10 kitchen essentials under $15: student edition

Three main criteria for selecting kitchen utensils as a student are: budget-friendly tools, space maximization, and multi-purpose utensils. Whether cooking in dorms or in your studio apartment, there are some kitchen essentials you shouldn’t miss out on to make your cooking experience as comfortable as possible.

The very basic:

1. Non-stick frying pan/skillet

Fry your breakfast eggs, whip up a quick stir fry, grill your meats, sautee the veggies, make pasta sauce, juicy burgers, etc. If you had to choose only one utensil out of our list, this would be it. Skillets are the most versatile tool you will have in your pantry!

Ikea: $4.99 KAVALKAD Frying pan, black 9 ” (24 cm)

2. Saucepan/deep pot

Make oatmeal, boil pasta, rice, quinoa, blanch vegetables, sauces, chicken noodle soups, and anything that requires a lot of liquid. Like the skillet, a deep pan is multi-purpose, and if you get it non-stick, you can even use it to fry meat.

Ikea: $14.99 ANNONS 5-piece cookware set, glass/stainless steel

3. 7 piece kitchen utensil set

A must-have for your kitchen. The most basic utensils are tongs, spatula, slotted spoon, serving spoon, pasta ladle, slotted serving spoon, and ladle.

Bed Bath and Beyond: $9.89 7-Piece Kitchen Utensil Set

4. Chopping board

Cut up veggies, meats, bread, and pretty much everything else that needs cutting!

Ikea: $2.99 LEGITIM Chopping board, white 13 ½x 9 ½ ” (34 x 24 cm)

5. The three knives

You don’t need fancy knives to get around in the kitchen. As a student, you will probably only need a chef’s knife, a serrated knife, and a paring knife. Although if you had to pick one, the chef’s knife would be the way to go.

Ikea: $7.99 ÄNDLIG 3-piece knife set, light gray/white

6. Mixing bowls

Toss salads, marinate meat and prepare doughs. These are must-haves when you need to mix ingredients before putting them on the stove.

Amazon: $5.99 Fox Run 7326 Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl, 1.25-Quart

7. Oven mitts

A must-have when you are firing up your oven to bake cookies and brownies.

Ikea: $2.99 SANDVIVA Oven mitt, silicone/blue

8. Can-opener

This mighty and small utensil can make it or break it for your next ready-to-eat dinner. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a can of chicken noodle soup and nothing to open it up with!

Ikea: $5.99 365+ VÄRDEFULL Can opener, black

9. Containers

Store leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch! At least get three different sizes: small, medium, and large to have enough room for everything you make. If you want to save even more time, get one for each day of the week and meal prep your university lunches.

Ikea: $5.99 PRUTA Food container, set of 17, transparent/green

1o. Oven-safe roasting dish

Glass, ceramic, or non-stick will do. If you want to have one that can be used for multiple recipes, we recommend getting a roasting pan. You can use it for batch cooking meals, baking sweets, baking pizza, and more!

Ikea: $9.99 HEMMABAK Roasting pan, gray 14 x 11 ” (36 x 27 cm)

You can find all of these utensils in online stores such as Walmart, Ikea, and Canadian Tire. However, if you want to benefit from more significant savings, make a list and go to your local Dollarama. They will most likely have all the items in this 10 must-have kitchen essential list that will undoubtedly meet all your standards.

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