From Scratch Kitchen
Cook from basic ingredients, put sturdy old-fashioned cookware to work, make pantry staples and turn what you already have into meals worth sitting down to eat.
I do not believe a from scratch kitchen means you have to make every single ingredient yourself or spend the entire day standing over the stove. For me, it is about knowing how to cook with basic ingredients, having dependable recipes and equipment, and being able to make dinner from what is already in the pantry, freezer, garden or barn. Some days that means homemade noodles or cheese. Other days it means knowing exactly how to turn yesterday's roast into tonight's supper.
Make It
Learn breads, noodles, broths, mixes, seasonings, dairy foods and everyday basics that are useful to know how to make yourself.
Explore from scratch cooking →Cook It In Cast Iron
Skillets, Dutch ovens and cast iron roasting pans belong in a working homestead kitchen. Use them for everyday meals, baking, one-pot dinners and more.
Go to cast iron cooking →Stretch It
Make ingredients, leftovers and one cooked meal work harder without feeling like you are eating the exact same dinner for three days.
Explore The Stretch-It Kitchen →The Kitchen Is Where Self-Sufficiency Becomes Everyday Life
Growing vegetables, raising chickens and dairy goats, preserving the harvest and keeping a stocked pantry only get you so far. Eventually somebody has to turn all of that food into breakfast, lunch and dinner.
That is where kitchen skills stop being a hobby and become part of everyday self-sufficiency. Knowing how to turn what you have on hand into a good meal matters just as much as growing or preserving it. Some days that means cooking with fresh ingredients from the garden. Other days it means reaching into the pantry or freezer and making the most of what you put away.
Cast Iron Cooking
Cast iron deserves a big place in my from scratch kitchen because it is useful, durable and incredibly versatile. A good skillet or Dutch oven can move from stovetop to oven, handle everything from meat and vegetables to breads and desserts, and keep doing its job for generations when it is cared for properly. I use cast iron for ordinary family meals, not just for nostalgic recipes or special occasions.
Start With Cast Iron
If you are deciding what pieces are useful and what to look for, start with my cast iron cookware guide.
Explore cast iron cookware →Cast Iron Skillet Recipes
Put the skillet to work with practical recipes instead of letting it sit in the cabinet waiting for the perfect occasion. This is also where old-fashioned favorites like fried chicken belong.
Browse cast iron skillet recipes →Get my cast iron fried chicken tips →
Dutch Oven Meals
Roasts and one-pot dinners are exactly the kind of hearty, useful cooking a Dutch oven does well.
Make Dutch oven London broil →Skillet Baking
Cast iron is not limited to savory meals. It is equally at home with cinnamon rolls, cakes and other baked treats.
Try cast iron cinnamon rolls →Cook A Steak
A hot cast iron skillet is one of my favorite ways to put a good sear on meat while keeping the cooking process simple.
Make a cast iron ribeye meal →Roasting In Cast Iron
Large cast iron pieces earn their storage space too, especially when you are cooking for holidays or feeding a crowd.
See my cast iron turkey breast →Wood Stove Cooking
Cast iron and a working wood stove give the kitchen another way to cook when I want to use the heat already being produced or when conventional cooking is not the best option.
Learn about cooking on a wood stove →Bake dinner rolls in a wood stove →
Campfire & Outdoor Cooking
Cast iron is just as useful outside the kitchen. Dutch ovens and skillets make hearty meals, roasts and desserts possible over an outdoor fire.
Explore campfire meal ideas →Make Dutch oven apple crisp →
Dutch Oven Favorites
A Dutch oven can handle far more than one-pot supper. Use it for roasts, ribs, bread and other practical from-scratch cooking.
See what you can cook in a Dutch oven →Bake Dutch oven bread →
BBQ & Grilling
Outdoor cooking is part of the scratch-kitchen rhythm too, from homemade sauces and garden vegetables to meat cooked on the grill and cast iron used outdoors.
Make homemade BBQ sauce →Cook with fresh herbs on the grill →
Make Dutch oven glazed ham on the grill →
Breads & Baking
Homemade breads and doughs turn basic pantry ingredients into food that can anchor a meal, fill the freezer and save a trip to the store.
Start with homemade bread →Browse Breads & Rolls →
Noodles, Dumplings & Doughs
Flour, eggs and a little know-how can become noodles, dumplings and other filling foods that are worth knowing how to make.
