Where the magic happens!

Caveman Keto’s Kitchen

Looking for holiday gifts for the ketoer in your life? Just starting keto and want to outfit your kitchen with all the essentials? Look no further! I’ve compiled a list of all of the essential (and extravagant) keto gear required to cook the perfect keto meal! If you don’t already have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30 day trial.

Also, please don’t drink and drive this holiday season. Whether you’re coming home from a holiday party or dinner with the missus, you should check out Uber. I used to always use cabs to get around but I was tired of the complete lack of service, technology and spotty availability. Now I use Uber to get around. Use the link above and your first ride is free!

Click any of the links below to visit a specific section:

Stocking Stuffers:

Chicago Metallic Muffin Top Pan
Ahh, the muffin top pan. It took me weeks to find this beloved device but after I had it in my grasps, the most amazing thing happened, I created the Holy Grail Almond Buns! This is far and away the most popular recipe on the website. The curved yet right angled slop and flat bottom of this pan create the perfect keto bun.
Wilton Whoopie Pie Pan
Not to be out done, the Whoopie Pie Pan is the bastard cousin of the muffin top pan. Instead of 6 buns, it packs 12 into the same space. The edges are more round than the muffin top pan and so it creates a smaller, more cookie like shape. Its good for making tapas sized buns or for holding together keto cookies.
Bacon Press
The Bacon Press is mandatory for anyone calling themselves a keto cook. Its such a simple but useful tool. You place it on top of your bacon to hold it down. That is it. But it yields perfectly flat bacon and is the only way to get a perfect bacon weave!
Microwave Splatter Cover
The Microwave Splatter Cover is an interesting one. I don’t think much of the population even knows they exist. If you’re parents had one in the 80’s then you’ve seen it but chances are its a foreign invention. All it does is contain the splatter from your creations. If you follow the 5day montra of keto cooking, you’ll be microwaving 10 things a week at minimum! This saves a lot of cleanup time (and you’re coworkers will thank you)!
Splatter Shield
This is the same concept as the microwave cover but for your pans on the stove. Bacon grease splatters. A lot. Like an insane amount! Every time you make a dish like Blackened Pork Chops you’re going to get grease all over the stove, all over the floor, and all over the walls. Avoid that and get a splatter shield.
RSVP Stoneware Grease Keeper
Never throw away bacon fat. Ever! This thing is the coolest invention. It’s a little ceramic container that has a built-in filter that stores your bacon grease. You simply pour the grease into it when you’re done frying some bacon and its ready to spoon back into the pan next time you’re frying some veggies!
Egg Ring Molds
There is something calming about perfectly round eggs. I use these on the weekends to craft the perfect breakfast. They are almost the identical size as almond buns and I even use it as a template to make my cheese circular.
Vidalia Chop Wizard
The Vidalia Chop Wizard allows you to cut a lot of veggies fast and consistently. I use it for Caveman Chili so that all of the pieces of onion and pepper are identically sized. Perfect for anyone OCD in your family.
OXO Fish Spatula
This is hands down, my favorite spatula. I don’t even let it go in the dishwasher for fear I’ll need to use it during the hour wash cycle. Its that amazing. The longevity and flexibility allows you to get under bacon weaves or complex egg structures with ease.
Ove Glove
Made from advanced space materials, this hot mat gives you the flexibility to handle any situation with ease. Don’t get burned, get ove gloved!
Cooking Twine
Useful for tieing up various parts of poultry like the legs on a roasted duck. If you ever debone your poultry like in my Turducken recipe you’ll have to use twine to hold it all together. Also helpful for holding stuffed meats like this flank steak!
Stainless Steel Prep Bowls
These little guys are perfect for pre-portioning ingredients. I use them for holding spices or in a dish where I incrementally add ingredients as I go. You can pre-chop some onions or peppers and store them for later. I even use them to store parts of a lunch I don’t want microwave like in my taco recipe!

