Kitchen Confidence: Your AIP Kitchen Starter Kit (Small Bite) | Episode 66

Below is the full transcript of Episode 66 of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast.
This transcript is provided for accessibility and reference.

Title: Kitchen Confidence: Your AIP Kitchen Starter Kit | Small Bite (Ep 066)

Mickey: Over the years, I’ve taught AIP cooking classes and workshops all over the world, in community kitchens, conference centers, and in online classrooms. Over that time, one of the clearest patterns I’ve seen is that the way someone sets up their kitchen has a direct impact on how sustainable their time on AIP is.

When a pantry is organized, when the right cooking ingredients are on hand, when there’s a reliable pot for soup and a sharp knife for prep, people move through the transition and elimination phases with far more ease. And when those foundations are not in place, even the most motivated person can feel overwhelmed by simple tasks required to be successful.

I remember one student who told me she understood exactly what she was supposed to be eating. She had the food list all printed out, highlighted, but every day she felt frustrated because her knives were dull and her only pan was just too small to make leftovers. So with a little bit of maintenance, a larger pot, a few foundational ingredients, everything felt different for her.

And this might sound super practical or obvious, and it is, but it’s also one of the most meaningful predictors of success on AIP that I’ve seen. Your environment either supports your new habits or makes them harder than they need to be.

So today we’re going to walk through your AIP Kitchen Starter Kit. What’s important, what deserves your attention first, and how to set up your space in a way that supports you through transition, elimination, reintroduction, and then the long-term maintenance that comes after.

And I’ve said this before, kitchen confidence isn’t about culinary skill, it’s about preparation. And in the updated framework of the Autoimmune Protocol, preparation is foundational.

Welcome back to the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast. I’m your host, Mickey Trescott, and alongside those longer Deep Dive and Research Review conversations, I’m continuing this Small Bite series on Thursdays. Shorter, practical episodes designed to help you apply what you’re learning in real life. Today’s Kitchen Confidence episode is about building a kitchen setup that supports you through transition, elimination, reintroduction and beyond.

And before we get started, a quick reminder, this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.

Let’s get into it.

[00:02:28] Part 1: Clear Before You Add

Mickey: Before we talk about what to buy, before we talk about any specialty ingredients or upgrading tools, I want to begin somewhere much less exciting and much more important. We start by clearing and organizing. When people begin AIP, there’s often this understandable urge to take action quickly. I know this was me when I first read about the protocol, I just wanted to feel better.

And that action frequently looks like wanting to buy something new, maybe some new ingredients, a new appliance, a set of containers, maybe just completely replacing everything in your pantry. And we also have this cultural assumption that improvement requires acquisition. Working on ourselves means that we need to buy something, that doing better means buying better, but that mindset doesn’t serve most people very well when it comes to AIP.

What’s going to serve you well is clarity. So I just want to start here because most of you likely already have a functional kitchen. You probably already own pots, pans, utensils, and some cooking ingredients. You’ve invested time and money into building your space over the years, and rather than discarding that foundation and just starting over, the more sustainable approach is to assess what you have, organize it thoughtfully, and make a plan for using it well.

There’s also a cognitive reason for beginning this way. During the transition and the elimination phases, your mental bandwidth is already being asked to stretch. You’re going to be learning some new categories of food maybe you weren’t eating before, you’re going to be observing your symptoms. You might be managing fatigue, pain, family logistics, or work stress on top of all of that.

And so even positive change requires energy. So when your pantry is cluttered or visually dominated by foods that don’t align with the way that you’re trying to eat, every time you open that cabinet, your brain has to sort. That may seem minor, but the small act of filtering accumulates throughout the day.

And organization, in this context, isn’t just about making something that looks good. It’s actually about conserving that mental energy. So when your environment reflects your current goals, you’re going to be removing dozens of small decisions. You reduce that visual noise and you create a space where the next step is clear instead of needing you to make a decision.

Starting with clearing also creates an opportunity to inventory what you already have that actually works. You might discover you have some oils, spices, some frozen proteins, or some basic tools already in your kitchen that are going to work perfectly well. You might identify items that can simply be stored for later rather than discarded. I’m talking about that stand mixer that you may or may not have gotten on your wedding registry years ago. You definitely don’t need to be getting rid of those things, but that might not be serving you right now.

