Homestead Kitchen Must Haves
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If you are a homesteader, you definitely know the difference between store-bought food and homemade meals straight from your very own garden. Nothing tastes better than a dish made from ingredients that you have grown with your own hands.
That's why having the right tools in your homestead kitchen is crucial not only for cooking but for preserving your bounty as well. Here we give you a rundown of homestead kitchen must-haves for the perfect farmhouse cooking experience.
Canning supplies
Make sure that you have all the supplies needed for canning your fruits and vegetables. This includes canning jars of different sizes, lids, and bands, and a pressure or water bath canner.
Canning your own produce means fresher and healthier food all-year-round. Plus, it's a wonderful way to preserve your harvest and minimize food waste.
Cast iron pots and pans
Cast iron cookware has been around for centuries and remains a favorite among homesteaders. These versatile pots and pans are durable, easy to clean, and can last a lifetime. They are perfect for roasting, braising, frying, and baking. Plus, cooking with cast iron enhances the flavor of your food.
Mason jars
Mason jars are not just for canning. They are perfect for storing dry goods, spices, sauces, and leftovers. They are also great for creating your own spice blends, salad dressings, and dips.
Mason jars come in different sizes and can be reused many times, making them a smart and eco-friendly choice for your homestead kitchen.
Cold storage unit
A cold storage unit is an excellent addition to your homestead kitchen. This can be a root cellar, a cool pantry, or a chest freezer. It provides a controlled environment for storing your fruits and vegetables, preserving their freshness and flavor for longer periods.
A cold storage unit also makes it easier to meal plan, as you can stock up on seasonal produce when they are at their peak and use them in your recipes when needed.
Quality knives and cutting boards
If you spend a lot of time in your homestead kitchen preparing meals and preserving your harvest, investing in quality knives and cutting boards is a must.
Sharp and reliable knives and sturdy cutting boards make cooking and food prep more enjoyable and efficient. They also ensure the safety of your hands and provide precise cuts that enhance the flavor and texture of your food.
Dehydrator
A dehydrator is an essential homestead kitchen must-have. It's one of the simplest ways to preserve food, whether it's fruits, vegetables, or meat. With this handy device, you can dry your herbs, fruits, and veggies and store them for use in later meals.
Kitchen Aid Mixer
A Kitchen Aid mixer is another essential homestead kitchen must-have. This tool is versatile, making it perfect for mixing dough, whipping cream, and even shredding chicken and other meats. With its powerful motor and various attachments, the Kitchen Aid mixer allows you to process ingredients quickly and efficiently.
Vacuum Sealer
A vacuum sealer is an essential tool for preserving food, especially meat. With a vacuum sealer, you can seal and store your meats, vegetables and fruits in an airless environment. This helps to keep bacteria at bay, keeping your food fresh for more extended periods.
Dutch Oven
A Dutch oven is a workhorse in the kitchen. It's an excellent tool for cooking soups, stews, and roasts, and it's perfect for baking bread (how long does bread last?). With its thick walls and heavy lid, it distributes heat evenly, ensuring that your food is cooked to perfection.
Bakeware
Bakeware is a homestead kitchen must-have, especially if you enjoy baking. Make sure you have a few different types of standard baking sheet pans, silicone baking mats, muffin pans, and cake pans.
This way, you can bake bread, biscuits, cupcakes, and cakes that are not only delicious and nutritious but also crafted using sustainable and affordable ingredients.
Freeze Dryer
If you're looking to preserve your harvest or leftovers, a freeze dryer may be the perfect tool for you. This innovative appliance removes all the moisture from food while keeping the flavor and nutrients intact.
Plus, it takes up less space than a dehydrator and can be used for a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, and meats.
Bread Machine
If you're looking to save time on baking bread, a bread machine is an amazing tool. Simply mix your ingredients, add them to the machine, and let it do the rest. Your bread will come out fresh and delicious every time.
Plus, if you have dietary restrictions, you can easily make gluten-free or vegan bread with your own bread machine.
Immersion Blender
An immersion blender is a versatile kitchen tool that every homesteader should have. It can be used to make soups, sauces, smoothies, and even baby food. Plus, it's easy to clean and doesn't take up much space in your kitchen.
