First Apartment Kitchen Gift Guide
Cooking up a Fresh Start!
Someone’s first kitchen is incredibly exciting. It represents a newfound freedom just to simply create the things that make you happy. Unfortunately, furnishing a kitchen is one of the most expensive stocks to build up in a house.
Everything in a kitchen is more expensive than you think, and that’s just the things you think of. People furnishing a kitchen for the first time are going to find themselves struggling with things they’ve never realized they didn’t have on hand. For the first few weeks it’s going to be a whirlwind of not having parchment paper, more than one bowl, having a knife but not a cutting board, needing scissors, and everything in between.
This is a gift guide that specifically goes hand-in-hand with celebrating the end of dorm-life, starting fresh in a new city, or just general housewarming! These are all things I’ve found myself without in a new place and that took me a lot of time and money to collect. If your loved one is starting from scratch, these are some small contributions we recommend!
Keep in mind: we’ve managed to get some affiliate links for some of these products, so we get a small kickback for the purchases made on those sites
Under $15
House-warming gifts shouldn’t break the bank, and some of the most useful tools in the kitchen are actually incredibly inexpensive and overlooked. This list a quick rundown of the things we’ve found the most useful in our own kitchen, but that took us a long time to get for ourselves. These gifts may not be as glamorous as some of the other categories, but they’ll be work horses that your recipient will actually use and appreciate.
1. Live Herbs
TLDR: Cute, useful, delicious
Live herbs are a great way to help your recipient not only make their kitchen a little cuter, but it also cuts down on grocery bills. My favourite basil plant cost $4 at the grocery store, which was the same price as an herb bundle. I haven’t bought an herb bundle in 3 years because of it.
I recommend going to a local garden store for the healthiest plants and some good deals. If you’re looking to spice it up even more, getting some matching pots for your little herb set or pair with a cute watering can!
Here are some of our favourite kits if you can’t find the accessories you’re looking for!
2. Digital Meat Thermometer
TLDR: $, ups your meat game
ThermoPro TP01A Digital Meat Thermometer
I’ve had this exact thermometer since 2020, and it has shown no signs of slowing down. With this, I’ve stopped over(or under) cooking chicken, pork, lamb, and beef. Even my meatballs don’t dry out anymore because I’m no longer afraid of them being secretly raw inside.
This small, seemingly inconsequential gift is actually a game changer in the kitchen that most people won’t tend to buy for themselves. For anyone new to cooking or excited to cook meat, this is an absolute must in the kitchen no one thinks about!
3. Kitchen Scale
TLDR: $-$$, baking game changer
At first glance, this doesn’t seem like the sexiest gift. But trust me, if your recipient has ever expressed an interest in baking or bread making, then this is a huge game changer!
I use my scale constantly, which is never something I thought I’d say. So many incredible recipes are made using weights, not volumes, and since getting a scale the only thing stopping me have been language barriers! Without a scale, I’m not sure I ever would’ve gotten so good at bread making either!
Many people into at-home coffee brewing also use scales to measure the amount of bean to water they’re using to achieve an ultimate cup of coffee.
4. Mixing Bowl Set
TLDR: $-$$, essential for cooking but often neglected
A very, very overlooked kitchen item, many things are frustrating beyond the extreme without a single mixing bowl in the house. I’ve seen someone make pancake batter in his Yeti water bottle because he lacked a mixing bowl, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so irritated while making pancakes.
My favourites have come from the thrift store, where a dollar or two is perfect for incredible handmade ceramic pieces. But in lieu of that, stainless steel mixing bowl get the job done in a fraction of the price. When buying mixing bowls, make sure they’re stackable just for the sake of kitchen storage.
5. Sheet Tray + Cooling Rack
Checkered Chef Baking Tray and Cooling Wire Rack
Baking trays are surprisingly important in the kitchen, especially for people new to cooking. So many easy, weeknight meals are based on throwing everything in the oven and taking it out 45 minutes later. From chicken, to veggies, to cookies, sheet trays play a huge role in everyday cooking.
By adding a simple wire rack into the equation, it increases so much of what you can do with a baking tray. Not only are they great for cooling, but utilizing meat drippings to bake potatoes alongside your roast of choice is just another way to level up your dinner.
It seems simple and inconsequential, but the smallest things make the biggest difference when your kitchen is empty.
Under $30
A lot of kitchen gear gifted are essentials, and there’s nothing wrong with that! In this category we’re giving you a heavy mix of essential and sexy gifts to help your loved one feel more at home in their kitchen and to help them create a more cohesive space without spending too much money. Style and function go hand-in-hand and there’s no reason to overlook the beauty of something you’re going to be looking at every day!
