6 Essential Utensils for a New Apartment

In this article I will discuss 6 utensils that will make useful additions to your first apartment kitchen.

When I first moved out of my parents home, and was starting the process of living on my own, I felt the need to fill my new apartment kitchen with every utensil under the sun. I tend to operate with a mentality of “what if I need this one day?” which can lead me to buy way more things then I actually need. Every utensil and gadget in the Target or Walmart kitchen department seemed like it was calling my name. On top of this, I was on a serious budget knowing I was about to start paying rent for the first time. I decided to stick with purchasing some basics and was lucky enough to learn my new roommate had stocked up on some essential tools as well.  

If you are unsure of what you might need when building your own repertoire of kitchen utensils, look no further. In this article, I will discuss 6 kitchen utensils I have found to be the most useful and most used in my kitchen. These are items that can be found in most stores and will meet any budget. After living for almost a year on my own, I have had some time to figure out what essentials are worth keeping and ones that just collect dust. Each person’s kitchen needs and wants may be unique, but the utensil-essentials are a great place to start when finding what works best for you. 

Wooden Spoon

A wooden spoon is the perfect utensil for stirring and mixing. You can easily stir pasta cooking in boiling water, taste test a soup, or break up ground meat. Unlike plastic spoons, a wooden spoon will not melt when exposed to high heat, although you do have to be careful about burning it. After doing some online research, many articles recommend maple, walnut, and olive woods as the best wooden spoons. Other types of wooden spoons will work just as well, they just might deteriorate at a faster pace and need to be replaced sooner. 

Metal/ Silicone Tongs

When you want to keep your distance from something cooking in a hot oven or pan, a set of tongs is very helpful. This kitchen tool also comes to the rescue when handling hot food, especially for flipping and turning. Another great use is serving food, tongs keep hands and germs out of a bread basket or bowl of fruit. I recommend tongs with silicone or metal tips to avoid melting or burning. 

Flat spatula

A long, flat spatula is an excellent kitchen tool for handling food. I have tried a variety of spatulas, but for the most effective flipping or scraping of food, a long, flat spatula will get the job done. The spatula pictured here is one that my parents bought year after year while I was growing up, and one that I have come to love in my own kitchen. Whether it is for flipping pancakes, slicing cake, or serving pizza, this kind of spatula gets the job done. 

Silicone spatula

Different from a flat spatula, this spatula is your best friend for getting every last drop of sauce or batter out of its vessel. Living on a budget, I am on a mission to avoid wasting food and money. A silicone spatula will help you stretch your dollar by leaving no crumb behind. I love using a spatula for getting peanut batter out of a jar or transferring my food from a pot to a storage container. 

Kitchen scissors

I was surprised how much I actually use my kitchen scissors. Whether opening a bag of frozen veggies or cutting up sausage links, a sharp pair of kitchen scissors efficiently gets the job done. My kitchen scissors come in handy daily and are a tool I think anybody would find a worthy addition to their kitchen. 

Large Knife

A decent chef’s knife can be quite expensive, but with a budget in mind, you can still find a good quality kitchen knife. I recommend both a serrated knife and a chef’s knife in your collection, however a 10 inch chef’s knife is a great place to start. You can find a decent knife at Walmart, Target, Ikea, and even Amazon. I actually found my first knife at a thrift store. I just had to sharpen it, and the blade was good to go! 

If you found this article helpful, feel free to check out my other blog posts for kitchen gadget reviews and more.