Resources Archives – The Kitchen Paper

Blogging Tips: 5 Seconds to a More Professional Blog

Mary — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 12:00:27 +0000

Some blogging tips are obvious and easily learned by a new blogger, such as using WordPress Hosting - super support to help you get started on your blog. Others are a bit more behind the scenes, like SEO tips. This tip is something I think most people forget about, but only takes a few seconds and will make your blog look WAY more professional as a result! What is it? JUSTIFY! It is really important to make sure that you get your blog looking professional particularly if it is a business blog. That's why it might be a good idea to check out something like these cheap vps servers to help give you a better idea of what you can do to improve your blog (and subsequently improve your business).

I don't mean make excuses. I mean format your paragraphs to be justified! This is common in print media, and easily described as formatting your paragraphs to have each line of text reach from margin to margin. That means some spaces between words, or even letters, is different, but your text as a whole has a cohesive block feel. It's not something most people will notice enough to point out, but it is something that will immediately give people the feeling that your site is professional and means business!

Here is a screen shot of a paragraph from an old post of mine that isn't justified. Bleh.

See how the text is awkward and jaggy on the right edge? I want that in a straight line! I don't need to screen shot a justified example for you - just look at this post! {If you're reading in email or a feed reader, it may not be justified, so click on through to the real post}. The good news is: this is VERY easy to do. If you're using WordPress, just go to the "visual" tab, highlight your text, and click the "Justify" button:

If you're more into coding and want to do it yourself, just add a "text-align: justify;" tag to your paragraph tags:

HOW EASY IS THAT!? Super easy. Go justify your posts and then sit back and smile at how awesome you look. I mean, how awesome your posts look. OK, you both look great. GO DO IT!

Want more helpful blogging tips posts? Check out some more!

The post Blogging Tips: 5 Seconds to a More Professional Blog is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Blogging Tips: How + Why to use {target="_blank"} for all links

Mary — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:00:16 +0000

Today I bring you a very simple blogging tip for an issue that you might not even be aware of! For every link you post - to an affiliate link, another blog, an old recipe of yours - you have an opportunity. You can either give your reader a reason to leave, and help them do it, or keep them on your site while still giving them a helpful link.

How does this happen? By setting the target. If you click a link, and your browser automatically loads a new tab or window, the target is set to "blank." If you click a link, and you're then re-directed off of the current page in order to see the next page, the target is not set to "blank." If I'm reading a site that mentions something else, but I'm not yet done with the current article, I get really annoyed if the link takes me away from the original page. Not only that, but the author of the original page has just lost my visit - and I may or may not come back.

Don't give your readers a reason to leave permanently - let them click and open in another tab! It's really simple, and just involved adding a tiny bit of code into any link. A normal link with usually appear like this:

You want to add the code highlighted below in blue:

That one tiny piece of code will open links in a new tab or window! Easy! If you use wordpress to insert links, rather than writing the code, it's even easier! Just click "open link in new window/tab" and you're good to go!

Now, you can still link to relevant and helpful content without losing your readers to another site! Woohoo!

Want more helpful blogging tips posts? Check out some more!

The post Blogging Tips: How + Why to use {target="_blank"} for all links is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

What to Pack for a Blogging Conference {Like IFBC 2014!}

Mary — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:00:00 +0000

If you're blogging professionally, or moving in that direction - or just want to grow your presence in the blog world, knowing that you can check google ranking whenever you want (to see how the blog is doing when it comes to traffic) and going to a blogging conference is a must. I went to my first conference, Go Blog Social, in Kansas City last April and LOVED it. I made some great friends in the blogging real (and outside of it, too!), found new sources of inspiration, learned all kinds of new tips and tricks, and came away from the weekend motivated.

I was completely unsure of what to expect, or what to bring, and could definitely have used some tips before arriving as a newbie. So, if you're heading to IFBC this weekend, or plan to go to a conference in the future, here are some of my essentials to bring with you!

