Happy Friday! I don’t know about you guys but I am certainly ready for the weekend. Bad weather along with Bo’s recovery from surgery means that we have no plans. I could not be happier with this as a little bit of casual relaxation is just what I’m craving. I have 17 solo miles on the plan tomorrow morning and after that you will most likely find me relaxing on the couch watching Robin Williams’ best movies including Good Morning Vietnam, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire and Dead Poets Society.
Today’s post is another great one from Bo. As you all know, he is the expert in our kitchen unless it has to do with smoothies or baking. While he’s teaching me little by little, he has far more experience cooking than I do. We thought it would be fun for him to share our top 5 kitchen tools. Many of these we received as part of our wedding registry and they have been part of our home for almost 5 years!
Wusthof Knife Sharpener
One of the most annoying things in the kitchen is doing prep work with a dull knife. It is less efficient, you end up crushing things rather than cutting them, and it is actually more dangerous. Even if you don’t want to spend $1,000 on a full set of high-end knives, spend around $20 on a simple sharpener and keep your knives sharp.
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
I will readily admit that I likely wouldn’t have one of these if it weren’t for Ashley. My mother never had one and I originally saw them as old-fashion and unnecessary. However, I now know that this is one of the most useful pans in the kitchen. It’s high specific heat means that it takes longer to bring up to temperature but it also looses heat slower than copper or steal. It is perfect when you need to brown meat, its great when making an integrated sauce and goes perfectly into the oven. I even use it rather than a roasting pan when I make roasted chicken as I like the way that it radiates and helps brown the skin.
Microplane Classic Zester/Grater
This is an incredibly useful kitchen tool. Use it to grate ginger, Parmesan and nutmeg as well as to zest citrus. The texture is unlike anything you get with any other tool.
Bodum 8 Cup French Press Coffee Maker
I have always loved strong coffee and I think that the flavor that is produced by a French press cannot be replicated by any other means. I would also love to own a really nice espresso machine but I can never seem to bring myself to spend the money.
Cuisinart Popcorn Maker
This is a bit of a silly one but I LOVE popcorn. I also love having the ability to make it fresh, hot, and to control the amount of oil used. I remember trying Healthy Choice popcorn once and thinking that it was the most disgusting thing that I had ever put in my mouth. The stuff that comes out of here is just as healthy but tastes great!
Your turn – What is your favorite kitchen tool?
I thought we had “everything we needed” in the kitchen before getting married, since we were in our mid to late 20s and of course cooked meals already. But we opted to upgrade our pots, pans, knives, and get some additional tools… It’s amazing. Food tastes SO MUCH BETTER when you cook it with quality pots and pans.
1. Our Calphalon pots and pans. I like non-stick.
2. An electric griddle (for weekend breakfasts)
3. Great knives. We have Wusthoff but use Komachi knives more (significantly cheaper, like $30 for the set) and they are awesome.
4. Silicone prep utensils. They don’t melt.
5. All-Clad 12 quart soup pot.
6. Flour sack kitchen towels.
7. Simple Human dish rack. I know it’s an after thing, but having a great place to dry your dishes that’s not the dishwasher or a rag is pretty great too.
8. AND THIS! 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Zak-Designs-3-Quart-Batter-Handle/dp/B000X3A27A/ref=wr_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1YXMTDG6DNGKA&coliid=IF0SB56R7P4G5
Some of those sound AWESOME especially that batter with handle!! I am ordering some of these immediately! 🙂
I bought an air-popped popcorn machine when I moved to Denver, and I LOVE that I don’t need any oil at all! (I definitely put some butter on after it’s popped, but I find that’s a lot less than if I used fat for popping.) Not sure if you can get those in Switzerland, but it’s worth a look!
I’m still obsessed with my Vegetti and recommending it to everyone I know 🙂 Super cheap, too! http://www.50by25.com/2014/06/my-new-favorite-kitchen-tool.html
We have a spiralizer and love it as well! 🙂
We have all of these but the popcorn maker! Ahh I need it!
I have the same zester and I have to say it’s my favorite tool out of all the tools I have. I love it.
My favorite item in the kitchen is my food processor. I use that thing almost daily. Great post and I hope he gets better soon. Have a great weekend.
Love this! We’re big popcorn fans too and our Whirley Pop gets almost daily usage. I couldn’t live without my French Press on weekends and my Nespresso machine during the week. And my Vitamix. I actually think I included it in an itemized list for our renters insurance I love it so much.
I’m definately going to have to try that popcorn maker! I love popcorn but hate all the ingredients in it!
You will absolutely LOVE it Abby!
We absolutely LOVE our french press! It’s the only way to go with home coffee!