1. Nice Coasters
Having a great cup of coffee is just as much about the experience as it is the coffee itself. This includes using a cute coaster to rest your mug instead of a folded paper towel, or even nothing at all.
Again, if your recipient is new to apartment living, this is another great way to make a new home feel a little more put together and purposeful. Things on display should be beautiful because they’re usually only a couple dollars more expensive than their mundane cousins and they make your house feel tidier because of that intentionality behind leaving them out. If you’re look for a collection of small gifts instead one large one, I’d suggest paring a few home decor and kitchen items together.
2. Cast Iron Skillet
TLDR: $$, useful, will outlive both of us
The most versatile thing in my kitchen is my cast iron skillet. Not only does it hold heat better than any other pan I’ve met, but because it’s solid iron, I can throw it straight into the oven. This pan will probably outlive me and my children.
Is your recipient a steak enthusiast? Loves to camp? Likes low maintenace pans? Doesn’t want to buy a cake tin? Maybe they just like recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven. Whatever the case, a cast iron pan almost always fills the niche missing in someone’s kitchen.
Not only that, but these pans work on every stove in existence. That means that unlike a lot of pans, this thing is compatible with induction, electric, and gas. This is truly a pan you can take with you everywhere throughout your adult life.
3. Small Coffee Maker
First apartments are all about creating a home for yourself. For a lot of people, this includes a nice cup of coffee in the morning right at their kitchen table. Coming from dormlife or starting fresh in a new city, your recipient may not have a coffee maker. Instead of getting them a Nespresso or Keurig, we recommend getting them a real at home coffee maker along with a bag of coffee beans from their favourite local coffee shop!
We have a whole article on coffee lover gifts, but the short and sweet of it is the most inexpensive and easy to use at home brews are made using a moka pot, a French press, or a pour over. We’ve included our favourite products of each of these!
I personally have a soft spot for the brand Grosche, who donates 50 days of clean water to various villages in need for every purchase you make. They also make my favourite moka pot that I use every day!
If you go for the pour over, I recommend also including a small pack of disposable filters.
4. Matching Plates
TLDR: $$-$$$, be the change you wish to see
For the first two weeks of living in my first apartment, no matter what dinner was I ate it out of my tiny bowl that I’d bought for cereal while I was living in a dorm. When my roommate moved in, we used a combination of her mismatched hand-me-down plates and disposable paper plates.
When I finally bought matching plates (probably months later), I only bought two at a time because I didn’t know who’d be using them.
Keeping your recipient’s style in mind, getting them a simple set of 4 matching bowls or plates is an incredible gift only truly understood by college students and first-time apartment havers. A good set of plates helps a house feel more like a home and has the potential to make every meal feel more rewarding. Surely even the worst plate of pasta tastes better on ceramic than paper that is slowly deteriorating as you eat. Here are some of my favourite stoneware and ceramic dish sets that are actually reasonably priced!
I’ve included a few pasta bowls, which tend to be around $10 more expensive than dinner plates, but it seemed like a good idea to keep them in there anyway because of how useful they are.
5. Mug or Glassware Set
Settling into a new place is incredibly chaotic. Everything is in boxes, if you even have more stuff than a few boxes coming from dorm-life. If this is their first apartment, most likely all kitchen things they have are mismatched hand-me-downs. We had around 4 combined plate sets in my first apartment, all of which made up just enough for one regular plate set. Having that little bit of new cohesiveness of a matching set ca really help to make a new place feel more intentional and put together without even trying.
Because of this, I’ve gotten into the habit of every time I get any kind of dishware or drinkware for my college kitchen, I make sure it comes at least in pairs. This way, i can share a matching drink with a loved one (or show off how put together I am to my parents) when they come for a visit or just leave them out on display.
Here are some of my favourite glassware sets this year!
5. Wood Cutting Boards
Seedsec Large Teak Wood Cutting Board for Kitchen
Everyone needs a cutting board in their kitchen. A lot of fresh kitchens end up with that red plastic one from Target that cost $10-15. It’s a terrible cutting board and it somehow never feels clean, and it looks messy when it’s just sitting out.
Having a nice wooden cutting board changed so much about the way I cook. It was easier on my knives, made me feel more like I knew what I was doing, and looked like nice decor when I just forgot to put it away. It’s a huge step above those flimsy plastic ones, and it’s not that much more expensive. Getting your loved ones their first nice cutting board is getting them something they’ll take with them from apartment to apartment in the future.
Under $50
1. Ceramic Baking Set
TLDR: $$$
This gorgeous set comes with 3 different baking sizes, not to mention that they’re all ceramic! So many times, people buy the $10 nonstick baking dishes, and then spend the next few years either constantly buying new ones or eating scraped-up tephlon.