Business Cards

This is absolutely the most important thing you can bring with you. COME WITH HUNDREDS. Seriously, come with at least as many as there are people attending the conference. You'll have them out willy nilly and it would be a shame to run out! Chances are plenty of brands will be at the conference too, and you need to be professional if you want to work with them! How cute is that Kate Spade business card holder??
Smartphone or Tablet

Blogging conferences light up the Twitterverse like you wouldn't believe. You want to get in on that action! You also want to be able to easily look people up, show them your work, connect on social media, etc. I just use my iPhone, which is so handy to whip out anytime and anywhere! I'm drooling over this Michael Kors iPhone case with space to hold ID and cards!
A Means of Taking Notes

This could be your tablet or computer, if you work well that way, but for me it means good ol' pen and paper. I bring my notebook to every panel, discussion, lecture, etc. and take furious notes. My high school teachers would be impressed, I tell you what! Writing down tips, methods, philosophies, resources, etc. is so helpful, because I know I'd forget them within ten minutes if I didn't write them down! This is also great to go back through every few months for a new kick in the pants! Moleskin always has beautiful notebooks - check out the Evernote Edition!
Comfortable Clothes and Shoes

Conferences generally mean long days. You'll probably make friends who want to go out to lunch, then happy hour, then post-party pizza - typically in a city where you'll be walking around. Yes, everyone wants to look cute and stylish, but you also want to be able to last from 7am until 11pm (or later) in the same outfit. Plan accordingly! Also: layers. Some event centers have crazy wonky heating and AC settings, so be prepared for any temperature. I'll probably have Toms on all weekend!
Water Bottle

I'm a hydration nut, so this is always on my list. Most conferences provide some sort of food, or at least snacks, but finding a glass of water can sometimes be a challenge! To prevent frequent water-fountain trips, bring your own and stay hydrated! Again, drooling over this super cute water bottle!

Of course, you'll need something to carry all of this {plus the goodies from conference sponsors!}, so get out your totes! I used my city backpack in Kansas City and felt like a total dork next to all the fashion bloggers, so this time I'll be bringing my Longchamp and trying avoid dork-status. Wish me luck!

Are any of you going to IFBC this weekend? Let me know you're coming on Twitter - I can't wait to meet everyone!

The post What to Pack for a Blogging Conference {Like IFBC 2014!} is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Blogging Tips: When To Buy a Premium Theme

Mary — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:12:47 +0000

Using a WordPress.org site is easy, and wonderful - with so many beautiful free themes to choose from, it's easy to find an attractive theme that has all the features you want. When, though, is it worth it to buy a premium theme? The short answer: when you want more freedom, higher quality, and easier usability. The long answer? Keep reading.

I see three main benefits of buying a premium theme, on top of generally better aesthetics:

Better Coding
Premium themes cost money because someone took the time to make high-quality code - code that works, doesn't have glitches, and doesn't have sketchy sections of code that potentially muck up your site in the future. With good coding comes faster sites that play well with plugins, and perhaps even come with custom plugins to make your life even easier.
Access To Help
Premium themes almost always come with some sort of access to the developers themselves - if you can't figure something out, and they haven't already written an answer on their FAQ or forum, you can ask them directly! Instead of spending hours trying to figure something out, why not go straight to the source? With a free theme, this is next to impossible {and, ironically, would be much more utilized because it's needed more with poorly-constructed themes!}. I've yet to actually have to contact a developer about a premium theme, though, because of #1 - they're so well constructed, and their FAQ pages usually walk you through anything you might need to do. When you're doing your own site maintenance, this is such a timesaver!
A Better Back-End
This has nothing to do with squats. The back-end of your site — the part nobody sees when they come to your site, but where you do all of your maintenance and posting from — will be much cleaner and easier to use. Again, if you're doing your own maintenance, this is huge! Another bonus is that unlike free themes, which are often never updated, despite changing technology, premium themes are updated regularly to keep you current! Right now, this means responsive design ready for mobile viewing — a must if you're trying to blog professionally!

