I love to cook. Like a lot. Food is one of my biggest passions, and cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. I adore kitchen tools of all kinds, but these are the items I consider most essential in my kitchen:
- Crate & Barrel Parker Bowls – I adore these bowls and use them ALL the time. I think the colors are absolutely beautiful. When not in use, I keep them on display on my baker’s rack. They are so sturdy and they come in just the right sizes for all kinds of mixing and serving. Crate & Barrel changes the colors up for every season; I got these ones fall 2010, but the updated ones are warmer tones and just as beautiful. Love them!
- Cuisinart immersion blender – This little stick blender is perfect for all kinds of things. I use it for blending up smoothies in a big plastic cup or for blending chunky soups into smoother counterparts. Totally handy and convenient for those times you don’t want to get out a huge blender. You can disconnect the two pieces and toss the blade in the dishwasher – simple and easy!
- OXO tongs – I use tongs for absolutely everything! I don’t think I could live without these ones. I use them for tossing greens in a saute pan, rotating chopped veggies or corn on the cob on a grill pan, sliding out hot cookie sheets from the oven, and much more!
- Calphalon panini maker/grill pan – This thing is brilliant! One of my favorite wedding gifts. Although we don’t use it a lot for making actual paninis, we use it ALL the time for grilling vegetables and wraps. Since we live in an apartment with no yard, we don’t have a full-sized grill, so this makes a great substitute! It’s also perfect year-round. Grilled veggies in the winter can be wonderful. You could also definitely grill any kind of meat on it, although we obviously don’t use it for those purposes. But for all kinds of veggies, and also for grilling sandwiches or burritos, it’s fantastic!
- Microplane grater – I used to mince garlic by hand. What a pain! It took forever and got everywhere. I then moved on to a garlic press, and while I liked it, cleanup was a chore. Enter my beloved Microplane grater. This is a miracle worker for mincing garlic, ginger, etc., and you can also use it to zest citrus or grate fresh nutmeg or cinnamon into a dish. An absolute must!
Question: What kitchen tools could you not live without?
Tongs are the best – they’re my new favorite kitchen thing, I use them all the time for roasted veggies! Thanks so much for your sweet comment on my blog, it was so wonderful to receive and made my day :)