What to Buy Kitchen Tools The 21 Best Minimalist Kitchen Items to Keep Your Space Clutter-Free Streamline your space with useful (and beautiful) utensils, organizers, and accessories that marry form with function. By Alyssa Longobucco Alyssa Longobucco Instagram Alyssa Longobucco is a freelance writer, editor, and stylist living in New York with over a decade of experience in the food, home, and lifestyle categories. When she's not diving into the latest trends and products, she's restoring an 1820s farmhouse in the Hudson Valley alongside her husband and children. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 25, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Food 52 Kitchens are certainly no strangers to visual clutter. From a collection of pantry staples and spices that rival a grocery store aisle to the bevy of countertop appliances that help us get through weeknight cooking, it can be easy for our countertops and cabinets to become cluttered. Luckily, there's a simple solution — and it doesn't involve Marie Kondo-ing your cookware collection until you have just one knife and one pan left standing. Instead, shop for minimalist kitchen items and accessories that focus on form and function, with a calm and streamlined approach that brings a necessary breath of fresh air (and appealing lack of bells and whistles) to your home's most utilitarian space. From a sleek gooseneck kettle you'll use every day to a sustainable set of food storage containers, we found the best minimalist kitchen items to make where you cook your happy place. Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Pour-Over Kettle Fellow View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Bloomingdales This sleek kettle may look minimalistic, but what it lacks in embellishments, it more than makes up for with functionality. Designed with pour-over coffee and tea drinkers in mind, Fellow's electric kettle heats up in under three minutes, then holds your desired temperature (between 104 and 212°F) for up to an hour. It's the ideal option if you're always returning for a second cup before your morning meeting. In our tests, this gooseneck kettle won us over with its user-friendly features, clean aesthetics, and consistent results. We particularly appreciate its ergonomic handle that prevents slippage and the clever built-in stopwatch which helps monitor your pour rate. Price at time of publish: $165 Gir 5-Piece Ultimate Tool Set Gir View On Gir.co View On Urban Outfitters Silicone cooking utensils are one of the most versatile things you can splurge on for your kitchen. They're sleek, easy to clean, and — best of all — friendly to any pot, pan, or skillet in your collection so that they won't scratch or damage your nonstick cookware. No one does silicone cooking tools better than GIR, and this 5-piece set is a great place to start (though they also offer a comprehensive 10-piece set if you want to dive right in). Made from pharmaceutical-grade silicone that is BPA and BPS-free, GIR's 5-piece collection includes a ladle, spatula, flip, spoon, and spoonula to carry you from breakfast to dinner to dessert with ease. The best part? The tools come in a bevy of beautiful shades (think: light blue, summer pastels, and trendy blush), so you can seamlessly coordinate with your kitchen's color palette or pick the hue that whispers best for your minimalist kitchen decor needs. Price at time of publish: $51 Bamboozle Measuring Cups and Spoons West Elm View On West Elm Save space in your drawer or cabinet with this sleek set of measuring cups and spoons that nest seamlessly within one another. Made from recycled bamboo (just like everything in the Bamboozle line!), they're durable, eco-friendly, and feature convenient pour spouts to help cut down on measurement messes. In our list of best measuring cups, we named this Bamboozle set our favorite sustainable pick, noting its space-saving nesting design, customizable choice of colors, and eco-friendly biodegradable composition. Price at time of publish: $28 Our Place Walnut Cutting Board Our Place View On Fromourplace.com Part of the key to crafting a minimalist kitchen aesthetic lies in shopping for beautiful items that can do double or even triple duty in your space, ultimately cutting down on the amount of clutter you'll need to get dinner on the table each evening. This versatile walnut cutting board from Our Place does just that, seamlessly flexing between a stunning serving piece for cheese and charcuterie and functional prep space. We also love that this cutting board is easy to store and even easier to clean after a dinner party. Made from American black walnut wood, this cutting board has a helpful juice groove to prevent messes and is durable enough to hold up to anything you can cut, serve, slice, or dice on it. Price at time of publish: $95 Pottery Barn Brighton Floating Wood Shelf Pottery Barn View On Pottery Barn Open shelving adds valuable surface area to store kitchen essentials, cookbooks, or decorative items without taking up too much space. Named our best overall floating shelf, the Brighton Floating Wood Shelf combines minimalistic aesthetics with sturdy hardware and a clean, modern look. Choose