More than anything, premium themes are a great way to crank up your professionalism. Premium themes are clean, functional, and much more customizable than free themes. You can find some truly amazing themes that immediately take your site from "blah" to "WOW!" Seriously - check these out. Since you've paid for a premium theme, you're getting high-quality customer service, impeccable coding, clean-aesthetics, and way less of a headache. As with most things, you get what you pay for - a premium theme is worth every penny (this coming from a former skeptic!).

So, when do you know it's time? For me, it was when I was ready to take my blogging to the next step - step up my game aesthetically, increase professionalism, and at the same time make my job {as the techie for my site} easier.

I personally use the Genesis Framework, which I cannot recommend enough! It's really easy to use and highly customizable. My theme is from StudioPress, and you can browse their themes here!

This post was not intended to be a sales pitch, but if you need help with a site redesign - let me know! If you're operating on a WordPress blog and want a new look, we can make it happen quickly and affordably! Email me! Alternatively, you could look at other hosting services to get your website up and running from companies that offer hosting services such as hostiserver and others.

The post Blogging Tips: When To Buy a Premium Theme is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Blogging Tips: How To Customize Your Facebook Page URL

Mary — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 10:00:08 +0000

Does your blog's Facebook page URL look something like this?

Not cool, right?! This makes it hard to easily type or share your Facebook page with anyone, without going to it and copying/pasting. Wouldn't it be easier to make your URL the same handle as your Twitter or Instagram? YOU CAN! And it's really, really easy. When you're done, it should look like this:

Log into the Facebook account you use to manage your page. Go to http://www.facebook.com/username. Select the page you want to re-name, and enter your new URL. Hopefully it's available, but even if you first choice isn't available you should still be able to create a much easier URL than what you currently have! How easy is that? REALLY easy!

Be aware that you can only do this once, so make sure you enter your name correctly!
BLOG ON!

If you want more helpful tips on improving your blog, check out my resources and my eBook Pinterest for Food Bloggers!

The post Blogging Tips: How To Customize Your Facebook Page URL is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Blogging Tips: Best Practices for Pictures in Posts

Mary — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 09:33:23 +0000

If you're a blogger, you already know that there are a lot of behind-the-scenes details that go into creating a post. You probably use pictures in your posts - but are you uploading them, naming them, sizing them, etc. correctly? Here's my list of best practices for using pictures in posts. If you implement the things on this list, you'll have better SEO, look more professional, avoid annoying your readers, and set yourself up for success! You could even, if you wanted to avoid stressing yourself out, get someone to help your out with your SEO if you think that you would struggle to do it by yourself. You can do this by using a professional company such as from Web Presence to help you out. It's not just blogging that uses SEO services though, large corporations use them as well. If you have a large corporation company that you like to improve, then it might be a good idea to check out this expert-level SEO for blue chip brands to help you out. Everyone can benefit from SEO then.

Re-Size Your Pictures BEFORE you upload them!

You want your picture files to only be as big as you need them, in order to reduce site-load time and avoid any color distortion by letting WordPress {or whatever platform you use} re-size them. Figure out the width of you content column, in pixels {for example, mine is 680px}, and then export your photos at a width of 680px {or whatever yours is} before uploading.
Don't Link to the Media File!

This looks unprofessional, and serves no purpose UNLESS you're posting something detailed that you actually want your readers to be able to enlarge and see outside of your post. In most situations, though, you should have your media file set to link to "none."
Be Consistent with Sizing!

If you have a post with one picture after another, make sure they are the same width. This creates a much nicer visual flow for your audience, and a more cohesive look on your site. If your pictures are different aspect ratios, you can still export to be the same width before uploading.
Be Consistent with White Balance!

