The Kitchen
What we actually use
This is not a list of everything available. It is the short list of things that earned a permanent spot in our house, plus a few we bought, used, and returned so you do not have to.
Honest disclosure. Some of the links on this page will be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. We only list things we bought with our own money and kept. Read the full affiliate disclosure.
Grinding and spice
If you buy one thing off this page, buy a grinder. It changes everything else.
Electric spice grinder
A dedicated one, kept separate from coffee. Look for a removable stainless cup so you can actually clean it. We keep two, one for savory and one for sweet, because cumin gets into everything.
Mortar and pestle
Heavy granite, wide bowl. Slower than the grinder and better for garlic, fresh herbs, and small amounts of toasted seed where you want texture instead of powder.
Organic whole spices
Bought in small quantities and replaced often. We look for single origin where it is offered, no anti caking agents, and a company that tells you the harvest year.
Small glass spice jars
Four ounce jars with tight lids and straight sides. Uniform jars make a drawer usable. Labels and a marker matter more than you expect.
Fine mesh strainer
For sifting freshly ground spice so the blend is even, and for a hundred other jobs. Buy the sturdy one, not the flimsy one.
Digital kitchen scale
Spice blends are far more consistent by weight than by spoon. A flat scale that reads in grams and tares easily is a fifteen dollar upgrade to everything.
Cooking and prep
Cast iron skillet, 12 inch
The pan the pepper skillet and half the weeknight dinners happen in. One pan, decades of use, and it goes from stove to oven without thinking about it.
Heavy roasting pan
Thick enough that the pan juices reduce instead of scorching. This is the difference between good roast chicken and great roast chicken.
Half sheet pans
Buy four. Commercial aluminum, not the nonstick ones that warp. Crowding is the enemy of roasted vegetables and four pans means you never crowd.
Chef's knife, 8 inch
One good knife you keep sharp beats a block of dull ones. Comfortable handle matters more than the brand on the blade.
Stand mixer
Earns its counter space if you bake or make dough regularly. If you do not, a hand mixer and a bowl are honestly fine.
Instant read thermometer
The only reliable way to stop overcooking chicken and fish. Fast, thin probe, and it should read in under three seconds.
Preservation and storage
Cooking this way means cooking more often, so keeping food properly is half the battle.
Vacuum sealer
For freezing meat and fish in portions without freezer burn. Look for a model that takes both bags and rolls so you can cut the size you need.
Sealer bags and rolls
Bought in bulk, because buying them one box at a time is how the machine ends up in a cabinet unused.
Wide mouth canning jars
Pint and quart. Broth, beans, cut vegetables, blends, leftovers. Wide mouth is worth the small premium because you can get a hand in.
Canning starter set
Rack, jar lifter, funnel, headspace tool. Buying the pieces separately costs more and you will forget one.
Glass storage containers
We moved away from plastic for anything hot or oily. Glass with a locking lid, oven safe if you can find it.
Freezer labels and marker
Unglamorous, and the reason we no longer throw out mystery containers in March.
Beyond the kitchen
If you are reading labels on food, you tend to start reading them on everything else too. These are the everyday things we switched over and stuck with.
Toothpaste and toothbrushes
Short ingredient lists, no artificial dyes, and a brush head that is actually replaceable.
Shampoo and conditioner
Fragrance free or lightly scented with real essential oil. It took a few tries to find ones that did not leave hair flat.
Deodorant
The category with the most disappointing options. We have a couple that genuinely work and we will say which.
Hand and dish soap
Plain, unscented, and refillable so you are not buying a new plastic bottle every month.
Laundry detergent
Free of dyes and optical brighteners, and effective in cold water.
Household cleaner
One concentrate that handles counters, floors, and glass instead of six bottles under the sink.
Water filtration
Because it is the ingredient in everything you cook and the one nobody thinks about.
Cookware without coatings
Stainless, cast iron, and enameled. We stopped replacing nonstick pans every two years.
Product links are being added. We are finishing the vetting and the affiliate setup, so specific brands and links go live shortly. If there is a category you want us to cover, tell us and it moves up the list.