Amazon Finds: My Favorite (Practical) Kitchen Essentials for a New Apartment
One of the biggest highlights in the past couple of months was moving in with my boyfriend, George, into our first apartment together. Despite it being more of a short-term stepping stone towards our ultimate goal of purchasing a home, I still wanted to make sure it felt good during the period of our lease. After all, we are going to be at home for most of our time for the foreseeable future, so comfort was a priority. Luckily, George let me have full reins for decorating because he knows how particular I am. The space I was most excited to style up was definitely the kitchen.
Buying things to furnish was not easy during a pandemic since many stores were still closed at the time. As a result, Amazon was our best friend. I spent countless hours looking at kitchen knick-knacks, and I definitely ended up with a few more things than I anticipated. Now that we are going into our 4th-month at our new place, I think I can attest to which kitchen essentials were good buys, and I want to share these items with anyone who may be moving now or in the future. By no means does this list cover everything you will need for a complete kitchen, but these things from Amazon will serve well in price, aesthetics, and functionality to complement all the other items you may be getting.
- Ayesha Curry Parawood 4-Piece Cooking Tool Set – Every kitchen needs a set of good wooden utensils. Not only are they better for the longevity of your pots and pans, but they are also great as decor placed in a crock by the stove. This set in particular checks off all the boxes for me. They have sleek rounded handles much like the William Sonoma ones I had originally looked at, a smooth satin finish with food-grade mineral oil, and the perfect shade of natural wood that matched our other wood items. They look more expensive than the $25 I paid for them. Highly recommend!
- Stainless Steel Spoon and Pan Lid Rest – When people cook, they usually put their utensils on their stovetop or on their countertops, but that tends to get things dirty. A spoon rest is a common solution for this but no one really thinks about keeping the lids off their surfaces. Since our apartment has an electric stovetop, condensation and oils that drip onto it from lids tend to stain. This combo rack was exactly what we needed for nesting our utensil and lid at the same time to prevent mess, and cleaning it is much easier than scrubbing down our stovetop.
- mDesign Over the Door Towel Rack – We needed more space to hang another set of kitchen towels, and we didn’t like hanging them on the handle of our drawers because they got in the way. We placed a set on the cabinet doors in front of our sink, which makes it super convenient to grab a towel when we need to dry off our hands or wipe the counters.
- Circulon Nonstick Baking Sheet – Whether you cook or bake, every household needs a staple baking sheet. We use this one for roasting meats and veggies for meal prep, and of course, for my baking sessions. Super thick and sturdy, and the grooves really just make food slide off.
- mDesign Stackable Wire Baskets – We use these to store fruits and veggies. They are more narrow in shape compared to many of the other baskets I looked at so they fit perfectly on our shallow shelves on the side of our island. These are great for storing practically anything to keep things neat and organized.
- Aozita Amber Glass Soap Dispenser Bottles – I love the look of amber bottles (probably because I love the Aesop look) and you don’t have to worry about the color of your hand soap showing through and not matching the overall color palette of your kitchen. The price is unbeatable for a set of two! They even come with pre-made labels, but I didn’t use them because I just like the look without them.
- Aozita Glass Oil Bottles with Pourers – Great for cooking oils and vinegar. We buy bulk from Costco so this makes it so much easier to fill and use versus pouring out of a giant plastic bottle in the middle of cooking. It even comes with a funnel!
- Microfiber Waffle Weave Kitchen Dish Towels – While I love decorative kitchen towels, they are not always the most absorbent or functional. This set of microfiber ones perform wonderfully, and they provide just a little bit of texture with the waffle weave to still look nice.
- SimpleHuman Odorsorb Charcoal Filter Kit – I don’t know about you guys, but I cannot stand a smelly trashcan even if it doesn’t smell with the lid closed. However, I also don’t want to waste trash bags by constantly throwing it out daily either. This has been a lifesaver and has literally eliminated the odor completely. It did take a few days to fully activate, but once it did I wish I had gotten it sooner. I will definitely be buying the filter refills and continue to use this. (Tip: Use a few extra pieces of double-sided tape to adhere it to the lid of your trashcan because reviews do say that the adhesive it comes with is not strong enough.)
- Joseph Joseph Stainless Steel Sink Caddy – This little organizer by the sink is perfect to store it all. Your sponge, dish soap, and scrubber brushes all fit neatly with a slit on the bottom for any water to drip out. The entire piece disassembles so you can occasionally wash it to get rid of water and soap buildup. For me, this was more practical than the wooden pedestals I kept seeing other people put their soaps on. I was just not too fond of the idea of water constantly dripping onto wood and potentially causing mold.
There is a ton of great affordable kitchen items on Amazon that is super useful, so no need to spend the extra cash on items from William Sonoma or Crate & Barrel. Save that money and put it towards big investment pieces like a blender (we recently just bought a Vitamix) or a quality espresso machine! I plan to cover some other great finds that I have discovered on Amazon, and hopefully, it will help save some of you the endless amount of time that I spend on researching products.
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