Take the time to figure out white balance on your camera and in your editing! Within your posts, and between your posts, you want a consistent white balance. There's nothing worse than seeing an over-yellow post of what would otherwise be a great photo!
Label Your Pictures Correctly!

This is super important for SEO and Pinterest, and has a couple of different parts:
1. Change your filename from IMG_1234.jpg to your post title {e.g. Green_Papaya_Salad.jpg}. I click on the file name, which then highlights the name. You can also right click, or press enter. Next, re-name the file! I usually name it whatever my post is titled, or a shortened (but still descriptive) version if the post title is long.
  
  Next, re-name the rest of the files you plan to upload. You'll have to add a number (green-papaya-salad-2.jpg) to differentiate the files.
2. Then, upload your photo to WordPress and label it there.
  Before inserting each photo, you'll need to go through and again re-name and add alt text. The contents of the "title" box will automatically have whatever your file is named - this one said "green_papaya_salad.jpg" before I changed it. Change it to your post title: this is what will show up when someone hovers over the image and a pop-up shows them what it is. It also tells search engines what the picture is!
  
  The alt text is the most important for SEO, and is what will automatically show up in Pinterest when someone pins that image. For the alt text, I like to add my site address, too! I put "Green Papaya Salad | thekitchenpaper.com." If you want to include hashtags here, you can. They won't really do anything for SEO, but they'll show up on Pinterest. Using alt text on your images is a great way for people to find your website through platforms such as google images or Pinterest, therefore this is one of the SEO Services that companies don't tend to spend time focusing on as you can do this yourself!
  
  The description is optional - most themes don't actually utilize it, and if you've edited your theme to use it you know what it's good for! I just filled this in so you could see the text I have in the Alt Text in full.

Hopefully those tips will help you improve your blog and use of photos! If you need help with the actual photography part of it, check out Tasty Food Photography eBook - you can learn SO much and improve your photography immediately. If you want more helpful tips on improving your blog and using Pinterest, check out my eBook Pinterest for Food Bloggers!

The post Blogging Tips: Best Practices for Pictures in Posts is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Pinterest for Food Bloggers: NOW Available for Download!

Mary — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 11:00:03 +0000

IT'S HERE! You can officially buy and download the newest book on the block about PINTEREST! Yes indeedy. I wrote this spiffy eBook myself, and I hope you love it! Actually, I hope you find it useful, because that's what it's all about!

What's in this eBook?

I'm so glad you asked! Here's what you can expect:

Why Pinterest is important for bloggers

My philosophy about approaching Pinterest for your brand and business

What you should do ON YOUR SITE to maximize a spike in traffic

General "best practices" for blogging, all of which help turn traffic into readers

Details on how, when, and in what way to pin and organize your Pinterest profile

Technical details on everything from uploading favicons, to formatting recipes, to creating a business account, to registering for rich pins - the list goes on!

Who to follow - in case you need some inspiration for your Pinterest account!

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Here's a sneak peek at a couple of the pages {I know you can't really see the info here... You've gotta buy the book!}:

If you're a food blogger, or any blogger, hoping to maximize the benefits your blog can get from using Pinterest: this book is for you! I'm sure you're aware that Pinterest is growing like crazy, and I don't think it's going away anytime soon - you need to be using Pinterest effectively to maximize your traffic! What does it even mean to be "using Pinterest effectively" ?? This book will answer that question in enough detail you'll probably be annoyed with me by the end. Fo reals. This is 41 pages of pure MAGIC waiting to help you grow your Pinterest following (and therefore blog following) ASAP.

This book is really written with the intent of helping other bloggers: I wasn't using Pinterest effectively for the first year I had The Kitchen Paper. Once I figured out how to use it, I saw some crazy increases in my blog and Pinterest following. I show you a MIND BOGGLING graph in the book that illustrates just how powerful a few changes to your approach can be.

