Moving into your first apartment? Congrats! Having your own space is exciting, but you’ll need to stock your new home with everything you need to be comfortable – starting with the kitchen. Make sure you grab these 25+ first apartment kitchen essentials when outfitting your new place.
Discover 25+ First Apartment Kitchen Essentials You Can’t Miss
1. McCook Knife Set
Even if you’re not into cooking, it’s still important to have a good knife set in your kitchen. This McCook knife set has a built-in sharpener and:
- 8” chef knife
- 8” slicing knife
- 5.5” serrated utility knife
- 5” santoku knife
- 4.5” fine edge utility knife
- 3” paring knife
- 6 x 4.5” serrated steak knives
- 2 kitchen shears
All of the knives and shears store nicely in the knife block. The knives are easy to clean, and the block won’t take up much space on your countertop.
2. Oneida 20-Piece Flatware Set
Every kitchen needs a decent flatware set – you can’t live on plastic forks and knives. This 20-piece set is made from durable stainless steel and offers service for four. It includes:
- 4 salad/dessert forks
- 4 place forks
- 4 knives
- 4 spoons
- 4 teaspoons
The great thing about this set is that it’s dishwasher-safe and never needs to be polished.
3. SMIRLY Bamboo Cutting Board Set
There are so many first apartment kitchen essentials you’ll need, but it’s easy to overlook this one: cutting boards.
Whether you’re making a charcuterie spread or chopping tomatoes for a salad, you’ll need a decent cutting board to protect your countertops. And this set comes with three.
Each cutting board is made from bamboo, which is eco-friendly and durable. You get a small, medium and large cutting board, along with a stand to keep them neatly organized.
4. Wazee Matte 16-Piece Dinnerware Set
Dinnerware is another absolute essential for your kitchen. And you don’t need to spend a fortune on your dishware either.
This set from Wazee comes with 16 pieces:
- 4 dinner plates
- 4 salad plates
- 4 pasta bowls
- 4 mugs
These dishes are microwave-safe and come in a variety of awesome colors.
5. Zulay Unbreakable BPA-Free Tumblers
Glasses are another essential for any kitchen, but these tumblers from Zulay are unbreakable. That’s because they’re made from BPA-free acrylic. They’re stackable, dishwasher-safe and have a modern look.
With this set, you’ll get four 12-ounce cups and four 16-ounce cups. The price is so affordable, and you never have to worry about breaking a glass (and losing your money).
Related: 18 Best Storage for Spices to Steal for Your Kitchen
6. Cuisinart Chef’s Classic 7-Piece Cookware Set
Even if you don’t cook gourmet meals, you should still have a few cookware basics in your kitchen. If you ever want to make pasta, cook eggs or heat up a can of soup, you’ll need pots and pans.
This basic cookware set from Cuisinart is made from stainless steel, which is highly durable and corrosion-resistant. It comes with an open skillet, two saucepans, a stockpot and lids.
7. Viking 10-Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
Viking is a high-quality cookware, but they also offer awesome mixing bowl sets like this one. You get bowls in five sizes with lids. Each bowl has built-in measuring marks and a non-skid silicone base. Use them to mix salads or pancake batter.
8. Home Hero Kitchen Utensils Set
Cooking utensils are essential for every kitchen, and this set has a whopping 54 pieces. From spatulas to mixing spoons, graters, peelers and even can openers, you’ll find everything you need – and things you forgot you needed – with this set.
9. Joss & Main Potholder & Oven Mitt Set
Potholders and oven mitts are must-have first apartment kitchen essentials. This set from Joss & Main is made from 100% cotton and comes with two potholders and two oven mitts.
We love this set because it comes in fun colors and will complement any kitchen.
10. Soap Dispenser
Ditch the traditional soap dispenser and get this set for your apartment. It may not be the prettiest kitchen accessory, but it’s super practical. It dispenses the soap directly onto the sponge, so you never have to worry about spills or waste.
The clear container makes it easy to see when it’s time to refill the dispenser, and its small size means that it won’t take up much space on your counters.
Related: 17+ Free Printables For Kitchen You Shouldn’t Miss
11. Spice Rack
If you like to cook, a spice rack will be a staple in your kitchen. This set from Kamenstein comes with 16 pre-filled jars of spices and herbs. Plus, they offer five years of spice refills for free.
It has all of your favorite spices, including basil, bay leaves, chives, oregano, pizza seasoning, crushed mint and more. The stylish jars are stored on a rotating rack, making it easy to find what you need without taking up too much space.
