Top 10 Kitchen Essentials On Your Moving Out Checklist
With September coming up, many new grads are moving out, whether to their new schools or simply to start an independent life. It’s such an exciting time! You have a new space to truly make your own, especially the kitchen. But it can also be difficult to wrap your head around. Especially when it’s your first time moving and you have, well, nothing in the way of kitchen essentials. I know, because I’ve done it recently.
But don’t sweat it, because gathering those essentials is easier than it sounds. And to show you that, I’ve created a little Moving Out Kitchen Checklist for you to go shopping with.
1. A Quality Fryin Pan
I always recommend SCANPAN to family and friends. It was a struggle getting my family to give up my SCANPAN when I moved. “Of course we’ll miss you, but do you really have to take the pan?”
I love their non-stick cookware because it’s PFOA/PFOS-free and you can use metal utensils in their pans. And omelette flips in these pans are around 90-100% successful, depending on your skill (that’s coming from a 0% success rate). Do recommend.
2. A Solid Chef’s and Paring Knife
Again, go into this with the same mentality as getting a quality pan: if you buy a good knife, it’ll treat you well for 20-25 years. You’ll actually spend more money buying toothbrushes over 25 years than you will on the one knife that won’t need to be replaced in that time.
You only need a chef’s knife and a paring knife to start. Try out phenomenal brands such as Global, Ken Onion, Kussi, Shun, Victorinox, WUSTHOF, and Zwilling J.A. Henckels at any of our stores, and see how they feel first.
3. A Way to Store Your Knives
If you already have knives, you’re a step ahead of the game. But chances are you don’t have a good place to store them just yet. A knife block, magnetic bar, knife drawer, or knife sleeves can help you safely store your knives in a way that won’t damage you or your blades.
Or, if you tend to travel or move around a lot, consider using a knife roll for the ultimate in knife protection and portability. They are excellent for bringing the essentials with you to save money when you’re on a trip with access to a kitchen.
4. A Soft Cutting Board
Get a good-sized wooden or plastic cutting board. You want a cutting board made of a softer material that will cushion your blade, not resist it. Marble and glass cutting boards are disastrous for knives because they’re too hard and will chip your blade. Soft boards equal happy blades.
5. Tea Towels, Oven Mitts, and Dish Cloths
Make sure one of the first things your kitchen acquires are some tea towels, oven mitts, and dish cloths. What isn’t fun is putting dinner in the oven after a long day of moving, then realizing, as it’s almost done, you don’t have anything to pull it out of the oven with, or clean it with.
Our stores have some pretty cute tea towels, Swedish dishcloths, and spiral Tawashi scrubbers from Danica Studio. Just take a look at some of their designs.
6. Don’t Forget the Salt and Pepper!
It’s true, the dollar store can provide you with the most basic salt and pepper shakers. But for fanciness in the future, House of Knives has beautiful spice mills from Peugeot that will outfit your new home in style. They’ll also last a lifetime if you take good care of them.
7. Get Flippin’
Spoons, spatulas, tongs, and cooking utensils are highly essential kitchen items. I like silicone when I’m cooking with heat because, not only is it heat-resistant, but it’s super easy to clean afterward. Check out Kussi for well-priced and extremely useful silicone utensils.
8. You Can Open It!
Personally, I had about, 50 can openers and twice as many corkscrews just hanging out in my kitchen’s “extra tools” drawer before I moved, so I was well stocked. But this is a tool no one really thinks about, so make sure you get a good can opener before you actually need it to open something. The Zyliss ones pictured above offer a great ergonomic handle and are able to tackle the thickest tins.
9. Moving Out Will Be Grate, I Promise
Another tool no one really thinks about (until they need it) is the grater. But this simple tool can be used for so many things, like garlic, ginger, chocolate, citrus zest, cinnamon, and of course, cheese. I’d recommend Microplane because they’re unbelievably sharp, Kussi for the best price, and Cuisipro for seriously stylish grating.
10. Don’t Scream, Just Ice Cream
Get an ice cream scoop. For when you’re finally done moving, you’re tired as can be, and you just want to shovel ice cream into your face. You deserve it. Plus, unlike your regular table spoons, a properly designed ice cream scoop won’t bend under the force of scooping, saving your new cutlery and your hard-earned money.
House of Knives is Here to Help
Come into one of our stores in BC and Alberta. Our staff would love to help you pick out some kitchen essentials that fit your budget and style. Not close to the west coast? Our online store is available to everyone in Canada, with free shipping on orders totally $100 or more.
Have any moving out stories? Advice to share with the new movers? We’d love to hear it all in the comment section below.