You can buy it right now - or head over to the sales page if you need even MORE convincing! If you're super excited about this {LIKE I AM!}, you can even sign up to be an affiliate!

Don't forget to share this with any other bloggers you think would benefit from this book! ENJOY!

The post Pinterest for Food Bloggers: NOW Available for Download! is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Pinterest for Food Bloggers eBook Pre-Launch

Mary — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 08:04:40 +0000

You guys! I wrote an eBook! It's for food bloggers, and it's about Pinterest! ALL THINGS I LOVE! Get excited - it'll be officially available July 1st, but you can order for ½ price TODAY! {If you're a blogger of ANY kind, you'll get a lot out of this book, too!}

Most food bloggers I know have a Pinterest account, but are they using it to their full advantage? Do they even know WHY Pinterest is important for their brand? The importance of growing your Pinterest following lies in this: the more people that follow you on Pinterest, the more people are exposed to your posts and recipes when you pin them! If you have 80 followers, only 80 people {if we assume they ALL see it} are likely to see your new post. If you have 300k followers, 300k people are likely to see your post! That's why, if you're looking for a large social media presence, you may want to think about receiving some free followers on instagram and build that follower count sooner rather than later. The snowball effect takes hold from there, and suddenly your traffic is consistently higher. I'm not too experienced with Instagram (which is why my book is on Pinterest!) but I know that you can use a link in bio that points at your blog or business to help boost traffic that way. With Pinterest referrals accounting for more than half of my traffic, it's definitely a tool I want to take advantage of!

In this eBook I talk about my philosophy behind using Pinterest effectively, your job as the curator of your Pinterest boards, how to appeal to the right audience for your brand, and dive into all the technical details like setting up an account, getting a business account, setting up rich pins, making a Pin-it button overlay, etc. Not only will we talk about what to do on Pinterest itself, but we'll dive into what you should be doing on your site to make it "Pinterest-friendly." Sure, a traffic spike from a viral pin is great but how do you turn a new visitor into a loyal reader? We'll cover exactly how to do just that!

Not too long ago, I had something like 80 followers on Pinterest. I'd get *maybe* five new followers each week. Not really enough to make any difference in my traffic and blog exposure when I pinned one of my own recipes. Then, I learned how to gain followers! Yesterday? I got 250 new followers. That number has a lot of room for improvement, but going from 5-per-week to 250-per-day is not too shabby! I'll share all of my tips and tricks, what I've learned through my own experience, and help you start growing your Pinterest audience, too!

Pinterest For Food Bloggers will be available for download on July 1st for $12, but if you order between now and June 30 you can get it for only $6! What a deal! Do you know a food blogger (or any blogger!) who would benefit from this ebook? Let them know about it {or tweet it!}! If you want to sign up for the Pinterest for Food Bloggers Affiliate Program, click here! You'll get 50% of each sale!

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST CLICK "SIGN UP FOR UPDATES AND NEWSLETTERS" {when you check out} TO RECEIVE THE EBOOK AUTOMATICALLY ON JULY 1ST. I won't send anything out other than the eBook, so don't worry about spam!

I'm so excited to be sharing these tips with you, and am sure you'll find them useful! I'm working hard to put the finishing touches on the book before July 1, so if there's anything you especially want covered - let me know in the comments! Check out the Pinterest for Food Bloggers page, which I'll update with more details after the launch! {Also, in celebration of this launch I've reduced the price of the Nut Butters eBook to $9.99! Check it out!}

The post Pinterest for Food Bloggers eBook Pre-Launch is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Five Tips for Visiting Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Mary — Fri, 16 May 2014 12:00:26 +0000

Booking a trip to Ha Long Bay can be overwhelming - there are a lot of options! If you want the full report of our trip to Ha Long Bay, check out this post. If you just want some quick tips to help make your trip better, keep reading here!

