I noticed a terrific blog post over at: http://www.growingingraceonline.com/ and the topic was her ten favorite kitchen gadgets. I thought that was a super idea. So, I borrowed it. Here are my favorite kitchen tools. I did not even try to put them in order because the one I am using at the time is always my favorite.
1. Pampered Chef Cooking Stones.
I use these for everything. Biscuits, bread, chicken, steaks, pizza, chicken nuggets, etc. We use them all the time. They are easy to clean. They are not so easy to store, so I store them up on their sides in a row, like books.
2. My tea pot. We like hot tea around here. Chamomile, Cherry Berry, Sleepy Time, Lemon Ginger (Thanks to Jill, the Veggie Queen who suggested this one when I was sick).
3. A plant. Having a plant in the kitchen really cheers me up. I have this one, given to me by my Father-in-Law. It is so pretty. Since it is right by the sink, I do not forget to water it. Home decorators say you should have a plant in each room. This is the only room where I keep living plants. The rest are (gasp!) fakes. I figured God does a better job of nurturing the soil and watering them than I do, so why put myself through all that torture? But I do love this one. And I love my aloe plant, also in the kitchen.
4. My coffee pot. I do not drink coffee, but this is how I brew my iced tea. Put two large family-sized tea bags in there with 10 cups of water and let it brew. Pour it in a pitcher and add 1 1/2 cups sugar (sorry Northerners and diabetics!), then fill the pitcher up to the one gallon mark with cold water, while stirring. YUM.
5. Bread pans. Seriously these are the key to perfect bread.
6. My mill. I mill my own wheat and this is my favorite mill. It has a large capacity, and it can be turned off and on during milling. That was my favorite feature because I have so many children and may need to turn that thing off any minute to deal with an *issue*.
7. My five loaf bread mixer. It seriously mixes and kneads five loaves of bread at one time. Perfectly. Every time. When I remember all the ingredients. :) Does anyone else ever forget the salt?
8. My Club Supra Pans. I wonder if they even sell these anymore. I received these when I got married. I have two of them. I make all my soups in these. They have nice, thick bottoms and never burn things. Well, except that one time I was making taco rice, but we do not talk about that.
9. Pressure Cooker! You can see a blog post about it here. Yes, I know it is the old-fashioned kind. When I am rich, I will buy one of the new-fangled ones. For now, this one is great. You can cook the best roast you ever tasted in 45 minutes. You can make chicken in about 8 minutes (oooh, check that time, I may be off on that one). If you want 1000 good ways to use your pressure cooker, check out the Veggie Queen's video. Now, she is a vegetarian, but she put together an AWESOME video about using the pressure cooker. I loved it.
10. Crock Pot. I can make dinner at 7 in the morning, when I still have energy. Nice.
Hmm... No pic of my crockpot. Sorry!
11. Oh, can I do a number 11? I really must. My deep freezer. I buy beef once a year. I freezer cook. I have wonderful hunters who give us venison. I buy in bulk when things are on sale. I freeze bread. I LOVE this thing. We actually had it "left behind" at my parent's house when they sold it to us years ago. At the time, I debating just leaving the thing. I consider it a necessity now. LOVE IT. Now I am pryaing that thing never breaks. Hmmm. I better add that as a category to my emergency fund.
12. Ok, I gotta do a number 12. Really. I must.
This makes your white sinks white, cleans the glass stove top better than anything and is cheap at the store. I love barkeepers friend, and I do not even have a bar!
are your favorite kitchen tools?
Happy Homemaking!
Malia Russell
www.homemaking911.com
Feb. 20, 2009 - My favorite kitchen items . . .
I just noticed your post. Here are a few of mine: My apple corer/slicer. My Pampered Chef one broke after several years' use. I now have a Sunbeam one, because I found one at the store and I couldn't wait to order one. I love these. We must eat a lot of apples, because I use this at least a few times per week--practically every day! I also have the BEST little vegetable peeler. My grandmother used to get these from the state fair or someplace. They are so sharp and so efficient! My crockpot--I've learned how to use it to make crockpot yogurt in it (check my blog if you want to see)! My SpecialTeas' stainless tea strainer! Awesome! I'll say my freezer, too. We have a deep freezer full of venison, too. My stainless tea kettle--Sam's Club brand, and very heavy duty. We use it all the time.
Btw, I think I know you from Louisville, KY. We moved to AL from Louisville three years ago, and I think I met you at SECC's homeschool group--or maybe just knew you from the HFHG email list?
Mar. 22, 2009 - kitchen gadgets
I love kitchen gadgets and I sold Pampered Chef for a year or two so I've got lots of cool tools. I agree that storing the stones isn't easy but I found a wooden rack on ebay with moveable pegs so you can stand them up and adjust it to fit all the stones you have.
Jun. 17, 2009 - Bread pans
Posted by 