The Cast of Characters

 Here's a list of kitchen equipment that I use often.  You can find all of these things at garage sales, Goodwill (or other second hand stores), or even prettily heavily discounted after Christmas!

Crockpot
6 qt Instant Pot
Blender
Cast Iron Skillet
Non-stick cookware
Sharp Chopping Knife

The majority of the time, I use my stovetop and oven.  Don't let that list worry you!  Anything that you can cook in a crockpot or an Instant Pot, you can do on the stovetop or in the oven - it just takes a little longer.  

The beauty of a crockpot is that you can throw something in there before work, and come home to a completely cooked meal, ready to throw on the table.  As I work nights, I adore my crockpot.  I can get everything going before I head off to bed, and when I get up, dinner is ready.  And, I cook a lot of soups during the winter, so my crockpot sees a lot of use for those!

With an Instant Pot - say you forgot to take your chicken out of the freezer - no problem.  18-20 minutes, its done and ready to go!! 

Another wonderful thing about crockpots and Instant Pots is that they won't heat up your kitchen during the summer!!  I have window air in my house, and the kitchen gets really warm, so this is a lifesaver! 

Blenders are GREAT for making your own sauces.  Or slushies.  Just not together, please.  That would be kinda gross - I mean, unless you're into that kind of thing.  

My cast iron skillets are Lodge and I got them at Walmart.  Everything tastes better when you cook it in cast iron!  

My non-stick cookware is Pioneer Woman, and again, I got them at Walmart.  They hold up really well, and come in some gorgeous designs!

The chopping knife, I got at Walmart also - I don't even know what brand it is.  

As you can see, I don't use anything fancy or expensive for cooking meals.  And, as I said above, if you don't have a crockpot or an Instant Pot - no worries, you can do the same things on the stovetop or in the oven - it just takes longer, and obviously, you wouldn't want to let something cook on the stove all day while you're at work.   

Got some other kitchen essentials you think should be listed?  Feel free to drop them in the comments, below!