Some "Essentials" for the Tiny Kitchen - Getting Started

Wanting to enjoy cooking for one on a low budget? Even in your tiny kitchen? Well, it's going to take some start-up capital. But it can still be done cheaply. Below, my top 10 list of things you need in the kitchen (in no particular order). Feel free to add your own necessary conditions for a good kitchen in the comments section!

1. KNIVES!
Since you will be doing lots of chopping, dicing, and slicing in your tiny kitchen, your knife will be one of your most indispensable items. As I live in Germany, where Brot is served at every meal, having a decent a bread knife is quite important. I also like to have a paring knife available for other uses. However, if you are going to go with just one knife, make sure to buy yourself a good chef's knife. These can get very expensive very quickly, but it is well worth the money for all the use you will get out of it. (Or you can do what I did and buy a cheap - but sharp! - Tchibo chef's knife for €7. It chops great, and until it gets too nicked up, it will do the trick. But a more expensive knife is in my future!)

2. Cutting Board(s).
I have two cutting boards in my kitchen: one for stinky stuff like onions and garlic and another for everything else. I use one side of the plastic cutting board when I need to slice up meat, and the other side takes the brunt of the rest of my chopping.

A good cutting board will also cost you mucho denero, but you can get cheap ones at Target or even Goodwill. Just stay away from the glass cutting boards. They'll dull your knife and are a bitch to cut on. Personally, I prefer wooden cutting boards, but they are often hard to keep clean. You can find some advice on keeping your cutting board clean and bacteria-free here.

3. Pots & Pans.
This is, of course, a "duh"-item, as much cooking would be impossible without pans. However, if you have limited space and a small budget, figuring out just exactly what kinds of pans you need might be difficult. I think it's important to always have at least one good frying pan and one good pot/saucepan (and - if you have an oven - one decent baking pan). Since my tiny kitchen only has two burners, this is all that fits on my stovetop. But even when I had four burners, I was usually only using two at any given time. If you have the opportunity, however, get your hands on a small frying pan for sauces and side dishes and a large wok for stir fries, stovetop casseroles, and the like.

I prefer non-stick frying pans for the ease of cleaning. I also do not clean my frying pan with dish soap. I merely rinse it with hot water and wipe it clean with a damp paper towel. This allows some of the flavor to remain "on" the pan. Over time, this can contribute to the flavors in your cooking.

4. Mixing Bowls.
Unless you're going really ghetto and mixing stuff right in your saucepan, it is going to be very difficult to get by without a cheap, plastic mixing bowl. (Stainless steel is nicer, but also more expensive.) I have one large bowl for salads, pancake mixes, and other large mixtures and one medium-sized bowl for preparing things like scrambled eggs, marinades, etc. In a tiny kitchen, you often need to use mixing bowls to temporarily housed chopped items before they go into the frying pan, since you need countertop and cutting-board space to prepare the rest of the ingredients in your dish.

5. Tupperware.
Cooking for one is difficult, and one often finds oneself with leftovers. Indeed, I often aim to have one round of cooking provide at least two meals. But to keep your leftovers fresh, having a good Tupperware set is ideal. Tupperware is super-cheap and lasts a long time. For the very frugal, it can also serve as dishware.

6. Plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
Plastic wrap is another way to keep your produce fresh in the fridge. I often use only half an onion or 2/3 of a cucumber. Plastic wrap keeps these items fresh for at least a few days, sometimes up to a week.

Aluminum foil is a necessity if you have an oven, but even if you don't, it can be used in grilling, wrapping meat, or even as a lid to a pan (if you don't have one).

7. (Wooden) Mixing Spoons and (Plastic) Spatula.
While your spoons need not be wooden, you will need something to stir with - and you can often buy a set of wooden spoons for very cheap. These come in very handy when making stir fries, salads, and anything else that requires mixing or stirring. I also need to have a (preferably plastic) spatula on hand for flipping eggs, crepes, pancakes, and the like.

8. Spices.
Yes, on the left we have my current, very meager spice shelf. Of course, I plan to build it up over the course of the year. I have also planted an herb garden (below right) with ginger mint, sage, rosemary, basil, parsley, garden cress, and St. John's Wort.

Spices are incredibly important to transforming your basic dishes into a flavorful fiesta of...well, flavor. Salt and pepper are the "duh"-spices here, but try to get your hands on a box of Kosher salt (I always keep a juice glass filled with Kosher salt nearby), and buy a cheap pepper grinder for peppercorns. I also recommend getting paprika, oregano, thyme, coriander, cumin, rosemary, and basil for your kitchen. Buying spices in bulk from a co-op or natural foods store is (surprisingly) usually the cheapest way to go here. Plus, if you buy your spices loose, it is easier to combine them to make fun spice mixtures and rubs!

9. Onions and Garlic.
I probably use onions and/or garlic in 90% of the hot dishes I make. And, to my mind, there is no reason not to keep your kitchen stocked with both. Garlic is incredibly good for you, and if you're a garlic fiend like me, you use a lot of it!

Here is a great video from Lifehacker on how to slice and dice an onion like a pro. And here is one on peeling and chopping garlic.

10. Oils and vinegars.
When cooking on a cheap budget, having some vegetable or sunflower oil in the kitchen is a must. It's cheap, and you can use it to "lube up" your pans when frying up yummies. I also like to keep olive oil and various vinegars on hand for making salad dressings, Italian dishes, and so on. I love to infuse olive oil with garlic and use it to make hummus, bruschetta, and other tasty sides.
Of course, good olive oil is expensive. I wait for the good stuff to go on sale, and then I stock up. However, you can also buy oils and vinegars in bulk at certain natural foods stores.

You can also reuse oil if it's still good - be careful! I always keep a jar of bacon drippings and fat in my fridge for use when frying up eggs and other items.