And you might actually realize that very little actually needs to be replaced. So this approach honors your resources, it respects the money that you have already spent, and it shifts the focus from accumulation to intention. So before adding anything new to your kitchen, begin by subtracting what’s not serving you In this phase, organizing what remains and creating clarity.

[00:05:49] Step 1: Remove the “Not-Right-Now” Foods

Mickey: The first place we’re going to start is your pantry. Open the pantry and look for the foods that clearly don’t fit where you are right now in your process with AIP. So if you’re preparing for elimination, or maybe you’re already in it, that might include things like breads, pastas, processed snack foods, packaged items with long ingredient lists, and baking mixes or flours you know you’re not going to be using during this phase.

Move through carefully and practically, identifying what doesn’t align with your current plan. So if that’s Modified AIP, or Core AIP, go back to those episodes or look at the resources in my AIP Foundation Series, autoimmune wellness.com/foundations for your free download. You’ll be able to see what is included and not included in that phase.

And I want to be careful here. This isn’t about labeling foods as good or bad. It’s about reducing your decision making fatigue. So again, when these items remain front and center, every time you open the cabinet, your brain has to reevaluate them.

When I originally went through elimination, this was chocolate. Even though I was not eating chocolate, every time I would open my pantry and see it there, I would be tempted and upset that I just couldn’t have a little square. Even if you ultimately decide not to eat that, that small act of filtering, that willpower that you have to use costs energy.

My recommendation is to box them up, maybe make a donation pile for items that are going to expire soon, or you think, this is just not going to be for me for a long time. When I first did this, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, so it was really obvious all of the products with gluten we’re going to be given away. And the goal is to remove the food you’re avoiding from your immediate line of sight. When you open your pantry and see only foods that support your current phase, your space begins to feel aligned instead of conflicting, and that alignment reduces friction before you even start cooking.

[00:07:51] Step 2: Box the “Maybe Later” Foods

Mickey: Next, you’re going to want to gather the foods that may not be part of your current phase, but you could return to them later. So depending on, again, whether you’re following that Core or Modified AIP lists, that might include nuts and seeds as well as any oils or spices derived from them. Nightshade family ingredients, coffee, chocolate, certain spices. Ghee, rice and legumes. And some of these foods might come back into your routines sooner than you think, especially if you’re using that Modified approach.

So we’re not going to get rid of these, especially since a lot of these things are very shelf stable. We’re going to simply relocate them, put them in a box, tape it closed if you need to, and store it somewhere mildly inconvenient, a closet, the garage, a high shelf. Out of sight doesn’t just reduce temptation, it reduces that nervous system tension that I was talking about. When you really know something is available. When the food you’re not eating isn’t visually present, or if it’s just a little bit harder to get to, your brain stops making that negotiation.

And for those of you who live with partners or family members who aren’t following AIP, I know this is a big segment of the community, this doesn’t mean that everyone in your household has to eat exactly the same way. What it does mean is that you’re going to want to set up some clear zones. If other foods need to stay in the house, designate a specific cabinet or a shelf for them. Keep your AIP staples separate and easily accessible, and you can even label shelves if you need to. Reduce that overlap as much as possible so that you’re not trying to just control everyone’s food. When you can open your section of the pantry and see only what supports you, decision making becomes simple and that simplicity is going to protect your energy.

[00:09:43] Part 2: The AIP Pantry — Simplified

Mickey: So part two, once you’ve cleared the space, the natural impulse is to fill it. And again, this is where I want you to slow down. You definitely do not need an exotic pantry to succeed on AIP, but what you do need are reliable basics that you’re actually going to use. Over the years I’ve seen people spend hundreds of dollars on specialty flours, alternative sweeteners, snack replacements, and baking ingredients before they’ve even cooked a single simple AIP meal. And this approach usually causes overwhelm and often a lot of waste. And I am just saying, I have definitely been here before.

