safe can be difficult.

baking sheet

Slow Cooker

The slow cooker is a piece of kitchen equipment that many people swear by in the winter months. This small kitchen appliance uses moisture to its advantage because it’s sealed the entire time. The steam condenses as the food cooks and works like a baster. Your slow cooker has three main pieces:

An outer casing
An inner container
A lid

The casing has low-wattage heating coils that warm the ceramic inner container, allowing it to cook the food over an extended period. Slow cookers use a low temperature over many hours, allowing your food to simmer and cook even when you aren’t home. It’s a great option for working families that want a home-cooked meal with little prep.

slow cooker

Food Storage Containers

While many of these kitchen tools are used in cooking food, you need somewhere to store your food ingredients and cooked meals. Food storage containers give you an airtight place to store food when it needs to be saved for a later date. There are containers with different compartments for meal prep. There are also clear options, perfect for pantry organization.

Storage containers are typically metal, glass, and plastic. They come in various sizes and shapes; some are even stackable to save space. Depending on the style, they can help extend the shelf life of your cereals, pasta, and rice in the pantry or give you a safe place to store leftovers in the refrigerator until you eat them the next day.

food containers

Measuring Spoons

Measuring spoons are must-have kitchen utensils that measure small amounts of wet and dry ingredients. Having the right tools, such as these spoons, makes cooking and baking much easier since many recipes call for small, exact amounts of ingredients. Most spoons have circular ends, though you can get rectangular ones that can scoop spices out easily.

Measuring spoons are often used to measure spices, baking powder, tomato paste, and other ingredients typically used in smaller quantities. Most sets of spoons include sizes from 1/8 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, depending on the quantity in the set.

measuring spoons

High-Quality Chef’s Knife

Cooking experts agree that a chef's knife is the most important knife to have in your kitchen. These knives are typically 8 to 10 inches long and have broad, stainless steel blades that taper up at the point. The shape of a chef's knife makes it easy to rock it back and forth for mincing and other tasks.

A chef knife can be used for almost every kitchen task. You can use it to chop, mince, dice, slice, cut meat, chop nuts, and smash garlic cloves. If there’s only one knife in your kitchen, it should be a chef's knife because it can do it all.

chefs knife

Coffee Maker

A coffee maker is on the kitchen essentials list for any coffee drinker. There are many types of coffee makers available, including:

French press
Drip
Single-cup
Percolator
Espresso machine

Whether you grind your coffee beans or buy ground coffee at the store, a coffee maker allows you to have coffee however you want, any time you want. Water is run through coffee grounds to brew fresh coffee, with the process depending on the type of coffee maker you have. Not only is it convenient to have your own coffee maker, but it will save you money, too, by keeping you out of the coffee shop.

coffee maker

Air Fryer

The air fryer has become one of the more popular kitchen appliances in recent years, though it’s not actually a fryer at all. An air fryer is like a tiny convection oven, blowing hot air around for even, more efficient cooking. The result is a healthier alternative to fried foods that still has the crunch factor many people crave.

An air fryer can heat up much quicker than your typical convection oven, making this a convenient option for making food quickly. Your food goes into a perforated basket that allows air to reach all sides. This makes browning happen quicker and achieves an all-over crisp that allows it to be called a fryer.

Measuring Cups

Measuring cups are another example of kitchen equipment that simplifies the cooking process. They come in two forms:

Dry measuring cups, for measuring powders
Liquid measuring cups, for measuring liquid

Typically, your measuring cups will have markings at different heights that indicate the level to fill it to for the desired amount of ingredients. Dry measuring cups can even come in sets, where each cup is a different size, making it easier to get the right amount of your ingredient.

These cups are kitchen essentials because it’s important to use the right amount of every ingredient when cooking and baking. Having kitchen equipment that makes measuring simple will prevent errors from occurring, allowing for better food and less stress in the kitchen.

measuring cup

Kitchen Scale

A kitchen scale is one of those essential kitchen appliances that people often overlook. Just like your bathroom scale, a kitchen scale measures out food. However, your scale will measure in units like ounces and grams instead of pounds.

A kitchen scale is great for many things in the kitchen. It allows for consistency, meaning when you weigh the ingredients in your salad dressings, the result will taste the same on your salad greens every time. It also makes prep work easier because it can replace measuring spoons and cups, giving you more counter space and a cleaner work area.

kitchen scale

Cutting Board

Another kitchen utensil must-have is cutting boards. These cooking utensils give you a safe, clean surface to cut and prepare ingredients, from herbs to raw meats. Because of their versatility, having at least two cutting boards is important to avoid cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods.

You can choose a cutting board made of many different materials, including:

Plastic
Wood
Bamboo
Glass

Each option has pros and cons, but they all give you a space to do your prep work. Using a cutting board will keep you from damaging your counters and allow you to keep items like raw meat off your countertops completely.

cutting board

Serrated Knife

A serrated knife is also known as a bread knife, but it can be used for much more than cutting through bread dough. A serrated knife has a jagged, stainless steel blade that makes it easier to cut through thick surfaces. They come in various sizes, though they’ll all have deep, pointed serrations on the blade.

Your serrated knife makes it easy to cut through bread and other baked goods, but it’s also a great tool for cutting into slippery ingredients like tomatoes. The teeth on the blade also make it a handy tool for chopping through fruits that have tough outer skins.

serrated knife

Rice Cooker

A rice cooker is the perfect kitchen appliance for cooking rice. This small appliance has four main components that allow it to cook rice perfectly every time. Those components include:

A main body
An inner cooking pan
An electric heating plate
A thermal-sensing device

A rice cooker may not make cooking rice quicker, but it will make it more foolproof. Using a rice cooker makes it harder to mess up when cooking rice, which is notoriously tricky to get right. Simply pour your rice and water into the cooker, pick your setting, and let the rice cooker work its magic.

