Kitchen Appliance Checklist: 19 Essentials

The kitchen is the heartbeat of the home. The right kitchen appliance makes all the difference in how you function in your kitchen. Furnishing your kitchen with the right appliances can revolutionize how you prep and cook your tasty meals.

So, if you are trying to figure out where to begin with kitchen appliances, I have got you covered. I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of basic kitchen appliances for your new home or apartment kitchen. While even the most basic kitchen appliances can be a huge investment, having exactly what you need precisely when you need it will transform your kitchen.

So whether you are starting from scratch in your first apartment or you want to create a more well-equipped robust kitchen, this kitchen appliances list is for you. This kitchen appliance checklist includes everything you need to satisfy your kitchen needs, from smart home appliances to small time-saving appliances.

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Other home and kitchen ideas you might like:

• The Ultimate New Apartment Kitchen Checklist
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How to use the kitchen appliances list?

A kitchen appliance is generally described as a piece of equipment that simplifies the art of cooking and satisfies your cooking needs. The process of accumulating and buying kitchen essentials for your first home can be very expensive.

The first step is to identify the major kitchen appliances and smaller kitchen appliances you must have in your kitchen. Consider your budget, the layout of your kitchen, and the amount of space you have to accommodate such appliances. Rather than buy everything at once, take your time in purchasing the essentials.

Start with your list of must-have appliances and purchase the remaining appliances over time. Get a good understanding of your cooking process, style, and feel of your kitchen before buying the appliances.

Consider multi-purpose or multi-use appliances, as these types of basic kitchen appliances can serve multiple purposes, giving you the time you need to stock up on your cooking utensils and kitchen appliances.

Small Kitchen Appliances List

 

1. Rice Cooker

Rice is a staple food ingredient. In some households, rice is the core ingredient and side dish for every home cook meal. However, depending on who you ask, rice can be difficult to make on the stovetop. With a rice maker, you no longer have to worry about whether the rice will come out mushy or burnt.

A rice cooker make the process of cooking rice so much easier. As a young adult, my mom used to say you can’t mess up the rice in a rice cooker even if you tried. A rice cooker is a great way to cook rice that is not too dry or moist but fluffy and tender. It’s an appliance worth having that is worth every penny.

Buy at Walmart

2. Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker

Slow cookers, sometimes called Crockpots or Instant Pots, are extremely versatile small kitchen appliances that can make single-pot meals like stews and soups and even tenderize tough cuts of meat.

Buy on Walmart

3. Air Fryer

Air Fryers have become quite trendy over the last few years. What’s amazing about an air fryer is that it can “fry” and cook items without excessive amounts of oil, resulting in crispy, delicious meals that are not high in calories or fat. Air fryers distribute hot air around the meal, forcing it to cook evenly.

It is a cleaner (and less messier) process than a traditional deep fryer while still providing the same results. From french fries to chicken wings or nuggets, an air fryer is a good choice for households that fry a lot in the kitchen.

Buy at Walmart

4. Food Processor

A Food processor is a basic kitchen appliance that helps to handle meal prep, helping to cut down on food preparation times. While a food processor has similar functions to a blender, the Food processor performs various prep work that you would otherwise do by hand, such as chopping, mincing, and even making dough and batter.

Food processors are best for handling dry ingredients and chopping them into smaller bits, like mincing garlic, nuts, and other vegetables and herbs. It is the ultimate kitchen companion for prepping and cooking food.

Buy at Amazon | Buy at Walmart 

5. Blender

A blender is a small kitchen appliance that is meant to pulverize and combine wet and dry or solid ingredients. Blenders are versatile kitchen appliances that can assist in making smoothies, pureed soup, salad dressings, sauce, and even baby food. This immersion blender is a must-have appliance for every kitchen.

Buy at Walmart | Buy at Amazon

6. Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer

Hand Mixers make it easy to stir bread dough, cake batter, and other pastries, combining wet and dry ingredients, like flour and eggs. The style of mixer you choose will greatly depend on your funding and counter space.

7. Toaster or Toaster Oven

Most people love a good toast of bread accompanied with some butter. From bread, bagels, and waffles, there is just something remarkable about the smell and taste of toast. With its unique design and ability to turn electricity into heat, a toaster is one of the most essential and important appliances for every household.

When buying a toaster, consider your personal toasting habits, the size of the toaster, the number of slots (2-4 slices), and its overall functions (from defrosting to reheating).

Buy at Walmart | Buy at Amazon

8. Coffee Maker

There are a variety of coffee makers and styles available on the market, from pour-over coffee makers, cappuccino or espresso machines, Keurig, and french press to drip coffee makers. A coffee maker allows you to curate a well-made cup of coffee that is perfect for you and your family’s taste buds. Deciding what coffee maker is best for you depends on how much coffee you drink daily. Whatever you choose, a coffee maker is a must if you drink coffee. It also makes a great housewarming gift for friends.

Buy Coffee Maker at Walmart

9. Coffee Grinder 

A coffee grinder is necessary for grinding whole coffee beans. If it’s specialty coffee like this Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, then coffee beans give you control over your coffee, especially in the realms of flavor and freshness, extending the shelf life of the coffee. The grinder helps to mince down the beans to ground coffee. So if you are a coffee drinker with a coffee bar in your home, then a coffee grinder is a must.