Kitchen Scale
If you're serious about cooking and baking, a kitchen scale is a must-have kitchen tool. It will help ensure that your measurements are accurate and your recipes turn out perfectly every time. It's also helpful when portioning out meat, fish, and other ingredients.
Food Mill
A food mill is a handy kitchen tool for homesteaders who love to preserve their harvest. It allows you to remove skins and seeds from fruits and vegetables, making them easier to can or freeze. Plus, it's perfect for making homemade baby food or mashed potatoes.
Proofing Basket
If you're into making homemade bread, a proofing basket should be one of your most important tools. This basket is made of natural materials such as rattan and is designed to help dough rise evenly and consistently.
With a proofing basket, you can easily create traditional baguettes, rolls, or any other bread recipe with unbeatable results. A reliable proofing basket is especially important if you’re into making sourdough bread, as it ensures that your dough has the right consistency to develop a good crust and crumb.
Mortar and Pestle
A mortar and pestle is an essential kitchen tool, especially if you grow some of your herbs, spices, and medicinal plants. This traditional kitchen tool is used to grind herbs, spices, and other ingredients with ease and precision, preserving their oils and flavors which can be lost when using an automated grinder.
Apart from grinding spices and herbs, a mortar and pestle can be used to crush nuts (how long do nuts last?), garlic, and ginger, and many other versatile uses to aid in meal preparation.
Stock Pots
Every homestead needs a stock pot, no matter how big or small your family is. A stock pot is ideal for simmering broths, soups, and stews. Instead of buying expensive canned goods from the store, you can easily create homemade bone broth from your leftover chicken and beef bones, then freeze them to be used later on a chilly day.
You can also make large batches of soups or stews and store them in the freezer so you can reheat them whenever you want.
Fermenting Crock
A fermenting crock is a wise idea for homestead kitchens. Fermented foods (What wine goes well with fermented foods?) are very healthy for the gut because they are rich in probiotics and enzymes that help in gut health.
Fermented foods are also rich in nutrients, and with the help of a fermenting crock, you can ferment your own pickles, kimchi (how long does kimchi last?), sauerkraut (how long does sauerkraut last?), and other fermented foods. These delicious and healthy foods can be easily incorporated into your meals.
Yogurt Maker
Yogurt is one of the healthy, nutrient-dense foods that are a staple on a homesteader's menu. Instead of buying expensive yogurt at the store, consider investing in a yogurt maker.
A yogurt maker not only saves you money but also helps you control the ingredients that end up in your yogurt. Most of these devices are user-friendly and do not require specialized skills.
Stick Blender
A stick blender is one of the most versatile kitchen homesteading tools that every homesteader should have. It comes with a powerful motor that can handle almost everything, including making mayonnaise, smoothies, sauces, and pureeing soups.
Additionally, unlike the bulky mortar and pestle, the stick blender takes minimal counter space, making it an ideal kitchen tool for homesteaders with limited space.
Grain Mill
As a homesteader, you probably grow your grains and have some stock of grains to use for baking or cooking.
However, whole grains don't have a long shelf life, as they tend to spoil quickly. Investing in a grain mill ensures that you have fresh and healthy flour every time you want to bake. Furthermore, some affordable and portable models enable you to grind grains even when you don't have access to electricity.
Deep Freezer
Finally, every homestead kitchen must-have is a deep freezer to help you preserve all your homestead bounty. When you grow your vegetables or raise your own animals, you'll have excess produce that you can't consume immediately.
A deep freezer comes in handy in such situations since you can easily store your freshly harvested produce. Moreover, you can also take advantage of sales and special offers, by buying your meat in bulk or pre-made meals and freezing them to use later.
Conclusion
Homesteading is a wonderful way of life, and cooking with homegrown produce is one of its many perks. By having the right tools in your homestead kitchen, you can enjoy the benefits of your own food and harvest, creating delicious and nutritious meals for yourself and your loved ones.
Canning supplies, a food processor, meat grinder, cast iron pots and pans, mason jars, a cold storage unit, and quality knives and cutting boards are some of the homestead kitchen must-haves that will surely make cooking and preserving your harvest a breeze. Invest in these tools, and your farmhouse cooking experience will never be the same!
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