I feel like deciding what items to get for your kitchen depends on what you use it for. When we got married, like most people we registered for A LOT of kitchen items. I wrote a post a while back about the wedding gifts we use the most and a lot of this may be overlap. There are also some things we’ve picked up over the years ( 11 plus years living together) that we use a ton as well. I think when it comes to your kitchen and the things you use a lot it’s great to find kitchen items to splurge on if you can!
10 Kitchen Items To Splurge On
Mixing Bowls: This is one thing when I registered for I don’t think I realized how much it would get used! I am fairly certain I pull at least one of these out every day for something.
Vitamix: This was a gift that when we registered for I didn’t think anyone would get us. A family friend was super generous to get it for us and we use it EVERY SINGLE DAY! The 3 of us have green smoothies each evening and we’ve really gotten its money’s worth!
Slow Cooker: I know so many people love the instant pot, but you know what it’s just not my thing. I love my slow cooker! We use it all the time for chicken which is used for lunches, salads, etc. We use it for soups, chili, stew, and more during the winter months. We use it for shredded chicken for quesadillas and tacos. I mean it’s just the best. Also if you have one you need these liners.
Automatic Salt and Pepper grinder: This is something I didn’t think we needed until we had it. My dad gave it to us as a housewarming gift when we moved in together almost 6 years ago and we use it multiple times a day!
Kitchenaid Mixer: So this is just what everyone registers for right? You pick a pretty color and think “won’t this look lovely in my kitchen.” Well, we actually use ours! I use it a ton for baking and every Friday night Andrew uses it to make our pizza dough! We have homemade pizza every Friday and it’s my favorite part of the week. We have a light blue one which I think looks great anywhere. Truth be told I wanted yellow for some reason and Andrew said no. I’m glad he vetoed that.
Rice Cooker: When we got married Andrew already had a rice cooker but sadly about a year ago it died and we had to get a new one. We make at least one meal a week that involves rice and this one is fantastic! The one we have is under $30 and had about 10k good reviews on Amazon!
Quality silverware/plates/glassware: We got our everyday plates and glasses from Crate and Barrel and purposely got ones that were quality but not expensive. We have had to replace the glasses a few times because someone (me) is not very gentle with putting things in the dishwasher. I also wanted ones that they would carry forever and not super trendy ones. This is a personal preference. For silverware, this one the ONE item Andrew insisted we see in person, as he is very picky about them.
Nice vases: I think having some really pretty nice vases is important. I tend to always have our flowers in the kitchen so that’s why I put them in the kitchen category! We were blessed to have received a few nicer vases for our wedding or gifts and this one is my favorite. I try to use it as often as I possibly can.
Good bakeware/silicon muffin liners: As I have mentioned I love love love baking! Especially muffins the last year or so. They are such an easy grab and go for breakfasts and snacks and Andrew and Liam both love them! This is the best bakeware set and for what you are getting and the quality the price is amazing. I also suggest grabbing silicone muffin liners. They involve very little clean up and keep your bakeware looking much nicer. I have the large and the mini sizes.
Always Pan: This is something that was sent to us about a year and a half ago. We have used it pretty much every day since. It is one of the best kitchen investments I think people can make. It truly does it all.
I would love to know what kitchen items to splurge on you think are worth it or maybe even not worth it! Chat below!
This post was originally published in 2019 and has been updated for 2025.
This is one of my favourite posts from you, Neely! I’m always cooking up new stuff in the kitchen (can’t say I’m any good at it, though!) and I love seeing what items other people use most. I’m Chinese so a rice cooker is essential in my household, haha! Best thing ever invented, hands down! 😀
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
The only two I don’t have are the vitamix (but I do have a really good blender and the Magic Bullet) and the auto salt and pepper grinder. We hardly ever use salt, but I use a lot of pepper so can see how this would be handy. My stand mixer was the gift I put on the wedding registry thinking no one would purchase but my husband’s employers went together on the gift. So, I brought some of the first batch of cookies I ever made using it to his office.
I hadn’t thought about getting good vases. That’s so helpful to have on hand!
Caitlin
LemonadePressBlog.com
I couldn’t live without my Vitamix! I use it every single day 🙂
xxmags
http://www.myhealthyish.com
My vitamix and kitchenaid are definitely some of my best pruchases and I use them so often. They are definitely necessities!
We got a Kitchenaid Mixer for our wedding, too, and I LOVE it! And between my hubby and me, we had 4 slow cookers when we got married – and still use 3/4 of them regularly! (we don’t have big parties much anymore, so the pint-sized dip warmer, not so much LOL!)
Oh wow! so many specific ustensils! I use basic kitchen pans and pots, to do everything, lol
I have not been cooking in the kitchen for such a long time that I kind of forgot about the existence of all those handy items. But I love cooking, so definitely will try to find some chance to make a comeback to the kitchen 🙂
I joke that the best part of getting married was the Kitchen Aid mixer we received as a gift. It’s my favorite.
I joke that the best part of getting married was the Kitchen Aid mixer we received as a gift. It’s my favorite.
The rice cooker is SUCH a lifesaver!! I love that it cooks rice perfectly every time!
I love my slow cooker. It’s my most favorite kitchen utensil ever! I love the smell of my house when using it too.
I really could use one of those better Vitamix machines. They would be so helpful with smoothies as well as some other things I would like to do like soups and such.
Oh yes! Those kinds of stuff are my favorite too and I can not cook without them. Thanks for sharing this!
Absolutely agree with Kitchen Aid and rice cooker. Those are useful like no other items in our kitchen 🙂
My Kitchenaid Mixer is literally my favorite thing ever!! I make everything with it! My hubby wants a Vitamix. Our old Ninja is about to bite the dust haha!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
We’ve been talking about the automatic salt & pepper grinders for a while now! Maybe it’s time to just get them! 🙂
We have a lot of these things in our home. A stand mixer is still on my wishlist, as is the Always pan! They would both be excellent investments, I’m sure!