from five different stain finishes (all on the same kiln-dried mango wood) and trust that the shelf will treat your dishware or glasses with TLC, thanks to sturdy steel hardware that is invisible to the naked eye. Price at time of publish: $199 Williams Sonoma Pantry Bread Box Williams Sonoma View On Williams-Sonoma Keep your carbs fresh as the day they were baked — and neatly contained in one spot — with this retro-inspired bread box. The glazed porcelain holder can be wiped clean with a damp cloth and has enough space for several loaves of bread, bagels, muffins, and more. We like that the lid doubles as a cutting and serving board, adding more functionality to this container's minimalist profile. Honestly, it'll probably end up being your favorite corner of the kitchen. Price at time of publish: $130 Yield Glass French Press Courtesy of Food52 View On Gessato.com View On Yielddesign.co Glass has a beautiful way of disappearing to the eye, whether stored on the countertop or in the pantry, making it the ideal option for homeowners on the quest for a more minimalistic aesthetic. French press purists will love this borosilicate glass vessel from YIELD, which touts just the features you need (think: heat-resistant glass, a chic copper pull, and fine stainless steel mesh sieve) and none of the stuff you don't, resulting in a straightforward, perfect cup of coffee every time. Price at time of publish: $85 Material The Knives + Stand Set Amazon View On Amazon View On Materialkitchen.com View On West Elm Knives and cutlery nearly always get a place of prominence in our kitchens, so it makes sense that you'd want to find something beautiful to hold court over your countertop. Popular DTC brand Material Kitchen has created just that, combining a trio of their best-selling blades (an 8-inch knife, 4-inch knife, and 6-inch serrated knife, all made from cryogenically-tempered Japanese stainless steel) with a sleek magnetic wood knife block that keeps everything pretty and in place. Price at time of publish: $245 W&P Porter 8-Piece Fridge Bundle wandp View On Wandpdesign.com Trying to eschew single-use plastic but sick of how unsightly some food storage options can be? It's time to welcome W&P's Porter collection into your life. Made from a worry-free (and durable!) combination of BPA-free plastic, LFGB-certified silicone, and borosilicate glass, these food storage essentials will make leftovers and desk lunches all the more appealing. W&P's comprehensive 8-Piece Fridge Bundle is a great place to start, scoring you several silicone storage bags, wide-mouth bottles, and seal-tight bowls fit for housing soups, salads, stews, meal prep ingredients, and more. Price at time of Publish: $135 Olipac Olipac Tosca Olive Oil Dispenser Amazon View On Amazon View On Sur La Table When it comes to shopping for items that will remain on display in your kitchen constantly, aesthetics can be even more important. If you're a cook that loves to have their favorite olive oil at the ready for dressing salads or sauteing vegetables, now is the time to splurge on a beautiful way to store it. Enter: Olipac's eye-catching olive oil cruet, available in both brass and stainless steel options. It features a handy pour cap that measures the flow of your oil so you never go overboard and an exterior that protects the contents from oxidation, which can deplete both nutrients and flavor of your oil. Keep it by your stove for convenience, then use it to deck out your tablescape the next time you host a dinner party. Price at time of publish: $35 Yamazaki Tosca White Tabletop Spice Rack View On Amazon View On Crate & Barrel View On Theyamazakihome.com Hate to break it to you, but it's practically impossible to master a minimalistic kitchen if you don't have some very functional organizational solutions at the ready at all times. This slim tabletop spice rack from Yamazaki provides a neat storage area to keep essential spices, seasonings, and your favorite olive oil dispenser on display on your kitchen table. We like the warmth of the wooden rod, which also doubles as a carrying handle. Price at time of publish: $34 Urban Green Glass Jars with Airtight Lids Amazon View On Amazon Pantries can oftentimes be the biggest culprit when it comes to adding unnecessary visual chaos to your kitchen. All those labels! All those different-sized boxes! Add calm to your collection by decanting everything into similar airtight canisters, like this sleek set from Urban Green. Not only will streamlined shapes and sizes help you easily organize the space, but the clear vessels will save you tons of time when searching for the right ingredients. Price at time of publish: $30 beets&berry Round Cotton Trivets Set of 4 Amazon View On Amazon Made from woven cotton, these trivets are a pretty and practical solution to protecting your countertop or table from fresh-out-the-oven dishware. The best part? Thanks to their forgiving material, this set is naturally anti-slip, won't scratch your pans or the surface beneath, and can be washed clean in the dishwasher. Price at time of publish: $17 Lifestraw Home 7-Cup BPA-Free Filter Pitcher Lifestraw View On Target View On Crate & Barrel View On Lifestraw.com