Kitchen Tools

I frequently get questions from people wanting to know what sorts of tools I have in my kitchen.  I get the impression that folks think I have a huge gourmet kitchen with all of the latest gadgets and fancy equipment.  While I have at time had kitchens that are very large, right now I have an extremely tiny, inefficiently designed kitchen with approximately 3 feet of usable counter space.  We're eventually going to redesign the space but for now we work with what we have.  And I'm here to tell you that it is possible to make real food meals even in a tiny space.

I do, however have a number of important tools that I use on a regular basis.  This is a list of appliances, it does not include other kitchen tools which are a definite must have such as a good chef knife, paring tool, grater, etc.  Here are five of my favorites and how I use them.    These are listed in no particular order:

Crockpot – I can't say enough about this wonderful appliance.  I write about crocking frequently and share a number of great recipes.  It truly is one of my most versatile appliances, I use it for breakfast, dinner, snacks, and as a means of preparing some of my foods such as rehydrating beans.   One of these days I will buy my dream crockpot/slow cooker, a VitaClay.

Vitamix – I use my vitamix on a regular basis to make smoothies and other great recipes.  It's great for frozen desserts as well as for mixing nut butters, making alternative milks, and more.  I don't use it for dry mixes as I don't have a dry grains container but if you bought one you could do that too.

Immersion Blender – my immersion blender is the handiest, dandiest, most wonderful small appliance ever invented.  I use mine for making dressings, mayonnaise, blending soups and more.  I no longer use my applesauce mill (although it's a way cool looking appliance) because I use the immersion blender instead.  It's worth it to get the one with the attachments so you can chop herbs and other things in the little container attachment.

Pressure Cooker – I can't believe I waited so long in my life to get one of these.  They are, quite simply, fabulous!!!  I make many meals in the pressure cooker mostly because it's so very quick and easy.  Our family favorite is my curried rice and beans but I would highly suggest getting Lorna Sass's terrific book Cooking Under Pressure; everything I've made from this book has been great.   If you're going to get a pressure cooker of your own consider getting a combination pressure canner and cooker.

KitchenAid Mixer – for many years (and I mean A LOT) I mixed everything by hand and it sure took a long time to get things done sometimes.  Especially around the holiday season with all that baking.  Then my amazing DH bought me a KitchenAid Mixer and I've never looked back.  I use it for more than mixing cookie dough.  When I make a meatloaf or meatballs, it all goes in there and I let the machine do the work.  If you get some of the fancy attachments you can make pasta, sausages, ground meat, and more.  This is definitely a cool machine to have around.

And one more thing…

One Gallon Jar – okay, so not an appliance, but still, you need one (or more) gallon glass jars if you're going to make kombucha.  This is a permanent fixture as I keep my culture going.  On a side note, this is also an excellent reason to avoid harmful chemical exposure from plastic and recycle other glass jars.  1/2 gallon ones are great for a kombucha scoby bank.  Snapple jars (friends give these away by the dozens) are great for taking your kombucha drink with you.  And I collect other jars to store all sorts of dry goods or even leftovers in. Glass jars are definitely a good thing.

Interested in finding out what I cook in my kitchen?  Be sure to get a copy of The Pantry Principle.  It has delicious recipes for breakfast, soups, condiments, desserts, and more.

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