A Few of My Favorite Things

I have been recovering from a head cold this past week, so I spent more time resting on the couch than puttering in the kitchen. So I thought I would take this week to share with you a few of my favorite things; things that make cooking so much easier for me.

I confessed last week to being resistant to using an electric mixer when I can easily mix things by hand, but I have learned that many kitchen tools may seem frivolous but are really quite handy.

The Heavy Hitters

There are 3 small appliances that are in heavy rotation in my kitchen. The first is my slow cooker.

I love the ability to put together a few ingredients in the morning and have dinner cook while I go about my business. It is magic in the kitchen for the busy mom. My model is programmable, making it extremely easy to set it and forget it until dinner time. I also love the Stay or Go model because it has a lid that clamps on so you can pick it up and take it to the next church potluck. This exact model is not easy to find in stores, but I did see it available on Amazon.

My Instant Pot is right up there with the slow cooker. I have mentioned it before, but I can’t emphasize enough how handy it is. It makes great one-pot meals, and I love to use it sometimes simultaneously with the slow cooker. Just last week, I cooked pork tenderloin in the slow cooker, and made rice in the Instant Pot just before the meat was done. Easy Peasy.

My food processor is another favorite item in my kitchen. I originally acquired one so I could make my own hummus. It is essential for making salsa, and chopping and pureeing a myriad of other things. I also like to use the shredder accessory for making coleslaw and other veggie dishes.

When I am cooking on the stovetop, I love my Dutch oven for sauces, soups and stews. The cast iron body is heavy and thick and retains heat beautifully. It’s deep enough for all my favorite one-pot dishes, sears meat nicely and cleans like a dream. It’s also just plain pretty.

Small But Mighty

While I love the full-sized food processor for bigger jobs, I have a little tiny dynamo chopper from Tupperware that is amazing for smaller jobs.

This little Tupperware Chop ‘n Prep is powered with a pull-string. I love it for dicing pickles, onions and celery for egg salad or tuna salad. It’s also great for mincing up garlic, if you need more than a couple of cloves. I use it when making my salsa to chop up the garlic and jalapeño peppers before adding them to the larger food processor. If you know a Tupperware rep, you might still be able to find this item. I have also found it on Amazon, but it may be more expensive than I paid originally through Tupperware.

Another little wonder I love is my lemon juicer. It may seem unnecessary to most, but if you use lemons on a regular basis, it’s an extremely economical tool. It prevents seeds from dropping into the juice and squeezes every last drop out of those citrus babies. I found mine at Aldi for a steal.

I am also a big fan of the garlic press. Peel a couple of cloves of garlic and pop them in the press and you get minced garlic with far less work than mincing by hand and more flavor than the jarred stuff.

A microplane is another invaluable tool to keep in your junk drawer. It can be used to grate hard cheeses, ginger and such and can zest citrus beautifully.

Scoopers, Scrapers and Flippers

Never underestimate the power of the perfect flipper. I have tried many variations, but my recent favorite comes from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings collection at Target.

These lovely kitchen tools are made with beautiful wooden handles and silicone heads that are heat resistant and more importantly, stick resistant. The flipper is perfect for turning flapjacks or eggs. It doesn’t hang onto batter like some, and cleans up nicely.

The scooper spoon in her collection is THE best. It’s weird that I like a spoon this much, but it is the perfect shape, with a deeper bottomed bowl that holds a quarter cup in it. Literally – I measured. From personal experience, this makes HUGE pancakes, or scoops the perfect spoonful of soup. I LOVE this spoon.

I received the spatula for my birthday yesterday, so I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, but I can tell I’m going to like it a lot. It is perfect for scraping sides and getting into the corners of pans and bowls.

My husband seems to get my affinity for untensils and special ordered a PB Spoon for me for Christmas. It is a perfectly designed tool for scooping out peanut butter. It has a rounded, deeper side for scooping, a flat side with a point that’s perfect for scraping out the sides and bottom of the jar, and a flat back for spreading. Brilliant. You can get your own here.

My junk drawer has so many kitchen gadgets, I could go on and on, but those are some highlights. If you have some fun tools you love, I would love to hear about them and maybe add them to my collection.

Now I am off to Charlesto

n for a fun birthday get away. Maybe I will find some more clever kitchen helpers in that fabulous foodie town. Follow me on Instagram to see my adventures.