Everything I would buy for my first kitchen if I only had $350 to spend

Where to splurge, where to save, which brands are worth it, and where to get the restaurant industry secret steals

As we enter graduation season, I’m sure many of you are faced with the reality of moving into your first apartment (or moving your kiddos in) and have realized that you need to furnish an entire kitchen from scratch. I’ve gotten so many dm’s requesting a kitchen tools guide! I’m sure you’re being bombarded with ads telling you you must spend $500 on the new Our Place pan set. When in my opinion, you really only need about 10-15 tools to be able to cook 95% of recipes in any cookbook and there are very few things you need to actually splurge on. MICHELIN STAR MEALS ARE COOKED ON $20 PANS. For a new grad (or frankly anyone) looking to equip their new kitchen here’s everything I recommend and it all costs less than $350.

Splurges $$-$$$

In my opinion, there are really only two things you should splurge on in a beginner kitchen: a good knife and a good heavy-bottomed Dutch oven.

Knives

A basic 8-inch chef’s knife will do pretty much anything and everything. Unless you’re fileting fish or breaking down whole cuts of meat there’s not much else you need in your first kitchen IMO. In terms of quality to price Zwilling is pretty top of the line, Mercer is a bit cheaper and also good. Keeping it sharp is going to be your best friend so a good whetstone is also great.

Zwilling 9-Inch Chef’s Knife $79

Heavy Bottomed Stock Pot

This is going to be your best friend for all of your soups, stews, and braises. It even works to make pasta and reheat things. Staub is just as quality as Le Cruset and much cheaper. I would say Lodge is the lowest-priced brand you could get without really compromising quality. Definitely hunt for sales for these, too! TJMAXX always has great stuff.

4qt Staub Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven $14

Medium Spend $$

Cutting Boards

You should only need two cutting boards: one plastic and one wooden. Ikea makes surprisingly quality wood cutting boards, and any plastic Amazon one works. I like the OXO brand.

Ikea Butcher Block $21

OXO Platic Cutting Board Set $23

Saves $-$$

This is where I’m about to put you guys on. I hesitate to even publicly post this because it's so affordable and quality. I don’t want them to raise their prices, but this is legitimately what every restaurant uses for most of their stuff. Say it with me, Websturaunt Supply CO!

One set of mixed mixing bowls $16

Aluminum Sheet Pans with cooling racks $11

A good cast iron pan is a jack of all trades. You can use this for steaks, pasta, eggs, pretty much anything! Lodge is great quality and a great price. For a first kitchen I would either do a cast iron or stainless steel, most of the time they’re interchangeable so I don’t feel like both are always necessary.

Lodge Cast Iron 12in Skillet $24 (from Websturaunt)

For utensils, Websturant is super cheap for great quality, but if you want to save time, they have basic packs on Amazon that just pick everything you need for you.

Whisk $2.59

Rubber Spatulas $1.69

Metal Spatulas $3.49

Measuring Cups $3.89

Strainer $12

Here’s the total cost breakdown! There are some things I might get or not get based on my personal cooking preferences but this should cover most of the basics!