Moving into your first apartment comes with a surprisingly long list of things to buy, especially with kitchen appliances. Even more so if you’ve never had to cook yourself, it’s easy to remember the big things like a couch or a bed, but somehow the frying pan, food storage containers and kitchen scissors always sneak up on you.
Luckily, Amazon’s Prime Days is a good excuse to stock up while some of these kitchen essentials are discounted. The sale ends today, so if you are putting together your first kitchen — or realizing yours is still missing a few basics — these deals are worth checking out before Deal Day ends.
Ninja Nutri-Blender Plus Compact Personal Blender ($67.99)
A blender is an appliance you don’t necessarily think you need until you start craving smoothies, protein shakes or homemade sauces. The Ninja Nutri-Blender Plus is compact enough for a smaller apartment kitchen, which is useful if your counter or cabinet space is limited.
Chefman 4-Quart Air Fryer ($49.99)
If there is one appliance that deserves a spot in a college apartment, it’s probably an air fryer. The Chefman 4-quart model is compact, uses a touchscreen with four preset cooking options and has a dishwasher-safe basket, making it especially convenient for quick meals and cleanup.
An air fryer can handle anything from frozen foods to vegetables and leftovers, so it’s especially useful for nights when turning on the oven feels like too much effort.
Keurig K-Express Single-Serve Coffee Maker ($59.83)
If your morning routine includes coffee, a Keurig can save you from spending money at a coffee shop every day. The K-Express is a single-serve machine, making it practical for someone living alone or sharing a kitchen with roommates.
Instead of running out the door and hoping you have time to stop somewhere before class, you can make a cup at home in a few minutes.
T-Fal Nonstick Fry Pan With Lid ($49.99)
A good frying pan is one of the basic things you need when setting up a kitchen. You can use it for eggs, vegetables, chicken, pancakes, and basically any other meal that starts with “heat a pan.”
This T-Fal pan comes with a lid and uses a hard-anodized nonstick surface, making it a versatile starter piece if you don’t want to immediately buy a full cookware set.
If you are trying to build your kitchen slowly instead of dropping hundreds of dollars at once, starting with one reliable pan is an easy move.
Greater Goods Digital Kitchen Scale ($29.99)
A kitchen scale might not be the first thing on your moving checklist, but it can be surprisingly useful once you start cooking more often. It’s especially helpful for baking, meal prep and recipes that list ingredients by weight instead of volume.
KitchenAid All-Purpose Kitchen Shears ($8.53)
Kitchen scissors are one of those small tools that you don’t realize you’re missing until you desperately need them. They can cut herbs, open food packaging, trim meat and handle plenty of other random kitchen tasks.
These KitchenAid shears are stainless steel and dishwasher safe, making them an easy low-maintenance addition to a first apartment kitchen.
Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers ($23.73)
Once you start cooking for yourself, leftovers become inevitable. Food storage containers are useful for saving dinner, meal prepping lunches or bringing food to campus instead of spending money out every day.
Rubbermaid’s Brilliance containers are especially popular because they are clear, leak-resistant, and easy to stack. Current Prime Day Deals also shows multiple Brilliance sets discounted during the sale.
For a first apartment, a good set of containers can also help keep a small fridge from turning into complete chaos.
Lifewit Expandable Silverware Drawer Organizer ($11.38)
This is one of the less glamorous purchases on the list, but it immediately makes a kitchen feel more organized.
A silverware organizer can keep forks, knives, spoons and smaller kitchen tools separated instead of letting everything slide around in one giant pile. The Lifewit organizer is expandable, which is especially helpful if you are not sure exactly how wide your apartment drawers are going to be.
Cuisinart Stainless Steel Saucepan ($19.95)
A saucepan is another kitchen basic that’s used constantly– whether you’re boiling pasta, heating soup or cooking a sauce.
This Cuisinart stainless steel saucepan is a simple option for someone who’s just starting to build a cookware collection. Pair it with a frying pan, and you already have enough cookware to make a number of meals without investing in an entire pot-and-pan set.
Your first apartment kitchen does not need to be filled with expensive gadgets — starting with a few reliable basics can make cooking at home much easier, especially with balancing classes and work.