When you’re cooking from scratch and making homemade meals for your family, having the right kitchen tools makes all the difference! Over the years, I’ve found a handful of small homestead kitchen essentials that I reach for almost every single day. From my favorite cast iron skillets and Dutch oven to the Instant Pot, grain mill, and a few handy tools I didn’t know I needed until I had them, these are the kitchen essentials I truly can’t live without. Whether you’re building a homestead kitchen or simply looking to make cooking at home a little easier, here are the tools I use and love in our everyday kitchen.
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Cast Irons
Cast irons are at the top of the list – for obvious reasons! They are so versatile, easy to go from the stovetop to the oven, and can make so many different food recipes in them. I use my two 9-inch cast irons every single day, and grab out my 12-inch skillet whenever I’m making a casserole or larger dish.
Some of our favorite recipes to make in the cast iron are sourdough pizza crusts, crispy seared steak, and make-ahead skillet breakfast.
Instant Pot
My Instant Pot lives on my countertop full time, and you can probably see it in the background of almost all of my videos. There are so many recipes that I use it for, such as making rice, yogurt, bone broth, and hearty dinners such as sausage soup and homemade beef stew.
Dutch Oven
I just recently upgraded to this larger-sized enameled cast iron Dutch oven, and I really love it so far. I use this one daily for my family, and I have two other smaller ones that are stored away in case I’m cooking for a larger crowd. Checkout Sweet and spicy pumpkin beef stew, the best homemade pot roast, and this einkorn Dutch baby pancake for the best Dutch oven recipes! (Use code DUVALLHOMESTEAD10 for 10% off)
Fry Daddy
We love using the Fry Daddy for making homemade French fries. While you can always make fries by frying them on the stove or baking them, I’ve noticed that the Fry Daddy does such a great job and tastes so much better!
Grain Mill
We cook and bake with whole grains almost all the time at our homestead. I love the nutrition that whole grains provide, and the food is so much more filling when made with them. There are so many recipes where you can swap in whole grains, such as pancakes, muffins, breaded chicken, soup thickener, and so much more. We love our Nutrimill Grain Mill!
Stainless Steel Pots
Other than cast irons or Dutch ovens, the only other type of pots that you will see on my stovetop are stainless steel pots. They are hardy, no problems with cleaning, no coating to worry about scratching, and they work well every single time!
Parmesan Cheese Shredder
My husband and I used a regular cheese shredding block for years (since we got married, actually!). Until one day, my dad showed us the parmesan cheese shredder tool that he bought, and our lives were forever changed. We love this little inexpensive tool and use it daily now.
Immersion Blender
I recently upgraded my immersion blender to one that has a food processor attachment, and it has really paid off so far! I’ve always hated storing bulky food processors in my kitchen, so this is the perfect size when I need a few things chopped up quickly. I love using it to chop up onions since they always make me cry!
Freezer Storage Containers
These food-grade storage containers come in a big set from Amazon and are so handy for leftover food or meal prepping. Anytime I preserve fruit, jam, or make ice cream, soup, etc., everything always goes into these BPA-free freezer containers. I’ve listed all of my favorite freezer meals here that uses these storage containers—perfect for postpartum, busy seasons, and the holidays!
Stainless Steel Kid’s Bowls
We love these stainless steel bowls for kids so much that my husband and I often use them too. We have a ton of stainless steel bowls, plates, and silverware. A good set of non-breakable dinnerware is a must-have for busy families like ours!
Waffle Makers
I love batch prepping and keeping waffles in the freezer ready-to-go when we want a quick but delicious breakfast. I have two waffle makers and usually double the recipe to make several gallon-sized bags at a time to store away, which ends up lasting us close to a month. There’s never a time when there aren’t any waffles in our freezer – that’s how passionate I am about batch-making them!
Slow Cooker
I found this slow cooker on Amazon, and have really relied on it recently. It is a portable slow cooker, so it’s super easy to take along with us to the park, on picnics, or to the beach. I love this and the time it saves from having to cook once we get to the destination.
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