Kitchen confidence comes from mastering a handful of foundational ingredients that make everyday meals easy. So before you start stocking up, here’s one practical guideline. Start small. It’s so easy to get excited and purchase large bags of specialty flours or multiple oils and spices only to realize that you just don’t reach for them that often. So let your habits determine your inventory. If you find yourself using a particular cooking fat daily, then it makes sense to buy a larger container next time. If a certain spice blend becomes a part of your weekly routine, then stocking more of it is practical.

AIP becomes more affordable when you focus on simple, repeatable meals instead of substitutions. So my recommendation here is to build that pantry slowly. Let it evolve with you as you discover how you like to cook for AIP, and what ingredients you truly love.

[00:11:13] Cooking Fats — Non-Negotiable

Mickey: The first category is cooking fats. And if there’s one thing you prioritize, let it be this. You need stable, reliable cooking fats. I like to have at least one solid cooking fat, these are firm at room temperature and very versatile for sauteing and roasting.

Coconut oil has been my mainstay for many years. It’s very dependable for medium heat cooking. And if you get it refined, it doesn’t have any coconutty flavor. And that being said, if coconut isn’t for you and you are on Modified AIP, you can also try ghee, which has a buttery flavor. Other solid fats like duck fat and tallow are options. And again, you don’t need to stock them all, but I think having one is handy.

And next, I like to have both olive oil and avocado oil. Olive oil is really great for low heat applications like dressings and avocado oil is great for medium to high heat cooking, and if you’ve never tried it because you don’t like the way that avocados taste, you might be surprised to find that it actually has a very mild flavor.

So with the exception of ghee, which can only be used for Modified AIP, all of these fats work across both Core and Modified protocols. So if you have them on hand, you can make a meal out of just about anything.

[00:12:32] Acids and Umami — The Flavor Backbone

Mickey: The next category is simple flavor builders, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, fish sauce, if you tolerate it well and don’t struggle with histamine sensitivity, which I know is a very small group of the AIP community. These ingredients don’t look exciting sitting on a shelf, but they really do transform food. A splash of acid brightens a dish instantly, a little bit of umami, which is what you get with coconut aminos and fish sauce, makes simple proteins and vegetables feel satisfying. And when your meals taste good, adherence becomes easier.

So if you want to go a little bit further here, stocking some other vinegars to mix in dressings like red or white wine vinegar, maybe a balsamic can be handy, but definitely not necessary.

[00:13:18] Proteins That Save the Day

Mickey: The next category is proteins, and this is one that a lot of people overlook. Shelf stable or ready to use proteins include things like canned salmon, tuna, sardines, oysters. I have a whole drawer in my pantry devoted to canned fish because they are such a problem solver and they are so nutrient dense.

This could also include jerky without additives that are not included on AIP. Gelatin or collagen for broths or simple desserts. And if you’re on Modified AIP, it also includes pea, rice, or hemp protein for making smoothies. Of all of those, pea is my personal favorite.

Now, these are not cheats. They’re great to have on hand for low capacity days. Having a protein that doesn’t require prep can be the difference between staying aligned with your elimination plan and defaulting to whatever’s easiest.

[00:14:11] Spices and Flavor Builders

Mickey: Next we’re going to talk about spices and flavor builders. Again, start simple. This is somewhere that I think a lot of people can go overboard and buy too many things.

There’s only a few dried herbs that I think really make sense in a regular rotation. Thyme, rosemary, oregano. Ground spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cinnamon. That’s it. A good sea salt, maybe even a couple types like a smoked salt, I love to use this in like an AIP chili or a stew or a finishing salt, but you don’t need to go crazy.

You just need a handful of reliable combinations that make vegetables and proteins feel interesting. Flavor is insurance against compliance. When food feels abundant and enjoyable, the process feels sustainable, but you definitely don’t need to go out and buy a million spices in order to succeed.

[00:15:02] What You Don’t Need to Prioritize

Mickey: Before you start building out a pantry full of specialty ingredients, I want to be really clear about something. Treats are not necessary to begin or be successful in elimination, so you do not need alternative flours, multiple sweeteners, snack replacements, or baking projects to successfully start or complete AIP.

