I Believe In... Multiples

I believe in multiples in the kitchen.  It's good to have more than one of an item, like when you're making things in batches such as cookies, because then you can always rotate out your cookie sheets to ensure the cookies don't overbake on a hot cookie sheet.  Or sometimes I'll use a measuring spoon for something liquid, and then find out I need to measure out the same amount of a dry ingredient later in the same dish.  I'm too lazy to wash the measuring spoon, so it's nice to be able to grab another one of the same size spoon from the drawer.  Same with cutting boards, Husband Jeff can use one for raw meat and I can use another for veggies. 

Aside from the standard items that you would typically have more than one of (dishes, glasses, silverware, etc.) I've got more than one of the following items.

Two

• 8x8 baking pans with rubber lids
• 9x13 baking pans with rubber lids
• cookie sheets
• cooling racks
• cookie scoops (different sizes though)
• batter bowls with rubber lids
• tongs (great when you used the first pair to put the raw meat on the grill and would rather wash them in the dishwasher to ensure you don't give your family salmonella poisoning.  use the second clean pair to take the cooked meat off the grill.)
• can openers (a traditional swing-open style and a new-fangled "no sharp edges" style.  It's easier to drain a can of beans with the traditional can opener.)
• types of foil (heavy-duty and large-size)
• freezers (one as part of the refrigerator and a chest freezer in the basement)
• refrigerators (the one in the kitchen and a mini "dorm room" fridge in the basement for beer)
• plastic cake storage (I rarely use these for cake, I mainly use them to hold a batch of popcorn made with the air popper.)
• kitchen shears (another good one for when you've cut open a package on something raw and are too lazy to wash them to use them again in the same day.)

Three

• liquid measuring cups (glass 2-cup, glass 4-cup, and a 1-cup "various measurements" one that has milliliters, ounces, tablespoons, etc.  The glass ones can go in the microwave, which is awesome for making a caramel sauce.  I also use them to make pesto with my immersion blender since it's heatproof and can hold the blanched basil and the blender stick fits inside.)
• sets of dry measuring cups
• cutting boards (one large, two medium)
• slow cookers - a small dip one, a medium one, and a large one that is perfect for big batches of soup 
• potholder/oven mitts (um, at least one has a burn hole in it.  I could use more small-hand mitts)

 

Four +

• a random assortment of measuring spoons (probably at least six in the 1 Tablespoon size)
• glass storage containers with rubber lids (it seems they're always in the freezer, so I keep buying more)
• sizes of plastic bags (snack, sandwich, quart freezer, and gallon freezer)
• trivets (cork ones from Ikea and the silicone ones that can also be used as potholders, but I think they're too slippery to risk picking up a hot dish of food)
• various utensils like silicone spatulas, flippers, spoons, etc.  Yep, more than three of each of those types.
• kitchen towels (I know, I'm sure you've also got more than three of these as well, but with a toddler, we've found we go through about one per day!)
• covered casserole dishes
• sets of nested mixing bowls (my favorite is the set of about 10 bowls ranging from tiny to huge.  The largest one is perfect for mixing up a batch of Rice Krispie Treats since it holds a lot.) 

This is all off the top of my head, so I'm sure there are even a few things I'm missing.

I'm not saying you need a lot of equipment, it's all about having a good set of tools and what works for you based on what you need in the kitchen.  If you've looked at what I've described, you can see I do a moderate amount of baking and cooking in the oven and on the stovetop.  I also like to store a lot of food.