Kitchen Appliances List: Essential & Non-Essential

Disclosure:This post on kitchen appliances list contains Amazon Affiliate links. It means that I may receive a commission if you click an Amazon link and purchase a product. It won’t cost you any extra money. Read the full disclosure here.

kitchen appliances list

Use this kitchen appliances list to figure out which of your appliances truly deserve space in your home.

When it comes to decluttering, your kitchen can be the hardest room to deal with.

The kitchen has the most appliances – big or small – and they all seem to be important. A lot of us may have a hard time telling which appliance is essential and which one is not.

First of all, there is no official kitchen appliances list that we can say is the definite & absolute list of the real must-haves.

In the kitchen, what is essential to you may be non-essential to another household. This is because we have different cooking styles, preferred cuisines, dietary restrictions, number of family members, and lifestyles.

For instance, some households barely use a rice cooker while other households, especially Asians, eat rice as a staple so the rice cooker is a must.

As you go through this kitchen appliances list, keep these differences in mind.

My aim is to make a general list for most households and you have to think for yourself if the situation applies to you or not.

I suggest that you think about how often you use the appliance. If you only use it once or twice a year, then it really is not that much of an essential!

Okay… so, here we go!

Kitchen Appliances List: Essentials

1. Cooking Range

kitchen appliances list - cooking range

Of course, the most important thing that you should have in your kitchen is a cooking range. Whether it be a gas one or an electrical one, this is essential because it is your major tool when you cook.

To get the best out of your money, get a unit that also has an oven beneath it – gas range. This way, you get to bake without having to purchase a separate oven.

Here’s a cooking range from Amazon, if that’s what you only need.

More options can be found here.

And here’s a gas range, so you can cook and bake in just one appliance!

See other options in this page.

2. Refrigerator

kitchen appliances list - refrigerator - essential

A fridge allows us to stock up on food, be it meat, fish, veggies or fruits. It keeps our drinks cold. And it keeps our leftovers from getting spoiled overnight – allowing us to still enjoy these meals.

Refrigerators come in all sizes. See CoolandPortable.com for available portable options.

However, consider a large freezer space when you need to stretch your food supply more than usual.

Here’s a refrigerator from Amazon.

You will find more choices here.

3. Microwave Oven

kitchen appliances list - microwave oven

The microwave oven is one of the most efficient kitchen appliances that you can get. It does not only reheat food but it is also good enough to cook and bake.

It can also cook and bake faster than a regular oven. It’s very easy to use – even kids can operate it.

Get this microwave oven from Amazon.

Browse for more choices here.

4. Slow Cooker/Crock Pot

kitchen appliances list - crock pot

When you are a busy mom, the crock pot can become your new best friend!

It allows you to prepare delicious food while you go about your tasks. You can set your slow cooker to low or high and have it ready in time for lunch or dinner. It also makes a lot of food for less money.

Here’s a crock pot from Amazon.

See more options here.

5. Blender

kitchen appliances list - blender

The blender is a must-have when you really are concerned with your health. It’s your tool for making healthy smoothies every day.

The blender can also be used to prepare other food such as puree, soup, and sauce.

Get this blender at Amazon.

Look for more choices here.

6. Electric Mixer

kitchen appliances list - electric mixer

The electric mixer is a versatile tool that you use for mixing, whipping, beating, blending, and whisking a wide variety of food.

Although these tasks are something you can technically do manually, it can take a lot of time and effort to finish. It can even hurt your arm.

Having a mixer means you get to finish the job faster and with less effort!

Here’s an electric mixer from Amazon.

You will find more choices in this page.

7. Grill

kitchen appliances list - grill

You can use a countertop electric grill or go old school and have one outdoors!

Either way, a grill is a must when you want to cook meat in a healthier way than frying. Not to mention – grilled meat or fish tastes really good!

A grill is also a must-have if you and your family are fond of picnics. You don’t even have to go to the park for a picnic. You can do it on your lawn – in your own residential bubble!

Here’s an outdoor grill from Amazon.

This one’s smaller, meant to be used indoors – indoor electric grill from Amazon.

More grill choices can be found in this page.

8. Kettle

kitchen appliances list - kettle

Having hot water available is a must in the kitchen. This is not only useful for those who love coffee and tea but the hot water can be used in cooking meals like soup, noodles, and vegetables too.

Hot water is also needed for sterilizing your tools or helping you wash off greasy pans.

Now when it comes to the type of kettle – you can choose the old school where you heat it on the stove, or you can go electric!

Get this whistling kettle at Amazon.

Or go for an electric kettle!

See more kettles here.