Scrap Trap
This handy little invention attaches to a drawer in your kitchen and allows you to scrap the crumbs and extras off of your cutting board. Its a huge time saver to have a little trash bin right by your side while cooking. Dishwasher safe!
Sur La Table Grater / Shaker
This little guy is super convenient to grate hard cheeses like Parmesan and bring to the table to serve. It’s less messy than a rotary cheese grater and it even has measurement marks on it!
Metal Skewers
Metal skewers are a great addition to any BBQ set. They’re perfect for skewering some shrimp or making some kabobs. They can even be used in a deep fryer to make a super appetizers!
ThermoWorks TimeStick
This is the last timer you’ll ever have to buy. Its waterproof, tactile, counts up and down, and its magnetic! It even keeps counting up after it beeps so you know the exact cooking time.
Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat
These mats are great for working with sticky materials and for quick cleanup. Basically a reusable parchment paper that protects your regular baking sheets! Used in recipes such as eggs in a cloud.
Cheese Slicer
This kitchen accessory is perfect for anyone who entertains! It can quickly cube medium to hard cheese in a flash. Much easier than getting out a knife and yields consistent sized cubes.
Potato Smasher
Even though potatoes are a no-no on the keto diet, it doesn’t mean this common kitchen accessory is worthless. Use it to smash cauliflower or to rough shop any sort of veggies. Often the veggies used in keto have a high water content so smashing by hand yields much more consistent, less watery faux potatoes!
Bacon Bowl
Ok, so I honestly never though I’d buy one these. I even made my own bacon bowls before they were cool. But, this was on sale and I made an impulse buy. Pretty convenient if you want a bacon-y bowl for your eggs!
Swivel Peeler
Back in the day I used to be quite the potato peeler. Of course those days are long gone but there are plenty of turnips, Kohlrabis, and Radishes that need peeling! I’ve used many different models and this one is by far the fastest and least knuckle busting.
Cheese Knife Set
Whether your spreading a Brie, slicing a Cheddar or crumbling a Feta this knife set will fit the bill. The stainless steel has a nice heft to it and the blades are super sharp!
Grill Tool Set
This 4-piece stainless steel barbecue tool set includes everything you need for your cookout. The set includes a set of locking tongs, a long handle slotted spatula, a great dual-sided, dual-head cleaning brush, and barbecue fork!
Metal Spoon Straws
You know those straws they always had for slurpies at 7-11? Relive your childhood with these metal, washable equivalents. Adds extra flair to drinks and adds a practical touch for Low Carb Smoothies!!

Kitchen Essentials:

Cuisinart PSC-650 6-1/2-Quart Crockpot
Useful for set it and a forget it meals where you place all the items into the crockpot and let it rip! Most crockpots use a ceramic, dishwasher safe bowl that’s heated from the outside to a low temperature which allows the ingredients to simmer for hours.
Lodge 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet
The only pan you really need. Once properly seasoned, this pan can cook anything you can imagine! Lasts forever and never wears out.
4.8 Quart Casserole Dish
Great for cooking those gigantic, week long casseroles! I call them 5day meals on the website. Normal casserole dishes are 10×13 but this one is gigantic and can easily be divided into ten portions.
Tovolo 7.5 Quart Mixing Bowl
Most of my large 5day recipes and casseroles are all mixed together before being baked. You really need a giant bowl to hold all the ingredients and this one fits the bill!
Glasslock 30 Oz. Lunch Containers
The easiest way to conquer keto is to premake your lunches. I used to use Ikea 365+ containers but they started to leak after a while. These glasslock containers are by far the nicest I’ve ever seen.
OXO Kitchen Scale
To really count calories on keto a good scale is essential. This one is the best. Period. It measures down to 0.1g, can handle up to 11 lbs and has a pull out display so you can put large items on it! Check out my MFP guide for more info on tracking calories.
Victorinox Fibrox 8″ Chef’s Knife
You really only need one good knife. This one is it. America’s Test Kitchen rated it the number one budget knife!
Large 8 Quart Stockpot
In addition to a cast iron skillet, you’ve really got to have a stockpot. Useful for cooking stovetop chilis or just cooking up some meat, its a great addition to any kitchen.