Spend at least two nights on the bay

I cannot emphasize this enough! The one-night (or day trip) tours BARELY scratch the surface of Ha Long Bay. You barely go into the karsts, and then come right back out. With the extra night (or more, if you can!), you'll see so much more of the bay and actually sail down into the meat of it. Especially since you'll likely spend four hours driving to and from the bay, it's really worth it to spend two nights!
Go to Cat Ba Island

This is another reason to spend two+ nights: you can go to Cat Ba Island! In contrast to the negative review in Lonely Planet, we really enjoyed our time on Cat Ba Island. We had a free afternoon to hike up to the Cannon Fort, which may be our favorite part of the entire tour. The view is spectacular! If you're not into hiking, you can get a motorbike to drive you up - or spend the afternoon at the beach!
Know the safety information about your boat

Hopefully this won't be an issue, but there was a serious accident a few years ago that killed 12 tourists. Since then, I believe most boats have started keeping hammers (for breaking windows) in the bedside tables. Make sure you know where yours is, where the lifejackets are, and where you should exit if you need to! Also be smart when you're kayaking - there are so many big boats around that can't change course easily, so don't get in their way!
Climb something

You'll likely have a few opportunities to hike up to the top of an island. DO IT! The views from the top are incredible! If you're actually staying on Cat Ba Island for a few days, or in Bai Tu Long Bay, you could also check out the rock climbing opportunities. I wish we'd had more time to climb!
Talk to your guides

Most of the guides in Ha Long Bay speak English quite well. We took this opportunity to chat with them about their life in Vietnam - from their families to their education to their views of the Vietnamese government - and learned a lot. You'll have plenty of hours to cruise around the bay without much to do but take in the scenery, you might as well chat and learn about the culture you're visiting!

As for booking a tour, I've heard time and time again to not go with the bare-bones absolute cheapest option. They're just not quite as safe or organized! We did a mid-range tour, which was not much more expensive, and were shocked by the luxury cabin and the well-organized nature of the tour. If you want more details on our trip, check out my full-details Ha Long Bay post!

The post Five Tips for Visiting Ha Long Bay, Vietnam is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Ten Essentials for Your First Kitchen

Mary — Wed, 14 May 2014 12:00:42 +0000

It's graduation season! I still feel like I just graduated from college yesterday, despite the fact I could have done it all again in the time since I've been out! I thought it might be fun (and hopefully helpful!) to do a quick post with my recommendations for a starter kitchen - or what you might need as you potentially furnish your first kitchen as an adult (this goes from getting the right kitchen equipment to getting something like these trendy dining tables sets). I lucked out when I graduated from college: my mom and grandmother moved in together around that time, meaning they had two of EVERYTHING (and ten of some things). I got a lot of hand-me-downs at the perfect time in my life! Not everyone will fall into such luck - and I know setting up a kitchen can be expensive. If you're struggling with money it might be a good idea to switch energy provider. My friend saved a bunch through energy comparison. Anyway here's a list of my top ten essentials when just starting out (in no particular order - I think you need all of these!).

Some of these are relatively inexpensive, and some are investments. If it's an investment, it's something I genuinely love and think is essential in your kitchen! I've tried to keep many of them "affordable" even though, if you can spare the money, I'm a firm believer in spending a bit more for higher quality and having your items last longer! {Full disclosure: these links are affiliate links, but I 100% support and love these products and wouldn't recommend them otherwise!}

