Tiny Kitchens Essentials: A Guide to Set Up Your Minimal Kitchen

Whether you’re a minimalist who want your habitat looks crisp and clean, a cooking enthusiast who living in a city apartment with a small storage space or both, declutter the kitchen is a denting job. Why? This is one of the messiest places in your house. In our guide, we’ve gathered minimalist cooking essentials — pots and pans, kitchen appliances and must-have items — and keys to set up your small but effective kitchens.

How to declutter your kitchen effectively

Setting up a small kitchen can be tricky. Unlike those spacious houses that you can fill conventional cookware (see our full guide for essential pots and pans essential pots and pans), every single tool in this limited room shouldn’t only be compact as possible but it needs to be useful and flexible for multi uses.

Left to Right: OXO Good Grips Chef's Pan, Kraus Kore Cutting Board, Jocabo Magnetic Spice Organizers Refrigerator Shelf

Less pieces, more effective

Keep the minimalist philosophy — less is more. Instead of buying many pieces and sizes to do different jobs, a universal multi-tasker, like a universal pan, can handle all the same duties in one vessel. Buying only useful pieces also helps you save your cupboard space and budget. Remember, it’s better to have a few quality pots and pans than many poor ones, or even good ones in the useless sizes.

Extend prep space

To add more extra countertop space, over-the-sink or an over-the-stovetop cutting boards are a good solution. A collapsible cutting board that can transform to a dish tube is nice, as well. You can either apply a wall-mounted folding table to expand your workspace or use as a dining table.

Maximize your storage

To extend your storage, use pot racks, magnetic knife bars or any wall (or even under cabinet) mounted rails to hold items, like spices or cups, and leave cabinet space free for appliances. You can use magnetic spice jars to attach the side of your fridge as creative objects that are handy.

Essential Pots and Pans

1.   A multi-purpose pan

An essential pan is a great bestride between two kitchen fundamentals — a skillet and a sauté pan. So, this utility pan handles everything the two pans can do excellently, like searing steaks, sauteing broccoli, making pan sauces or even stir-frying noodles. You can also pick a universal pan, a chef’s pan or sauté pan that has a wide base and more curved edges.

What to pick? Look for a roomy pan with a tight, solid lid. We hand down for All-Clad D3 4-quart Weeknight Pan due to the unfailing heat performance and toughness.

2.   A cast-iron skillet

This is a most multi-talented workhorse for any kitchens — you can do most of pan duties in it. With well care, this nearly indestructible pan produces impressively crisp-skinned outcomes, such as golden-browned steaks, pizzas, crunchy fried wings, veggies sautés or crispy apple pies. The best thing: it’s possibly the cheapest piece in your collection.

You can upgrade to the enameled cast-iron version for less sticking and maintenance but much pricey. People with small wrists or arthritis might consider carbon steel pans as delivering similar effect (but poorer heat retention) in more comfortable weight.

What to pick? A 10.25” to 12” pan is the most useful. We vote for a Lodge 10.25” Pre-Seasoned Skillet for the unbeatable price and weight concern.

3.   A nonstick skillet

Although you can use any well-seasoned cast-iron skillets to complete sticky tasks, nonstick pans will ensure your great scramble eggs, cheesy dishes and frittatas, as well as acidic tomato sauces with no metallic tase. For safety-conscious people, you can go for ceramic nonstick pans.

What to pick? Nonstick pan doesn’t last so decades like metal pans. So, no need to be pricey, a solid pan that has effectively no-sticking surface, like Calphalon Contemporary 10” Fry Pan, is justified. We like a set of Anolon SmartStack Frying Pans that it can be stacked neatly to save up your space.

4.   Two saucepans

Although Dutch oven can accommodate most liquid duties, saucepans are indispensable utilities for smaller, everyday duties. We suggest two sizes: a small 1.5- to 2-quart one is for reheating soups, warming butter or making risotto and a 3- to 4-quart one for bigger batches, like boiling pastas or making pastes. You may pick a saucier pan if you like those highly stirred, restaurant-liked sauces.

What to pick? For excellent even heating and durability, fully clad stainless-steel pots, like All-Clad D3 saucepan, are ideal. The tough nonstick pots, like Calphalon Premier Hard-Anodized, is also goo for dealing with sticky and cheese-based foods, without hassle scorches.

5.   A Dutch oven

This enameled cast-iron oven is another incredibly handy piece you’ll turn to. It can replace some single-use pots or appliances. It’s unbeatable for braising, stewing, simmering and slow cooking. For so limited storage, you can place this beautiful pot as a decoration. But, if you can’t bear with the heaviness, substitute it with a stainless-steel pot.

What to pick? Look for a around 6-quart pot. Choose one that has a heavy, tight-fitting lid and a thick wide bottom for better searing and holding the heat. Le Creuset Signature 5.5-quart Dutch Oven is our dependable choice.

Fundamental sets for small kitchen

Ideally, we recommend filling your collection piece-by-piece rather than grabbing a whole big set. In reality, for people who is budget-constraint or seek an instant collection, choosing a decent stainless-steel set isn't always a bad approach if it contains essential pieces. Then, just add some cast-iron or nonstick pieces to complete your set. Alternatively, you can consider a good stackable cookware that thoughtfully designed for small-spaced dwellers. These’re some decent samples:

1. Cuisinart Multi-Clad Pro, 7 pieces

You’ll get a solid-performer set of 1.5- and 3-quart saucepans, an 8-quart stockpot and 10-inch skillet, with many user-friendly features.

2. Cooks Standard Professional, 8 pieces

At around $100*, you’ll get sturdy tri-ply 8 pieces: 2- and 3-quart saucepan, a 4-quart deep sauté pan and a 6-quart stockpot.

3. Misen Essentials, 9 pieces

Not only producing impressive results, every single item in this 5-ply set is useful: a 3-quart saucier, a 3-quart sauté pan, an 8-quart stockpot and two skillets, 10” and 12”.

4. Calphalon Premier Space-Saving, 10 pieces

If you really have a mini cupboard, this 3-ply set offers a full-sized set: a 2.5- and 3-quart saucepan, a 3-quart sauté pan, a 6-quart stockpot and two skillets, 8” and 10”, which can be neatly packed to a compact stack.

Essential appliances

Some experts recommend skipping all kitchen appliances and using cookware as a substitute. However, you need not make life difficult just because your space is small. We recommend choosing only the necessaries and discard fancy gadgets that can only do specific function (unless you can't live without it!) Pick compact and feature-rich, high functions appliances to save your precious countertop area and your money, as well as keep things organized.

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