This is Starter Kit, a series where our editors share the food, drink, and kitchen essentials they recommend when you’re setting up from scratch. Here, we chat with experts on how to outfit a first-apartment. Whether you’re a new grad or moving out for the first time, this renter-friendly checklist will make your new kitchen feel like home.
There comes a moment in every recent grad’s life when they realize adulthood is, unfortunately, not just vibes. Suddenly you’re standing in the kitchen section of Target wondering whether you need a Dutch oven and if owning three mismatched forks technically counts as “fully furnished.” Somehow, you’re expected to build a functional kitchen from scratch—with approximately 14 square inches of cabinet space and whatever money left from your security deposit.
The good news: You do not need a 12-piece cookware set and a fancy espresso machine that costs as much as your paycheck. The best first-apartment kitchens are built slowly and strategically, with hardworking tools that earn their keep in small spaces. We tapped experts for the essentials worth investing in now—from the multitasking pans to the tiny-space storage upgrades that’ll make your kitchen feel slightly less like a dorm room with a stove.
Your First Apartment Starter Kit
Don’t panic—it’s less complicated than you think. This is basically everything you need to outfit your new kitchen.
✓ Cooking basics
✓ Kitchen utensils you’ll actually use
✓ Appliances that earn their counter space
✓ Pantry staples
✓ Hosting and dining essentials
✓ Small-space organization upgrades (if you need ’em)
Start with the basics
A sheet pan, a chef’s knife, a cook-anything-and-everything pan—these are the cooking essentials every first “real” kitchen needs.
Emily Ziemski, food writer, recipe developer, and the author of the culinary Substack, More or Less, recommends starting with a small lineup of dependable essentials instead of buying a massive cookware set right away. “There are some tried-and-true basics you’ll want—a chef’s knife, a good quality cutting board, a stainless steel pot, a skillet of some kind,” she says. Beyond that, she encourages recent grads to think about how they actually cook before adding more gear. Are you still in your sourdough era? Get a Dutch oven. Love slurping on soup? A nice stock pot might be more useful than a second skillet.
Ziemski warns against falling into the trap of buying a full “set” of anything just because it feels grown-up. And if you want to splurge, do it on your cookware. “Cheap pans can have coatings that flake off easily or materials that damage and warp quickly, so you’ll end up replacing them sooner rather than later,” she says. It will mean a bigger chunk of change upfront, but it also means a longer life expectancy (and, y’know, no toxic flakes in your food.) “For a skillet, I try to find a carbon steel or titanium-coated one, as those have more durable nonstick than say, Teflon.”