Silicon Spatula
You really can't go wrong with a silicon spatula! I could dive deep into differing types, but for now I'll stick with a pretty Le Creuset Spatula that I love to use at home! I use this for sauces, pastas, spreading things, and (in a pinch) flipping things!
Wooden Spoon
A wooden spoon is absolutely essential for making soups and scraping flavor off the sides of pots! I didn't realize this until I started making so many soups, and then quickly deemed my wooden spoon my favorite kitchen utensil!
Cast iron frying pan
A cast iron frying pan will last you a lifetime - so if you can, buy a really good one. Treat it well! I use mine to make pancakes, sauces, fry fish, cook chicken, and pretty much everything else you can do in a frying or sauce pan!
Cuisinart Food Processor
OK, this is the one real splurge on this list, but I SWEAR IT IS THE BEST THING EVER! And it's actually only $99 right now! I use my food processor more than any appliance in the kitchen! You can use it as a blender or a mixer, grate cheese and veggies in a flash, chop veggies instantly, and do so much more! LIKE MAKE NUT BUTTERS! I actually make my pie dough in a food processor, and it takes about 45 seconds. It's ridiculously easy. If you ever have to grate a ton of cheese, the shredding attachment is your best friend (and time-saver).
Box grater
Not only is this essential if you eat a lot of cheese (like I do!), but also for grating ingredients like ginger (for everything!), carrots (carrot cake!), zucchini (zucchini fritters!), etc. I have this exact grater and absolutely love it. It's worth the few extra dollars for a sturdy one!
Good quality knife
You need to have at least one good knife, preferably a big one and a small one. Most people would recommend a chef's knife for the big knife - I'm personally more of a Santoku fan. I just find it easier to cut with - choose what you like! This is another area you can spend more to invest in a quality knife, but either way: make sure you keep it sharp!
Good quality saucepan with fitted lid
This is my favorite pot in my entire kitchen. I use it to bake bread, cook pasta, small batches of soup, sauces, caramel - it's by far the most-used pot I own. This one also comes with a lifetime warranty and a tight-fitting lid (essential for bread baking!).
Cutting board
This is a given, but can be easily overlooked! I love my wooden cutting boards, but if I had to only have ONE cutting board I'd choose plastic for sanitizing reasons. Plastic is much easier to clean and sanitize (for example, after you cut chicken and before you cut veggies), and doesn't require any upkeep.
8x8 pyrex baking dish
This is a multi purpose dish for baking brownies, cakes, casseroles, roasting small batches of veggies or nuts, etc. With a lid, it's so easy to cover and pop in the fridge for leftovers!
Large baking sheet
This isn't just for bakers! I use my baking sheets to keep things warm in the oven (like pancakes or fish) while I finish the rest of the batch, I roast vegetables, toast nuts (for nut butters!), let bread rise, etc. It's easy to get cheap baking sheets, but they're cheap for a reason: you'll have cookies with burnt bottoms and they'll become misshapen very quickly. Get a good one {make sure it will fit in your oven, too!}!

Honorable mentions: mixing bowls, stand mixer, immersion blender, whisk, locking tongs.

Alright! Once you have everything on this list - LET ME KNOW! I spent so much time trimming this list down, I could make you ten more! Happy cooking!

The post Ten Essentials for Your First Kitchen is from The Kitchen Paper. Click over to see it on The Kitchen Paper!

Resources Archives – The Kitchen Paper

Blogging Tips: 5 Seconds to a More Professional Blog

Want more helpful blogging tips posts? Check out some more!

Blogging Tips: How + Why to use {target="_blank"} for all links

What to Pack for a Blogging Conference {Like IFBC 2014!}

Business Cards

Smartphone or Tablet

A Means of Taking Notes

Comfortable Clothes and Shoes

Water Bottle

Blogging Tips: When To Buy a Premium Theme

Blogging Tips: How To Customize Your Facebook Page URL

Blogging Tips: Best Practices for Pictures in Posts

Re-Size Your Pictures BEFORE you upload them!

Don't Link to the Media File!

Be Consistent with Sizing!

Be Consistent with White Balance!

Label Your Pictures Correctly!

Pinterest for Food Bloggers: NOW Available for Download!

What's in this eBook?

Pinterest for Food Bloggers eBook Pre-Launch

Five Tips for Visiting Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Spend at least two nights on the bay

Go to Cat Ba Island

Know the safety information about your boat

Climb something

Talk to your guides

Ten Essentials for Your First Kitchen