This kind of gift will be something your loved one can take with them for years and years to come without it degrading. It also helps to make them feel that much more at home in their new kitchen with some nice cooking and baking equipment.
2. Spice Set
TLDR: $$-$$$, savior to an empty kitchen
The Three Sisters Organic Indian Spices
One of the most expensive and most limiting part about a new kitchen is always the lack of spices. Salt and pepper in an empty cupboard can only go so far in a weeknight meal, especially if they have a taste for something a little more adventurous.
This kit contains 13 bags of popular Indian spices, just enough to get your recipient covered until they figure out what they want more of. These come in bags, so we also suggest getting a few matching jars with labels to help your recipient build an organized and intentional kitchen. Two years ago my partner received a spice box as a gift along with a cookbook of the region, and we’re still going through it! It’s a great way to explore the world through food in a way you might not have done before!
3. A Good Knife
TLDR: $$-$$$, makes everyday life easier and safer
A knife is something you literally can’t cook without, except in some rare no-knife-specific recipes. You use it every day, with every meal. Most first kitchens are equipped with the $15 Target knives that dull quickly and cut badly.
When I got my first good quality knife, the whole cooking experience changed. I cut myself less, chopped more quickly, and just generally enjoyed cooking more. It made life easier in such a basic way. These are our favourite all-star basic knives that would be a great addition to any new kitchen!
Dexter S5198 Chinese Chef’s Knife
This high-carbon stainless steel blade is great work-horse knife that is used for everything from huge amounts of vegetables to stubborn meats. My favourite everyday kitchen knife is definitely a Chinese-style cleaver. It’s incredibly comfortable to hold and its size give you a greater feeling of control over what you’re doing.
Another absolute work horse of a knife, this Western-style stainless-steel blade will hold its sharp edge and is very low maintenance. Like all 8 inch knives, it’s the perfect length to get all your everyday tasks out of the way with no fuss.
A bit more expensive than the ones in the back of the grocery store, but the goal of a good knife is to not have to replace it for a long, long time. This knife will follow your recipient from one apartment to the next.
4. A Nice Dutch Oven
TLDR: $$-$$$
Eternal Living 5 Qt Dutch Oven
A Dutch oven is one of the most beautiful things you can own in a kitchen. Besides being a bright pop of colour, its functionality is unmatched. I use my Dutch oven for everything from soups to breadmaking.
This Dutch oven is enameled inside and out, meaning that it’s easy to clean and nonstick without any tephlon. It’s made of solid cast iron, meaning it holds and distributes the heat evenly. There’s not much I can say, it’s a great addition to a kitchen that a lot of people won’t splurge on themselves for! Find out your loved one’s favourite colour and just go for it!
Pairing Gifts for Bigger Impact
The holiday season can be expensive, that’s no question. Especially as a student, do a friend gift exchange is inevitable.
One large gift isn’t always the move. Most of the time, a grouping of two or three small things is more fun, more personal, and less expensive. A mug and a bag of coffee are excellent gifts, and what makes that pairing so good isn’t what you spent. What makes it great is how much you show your recipient that you pay attention to the things they say.
If your friend always complains about leaving rings on their table (the first real wood table in their apartment perhaps?), getting coasters isn’t just an easy stocking stuffer but is a response to the things your friend says. If they always talk about how they love the coffee from their hometown and you secretly get them a bag, that’s obviously more than just a bag of coffee.
Another way to maximize your gift exchange is to get a price limit on everyone’s gifts. People get incredibly creative, more appreciative of the things they receive, and overall get to enjoy the holidays without hurting their savings. Again, it isn’t about what you spend, it’s about how much you can show your loved ones that you listen to them even if that just means a heartfelt card.
Pair two or three small things, wrap them cutely and gift!
Article Product Roundup*
All the products we linked in this article above were collected and surmised in this section. Be aware, while we do like these products, we have affiliate links set up for most of them. That means we get a little kickback if you decide to get any of these products through our website.
Did you try any of these out or decorate your home according to anything from this article? Tag us over on insta and we’d love to check it out!
Anything we missed? Let us know!
Looking for more? Give these a try!
Don’t have any dinner plans? We can change that!
Someone’s first kitchen is incredibly exciting. It represents a newfound freedom just to simply create the things that make you happy. Unfortunately, furnishing a kitchen is one of the most expensive stocks to build up in a house. This is a gift guide that specifically goes hand-in-hand with celebrating the end of dorm-life, starting fresh in a new city, or just general housewarming! These are all things I’ve found myself without in a new place and that took me a lot of time and money to collect. If your loved one is starting from scratch, these are some small contributions we recommend!