The things I actually use

Cordless drill and driver

The first tool I'd buy. Hanging shelves, building beds, swapping every cabinet pull in the house.

As seen in Guest Bath in a Weekend, The Budget Kitchen Refresh, Building Our Live Edge Dining Table

10-inch cast iron skillet

Cornbread, roast chicken, biscuits. It only gets better the more you use it.

As seen in Brown Butter Apple Pie, Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, Skillet Cornbread

2-inch angled sash brush

A good brush is the difference between a painted cabinet and a painted-looking cabinet.

As seen in Guest Bath in a Weekend, The Budget Kitchen Refresh, Living Room, Still in Progress

Big maple cutting board

Big enough to carve a chicken or roll out pie crust. Oil it once a month.

As seen in Brown Butter Apple Pie, Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, Peach & Burrata Salad

Random orbit sander

Cabinets, tables, thrifted dressers. Hook it up to a shop vac and the dust mostly behaves.

As seen in The Budget Kitchen Refresh, Building Our Live Edge Dining Table, How I Painted Our Oak Cabinets

8-inch chef's knife

One good knife beats a block of bad ones. Keep it sharp and it does everything.

As seen in Peach & Burrata Salad, Spring Asparagus Soup, Sunday Roast Chicken

Enameled Dutch oven

The pot I use most. Sourdough, soup, braises, and it goes straight from the stove to the table.

As seen in Everyday Sourdough, Roasted Tomato Soup, Spring Asparagus Soup

Stand mixer

Worth the counter space if you bake bread or cinnamon rolls more than twice a year.

As seen in Blueberry Lemon Buckle, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Digital kitchen scale

Weighing flour changed my baking more than any recipe did.

As seen in Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Everyday Sourdough

25-foot tape measure

Get the one with the wide blade. It stays stiff when you're measuring alone.

As seen in Guest Bath in a Weekend, The Budget Kitchen Refresh, Building Our Live Edge Dining Table

Painter's tape

Pull it while the paint is still a little wet for the cleanest line.

As seen in Guest Bath in a Weekend, The Budget Kitchen Refresh, Living Room, Still in Progress

Bench scraper

The cheapest tool in my kitchen and the one I'd miss most. Shapes dough, cleans the counter.

As seen in Brown Butter Apple Pie, Everyday Sourdough, Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Wooden spoon set

Handmade spoons that don't scratch the enamel. Mine are stained from years of tomato sauce.

As seen in Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Roasted Tomato Soup, Skillet Cornbread

Cabinet enamel paint

Levels out as it dries so brush marks mostly disappear. Give it two weeks to fully cure.

As seen in The Budget Kitchen Refresh, How I Painted Our Oak Cabinets

Bread banneton

Gives the loaf its shape and those pretty flour rings. A towel-lined bowl works too.

As seen in Everyday Sourdough

Hardwax oil finish

What's on the dining table. Looks like bare wood, wipes clean, easy to touch up.

As seen in Building Our Live Edge Dining Table

Pocket hole jig

Strong joints without fancy joinery. The workbench is held together with these.

As seen in A Workbench That Doesn't Wobble

Wide-mouth mason jars

For starter, overnight oats, leftover soup and every jar of flowers on the table.