Those foods can absolutely have a place. And for some people who really enjoy baking, it’s a hobby for them, or maybe they really want to have a little sweet treat after dinner or something. This can come in later in the process and they can be enjoyable and supportive, but they’re not foundational.

So if you’re in transition or you’re beginning elimination, your priority is building consistent, nourishing meals, not recreating familiar foods in AIP form. It’s completely understandable to want to soften the change by replacing bread with maybe an AIP bread or cookies with AIP cookies, the instinct makes a lot of sense. But the time that you’re going to take in actually making those recipes and the money that you’re going to spend in buying all of those ingredients to make really good renditions of those foods are going to add complexity, cost, and frustration at a time when you’re still learning the basics.

So start with meals, simple proteins, vegetables, cooking fats, flavor builders that make the foods more enjoyable. That’s your foundation. As you stock your pantry, ask yourself, does this ingredient help me build a simple meal? If the answer is no, it might not need to be a part of your starter kit yet. You can always expand later, but in the beginning, clarity and simplicity will serve you far better than variety and novelty.

[00:16:43] Part 3: Kitchen Tools — What You Actually Need

Mickey: Now that we’ve talked about what belongs in your pantry, let’s talk about your kitchen itself and specifically the tools that you are going to use. This is another area where it’s easy to assume you need to upgrade everything before you begin, and like I said in the opening, you don’t. Most people already have a functional kitchen, and if you’re working within financial limits, which most of us are, that’s also important. AIP doesn’t require you to replace your entire cookware collection.

So start by looking at what you already own. Open your drawers, check your cabinets, take inventory. Do you have a cutting board that feels stable? Do you have one knife that works reasonably well that maybe you could get sharpened? Do you have a nice pot that’s large enough to cook a batch of soup or stew? If the answer is yes, you’re already in great shape.

Over the years, I have written more than 500 AIP recipes, and the ones that I return to most often, and the ones that people report that they’re making over and over and over in their kitchens, rely on the most basic tools and the simplest ingredients. A solid pot, a dependable skillet, a sharp knife. That’s where consistency lives.

So what matters most isn’t having more tools or all the tools, it’s having a few basics that function well enough to make cooking straightforward. If something truly isn’t working, maybe you have a pan that everything sticks to, a knife that just can’t be sharpened anymore, then consider replacing that one item intentionally.

Thrift stores, secondhand marketplaces and community swaps can be excellent sources for quality pieces at lower cost, but avoid the assumption that a new appliance is just going to miraculously solve your consistency issue. The goal is a kitchen that works for you, not one that looks impressive. Practical, functional, sustainable, and within your budget. That’s what we’re going for here.

[00:18:36] The Essentials

Mickey: So with that said, let’s get into some more specifics. If you’re transitioning to a more real food, home-cooked way of eating, these are the tools that truly make a difference: a stable cutting board, one good chef’s knife that fits your hand and stays sharp. A large soup pot or Dutch oven, ideally six quarts or more for batch cooking. A heavy bottom skillet, like cast iron or stainless steel, at least one baking dish, a few mixing bowls, measuring cups if you plan to use recipes. And then basic utensils: a wooden spoon, tongs, a ladle, a spatula. And then some storage containers for leftovers. And that’s it. I hope you’re thinking I have most of those items.

Quality basics reduce resistance to cooking and that matters, especially during transition and elimination when you’re building those new habits.

[00:19:27] Advanced Tools — Helpful, Not Required

Mickey: Now that we’ve covered the basic tools, let’s talk about some advanced tools that can make AIP more convenient, but they’re definitely not prerequisites. If I were to recommend one upgrade for convenience, it would be the Instant Pot. It’s a pressure cooker, slow cooker combo that allows you to make bone broth, soups, shredded meats, and simple one pot meals with minimal hands on time. And for people managing fatigue, parenting full-time work or flares, that can be incredibly supportive. I will link my favorite Instant Pot in the show notes.

After that, I recommend choosing either a food processor or a high powered blender, but you definitely don’t need both. A food processor is helpful for chopping vegetables and making things like pate or really thick, blended sauces and purees. If you have arthritis or trouble chopping, you can use the shredder blade and throw a bunch of onions and garlic and root vegetables for like a soup or a stew. A high powered blender can also handle some thinner soups, smoothies, and thicker mixtures.

