10 Kitchen Essentials for Cooking Solo

Salut! It's Yoko. I didn't start living on my own until I began working.

If you grew up at home with your parents cooking for you, the moment you move out you think, "Wait, what am I supposed to buy?"

Don't just pile up cooking tools because they look handy.

I went to a food coordinator school, so I've handled more kitchen gadgets than I can count.

So here are the essentials for cooking at home when you live alone, all things I really use myself.

First, Check What Your Kitchen Has

Before I get to the essentials, check whether your place has an induction (IH) cooktop or a gas stove.

With induction, anything without a flat bottom won't heat, so be careful!

Some woks, for example, have a rounded bottom, so check your kitchen before you buy.

Induction can also be tricky to control heat-wise, so it's a good idea to try one at a friend's place first.

And does your kitchen have a fish grill?

A fish grill isn't just for fish. It can stand in for a toaster, and you can use it for dishes like gratin that need a browned top.

Essentials: Appliances

Refrigerator

Well, going without one isn't great for food safety.

Once in a while I meet someone who doesn't have one, but I imagine they barely cook.

Small fridges for one person aren't that expensive, and if you look on Mercari or other secondhand marketplaces you can find one very cheaply.

Or you can get one from a friend who's moving in with a partner or moving house!

Buying a model from a few years back online is also an option.

Microwave

You might hesitate between a microwave oven with oven functions and a plain microwave.

Unless you really want to make gratin or bake bread, you don't need the oven function.

With just a microwave, every frozen food at the supermarket is fair game.

And if you think microwaves are dangerous, read this:
>>Is "microwaves are bad for your body" just an urban legend?

That's it for appliances.

As extras, a toaster is nice if you just want toast,
and a tabletop burner is handy if you want to host hot pot parties with friends in winter.

Essentials: Big Tools

Next, the larger cooking tools.

A Deep Frying Pan

Get a deep one.

Why deep?

Because it can double as a pot!

For size, I think at least 20cm in diameter is easiest to use. If you'll cook for friends too, 28cm is fine.

And if you want crispy gyoza (dumplings), I definitely recommend an iron frying pan.

Cheap nonstick pans can start to peel, and they don't make gyoza as crisp.

I've loved my River Light iron frying pan for years.

It isn't nonstick, so food sticks at first, but as the oil seasons it, it gets slick and smooth.

The trick is to scrub it without detergent when you wash it.

Bowls

Bowls turn up constantly: holding chopped vegetables for a bit, storing finished dishes in the fridge, thawing things.

Stainless steel can't go in the microwave, so it's handy to have at least one polycarbonate bowl.

Colander

If you want to eat pasta, ramen, or hiyashi chuka (cold ramen), you need one!

Without it, you can't drain the water...

I recommend the Sori Yanagi one, which has great design.

Essentials: Small Tools

Global knives are the ones I reach for most.

They come in lots of sizes, but if you only buy one, a medium one like a gyuto (chef's knife) or kamagata is the most versatile.

Knife

Global knives have a very stable handle, and I love mine so much I'd like to buy a few more.

They're all stainless steel, so they never get moldy, and the slightly heavy handle balances beautifully, so you can cut cleanly without pressing hard.

You won't regret it. Trust me.

Cutting Board

There are three points.

Wooden: if mold ever grows, you can bring it back with sandpaper.

Free-standing: handy if your kitchen is small.

Thin or square: on a square board, cut food is less likely to fall off. A thin one is easy to store.

Measuring Cup

My top pick is the OXO measuring cup.

You can read the markings from above and from the side, which is great!

It's microwave-safe, of course.

I've probably used mine for over five years. I love how light and easy to handle it is.

Ladle

If a ladle is made of a hard material, you can't scoop up the last bit.

That's why I recommend a flexible silicone one.

People think silicone is soft and fragile,

but it's actually heat resistant up to 200 degrees, so even piping-hot soup is no problem!

Spatula

To go with an iron frying pan, you want

a thin stainless steel spatula that can scrape off even the crispy browned bits.

Cool Kitchen Items for Your Solo Kitchen

From here on, these aren't things you'll miss if you don't have them, but they're cool to own. lol

Peugeot Electric Pepper Mill

Just touch it lightly and black pepper comes pouring out on its own! It even has a light. lol

When people see you using it at a home party,

they always go, "What is that?!" lol

It looks stylish, but it's also genuinely useful, since you can use it with one hand
while your hands are full cooking.

Home Bakery (Bread Maker)

The luxury of fresh-baked bread without leaving home!
(Buying bread is cheaper, though...)

I recommend setting it up at night so it finishes baking in the morning!

If you leave the bread sitting after it's done it goes bad, so it works as a powerful alarm clock. lol

I use mine for making gyoza wrappers and fresh pasta, and for anything else that's a pain to knead.

A Super Stylish Tabletop Burner

If you want to make hot pot in winter, I highly recommend this one!

The design is so stylish that it's a pleasure to use, and the blue flame looks really cool.

Hot pot is easy since you just chop vegetables and toss them in, so I make it quite often.

It's a little pricey, but it gets a lot of use in winter.

Add Tools as Your Lifestyle Grows

So, what did you think of these 10 essentials for living alone?

Honestly, for people who love cooking, just 10 might feel a bit limiting.

After you've lived alone for a while, you'll start wanting things that have nothing to do with convenience.

The Peugeot electric mill isn't something you'll miss without, but it lifts your mood, and if you love toast, a toaster is worth having.

Start by living for a few months with these 10 recommended tools, then slowly add what suits your life!