6 Kitchen Essentials For Your New Home

If you’re moving into your first home, you’re likely in need of a shopping spree to stock your brand-new kitchen. Here’s 6 essentials you should include on your shopping list.

Moving into your first home is a huge milestone — you have your own space and responsibilities now, which can be both exciting and a little daunting. Before you move in, you’ll want to make sure that you come ready to feed yourself after a long day of unpacking. Your kitchen will be your best friend, so it’s important to stock it with the essentials. Here’s 6 kitchen tools to buy for your home as soon as possible, as well as how much you can expect to pay for them.

Knife Set & Cutting Board

A knife set for your kitchen may be a given, but that’s why it’s important to put it at the top of your list when it comes to stocking your kitchen. To cut all your food, you should have an assortment of knives that work well with meats, vegetables, and breads. The average knife set goes for about S$22.36 for 6 pieces on Shopee. If you want to save money, you can consider ceramic knives, which are priced at an average S$17.60, about 21% less than stainless steel knives. Ceramic knives don’t rust, which can save you more money as stainless steel knives become more expensive with anti-rust features. However, ceramic knives do dull over time, so if you care for durability, then you should consider stainless steel knives that can be sharpened with a honing rod.

You should also invest in a couple of cutting boards so that you don’t damage your counter spaces. Cutting boards are sold individually or in packs, which is actually recommended as you should cut different types of food on separate surfaces. For instance, meats and vegetables should not cross-contaminate each other’s cutting spaces, else you may expose your veggies or fruits to meat bacteria. A cutting board is priced at an average S$17.63 for 1 to 2 boards from brand names like Modori and NEOFLAM. Culinary experts recommended that you buy one wooden board for your dry cuts and 2 plastic boards for the messier meats and produce.

Kitchen Utensils

There are often times in the kitchen when you realize that the cooking process would be much easier if there were only a ladle or spatula in your drawer. Before you risk going into chef-mode without your tools, you should consider buying a full kitchen utensil set.

These sets include an assortment of tools including tongs, skewers, slotted turners, noodle servers, and whisks. You can find sets on Shopee that range anywhere from 5 to 12 pieces, with an average price of S$22.30. If you’re fine with just a few utensils, then you could save up to 28% by buying a kitchen set of 7 pieces or less.

Before you buy, you should consider different utensil materials like silicone, metal or wood. Metal and wood may be more aesthetically pleasing, but they don’t do well when it comes to high temperatures. For the best heat-resistance, silicone utensils are safe to use and less conductive than metal utensils.

Pot and Pan Set

You can’t cook without a pot or pan. Even more, if you want to boil, fry, and steam, you’re going to need a diverse set of cookware to do so. Thankfully, many stores sell them in sets, so that you can buy a matching collection of cookware like large pots for pasta or woks for stir fry. A 4-piece set goes for an average S$100.23 on Shopee, which sells brands like Ecowin, Tefal, and ANAEAT. If you don’t have as much space or budget for 4 pots, you can look at a 3-pan set that is priced at an average of S$62.63, effectively saving you up to 60% on cookware.

Rice Cooker

If rice is a staple in all of your meals, then a rice cooker is a must-have for your home. In today’s time, there is a variety of cookers to choose from like traditional and smart rice cookers (which you can control through your phone). You’ll find that prices vary based on the brand and volume of the rice cooker, as well as extra functions like keeping rice warm without burning it. The average 1.5L cooker goes for S$49.85 online. Smaller rice cookers are about 7% less than the standard 1.5L, while larger rice cookers are approximately 10% more expensive.

Water Kettle

Like a rice cooker, a water kettle will save you time and effort when it comes to preparing your meal. Instead of boiling water in a pot on the stove, you can fill up an electric kettle and get piping hot water within a minute. These small appliances will be especially handy if you are a big consumer of instant noodles or tea. Water kettle sizes range from 1L to more than 2L, with an average price of a kettle coming out to S$24.03 for brands like IONA, SOKANY, and XIAOMI. However, based on prices on Shopee, you may actually save money up to 86% by buying a standard 2L kettle, which is priced at an average S$12.94.

Save Money on Non-Essentials

At the end of the day, you should consider what you do the most in your kitchen. It’s not necessary to buy a 6-pan set if you aren’t the most active chef at home. Conversely, if heating up food or water on the stove is no big deal to you, then you can save money by passing up a water kettle or microwave oven. Not all kitchen appliances are used equally, so it’s important to consider your cooking habits before you buy the latest air fryer or blender.

If you’re shopping online for cookware, make sure to take advantage of seasonal promotions or any deals for kitchenware sets. Additionally, you should use your credit card’s reward program to collect miles or get cashback on your kitchen purchases. By knowing where and how to get the best prices, you can save a lot of money as you stock your new kitchen.

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This article was originally published in ValueChampion, a personal finance research firm in Singapore and republished on rovervibes.com with permission.