Learn about homemade noodles →Pantry Staples & Flavor
Some of the easiest things to make at home are the ingredients you reach for repeatedly, including extracts, seasonings and mixes.
Make homemade vanilla extract →Browse From-Scratch Ingredients →
Homestead Dairy
Fresh goat milk gives me the ability to make butter, cottage cheese, cheese curds and other dairy foods instead of automatically buying them.
Explore goat milk in the kitchen →Browse Homemade Dairy & Cheese →
Desserts & Comfort Food
Being practical does not mean taking all the pleasure out of food. Pies, cakes and comfort foods absolutely belong in a from scratch kitchen.
Explore homemade pies and desserts →Browse Desserts & Sweets →
Everyday Meals
The real test of a scratch kitchen is Tuesday night dinner. These are the meals that make practical skills useful week after week.
Browse everyday meals →Browse Main Dishes →
The Stretch-It Kitchen
I do not like wasting food, and I also do not want to eat the same plate of leftovers night after night. The Stretch-It Kitchen is how I deliberately make one meal become the beginning of another. A roast can become a completely different dinner, broth can become the base for another meal, and ingredients that might otherwise be forgotten in the refrigerator get used while they are still good.
Read how I stretch one meal into the next →
Explore the Stretch-It Kitchen workbook
Prefer a printed book? See The Stretch-It Kitchen on Amazon →
Preserved Foods & Pantry
Canned, frozen, dehydrated and stored foods should become ingredients in everyday meals, not jars and packages that simply collect dust.
Visit Food Preservation & Pantry →Goats & Homestead Dairy
When you are milking your own goats, the kitchen becomes the place where all that work pays off in butter, cheese, desserts and everyday cooking.
Explore goat milk and dairy →Eggs & Poultry
Fresh eggs and poultry belong in the kitchen as much as they belong in the barnyard. Use eggs when the hens are laying heavily, roast a whole chicken or turkey, and turn cooked poultry into another meal instead of wasting it.
Start with a Dutch oven whole chicken →Make chicken pot pie →
Roast a cast iron turkey breast →
Use fresh eggs for deviled eggs →
Preserve extra eggs for later →
A Working Kitchen, Not A Perfect One
My kitchen has never been about proving that I can make every single thing from scratch. It is about having options. If I can make bread instead of running to the store, turn fresh goat milk into cheese, pull preserved food from the pantry, cook supper in a cast iron skillet or turn yesterday's meal into something completely different tonight, those skills give me choices. That is the kind of from scratch cooking I care about, and this page is where I am bringing those skills together.
Kitchen Equipment Reviews & Practical Tools
Browse all Kitchen Tools & Reviews →
More equipment reviews: Amir Digital Kitchen Scale for weighing ingredients, Salt and Pepper Grinder Review for seasoning, and Kneading Dough Bag for bread preparation. These are older product reviews, so check current availability before shopping.
For food delivery and cooking techniques, also explore Schwan's Home Service Delivers Ice Cream and More, an older delivery-service review, and Baking Vegetables in Salt, which combines a cooking method with a tutorial review. Availability and third-party services may have changed since publication.
Choosing the right kitchen equipment is part of making from-scratch cooking manageable. These published reviews cover tools for preparing dough, serving food, grilling, and everyday kitchen work. Some products or promotions may have changed since the original reviews were published.
- Do Home Bakers Need a Chef Coat? My Long-Term Review - Clothing for messy kitchen projects.
- Grill Mats for Easier Cleanup and Outdoor Cooking - A closer look at grilling accessories.
- BBQ Basting Brushes: A Review After Years of Use - Tools for sauces and grilling.
- Ripple-Cut Cheese Slicer - A kitchen tool for snacks and serving.
- Pizza Dough Docker Uses - A tool for preparing pizza crust.
- A Homesteader's Review of a Pink Chef Knife - Everyday food-preparation equipment.
- Professional Pastry Scraper - A practical tool for handling dough.
- Love Cooking Company Makes Baking Simple - An older baking-product review.
Kitchen Tip: A tool is worth keeping when it solves a problem you actually have. Consider cleanup, storage and how often you will use it before adding another gadget to your kitchen.
Related Resources in the Shop
Keep learning with these practical resources from the Experimental Homesteader Shop.