Electric Kettle

An electric kettle is a basic kitchen appliance that makes it simple to boil water. This kettle has a heating element in the bottom that, when plugged in, will warm the water put into the kettle. When the right amount of water is added, this kettle will boil water faster than a kettle on the stove.

Use your electric kettle to boil water for pour-over coffee, hot tea, instant noodles, and anything else that calls for hot or boiling water. The efficiency and versatility of this make it one of the essential kitchen appliances everyone should have.

electric kettle

Popcorn Maker

If you’re a popcorn lover, a popcorn maker should be a part of your kitchen. These machines come in various sizes, from full-size carts to small tabletop options where you can pop your popcorn directly into mixing bowls or other containers. You can choose from a traditional popcorn maker or an air-pop option, which uses no oil.

A popcorn maker will give you fresher, better-tasting popcorn than microwave options. The machine uses a heating element to warm up and pop the kernels. Then, you can add whatever flavors, seasoning, or toppings you want. It allows for an easy, custom popcorn experience.

popcorn maker

Immersion Blender

An immersion blender is basically a stick with blender blades on the end of it, allowing you to easily blend soup, sauce, or other liquids without needing to pour them into a traditional blender. The tiny electric motor inside can be powerful enough to blend up many foods, including potatoes and meats. Smaller ones can be used to mix drinks and make smoothies.

Using this stick blender will let you blend your entire dish simultaneously instead of in batches. It also keeps you from having to clean your blender, which can always be a hassle. Some even have dishwasher-safe pieces, making cleanup even simpler.

Oven Mitts

Oven mitts are gloves or other hand coverings that protect your hands from hot pots and pans. When you’re pulling your Dutch oven out of the oven, you want plenty of protection for the skin on your hands because it will be hot. This is why having oven mitts in your kitchen is as important as other cooking utensils.

Oven mitts can also be placed on your counter to put hot pots onto while protecting the stone. This is a great alternative to trivets if you don’t have enough of them.

oven mitts

Knife Sharpener

Several knives have been mentioned, but what good is your kitchen equipment if it isn’t working properly? A knife sharpener does exactly what the name says – it sharpens your knife blades. Trying to cut with a dull knife is difficult and even dangerous, so having a knife sharpener in your kitchen is necessary.

You can choose between handheld and electric sharpeners and sharpening stones. If you have serrated knives, you can get a sharpener made just for them. When you are properly educated on knife sharpening, having your own sharpener can keep you from taking your knives to a professional whenever they need sharpening.

knife sharpener

Toaster

Out of all the basic kitchen appliances mentioned so far, a toaster is one that you’re likely to know. A toaster is used to toast bread or other baked goods. You place your bread in the slots and press the lever down. When the lever pops up, you have golden toast. You can use this kitchen appliance for bread slices, sliced bagels, waffles, and more.

The metal coils in the toaster allow your food to brown quickly due to the heat they give off. Many toasters even have removable crumb trays that make cleaning easy and quick. Plus, they’re small, making them great kitchen appliances for even the smallest kitchens.

toaster

Can Opener

Can openers are the perfect example of kitchen equipment that everyone should have. The primary use of this tool is to open the lid of metal cans without injuring yourself or getting metal shavings into the contents of the can.

You can choose manual can openers or electric ones, depending on how often you use them and personal preference. A basic handheld can opener uses two handles that come together at the cutting wheel. The wheel clamps down on the rim of the can, and then you turn the handle knob to rotate the wheel and open the lid. Electric openers take the manual labor out of can opening.

can opener

Sauté Pan

A sauté pan is a cross between a saucepan and a frying pan, making it very versatile. Most sauté pans come with a lid and are fairly shallow with a larger diameter. These pans also have vertical sides, which makes this kitchen equipment perfect for searing meat and cooking saucy dishes.

The lid allows you to simmer dishes for extended periods without drying them out. A lid on your pan will trap the moisture that tries to escape your food through the steam it lets off. This makes a sauté pan great for cooking dishes with sauces, as the food won’t dry out as the pasta cooks.

saute pan

Stockpot

A stockpot is usually the largest pot found in a home kitchen. They have flat bottoms and are both tall and wide, giving them plenty of volume capacity. Stockpots typically range from eight to 24-quart capacities, depending on how much food you plan to prepare. The most common material used to make them is stainless steel, though you may also find nonstick and enamel ones.

Typically, stockpots are used to make stocks, broths, soups, and stews due to their ability to hold all required ingredients. However, you can use this pot for boiling water, cooking pasta, or cooking larger food items that don’t fit in your other pots.

Casserole Dish

A casserole dish is a thick, deep, oven-safe baking dish. These dishes are some of the best bakeware for distributing heat evenly on every side of the food, which makes them a great choice for casseroles, pasta bakes, and other medley dishes.

Your casserole dish will be large enough to make multiple servings of whatever dish you’re making. Most of them do not come with a lid, so the top of the food will likely bake faster than the rest of the dish unless you cover it with aluminum foil. Typical casserole dishes are rectangular and made of ceramic or other oven-safe materials.

casserole dish

Your Kitchen Is What You Make It

The list of kitchen essentials above is only the beginning of potential kitchen appliances and equipment you can choose from. However, the kitchen equipment showcased can give you a multi-functional kitchen that will allow you to bake, cook, and prepare almost any meal.

With a mix of large and small appliances, utensils, and bakeware, you’re unstoppable in the kitchen. Choose the tools that meet your needs and get cooking. Contact our sales team!