Non-slip Cutting Board
Let’s face it, keto involves a lot of prep. You’ve got to slice all those vegetables, cut up all that meat and not just any old board will do. Make sure to grab yourself a nice non-slip one for the kitchen!
Calphalon Roaster Pan
Perfect for roasting a turkey, chicken, duck or all three together! It can also be used for holding large cuts of meat off of the bottom of the pan for more even cooking.

GlassLock 17 Oz. Square Food Container
These are my new favorite food storage container! They are good for the refrigerator, microwave and freezer. Additionally, the gasket makes it so they never leak and the lids are super secure.
Calphalon Square Griddle
This low sided non stick pan is perfect for cooking any dish that needs to be flipped. I almost always use cast iron but sometimes you actually need a nonstick pan for things like pancakes or omelettes and this pan fits the bill perfectly.

Silicon Baking Cups
These non-stick, no mess silicon baking cups are the perfect replacement to a traditional muffin tin. They don’t wear out like a non stick pan and make cleanup a cinch! Also, use as many or as few as you want!
Nordic Ware Commercial Half Sheet
This is by far the best baking sheet made. If you’re anything like me, you had no idea your baking sheets were crap. Ever had a baking sheet deform in the oven? Pop? Twist? These won’t do any of that! Super easy to clean and they have a hefty, commercial feel to them!
12-pack of Ball Mason Jars (16 Oz)
Ball jars are the grandmother equivalent to the modern glass storage containers. However, it turns out they’re still pretty useful! You can pack a salad for lunch, store some soup and even use them as cute and practical serving glasses for Low Carb Smoothies!!
12 pk Ball 4 Oz. Mason Jars
These ball jars are the perfect size for cooking up a breakfast muffin or storing a keto dessert! Why use plastic storage containers when you can get these dishwasher safe, reusable glass ones instead!

Caveman Keto’s Appliances:

Cuisinart 9-Cup Food Processor
I first got this food processor as a wedding gift and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Well, let me tell you, its been a godsend on keto! I shred cheese, slice brussels sprouts, and rice cauliflower like a boss!
KitchenAid 4.5 Quart Stand Mixer
The KitchenAid mixer is a classic in any kitchen. Even though baking is tough on keto, there are still plenty of uses for this thing. You can bake some cheesecake, grind some meat, and even make ice cream!
Black and Decker Convection Oven
My convection oven is my best friend. Whenever I am making a dinner for just one or two I always use this over my full sized oven. Meals like Lazy Keto Chicken were designed for this thing, the hot air cooks stuff super fast and uses less energy.
Cuisinart Immersion Blender
The Immersion Blender is another one of those items I thought would be completely worthless when I first got it. I knew you could make soups with it but I never imagined that you could whip up a chocolate mousse or even use its mini food processor to make homemade dressing!
Mandoline
Mandolines, they’re for slicing stuff thin in a hurry. This is one of the newer additions to the CMK kitchen and I plan on trying a lot of new stuff on it. So far I’ve just make some Goat Cheese Wraps by slicing some Zucchini super thing!
Weber Spirit E320 Grill
Sure, you can cook just about anything in a cast iron pan, but sometimes you just want those seared grill marks on your meat. A grill is the perfect addition to any keto kitchen.
KitchenAid Food Grinder Attachment
KitchenAid mixers all have an accessory port on the front of the unit and this attachment allows you to grind all sorts of food! You can make your own hamburger meat mixes or even grind some meat!
Vitamix Pro 750
This is the crème de la crème of blenders. I know what you’re thinking, why would I possibly need this? What could I make? Wonder no more! Check out all the Vitamix Recipes where you can make low carb smoothies, soups, nut butters, keto desserts and more!

Stunt Cooking Accessories:

DeLonghi Deep Fryer
If you follow the blog, you know that I’ve gotten a little obsessed lately with my Deep Fryer to the point where I post a weekly Fry-day article. I had one of these in college and it always made me feel guilty using it. I feel so liberated that there are all sorts of keto friendly fried foods like nuggets, wings and brussels sprouts!
Anova Sous Vide Cooker
Sous Vide was one of my first forays into extreme stunt cooking. I made my own DIY Sous Vide machine but you can skip all that trouble and just pick up a commercial model. The prices have dropped dramatically and its insane how nice cuts like prime rib cooked for 10 hours come out!
ISI Mini Whip
This little bad boy is another one of my more extreme purchases. I analyzed how much whipped cream I was buying and figured there had to be a better, healthier way. By controlling what you put into the whipped cream, you get a much healthier result. Oh, and you can make Vodka infused whipped cream and Keto Egg Nog as well 🙂
Thermapen
This probably shouldn’t be the first thing you buy for your keto kitchen, but eventually, you’ll end up buying this thermapen. It seams ridiculous to blow $80+ on a temperature probe but once you go through 5 other cheap ones, or burn your hand waiting for the temperature to stabilize, you’ll wish you just picked one of these up. Its way faster and more accurate at reading temperature and I now almost exclusively cook meat to a done temperature rather than a specific time.
FoodSaver V3835 Vacuum Food Sealer
A Vacuum Sealer is more like an enabling technology in the CMK kitchen. Its necessary for a Sous Vide setup but once you get one you’ll find yourself resealing half eaten bags of pork rinds, or buying bulk meats at BJs and freezing them in perfectly sealed, pre-portioned bags.
Bayou Classic 30-QuartTurkey Fryer
Of course I had to include the turkey fryer. If you’ve never made Fried Turkey, you’re missing out on life. Every time I’ve made one, people rave about how it is literally the best turkey they’ve ever had. That, and it reduces the cooking time of turkey from an entire day affair to a 45 minute session …
Zoku Popsicle Maker
This crazy kitchen tool makes near instant popsicles! Combine Heavy Cream, Coconut Milk and sugar free flavored syrup to make the perfect keto dessert. It can even be reused with out freezing to make up to 6 popsicles!
Wusthof 6-inch Boning Knife
A narrow yet flexible blade that is well suited for boning poultry. Useful in case you want to whip up a turducken or debone a chicken! Also good for anytime you need to remove skin or need delicate knife work. Very sharp!
Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Slicer
Much like a mandoline, this device makes spaghetti out of any vegetable such as zucchini or squash. I haven’t personally tried it yet but they’re all the rage on reddit! Way less chance of slicing your fingers off than with a mandoline as well 🙂
Melon Baller
Even though fruit is mostly out on the keto diet, it doesn’t mean we can’t use a melon baller! These little guys are great for quickly removing the meat out of veggies or fruit and can even create decorative spheres of veggies for salads.
Wusthof Tomato Knife
If you’ve been cutting your tomatoes with a regular knife, you’ve been doing it wrong! This baby has super sharp surrated blades that slice up a tomato with ease. An added bonus is the two pronged spears on the end of the knife for picking up the slices when you’re done!
Juicer
Although not a super useful item for keto, if you ever need fresh lemon or lime juice, this is the device for you! Super fast fresh juice for keto margaritas!!
Boston Shaker
The Boston Shaker is the premier mixer for cocktails. It consists of a glass that fits into a metal container with a solid seal. Good for Keto margaritas, fizzes or flips!
Stainless Steel Smoker Box
Add that extra wood smoked kick to your BBQ without investing in a dedicated smoker! Just add some wood, sit it over the burner on the grill and you’re smoking!!
Variety of Smoker Wood Chips
Grab this variety pack of smoker wood chips to experiment with adding smoke to your grilling experience. Perfect for Pork, Beef and Chicken!!

 

Hard to Find Keto Foodstuffs:

EZ-Sweetz
EZ-Sweetz is liquid sucralose. In case you weren’t aware, powdered splenda contains carbs as binding agents to get it to look and act like sugar. If you’re making something like a chocolate mousse or a Low Carb Cheesecake, this stuff is perfect. I’ve never seen it in a store before so I stock up on it online. You can get liquid stevia or truvia at somewhere like Whole Paycheck but I like this stuff better.
Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour
Almond flour is the go to flour on keto. Its the base for stuff like almond buns and I use it as a filler anytime I want a flour substitute. I’d check your local grocery store first, but if you can’t find it locally, buy it online. By me, it varies between $8-$12 per lb.
Torani Sugar Free Syrup
Sugar Free Syrups are great if you want to create a special keto cocktail or spice up your coffee. Since these things are so specific, they are rarely found in stores and have to be bought online.
Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce
One of the lowest carb pasta sauces. Works well with any of the faux pasta sauces or for use in a keto pizza!
Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is a nice alternative to almond flour. It is a finer grind than almond flour and absorbs more liquid than almond flour. It does have a more distinctive taste but is a good flour alternative to have around the kitchen.
Quest Bars
Seriously, where have these things been all my life? They are insanely good! I’m sure there is some down side but they are so much better than Atkins bars. The cookie flavor is my favorite and its awesome for travel since they get even better when warm.
McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
I don’t know why but I’ve always loved this steak seasoning. It has the right amount of kick and has a touch of cajun without being too spicy. I wouldn’t spice up a Wagu with this stuff but perfect for a quick fix on some standard meat.
Sunflower Seed Butter
A great alternative to peanut butter, especially for people that are allergic to peanuts. This stuff is crazy good and less carbs than peanut butter as well!
Carbquik Baking Mix
Not sure I 100% believe this product, but it claims to be independently tested for accurate low carb numbers. It performs almost exactly like Bisquick and is the only low carb baking mix I’ve ever come across. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Vermont Sugar-free Maple Syrup
Low carb sugar free maple syrup, perfect for use on low carb pancakes or anywhere you’d use a traditional maple syrup.
FlavorGod Seasoning Pack
Most seasonings are full of extra fillers and sugar. Not FlavorGod! they guy created a boutique line of seasonings attempting to get rid of the bull and deliver the best mixes possible.

Useful Amazon Finds for Keto:

Keto Strips
Keto strips provide a fast, convenient way of testing urine for the presence of ketones. These are super useful in the beginning of your keto journey to see if you have entered ketosis.
Cone Filters, 50 Pack
To keep your frying oil clean, you really need to filter it on a regular basis. Fryers will come with one or two filters in the kit but they run out fast. This 50 pack will keep you going for well over a year
Filter Stand
Use this stand in conjunction with standard cone filters to easily filter your oil. This system is in place of the filtering method that comes with your fryer.
24 Ounce Wide Mouth Mason Jars
These versatile jars are great for storing rendered lard or anything for that matter. If you need to take a soup to work they can hold up to heat, cold and the microwave! They’re even becoming a fashionable drinking glass.

Food Photography:

Nikon D7100 DSLR
Photography is mainly about the photographer and not the camera, but a good camera always helps! I actually started this blog taking pictures with a tablet. I cringe when I look at some of the old posts. My wife got me this camera for my birthday a year or so ago and I haven’t looked back!
Nikon 40 mm Macro Lens
To get close, I mean really close, you’ve got to get a macro lens. Oh, that and some sweet sweet bokeh! When I first started shooting I was always confused on why I had to stand so far away from the food I was shooting. It turns out the minimum focus length of the kit lens is 1.5 feet! With a macro you can practically shove the camera in the food!
MeFoto Travel Tripod
There is really no way to take video without a tripod. This one is super strong and very flexible. It holds up to a decent weight camera and works well for either videos or photos. It even converts to a monopod!
Cowboy Studio Lighting Kit
Unless your kitchen is in SoCal and filled with large windows, its going to be dark. Up in Boston its often cloudy and I often finish dinner late into the night. Light up your kitchen with this lighting kit and get great pictures every time!
White Balance Card
Use this set of cards to get perfect white balance for any lighting situation! No more washed out photos or icky food shots!!
Am I missing anything? Leave a comment with you’re favorite Keto Kitchen Accessories!

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