Let’s just get straight to it. Here are my top 10 favorite kitchen utensils that fit in my little Boston apartment.

1 Cuisinart 3-piece knife set A good quality knife is essential. But quality doesn’t always have to mean expensive (unless we’re talking Le Creuset, which you’ll see featured bit further down the list). Don’t let this $30.00, 3-piece set fool you, because these Cuisinart knifes are near and dear to my heart. I bought this affordable set for my first ever apartment back in 2016 and never looked back. I think I found it at Bed Bath & Beyond, so it was even cheaper with coupons. They sharpen really well and don’t take up too much space in my little Boston apartment drawers. If I had one complaint, I’d say the utility (bread) knife could be a little bigger. But the chef’s knife is perfect.

2 Tovolo Spatulas & Spoon Set If you’re on a journey to find the world’s best (and cutest) spatulas, you’ve arrived. At this point, we’ve completely sold Crate&Barrel out of their pink set, but there are ton's of other options to choose from— like this white 5-piece utensil set, which is essential for any kitchen owner. These spatulas will have you making perfect eggs and flipping pancakes with ease. They don’t melt or burn, are super sturdy, and won’t scratch your cookware. I actually ordered this set plus an extra spatula to avoid any ‘who used the good spatula and didn’t wash it’ arguments.

3 Small to Medium Salad Spinner I’m into making big hearty salads, so having a salad spinner in my kitchen is important. It just saves so much time and prevents any soggy lettuce from making it onto my plate. I linked OXO’s small and medium sized salad spinners because a) they are great for making small amounts, which is perfect for two people and b) they’re very affordable.

4 Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven My all-time favorite kitchen essential is my Le Creuset round cast iron Dutch oven. It’s a 7 ¼ quart pot and yes, it was given to me as a gift ($$). Le Creuset is a very lux kitchenware brand and my goal is to own every pot. My mom still has her 10-and 20-year-old Le Creuset pots at home and they actually last forever. They’re great for making soups, baking, frying, casseroles, stews, and probably many other things. If you’re in the market for a new dutch oven, here’s an article by CNET, where they’ve shared their top picks for Best Dutch Ovens in 2020.

5 Tramontina 3-Piece Pasta Cooker Another pot. But this one is cool in different ways. I tagged this in my Stock&Soup Highlight on Instagram. This is a 3-piece pasta cooker (aka big pot). It comes with a glass lid and a built-in strainer, which is easily removable for cleaning and way safer than pouring boiling hot pasta water over a colander in the sink on your own. I have the ceramic and cheaper version of this, but the stainless steel is pretty nice too.

6 NutriBullet Blender I’m obsessed with my NutriBullet Blender, but really any blender will work just fine. I use mine weekly for making smoothies, sauces, and blending oat flour and homemade oat or nut milk. This is a mini food processor and I love everything about that. In fact, I blended two cans of San Marzano peeled tomatoes to use in my homemade spaghetti sauce last night. MMMM.

Don’t forget to check out my latest posts The Perfect Smoothie: 8 Things to Keep in Your Pantry for Nutrient-dense Smoothies and Gut Health: Benefits of Oats and Oat Flour to read more about how I use my NutriBullet.

7 RONXS Electric Candle Lighter Hello, sustainability sisters (and brothers). This lighter is like a mini bug zapper and lights candle wicks using electricity! It’s rechargeable, meaning no more throwing away a big plastic lighter every time it runs out of gas. Plus, it can charge on any basic micro USB cable, so don’t worry about losing the one it comes with because you probably have about four others laying around your house/apt somewhere. It’s bendy for hard to reach wicks. Aaand RONXS products come with one-year quality guarantee.

8 Olive Oil Dispenser Bottle I cook with olive oil literally every day. I love using my olive oil dispenser because it allows me to move swiftly around my kitchen and it reduces waste. Instead of throwing away pint-sized plastic or glass bottles every month, just buy a big jug of olive oil from Costco, BJs, or any other wholesale store and refill the dispenser whenever you run out. Make sure to store your big jug of olive oil in a cool dark place to retain freshness!

9 Stasher Bags Reusable and affordable (thanks Amazon) food-grade storage bags. I have four or five of these and I wish I had more. I use them every single day and they keep my food super fresh in the refrigerator and pantry. These are also great for traveling with snacks because they seal tightly and keep any and all smells in. PLUS I hate throwing away plastic bags, so I feel really good about using these!

10 Corkscrew You do NOT want to get stuck without one of these.

What are some of your kitchen essentials? Tell me in the comments below to be featured on my ultimate Boston City-Living Guide.