Kitchen Appliances List: Non-essentials

Most of the items that I listed here are appliances that I consider non-essential because they accomplish tasks that are totally doable with your own hands (coupled with some effort of course) or with kitchen tools that you most likely already have.

1. Oven

kitchen appliances list - oven

Getting a separate oven unit when you can have one along with your cooking range or when you have a microwave oven (which is cheaper by the way) is just excess.

Ovens, especially the great ones, are very expensive. The only exemption to this is when you have a bakery or you’re selling baked food. Otherwise, just get a microwave oven or a cooking range with an oven instead.

2. Toaster oven

kitchen appliances list - toaster oven

A toaster oven is incredibly cheaper than a microwave oven. However, a microwave oven allows you to do more things and is actually more user-friendly.

If you ask me, I think investing in a microwave oven over a toaster oven is worth the extra bucks.

3. Dishwasher

kitchen appliances list - dishwasher

Dishwashers may seem essential at first but there are a lot of households that survive without one. I, myself can attest to this because we don’t have a dishwasher.

Dishwashing is a chore that anyone can do and it’s not exactly that hard. You just have to make it a part of your daily routine.

It can be a tiring chore when you have a large family with small kids, and you have a lot of other things to do. It’s true – it will save you time and effort. But not having one can save you electricity and water.

4. Juicer

kitchen appliances list - juicer

A juicer extracts juice from vegetables and fruits. It removes the pulp and you get just the juice.

In contrast with a blender, the blender does not remove the pulp from the mixture.

However, a blender can perform more tasks than a juicer so you are better off with just a blender, unless you really want to remove the pulp and the fiber, and get just the juice.

5. Egg Cooker

kitchen appliances list - egg cooker

Preparing an egg is one of the easiest cooking tasks. Even a kid can do it. Adults can do it in less than 5 minutes!

Egg dishes like omelets, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, and hard or soft boiled eggs can be easily prepared in your pots and pans. There is no need for this appliance to add to your power consumption.

6. Popcorn Machine

kitchen appliances list - popcorn machine

How often do you eat popcorn? Because you will need to eat a lot to make this appliance a worthy investment.

Popcorns can easily be cooked in a microwave or pot. These are things that you already have in the kitchen.

So there is no need to have a popcorn machine sitting on your countertops.

Personal Preferences

Here is a list of kitchen appliances which importance depends on your personal preferences, lifestyle, and diet.

1. Coffee Maker

coffee maker

Essential if you are a coffee drinker who needs a cup of coffee to start her day. It is a good investment because buying your own coffee pods, beans, and milk will still be cheaper compared to getting your coffee from the local coffee shop every day.

A grind and brew coffee maker is an ideal choice for any coffee connoisseur, as it gives you complete control over the taste of your morning cup. When choosing a grind and brew coffee maker, first determine if you want a manual or an automatic option.

Manual grind and brew systems use pre-ground coffee beans while automatically ones usually have built-in adjustable bean grinders. Aside from size and type, other factors such as speed, temperature settings, filter quality, and programmable features should also be considered when shopping for a grind and brew machine.

By focusing on these criteria, you can find the perfect device to help make delicious cups of gourmet coffee every morning!

Oh of course this is non-essential if you barely drink coffee, unless you need to pull out an all-nighter.

Now if you’re in for a cup of espresso, you can’t miss these home espresso machines.

2. Rice Cooker

rice cooker

Essential if you eat rice as a staple and you need to have it with most of your meals.

Non-essential if you do not eat rice regularly. You can still cook your occasional rice with a pot over the stove, though.

3. Toaster

toaster

Essential if you like toast and you want to have them for breakfast. Example in our case, we eat toast almost daily so this is essential for us.

Non-essential if you do not eat toast at all.

4. Waffle maker

waffle maker

Essential if you love waffles. Waffles are a great treat for kids so if they love waffles, then having this tool is a must.

Non-essential for those who do not have a strong feeling of love towards waffles.

There you have it!

I tried to make this list as general as possible without starting a grand debate. Hopefully, this kitchen appliances list will help you determine which are worth keeping and which ones really have to go.

As I said earlier, decluttering the kitchen is more of a personal preference kind of thing – what may be essential to you may not be essential to others.

Likewise, what may be essential for others may not be so for you.

Basically, it is advisable to get appliances that can do multiple functions so that you do not get one appliance for every task.

The more multi-purpose appliances and tools you have, the less clutter you will have in the kitchen!

Interested on more kitchen organization tips? Check these out!

Loved this post? Take a second to PIN it and share the love!

kitchen appliances list

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *