Creating a self-sufficient kitchen is essential for those striving toward a more independent lifestyle. By equipping your kitchen with the right tools, you can simplify daily tasks and enhance your ability to prepare, preserve, and enjoy homemade meals.

As homesteaders and those striving to live a more self-sufficient life, our kitchens are the heart of our homes. We spend countless hours here, nurturing our families with wholesome, home-cooked meals. But with so many tools and gadgets available, what do we really need to have on hand, and what can we do without?
Before moving to our current property, I cooked in a tiny galley kitchen where space was a luxury. Now, I’m blessed with more cabinet and counter space, but it comes at a cost—there isn’t much storage elsewhere in our home. As we work toward our self-sufficiency goals, I find our cabinets filling up with items that are essential for our lifestyle. While I try to keep our material belongings minimal, the kitchen is where I make sure we have what we truly need. Here are some items I consider essential for a self-sufficient kitchen.
Knives

A good set of knives is a must in any kitchen, but especially for those of us striving toward self-sufficiency, where butchering our own meat is part of our routine.
We butcher a significant portion of the meat we bring into our home, including the deer we harvest during hunting season. Without a good, quality, sharp knife, it would be nearly impossible to manage this task. Here are the knives I find essential:
Boning knife/fillet knife. A boning knife is similar to a fillet knife but is primarily used for removing bones from meat. There’s some overlap, but they’re not exactly the same.
Bone saw. If you butcher your own meat, a bone saw is invaluable. While you could use a sawzall in a pinch, a bone saw is more practical and efficient, ensuring clean cuts without jagged edges.
Butcher knife. Essential for breaking down large cuts of meat into manageable portions. The heavy, rectangular build of a butcher knife makes cutting through bones and large pieces of meat easier.
Paring knife. I use this knife daily for peeling potatoes, chopping veggies, and dicing foods into small pieces for meals.
Chef's knife. The most important knife in any kitchen, versatile for a variety of tasks from slicing to chopping.
Serrated knife. Perfect for slicing bread and those fresh tomatoes from the garden, with an offset style to minimize the risk of knicking your knuckles.
How to keep knives sharp
Once you have the essential knives, it’s important to keep them sharp. Here’s how:
Sharpening Stones: My husband sharpens our knives a few times a year using sharpening stones. Hold the knife at a 20-degree angle and slide it across the stone about five times on each side.
Honing Steel: Regular use of honing steel will keep your knives' edges sharp longer. It’s simple to use—just hold your knife at a 20-degree angle and slide it across the steel about five times on each side.
Cast Iron Pans

Our homesteading journey began with a desire for a vintage cast iron pan. Now, we have a set of pans over 100 years old that we use daily. I can’t imagine using anything else.
Whether you choose vintage or new cast iron is a personal preference, but there are differences. Old cast iron has a smoother surface and is generally lighter, made with quality and longevity in mind. Newer cast iron pans are more porous and heavier. We prefer vintage pieces not just because they’ve been used for over a century but because they’re of higher quality and often more affordable.
Cast iron is incredibly versatile—we use ours over a campfire, on the stovetop, in the oven, and even on vintage wood stoves. With a little care, you can find old, rusted pans and restore them to better-than-new condition.
Dehydrator

While I now prefer smoking our jerky our dehydrator still plays a vital role in preserving our harvest. It’s perfect for drying herbs, making fruit leathers, and dehydrating fruits and vegetables to make them shelf-stable.
Dehydrated fruits retain their nutritional value, and a good dehydrator can be a workhorse in your kitchen. We started with an inexpensive model, but I have my eyes on an Excalibur for its efficiency and ease of use.
Kitchen Aid Mixer

One of the best investments we made was purchasing a Kitchenaid mixer. It’s a true workhorse in our kitchen, used for everything from bread to desserts and even homemade whipped cream and butter.
The KitchenAid is versatile, with attachments that allow you to make pasta, grind food, and more. It’s a long-lasting tool that I can’t imagine our kitchen without.
Vacuum Sealer
Although I’m not a huge fan of plastic, our vacuum sealer is indispensable, especially during hunting season. It keeps our meat and frozen vegetables fresh for much longer than butcher paper. It’s also great for storing homemade bacon and other cured meats.
Pressure Canner

The pressure canner is hands down the best investment in our kitchen. While it was a significant purchase, it’s been worth every penny. We can meat, beans, vegetables, and other low-acid foods, which has become essential as we expand our garden and hunting efforts.
Immersion Blender
We have two immersion blenders—one for making soap and the other for food. It’s a versatile tool for blending soups and sauces to a silky smooth consistency. Many models also come with a whisk attachment, perfect for whipping cream without pulling out the big mixer.
Kitchen Scale
I never thought I'd use a kitchen scale, but it’s become an essential tool in our kitchen. Measuring ingredients by weight rather than volume provides greater accuracy, especially for baking. It’s also handy for measuring out packages of ground meat when we’re butchering.
Cutting Boards/Chopping Blocks
A good quality cutting board is essential for all that knife work. I prefer wooden cutting boards as they’re less damaging to knives than plastic or glass. With proper care, they’ll last a long time. We have several—one large board for cutting primal cuts of meat and smaller ones for everyday chopping.
Canning Jars
No self-sufficient kitchen is complete without a good set of canning jars, lids, and rings. Whether you opt for reusable Tattler lids or new lids each season, the choice is yours. Start building your collection as you go—flea markets and garage sales are great places to find used jars at a good price.
Food Mill
A food mill might seem old-fashioned, but it’s still incredibly useful in modern kitchens. It’s perfect for making applesauce, tomato sauce, mashed potatoes, and even soups. It’s a tool that has stood the test of time for a reason.
Grain Mill
Whether you’re growing your own grains or buying whole grains, a grain mill is an excellent investment. Freshly milled grains retain more nutrients and flavor than pre-milled flours. It’s a great way to make wheat flour or cornmeal from your home-grown crops.
Proofing Basket
If you bake a lot of bread, especially sticky doughs, a proofing basket will become your best friend. While not essential, it makes the work (and cleanup) of proofing dough much easier.
Mortar & Pestle
One of the first kitchen tools I ever bought was a mortar and pestle, though it sat unused for years. It wasn’t until I started cooking from scratch and growing our own food that I realized its potential. It’s perfect for mashing garlic into a paste, making pesto, hummus, and even guacamole. I also use it to grind my own spice blends.
Carboys & Bottling Equipment
We’re just stepping into the world of home winemaking, and carboys and bottling equipment are essential. You don’t need to spend a fortune, and you can collect bottles as you go. A 1 gallon carboy is usually sufficient for most home winemakers.
Stock Pots
Right alongside our cast iron collection are our stock pots. We have two—one large 20-quart pot for making bone broths and cooking down large quantities of vegetables for canning, and a smaller 5-quart pot for everyday use.
Fermenting Crock
We’re also venturing into fermenting. While canning jars are fine for small batches, a larger fermenting crock is better if you’re serious about fermenting.
Conclusion
While I try to keep our belongings to a minimum, I don’t skimp in the kitchen. We spend so much time here, preparing food and nourishing our family, so I make sure it’s stocked with the essentials. I add to our collection as we can and always prioritize quality, knowing these tools will serve us well for years to come.
What to check out next:
Vickie says
I would love to see a picture of your kitchen. I'm in the process of going through our home and getting rid of extra things that we don't need/use. I have way to much stuff. lol. My husband and I have started trying to become more self sufficient and I am loving it.
Danielle McCoy says
I am just getting ready to add a picture of our kitchen, so I hope you check back and see it! The light was not favorable on the day I wrote this ;).
Dr.Pat Howden says
Re the kerosene lights, I had Aladdins in 1965 on my sailboat Pacific crossing & used much cheaper diesel.. But our best light is a tiny hand wind-up unit which was incredibly bright yet hardly needed any cranking once at a time. Garden solar lights with switches are tops because put 8 of them in the daily sun with switches off. Bring them in at sunset & turn 2 of them on until dim hours later; then change to 2 others, Then there are enough in case of a cloudy day following.
Danielle McCoy says
Great suggestions, thank you!
Julie says
I don't grind coffee but other than that I think your list is pretty spot on!
In the UK our homes and rooms tend to be a lot smaller than I see online in the US, your kitchen would be considered average to good here I think from the look of your photo. I guess we all just make the best of what we have sometimes!
Danielle McCoy says
I don't know we are so obsessed with huge, sprawling homes here in the US, but apparently we are. We have a very large home, and very large rooms except for the kitchen. Open-concept and large kitchens are huge selling points here in the states. I don't have a problem with it the way it is, but it has made selling it very, very difficult. I love fresh-ground coffee! I'll never go back!
Angela @ Setting My Intention says
Hi Danielle! I really enjoyed your post. We have a very small kitchen as well and I call myself an "aspiring" minimalist. We've been decluttering consistently this year and that includes the kitchen! Enjoyed looking around your website and will be following you on Pinterest and Twitter!
Danielle McCoy says
Hi, Angela. I'm glad you liked it. We are definitely "aspiring" minimalists here as well. I've gotten rid of quite a bit since our move to Montana and back, but there's still plenty of work left to do. Thanks for the follow, I will follow back :).
swathi says
i have everything you mentioned in the post, thanks for sharing this wonderful post with Hearth and soul blog hop,
Danielle McCoy says
That's awesome, Swathi! I hope you don't have much extra, you really don't need it ;). Have a fantastic day.
Joyce Hoffman-Gayley says
Pie plate! I couldn't get by without my lovely stoneware pie plate. I use it not only for pies & crumbles; but also quiches, pot pies & cornbread.
Danielle McCoy says
I actually use my cast irons for most of those things! They work really well! I do have a springform pan for things like cheesecake, great addition at any rate!