12. Stainless Steel Measuring Cup Set
Every kitchen needs a set of measuring cups, and this one is made from stainless steel. This set comes with seven of the most common measuring sizes in U.S. and metric measurements. The best part? They stack, they’re easy to clean, and they won’t take up much space in a drawer.
13. Stainless Steel Canister Set
Airtight stainless steel canisters are a versatile storage option in any home. Rust-resistant and BPA-free, each container in this set is 28 ounces in size and perfect for holding coffee, sugar and tea.
14. 6-Piece Kitchen Towel Set
You can’t go wrong with adding Martha Stewart towels to your list of first apartment kitchen essentials. This six-pack set comes with 16” x 28” patterned kitchen towels.
15. Food Storage Containers
Dry goods, such as nuts, pasta, seeds, sugar, flour and others, should be kept in airtight containers. You’ll appreciate the versatility of this 24-piece, BPA-free kit with four container-size options.
16. Kitchen Drawer Organizer
If you don’t have a kitchen drawer organizer, you’ll quickly have an unusable mess on your hands. An organizer keeps all of your forks, knives and spoons in compartments to make them easy to find.
17. Kitchen Garbage Can
A motion sensor opens the garbage can lid and holds 13-gallon or 50-liter bags. You’ll have garbage, and you’ll need to have somewhere to put it. This garbage can is the perfect solution.
Related: 15 Genius Pantry Storage Ideas for Kitchen
18. Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker
Coffee is a necessity in a lot of people’s lives. You’ll love the Hamilton Beach coffee maker with single-serve and carafe brewing options. Program this drip coffee maker the night before and brew up to 12 cups of coffee in the carafe.
An auto-pause allows you to pour a cup of piping hot coffee even in the middle of the brewing process.
19. Black + Decker Slow Cooker
A list of first apartment kitchen essentials wouldn’t be complete without a slow cooker. You can add in all the ingredients you need for a stew, put it on before work and come home to a delightful meal.
You’ll also love the built-in lid holder that comes with the unit.
20. Hamilton Beach Blender/Chopper
A chopper/blender combo is perfect for any kitchen – especially an apartment. You can add ice and fruits into the blender and make your own smoothie. You can adjust between 12 blending functions, chop up to three cups of fruits and veggies at a time and so much more with this Hamilton Beach model.
21. Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Hand Mixer
Hand mixers save you so much time in the kitchen and take up little space. This small, electric model has snap-on beaters and whisks, and can be sped up using six speed settings. While the main unit is not dishwasher safe, the whisk and beaters are.
22. Bakeware Set
Do you bake? If so, you’ll need so many items:
- Cookie sheets
- Cake pans
- Square pans
- Muffin pans
And you’ll also need roasting pans, a pizza crisper and more. You can skip the “oh no” moments and simply buy this 10-piece set.
23. Hamilton Beach Toaster
Toast is perfect for eggs, spreading jam or butter and is amazing for some sandwiches. You’ll need a toaster for so many occasions, and this model is so affordable that you won’t want to miss it.
If you want to save some space, wait until you see the next item on our list.
24. Hamilton Beach Air Fryer Toaster Oven
An air fryer and toaster in one? It’s perfect and offers space savings, which is much needed in smaller apartments. You can cook chicken nuggets in the air fryer or toast four pieces of bread at once.
25. Stainless Steel Colander
Trust us when we say that you can never have enough colanders. You can use this amazing, three-piece set of colanders to strain things, such as:
- Spaghetti
- Tomatoes
- Fruits
- Veggies
If you need to rinse tomatoes or just want to strain pasta water, these colanders are perfect.
26. Digital Meat Thermometer
Cooking meat to perfection is a lot harder than it seems. Even the type of stove that you use can cause you to overcook or undercook your food. A digital thermometer is the perfect choice for you because it will help you:
- Monitor internal meat temperature
- View temperatures in both Celsius and Fahrenheit
27. Gibson 95-Piece Complete Kitchen Starter Set
If you’re moving into your first apartment, why take a chance that you won’t have all of the essentials you’ll need for cooking? You’ll love this starter set, which has:
- Pans
- Utensils
- Dishware
- Baking dish
- Knife set
- So much more
In total, you’ll receive 5 bakeware items, 45 cooking utensils, 2 frying pans/skillets, a stock pot, a saucepan and a sauté pan.
