13 Kitchen Items You Should Own by the Time You Are 30
Prepare for a new decade with these must-haves.
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For many of us, kitchens are the heart and soul of a home. They’re where everyone gathers around at the beginning and end of the day, even if there’s no cooking going on. In college, the kitchen was filled with red cups, mason jars, and a mix-match of plates and gadgets. But the older we get, the more we are sucked into the allure of the shiny and fancy kitchen gadgets that we think will magically make us a better cook.
But as someone who is now in their late 30s who has been working professionally in kitchens for almost 20 years, I’m here to pare down the list of items to only those you need.
Whether you are getting married and looking to build your registry, looking to graduate from hand-me-downs, or ready to elevate your cooking game by gifting yourself with the kitchen gadgets of adulthood, here’s a list of the practical and useful kitchen items that will officially scream, “you’re a success” in the kitchen. And while some of these might push the budget, they will last a long time and make cooking a pleasure.
A really good set of knives. Nice knives will make you a better cook. That might seem like an exaggeration, but it’s not. A good, strong, and sharp knife makes cutting vegetables, fruit, and meat easier, which is the first step to becoming a more comfortable and accomplished cook. Start with a good chef’s knife, long serrated knife, and paring knife, then add on to your collection as needed.
A big cutting board. The key word here is big. When you have a little cutting board, you end up running out of space on the board and whatever you are trying to cut gets pushed into the corners. If you’re short on space, get the largest board your counter can handle. I’m a big fan of this large Oxo cutting board because it’s light, easy to clean, and doesn’t slide around thanks to non-slip corner feet.
Heavy-bottom pots and pans. Pans that have thicker bottoms distribute heat more evenly thanks to several layers of different metals. Most often made of stainless steel, aluminum, and/or copper, heavy bottom pots and pans make the cooking surface consistent, which means no hot spots in the pan, making your food cook more evenly. Start with a stock pot and a large skillet, then collect other pans like a medium saucepan and medium skillet.
Nice bar glasses. Serving wine, champagne, and cocktails out of plastic cups should be banned after 30 unless you are camping, by the pool, or on a boat. Simply put, drinks that take a lot of effort to make, like that fancy grape juice from Napa and the shaken cocktail, also deserved to be served in a tailored glass. The best part of this recommendation is that good glassware is available at very affordable prices in thrift stores and on eBay, or maybe even from your grandparents.
A hand mixer and a stand mixer. Once you increase the frequency and type of cooking you do, you quickly learn that the hand mixer and stand mixer have different purposes. Hand mixers are great for small mixing needs, like whipping cream or egg whites, while stand mixers are ideal for kneading bread or making larger batches of cakes.
A garlic press. There’s a reason garlic is in so many recipes. It’s a huge flavor enhancer and can elevate even the most basic recipes. But it can be time consuming to mince cloves (and don’t even think about buying pre-chopped garlic now that you’re almost 30). A garlic press makes chopping garlic a breeze, or better, a squeeze.
A simple mandolin. This is one of the times I highly recommend going with the simplest version of a kitchen gadget. A very basic mandolin, like this one, will make your salads, gratins, and pickles look like they were sliced by a pro chef.
A microplane. Microplanes are graters that create a finer-cut ingredient than box graters and food processors. Microplanes are ideal for zesting citrus, grating nutmeg, and shaving cheese over pasta.
A meat thermometer. The easiest way to know if your meat is cooked to the exact doneness you or your guests prefer is to use a meat thermometer. No more guessing and no more cutting into the meat to see how pink it is. It’s time to graduate to what the chefs use: a digital instant read thermometer, like this one.
A high-speed blender. High-speed blenders, like Vitamix and Ninja, are more powerful than standard blenders, meaning they pulverize your food as smooth as possible. This is particularly helpful when making smoothies, pureed soups, and smooth sauces. While there is no true definition for what makes a high-speed blender a high-speed blender, look for one with 1,000 watts of power or more.
A rice cooker. Perfectly cooked rice is ready at the push of a button with a rice cooker. No more adjusting the heat on the stove, moving it to a lower burner, or checking to see if it’s done. With a rice cooker, you add the rice and water and press start! It’ll even keep it warm until you’re ready.
A small and large food processor. Yes, I know that having two food processors takes up precious counter and storage space, but I promise, you’ll be happy you have both. Small food processors are inexpensive and perfect for chopping small amounts of onion, herbs, garlic, and ginger, as well as making salad dressings. The large food processor is ideal when you need to chop larger batches, or for making bread dough, especially pizza dough.
An air fryer or an Instant Pot. In this case, you don’t need both, but for making food faster, these two kitchen gadgets are key. If you’re deciding between them, think of what you make more often. Air fryers are ideal for food that is usually fried, like french fries, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks. An instant pot, or electric pressure cooker, is ideal for foods that take longer to cook, like stews or beans.
