10 Favorite Homestead Kitchen Tools

Everything happens in the kitchen. Life happens in the kitchen.     ~Andrew Zimmern

Isn’t that the truth?! Time spent in the kitchen on a homestead is a crucial part of what homesteading is all about. The homestead kitchen becomes the workplace, the processing plant, the gathering spot, the craft room, the science lab, the apothecary, and much more. There are many days that I practically don’t come out of the kitchen. The things that I can do there seem endless and I can’t imagine what I would do on the homestead without our kitchen. 

I know, for some people the kitchen can be a place of clutter and frustration due to the overwhelming amount of applicance, gadgets and stuff.  You may have to open every drawer or cabinet to find the one item you are looking for. Your counter tops may be covered to the point it’s hard to find a surface to work on.  If your kitchen is bulging at the seams with all sorts of stuff, then it may be time for you to rethink what you really need.  

I have been there with my kitchen, and honestly have to revisit every so often to keep the clutter low. One thing that has helped is that I am naturally not real big on appliances, so we keep very few of the larger items. They take up a lot of space making them difficult to store, and most have a single use that just makes me wonder if they are really worth the expense. So my list below of my 10 Favorite Homestead Kitchen Tools only has one of the larger appliances.

I have realized over time that even though gadgets and appliances can be fun to use, my homestead kitchen really only needs some basic items that can all do multiple tasks. As I was working in the kitchen this week I started thinking about how I have certain things that I reach for no matter what I am doing. That’s when I decided to put together this list to share with you! Here are my 10 Favorite Homestead Kitchen Tools. Let me know in the comments if you have any other things that you just can’t live without in the kitchen!

1. KitchenAid Mixer– this is the only large appliance you will find on my list. It took me years to give in to this one but it is something that has made life so much easier!  I bake all of our own bread and I was really having trouble with my hands and arms when it came to kneading. Mr. One Ash decided that he was tired of that trouble and surprised me with my classic KitchenAid Mixer a few years ago. I have enjoyed it so much! I am still learning about all the things it can do for me, but I can tell you it’s worth keeping this appliance on my counter top! 
2. Knives– there are a total of 3 knives that I use in my homestead kitchen, as well as kitchen shears. The knives are a small serrated steak knife, a bread knife and a medium general use knife.  Buying a full knife set is sometimes the best way to what you want when it comes to knives, and I do have a set but I really only reach for those 3 knives and the shears.
3. Stainless Steel Whisk– I have 2 that I like. One is a smaller size, and one is a large one.  I use these for everything from beating eggs to sifting dry ingredients (I do have a sifter that you can read about in my post The Sifter, but sometimes the whisk is just easier to grab!). I prefer stainless steel over anything else because it is easy cleaned and sanitized. 
4. Spoons- I have both stainless steel and wooden spoons in my kitchen.  I love using wood for my daily cooking, and stainless come in handy when I am doing something like canning or making something in a large pot.  My favorite sizes are about 12″ long, but I do have a variety of spoon sizes.
5. Stainless Steel Bowls– yes! these are an absolute must for me! I have 5 of these ranging from small (holds about 4 cups of flour) to a large 13 quart that is great for rising large batches of dough and housing prepared fruit and veggies prior to canning. Stainless steel bowls are light weight, super easy to clean and sanitize, and they last literally forever. 
6. Strainer– again, I prefer stainless steel (I see a trend!) and a fine mesh.  I like a strainer (also called a sieve) better than a colander because of the mesh. Things just drain better. The mesh is sometimes a little more difficult to get clean, but I use a good dishwashing brush and the water sprayer on my sink and have no issues.
7. Stock Pot– a nice big, heavy pot with a lid can be used for so many things. I use my 6.5 quart stock pot all the time.  It’s used for normal cooking, for cooking fruit for canning, for cheese making and more. I have had this pot for about 20 years and it’s still going strong. Yep, it’s stainless steel and if it gets a little grungy looking inside or out I just give it a good cleaning with some Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami. 
8. Coffee Pot– need I say more? This is a necessity throughout the day on our homestead! We use an old fashioned stainless steel (yep!) percolator.  It makes great coffee and doesn’t take up a lot of counter space like the newer models of coffee makers. 
9. Non-electric Food Processor– this thing is great! I use it to grate, slice and chop.  My favorite use is for my 5 Minute Salsa– you can read that recipe here – Fresh Salsa in Five Minutes. My chopper holds 4 cups so it can do so many things but I just love that it doesn’t use electricity and it takes up very little space in the pantry.
10. Potato Peeler– this tool sounds so simple to round out this list of 10 Favorite Homestead Kitchen Tools, but it’s so important!  I grab the potato peeler for all kinds of things. Obviously for peeling fruits and veggies, but also for grating or super thin slicing cheese. Again this takes up very little space but gets used often. A potato peeler with stainless steel blades is the sharpest, and easiest to clean! 

So that’s my list of our 10 Favorite Homestead Kitchen Tools! I know there are other things that I use often but these seem to be the items that are most often in my pile of dirty dishes. The only other thing I might add is my collection of Amish Cookbooks.  You can find my favorite Amish Cookbooks at this link-  15 Best Amish Cookbooks.  As you continue your homestead growth don’t hesitate to narrow your selection of kitchen tools and unclutter this all important room in your home! 

You can find more of our favorite things at our Homesteading Supply Store-  click HERE or on the picture to visit! 

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