Say goodbye to your clunky water filter and all the precious shelf space it takes up in your refrigerator. With LifeStraw, you can sip in style — and worry-free, knowing that it features the best water filtering technology on the market. The included membrane microfilter lasts through 264 gallons (which will take you about a year to work through) and removes all sorts of impurities from your tap water, including bacteria, parasites, microplastics, lead, pesticides, PFAS, and more. The best part? Each purchase helps the Climate Neutral brand provide safe drinking water to a child for a year. Price at time of publish: $45 Caraway Cookware Set 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Nordstrom View On Target If you're on the hunt for cookware that feels minimalist yet still delivers a great performance, look no further than Caraway. The DTC sky-rocketed to fame upon launching a few years back, thanks to their tailored (yet powerful!) collection of pots and pans that combine nonstick technology with streamlined aesthetics. Their coating is completely non-toxic and conducts heat like a boss, meaning you can make everything from a perfectly-seared piece of chicken breast to a delicate omelet, all with chef-like precision. Choose from eight chic yet simple colorways, including a glam black and a very Nancy Meyer's-esque cream. Price at time of publish: $395 Aarke Carbonator III Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Crate & Barrel If you're someone who struggles to get in their recommended ounces each day, the Aarke Carbonator is about to become your new best friend. Simply twist on the included water bottle, press the lever to release CO2, and carbonate your water with the most delicate, perfectly sized bubbles (trust us, it's a thing), then twist the bottle off and sip. The sleek profile of this gadget clocks in at just six inches wide, so it'll take up practically zero counter space and looks good enough to keep on display 24/7. Price at time of publish: $229 Bamboozle Food Compost Bin Amazon View On Amazon View On Food52 This handy little bucket is so beautiful, it's hard to believe it's got a dirty job. This petite compost bin can be stashed on the countertop or below your sink as a place to house food scraps until you're ready to add them to your compost pile. Made from biodegradable bamboo fibers, it fits 1.15 gallons of waste and forgoes any messy extras (like liners or filters) in place of an odor-masking charcoal filter and dishwasher-safe body. It can even be stashed in the freezer for safekeeping in case you can't make it to your local composting site in a timely enough fashion. Price at time of publish: $40 Hommy Studio Walnut Pot Lid Holders Etsy View On Etsy If your kitchen is short on available cabinet space, you may have no choice but to store your cookware out in the open — and a leaning tower of pots and pans doesn't exactly scream, "I am a minimalist!" Instead, take to the walls for a bit of extra square footage, putting to work these stylish holders in the process. Made from a combination of rich black walnut and sturdy metal, they can be mounted with screws and anchors as a place to house pans, lids, cups, plates, and more. Price at time of publish: $46 Crate & Barrel French Kitchen Marble Butter Keeper Crate&Barrel View On Crate & Barrel If the rise in butter boards on TikTok is any indication, everyone's favorite dairy condiment is about to have a major moment. Keep your sticks perfectly soft (and always ready for spreading) with a marble butter keeper, which is designed based on a classic French beurrier and relies on a touch of cold water to keep the butter fresh without refrigeration. You'll feel just like Julia Child every time you whip up your morning toast or spread some salted goodness on a fresh baguette. Price at time of publish: $35 Eva Solo Grating Bucket Amazon View On Amazon Our favorite products have to be the ones that are as practical as they are pretty, and this grating bucket certainly fits the bill. Designed to solve the pain of chasing around scraps of grated vegetables or cheese every time you need to prep a meal, this innovative stainless steel design easily corrals all your grating scraps within for a clean-cutting board and countertop when you're done. Price at time of publish: $60 CB2 Turk Black Marble Utensil Holder CB2 View On CB2 Is it art, or is it a useful kitchen accessory? In the case of this drama-packed utensil holder from CB2, it's both. Sculpted from tiers of black marble and featuring a trendy ribbed design, this statement-making canister is a bit of a splurge but a worthy one if you're only looking to keep a few functional and beautiful items on your countertop. With a 5.5-inch diameter, it hasboasts enough room to house all your go-to kitchen utensils but can also double as a wine chiller if you'd rather go that route. Price at time of publish: $70 Our Expertise Alyssa Longobucco is a freelance writer, editor, and food stylist living in New York. When she's not diving into the latest in food and home decor, she's restoring an 1820s farmhouse in the Hudson Valley alongside her husband and son. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit