13 Dollar Tree Essentials You Want For Your Dorm Kitchen

Shopping for a tiny dorm kitchen is a serious balancing act: You don't want to be too stingy and go without essential items, but you also need to avoid unnecessary purchases that take up precious space and money. To stock your small kitchen on a student's budget and keep it clutter-free, Dollar Tree can save your semester.

You can grab so many must-have kitchen supplies from Dollar Tree, including items to help you save space, from stackable containers to door hooks for vertical storage. The discount chain also sells cooking utensils for the aspiring dorm chef, helping you pull off upgraded instant ramen masterpieces. Of course, these items are also as cheap as they come, so maybe you can save enough bucks to graduate to easy recipes for 1-pot meals.

Below, we'll cover some excellent finds to suit any dorm kitchen. From teeny corner nooks with only a microwave to slightly roomier spaces that might even have a pantry, you'll definitely want to make Dollar Tree your first stop before resorting to pricier kitchen supply stores.

Using a mismatched array of containers is a huge mistake for a small dorm kitchen, as they likely won't stack neatly and will make your space look disorganized. The Surefresh Containers with Lids from Dollar Tree, which cost just $1.50 for a three-count set, are a way better choice. The differently-sized containers fit inside of each other to save space, and the lids seal tightly to keep your leftovers fresh.

Making use of vertical space is the kitchen organization hack that saves you so much room. Dollar Tree's Over the Door 6-Hook Hanger lets you hang up small pans, cooking utensils, aprons, oven mitts, and even coffee mugs on any door in your kitchen, so you can use your counter, shelf, and cabinet space for items that have to lay flat. Each hanger costs only $1.25.

If you want a blender, hand mixer, or another kitchen appliance in your dorm, we're not judging — just make sure to use the affordable solution for organizing small appliances. Cheap, lightweight bins like these $1.50 Dollar Tree Essentials Plastic Baskets can sort all your kitchen accessories and nip clutter right in the bud. These models also have handles that make them easy to grab.

Just like with plastic containers, the jars you use to store dry goods in your dorm should be stackable and not too large. Dollar Tree offers the perfect glass jars with stainless steel lids for just $1.50 a pop. The flat tops make for neat, no-fuss storage of cereal, rice, coffee beans, spices, and other essential items that will take your meals to the next level.

Why stock multiple measuring cups of various sizes when you could use a single large one that covers your needs? This 4-cup capacity clear plastic measuring cup is a savvy college cook's best friend and costs only $1.25. It displays imperial cups and flow ounces on one side and metric liters and milliliters on the other, making it effortless to use with any recipe.

There's a clever reason to keep a shoe organizer inside your pantry door: It turns the vertical surface into a whole new storage space. Dollar Tree offers Closet Essentials 8 Pocket Shoe Organizers for $1.25 each. Hang them on any door near your kitchen and stuff the pockets with snacks, canned goods, condiment bottles, small utensils, and other little items that tend to get lost.

Cheap and tasty pastas like mac and cheese or spaghetti with red sauce are perfect college meals, but they can't be pulled off without a colander. Dollar Tree sells a roomy 4-quart Colander with Handle for just $1.25, so you can drain noodles and rice or wash fruits and veggies fast enough to make lunch before class.

Unless you're in culinary school, these Cooking Concepts Silicone Kitchen Tools should get the job done for any dish you whip up in your dorm. Choose from spatulas, tongs, stirring spoons, whisks, and ladles in various colors, all at $1.25 each. The smaller size of these utensils makes them easy to store, and they won't scratch up the pans you spent your hard-earned money on.

Much like with food storage containers, using measuring cups and spoons that nest inside of each other saves you serious space. The $1.25 Cooking Concepts White Plastic Measuring Cup and Spoon Set from Dollar Tree covers amounts from 1 cup all the way down to ¼ teaspoon. The plastic ring organizer keeps your drawer clutter-free and prevents you from losing the tinier spoons.

Giant cutting boards won't do any good for kitchens with limited counter space. The Cooking Concepts White Cutting Boards with Grips are the perfect size at 8.5 inches wide and 11 inches long. With an unbeatable price of $1.25 each, you can grab a few to accommodate all your slicing-and-dicing needs and still have enough left over to buy a decent chef's knife.

A dedicated dorm room baker needs a cake tin or two, but many pans are surprisingly expensive. Luckily, Dollar Tree's Cooking Concepts 8-inch Round Tin Cake Pans will cover everything from bake sales to surprise birthday parties. With a price of $1.25, you can easily buy multiple tins to bake double- or triple-layer creations.

Managing to bake the perfect cake or lasagna in your dorm will be for naught if you can't safely remove it from the oven. Don't gamble on a kitchen rag — grab a set of Home Collection Quilted Oven Mitts & Pot Holders. At $1.50 per mitt or a 2-pack of pot holders, these neat finds will protect your hands from hot baking dishes and pan handles alike.

A veggie peeler may seem like an unnecessary one-use tool, but try peeling carrots or potatoes with a knife while exhausted from class, and you'll wish you had this gadget after all (and perhaps a bandage for your cut thumb). Dollar Tree offers a $1.25 McCormick Vegetable Peeler that barely takes up any space and makes quick work of your favorite fruit and veg.