Buy Electric Coffee Grinder at Walmart

10. Electric Kettle

If you are a tea lover and you want to upgrade from the traditional stove top kettle, then this is a must have. An electric kettle can make hot water and quickly heat water to any temperature much faster than a stove can.

Buy Electric Kettle on Amazon 

11. Electric Wine Bottle Opener

Wine lovers understand the need for an electric wine bottle opener. Even the most experienced wine drinker knows how difficult it can sometimes be to uncork a wine bottle. An electric wine bottle opener makes the process much easier and less time consuming.

Buy on Amazon

12. Ice Cream Maker

Nothing beats homemade ice cream on a hot summer day. With an ice cream maker, you can make the exact flavor you want with your own personal ingredients. An ice cream maker is a bit of a luxury appliance that lets you create ice cream in the comforts of your home. Most ice cream makers are easy to set up and produce velvety and creamy ice cream, just like in stores. This one is great if you have kids and are looking for fun food activities in the home.

Buy on Amazon

13. Kitchen Scale

A kitchen scale is an appliance that weighs food items inside the kitchen. This is an important tool to monitor food intake and cook accurately. From simple mechanical to digital scales, there are plenty of food scales available.

Buy Kitchen Scale on Amazon

14. Electric Can Opener

Electric can openers are small appliances you never knew you needed until it was needed. Electric can openers make opening up a can (big or small) easier and less messy. So time to ditch the hand held can opener and opt for an electric opener that is efficient and easy to use.

Buy on Amazon

15. Indoor Electric Grill

You may not always have the option to go outside and grill a burger or hot dog on the charcoal or gas grill especially during the winter months. An electric grill allows you to expand your kitchen’s versatility replicating the fast, great tasting cooking you expect from an outdoor grill. From a grill cheese sandwich, a panini or grilled vegetables, an electric grill can do it all. They are typically small, smoke-free and very easy to clean due to their nonstick coating.

Buy on Amazon

16. Juicer

A juicer is great for extracting juice from fruits and vegetables. A juicer provides more nutrients from your drink. While juicers can range from the centrifugal force juicer, masticating juicer, and triturating juicer whichever you choose a juicer is a great addition to a kitchen.

Buy on Amazon

17. Waffle Maker

There’s nothing better than a warm, crisp, golden homemade waffle. Having a good waffle maker can make the waffle-making process effortless.

Buy on Amazon

18. Bread Machine

A bread machine has one primary function, and that is to create bread. This is a very useful and convenient appliance for people who like to make their own bread. A bread machine will knead your dough automatically, making the entire process so much easier.

19. Popcorn Maker

There’s just something spectacular about the smell and taste of freshly popped popcorn. This little gadget is an upgrade from the old-fashioned way of putting popcorn in a pot on the stove. It may even come out fresher and tastier than a prepackaged bag of popcorn you would typically plop in the microwave. You can also store it seamlessly in the snack pantry when not in use. So do yourself a favor and grab a popcorn maker to elevate your next movie night.

Buy on Amazon | Buy on Walmart

Other basic kitchen appliances to consider:

• Panini Press / Maker
• Pasta Maker
• Milk frother

 

Major Appliances for New Kitchen

If you are renting your home or apartment, your kitchen may already have a stove, refrigerator, and even a dishwasher, there are some kitchen appliances that you may want to include. Here are some other large or major kitchen appliances to consider:

1. Dishwasher

A Dishwasher is a great kitchen appliance that has become a standard in the everyday kitchen. If you are of the millennial, Gen X, or Gen Y generation, then washing dirty dishes by hand is no longer a mandatory chore. Handwashing and scrubbing dishes is a very tedious and tiring process, especially after an exhausting and stressful day. The dishwasher provides the ultimate solution for people who either don’t like washing dishes or don’t have the capacity to wash their dishes regularly.

Dishwashers are an easier way to wash your best cookware, like a frying pan, kitchen utensils, dinnerware, and coffee mugs. It is also much more economical and cost-effective, helping you reduce water consumption and wash dishes more thoroughly. Dishwashers not only clean, but most have a feature that sanitizes and dries your dishes at high temperatures.

2. Microwave

Microwave ovens are one of the most popular kitchen appliances today, famous for reheating dishes and speeding up cook times for certain meals. Designed to cook food quickly, a microwave oven is able to heat up and sometimes cook delicious food in a matter of minutes, making it the perfect kitchen appliance for a busy household. A microwave oven is a must-have appliance in all kitchens.

3. Wine Cooler and Fridge

If you have a serious wine collection, then you might want to consider investing in a wine fridge. While slightly different (often smaller) than your standard kitchen refrigerator, wine coolers typically stand up well to ambient temperature fluctuations – maintaining a consistent temperature. This appliance has the ability to house multiple bottles of wine and preserve your wine for a long time.

Buy on Amazon

Other large kitchen appliances to consider:

• Freezer
• Trash Compactor
• Ice Maker
• Water Cooler Dispenser
• Range Hood
• Washer
• Dryer

 

Hopefully, this kitchen essentials checklist provides value and helps make the process easier. Purchasing kitchen appliances is time-consuming as it often requires research to determine the best one for you.

Please drop a comment below to let me know what you think of this kitchen essentials list. Feel free also to follow me on my social media pages – Pinterest and Instagram or subscribe to my mailing list for other design inspiration, DIY projects, and home decor ideas.