Our post on how to equip a small kitchen has been a long time in the making. Over the years we have found some absolute gems – and made some expensive mistakes – while we have searched for the best cooking equipment for our compact kitchen. As a result we have arrived at what must be the ultimate list of key essentials, best buys and handy gadgets if you have to cook in a small space. In this post we give you our top 15 brilliant tools and ideas.
Bear in mind that, just like you, we don’t want to compromise on the quality or the functionality of any cookware that we buy. Nevertheless, space is at an absolute premium. Therefore it is vital that every item which makes this small kitchen essentials list ticks all these boxes:
- beautifully designed
- fabulous to cook with
- easy to store (preferably stackable, collapsible or just plain small …)
- highest quality (you are going to use this stuff over and over)
- robust (you want this stuff to last and last)
- used on a regular basis (or we don’t give it the storage room …)
Essential Cookware Designed To Stack and Store
These are the key items of cookware we use in our campervan which would be perfect for any small kitchen. Chosen because storage is part of the design, as well as really nice items to prepare food and cook.
1. Stacking Saucepans
- Detachable Handles – Pans stack in small space
- Fold-flat knobs – Lids take up hardly any room and store flat
- Superb quality and lovely to use
- Read our full review of the Tefal Ingenio range
- Buy Tefal Ingenio on Amazon
2. Pressure Cooker
- Perfect choice for us because you can actually stack the Tefal Ingenio pans inside it!
- Super-fast one pot cooking on one ring which is why we think a pressure cooker is perfect for a small kitchen, a camp kitchen or where you have to share cooking facilities.
- Read our in-depth article on pressure cooking – it is one of our obsessions!
- Buy a Fagor pressure cooker on Amazon
3. Collapsible Salad Spinner
- Excellent for a small kitchen because it is multi-purpose. Doubles up as colander and salad bowl. 3-in-one!
- Collapsible – easy to store in a small space
- Easy, no-effort pull string operation, works beautifully
- Read our full review of the Progressive salad spinner
- Buy the Progressive Collapsible Salad Spinner on Amazon
Items Designed From The Ground Up To Minimise Space
Look for items that have been designed to fold, shrink, or be generally portable. You can easily find a small corner of a drawer for the folding scales and trivet. The coffee maker is light and retractable, and makes great fresh coffee quickly and easily with minimum effort.
4. Joseph Joseph Stretch Trivet
- Folds neatly away so easy to store
- Stretches open to accommodate different sized pots, pans and baking trays
- Sturdy and non-slip, suitable for all work surfaces
- Available in a range of lovely colours so looks beautiful
- Buy the Joseph Joseph Stretch Trivet at Amazon
5. Joseph Joseph Triscale
- Folding Digital Kitchen scales – store in a drawer
- Available in a choice of colours, and a unique design
- Switchable between imperial, metric and fluids so very versatile
- Best way to weigh in a small kitchen by far
- By the Joseph Joseph Triscale at Amazon
6. Aeropress Coffee Maker
- Lightweight and portable – perfect for camping and travelling as well as small kitchens
- Makes great coffee easily and quickly
- Much more cost effective than investing in a pod machine – great for a student coffeephile on a tight budget
- See our post on the best way to make coffee in a small kitchen or on the go
- Superquick – as fast as instant but way, way nicer
- Buy the Aeropress at Amazon
Equip A Small Kitchen With These Multi-Purpose Gadgets
Make everything you buy work hard. Clever designs that can be used for more than one purpose help maximise your small space. These are all appliances that earn their cupboard space several times over by being useful for lots of different cooking and baking applications.
7. The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
- Complete multi-functional cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, saute/browning, yoghurt maker, steamer and warmer
- Takes up the space of one large pan but you can cook pretty much anything in it
- Self-contained, so really excellent if you don’t have an oven, or you are sharing a kitchen with limited number of hobs
- Read all about why we love pressure cooking (especially in a small kitchen)
- Read our complete review of the Instant Pot Duo
- Buy the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker at Amazon
8. Multifunctional Microwave Oven and Grill Combi
- Really useful tabletop appliance that combines convenience of microwave with traditional grill and oven.
- Perfect for bedsits and studio apartments with limited cooking facilities and no room for traditional built in oven
- In our kitchen at home our combi-oven is used about 5 times as much as the standard oven
- Buy a Combination microwave oven/grill at Amazon
9. Hand Blender With Attachments
- Use the wand blender directly in a pan to puree soups
- The chopper attachment avoids need for separate food processor in many instances
- Useful whisk attachment for meringues and whipping cream etc
- Jug doubles up as every day measuring jug, as well as for blending
- A favourite kitchen appliance with our vegetarian student daughter – it packs up small in a plastic storage box and easy to wash up
- Buy the Kenwood Hand Blender at Amazon
Smaller Versions Of Iconic Appliances
Some of the most iconic kitchen brands in are available in compact versions so you don’t have to miss out in a small kitchen. They look great, so you can flaunt them on your worktop rather than having to store them away, which leaves your limited cupboard space free for the rest of your cooking kit.
10. KitchenAid Artisan Mini Series Stand Mixer
- 25% lighter and 20% smaller footprint than the KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer
- Smaller footprint goes a long way when you have to cook in a small space
- Same power as the classic – will handle all your kneading, mixing and whisking just like its bigger brother
- VERY cute and adorable
- Buy the KitchenAid Artisan Mini Stand Mixer at Amazon
11. Cuisinart Mini Food Processor
- Compact food processor that occupies minimum counter space. Measure just 5.4 x 7.6 x 9.9 inches
- Powerful chopper/grinder for size
- large 4-cup capacity in a small footprint
- 2 speed processing
- Reversible blade operation (sharp and blunt edges)
- Buy the Cuisinart Mini Food Processor at Amazon
12. Nespresso Pixie Coffee Machine
- Small footprint so well suited for smaller kitchens that don’t have much counter space
- Heats up very quickly so makes a cup of coffee fast
- Urban good looks make it perfect for studio apartment living
- Consistently well reviewed and a perennial best selling espresso maker
- Buy the Nespresso Pixie Espresso Maker at Amazon
Genius Little Innovations
You know the kind of thing … you spot it and immediately think ooooh, that’s clever. These are all practical little ideas which will help you organise your small kitchen better. Great little gadgets and smart inventions that will rapidly become indispensable.
13. Coffee Scoop Combined With Clip
- What a useful little gadget
- Never rummage for the coffee scoop again, it will always be clipped to the bag
- Keeps your coffee bag sealed so keeps it fresh
- 2 birds, 1 stone, another tick on the declutter my life list
- Buy a Coffee Scoop Combined with Clip at Amazon
14. Roll-up Dish Drainer/Trivet
- Now this is a very neat idea
- Roll out the drainer over your sink for air-drying vegetables and draining dishes
- Doubles up as a really decent sized trivet
- Buy a Roll-up Dish Rack/Trivet At Amazon
15. Anti-Scratch Pan Protectors
- Must-have item if you are stacking non-stick saucepans
- We use these with our Tefal Ingenio pans to protect the non-stick coating
- Really inexpensive and available in hundreds of colours and patterns to suit your decor
- Buy Anti-Scratch Pan Protectors at Amazon
We hope you like these 15 essential tools for a small kitchen. If you have found this helpful then please share it with your friends. This is just the start of our mission to guide anyone with a small kitchen to maximise their limited space and make the absolute most of every inch available.
