My Kitchen Essentials
A well equipped kitchen bring ease and joy into cooking and baking!
A reader recently asked me to round up my must-have kitchen items and in light of all the Prime Day Sales happening today and tomorrow, I have listed and reviewed some of my go-to tools, utensils, gadgets and small appliances.
We all want a kitchen that works just as hard as we do. It has taken me years to fine tune my list, but having these essentials makes cooking and baking less of a chore.
I want you to find the joy and ease in cooking and baking, and with a few good quality essentials, you can accomplish just that!
Plastic Cutting Boards - While I generally prefer a wooden cutting board, there are reasons to own a plastic cutting board. You just need to get the right one as many plastic boards are hard on your knives. These ones are dishwasher safe, have a drip catcher, and have a good hefty thickness.
Vitamix - I bought my Vitamix blender about 10 years ago at an outlet mall in Vermont. I almost threw up at the cost of it, but I do not regret buying it! I love it. In addition to making smoothies, I use it to make ultra smooth pureed vegetable soups. I love its large capacity, quiet motor and kick-butt results. And 10 years later, it’s still going strong!
Straight Edge Wooden Spoon - Most people have round wooden spoons which are great for stirring things like batter, but if you are cooking something where you need to scrape delicious fond off the bottom of the pan, nothing beats a straight edged wooden spoon. These won’t scrap the bottoms of your pan, which is a plus!
Stainless Steel Lemon Squeezer - I use my lemon squeezer all day long to make marinades, salad dressing, and yes, cocktails. I prefer stainless steel as the enameled ones tend to peel over time.
Airfryer - I was the last person on the airfryer bandwagon and I admit, I wish I got one sooner! There is nothing this little guy can’t do! Stay tuned for a new series on air frying. I love that my kids are learning to use it and make their own meals and snacks.
Microplane- I use this daily for grating garlic, ginger, cheese…It’s small and mighty and makes not-so-desireable food prep a lot easier.
Silicone baking mats - If you are a baker, these should be on your wish list. They are amazing for cookies.
Cast Iron Dutch Oven - I have been lusting after the super pricey Le Creuset dutch ovens and one day, I will splurge and buy myself one. In the meantime, this one is super affordable and does the trick! I use mine for soup, stews, curries and even bread!
Food Processor - I was gifted my food processor for a wedding gift and I LOVE it. I use it for so many things. It has a smaller basket for smaller jobs and is very handy. These are worth the investment.
Tongs - These don’t have to be fancy but a set of tongs helps so much - from rotating meatballs, to flipping veggies, to scooping pasta into sauce.
A good Knife Set - Finally, a good knife set. Amazon has some major sales on and you can get decent knives.
These are simply a starting point. I always recommending seeing what you have and what is working, before buying new. With the sales on right now, it’s a great time to take advantage of the savings and refresh what needs updating.