A freezer, if you have the space, is another powerful tool. It allows you to batch cook, buy meat in bulk, store broth, and protect your energy on low capacity days. And what all of these tools have in common is this: they help save your energy, and that is so important when you have an autoimmune disease and energy is of concern. AIP isn’t something that you only do when you’re feeling great. In fact, most of us come to it when we are not feeling our best. It needs to work when you’re tired, when you’re flaring, when life gets busy. And so tools that reduce that effort are tools that protect your consistency.

[00:21:06] Part 4: Set Up the Space

Mickey: So once you’ve cleared your pantry, stocked a few foundational ingredients, the next step isn’t buying something new, it’s maintaining what you already have. So before rearranging anything, take a few minutes to assess what you have. Does that knife need sharpening? Does the cutting board need to be cleaned and oiled? Does your Instant Pot need a new sealing ring or insert? Are your pans clean, dry, and ready to go?

Often cooking feels harder than it should be because something small isn’t functioning well. A dull knife makes prep exhausting. It’s my number one complaint if I ever stay at an Airbnb and they say that the kitchen is fully stocked and I open the drawer and the knife can’t cut anything, right? A warped pan that makes everything stick. A missing insert that makes you avoid an appliance entirely, you’re now storing this giant Instant Pot that you can’t use.

Maintenance is practical. It protects the investment that you’ve already made, and it can dramatically improve how your kitchen feels without requiring you to buy something new. So once your tools are in good working order, then arrange your kitchen so cooking is easier than not cooking.

Start with your counters, clear off anything that doesn’t directly support food prep: mail, paperwork, decorative items, appliances that you rarely use. Even reclaiming a small stretch of uninterrupted workspace can change how cooking feels. When you don’t have to move things out of the way before you begin, you’re more likely to start.

Next, create a simple prep zone. Keep your cutting board, knife, salt, and primary cooking fat within reach of each other. If you have to cross the kitchen multiple times just to chop vegetables, you’re going to add unnecessary friction. In your pantry, group items by function. Keep all those cooking fats together. Keep the flavor builders together and keep the quick proteins together. And those clear groupings reduce searching and reduce hesitation at the end of a long day. And when you’re about to go to the store, it’s really easy to look and see and put things on your list that you need to pick up.

So if you share your kitchen with others who aren’t following AIP, designate consistent shelves or containers for your food. And finally, make low energy cooking visible. If you batch cook, label your containers clearly. If you freeze broth, stack it accessibly. And if canned fish is part of your safety net, don’t bury it in the very back of the pantry.

[00:23:28] AIP Kitchen Tour Inspiration

Mickey: If you want to see how other people organize their kitchens on AIP, especially if you’re looking for inspiration or practical ideas, I encourage you to explore the AIP Kitchen Tour series over at Autoimmune Wellness.

In that series, we featured real kitchens from people all over the world– small apartments, shared family kitchens, minimalist setups, rural homes, urban spaces. Every layout looks a little different, and that’s the point. There isn’t one correct way to do AIP in terms of setting up your kitchen and what you’ll see instead are functional spaces, organized in ways that make sense for the people who use them.

You can find the full AIP Kitchen Tour Index at Autoimmune Wellness . I’ll link it in the show notes.

[00:24:10] Recap and Wrap-Up

Mickey: Today we talked about how the way you set up your kitchen has a direct impact on how sustainable AIP feels. When your pantry is clear, your tools are functional, and your most used ingredients are easy to access, cooking becomes more straightforward.

That practicality supports consistency, and consistency is what allows the protocol to work as intended. Preparation is a part of the framework, and I hope this episode has inspired you to set up your own kitchen.

If you’d like a deeper look at the updated AIP framework, including how preparation supports transition, elimination, reintroduction, and long-term maintenance, I cover all of that in my forthcoming book, The New Autoimmune Protocol. Pre-orders are open now, and the book brings together the updated guidance and practical tools so that you can move through each phase with clarity.

I’ll see you in the next episode.