Cooking dinner for my family every night is a huge job. I’m always looking for ways to simplify that task. I’ve recently acquired a few new kitchen gadgets and it’s made me evaluate which tools are must-haves for me. There are certain kitchen tools I did without for a long time that I could never live without again! Now that I know how life changing they are, of course I have to share my list with you.
1. Food Processor. I always thought they were unnecessary, until my sister gave me one for Christmas. Now I can grate cheese in two seconds flat. It’s amazing. I have the Hamilton Beach Stack and Snap 10 Cup Food Processor. All of the pieces can be thrown in the dishwasher (the most important feature), it works great and it has a large feed area so I don’t have to cut bulky foods down very much.
2. Electric Griddle. We love breakfast for dinner. Do you know how long it takes to make pancakes if you can only cook them one at a time? Ain’t nobody got time for that! Now we make 8 pancakes at once, 8 fried eggs at once, 8 pieces of french toast at once, etc. It is such a huge time saver! I have this Presto griddle and it works great!
3. Food Strainer. Now, this is not a tool I use every day. In fact, I pretty much only use it once a year. But when I do use it, I am so grateful I have it I want to shout from the rooftops! It makes canning homemade applesauce so much easier! Instead of peeling, coring and slicing each apple, you only have to quarter them. Run cooked apples through this machine and it gets rid of the seeds, the core and the skin for you! For real! It is amazing! I have the Victorio Strainer and it is worth every penny. This year my mother-in-law used it to make homemade tomato soup. She didn’t have to peel or de-seed. So much faster!
4. Silicone Basting Brush. I stopped buying cooking sprays like Pam several years ago and I’ve never looked back. Instead, I keep vegetable or olive oil in a spray bottle, spray it on my pans, then use my silicone basting brush to make sure everything is evenly coated. I also use it to rub sauce on meat and add melted butter to the tops of my breads. It’s a little thing, but it sure comes in handy!
5. Knife Sharpener. I have cheap knives. But guess what? They work great now that I own a knife sharpener. Any time I notice my cheap-o knives feeling dull, I rub them through the knife sharpener a few times and whala, good as new. I bought mine at Harbor Freight, but here’s a good one from Amazon.
Comments & Reviews
I had the same opinion of food processors until we got one. We make so many fun dips and foods now that would have been a HUGE pain without one. Makes me wonder what else I'm missing out on!
I know, right?! I use it way more often than I thought I would. I'm making a cranberry salsa later today and chopping it all by hand would take forever!
I cook lunch and dinner for 6 adults Monday through Friday, and I agree! There are a few other little gadgets that have made my life easier: a food scale, a kitchen paddle for transfering chopped ingredients from cutting board to the stove, and a pizza stone. I cook tons of things on the pizza stone, from cookies and bread to homemade french fries, to roasted veggies and more. Indispensable! As well, my Breadman breadmaker gets used almost daily as I prefer fresh, homemade bread with ingredients I can pronounce and define versus the preservative laden stuff in the grocery store (and it saves money!).
I LOVE my bread machine and use it often. I've always wanted a kitchen paddle and a pizza stone. But what do you use your food scale for?
I know this might sound silly, but I love, and could never do without, my pizza cutter. Being a mom of small children, it has been a life-saver and serving time. We cut everything from pizza to pancakes with it.
It's not silly at all. I actually lost my pizza cutter for a while and it was awful having to do without it!!