Top Kitchen Gadgets
These are my 5 must-have kitchen gadgets and the life lessons that they illustrate.
Fun Kitchen Gadgets that bring joy to cooking
If you’d like to shop small, there are some links to Whisk - my favorite local kitchen shop in my neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Must Haves: Prep
I hadn’t really heard of a bench scraper or why I might need one till I worked with Kelsey Nixon on her product line and heard her wax philosophical on why this was a kitchen essential. She was right. This handy tool helps me scoop up my ingredients and get them into my pan or bowl efficiently without dulling the edge of my knife. There are a lot of these on the market and I like the Oxo model because it’s got a comfortable, ergonomic silicone grip. It’s got an almost-sharp edge to cut dough and they’ve etched some measurements on the edge if you need them. Quality and simplicity, yes please.
No more tears baby. This purchase seemed outlandish and completely unnecessary until I ordered them. If you ever heard about Julia Child learning how to chop onions and spending hours crying over her onions - it all seemed very poetic and beautiful and also unpleasant. There’s no glory in unnecessary suffering. My first pair came from Amazon and that was a mistake. Ill-fitting and fogged up. Don’t cheap out on these - you are going to use them multiple times during the week if you’re cooking. Do they look goofy, yes. They are wonderfully silly. I upgraded to these Onion Googles.
Full disclosure y’all - you know I work for Dash. I love our universal Nesting lids because cookware lids are really annoying - and have you ever noticed, really loud. Clanging pot lids harsh my mellow. I try to make daily tasks a little more zen where I can. I use these silicone lids every day. They nest for storage, the 3 sizes fit almost all my cookware and they clean up with a rinse (although they are dishwasher safe as well.)
Chef’n FreshForce Lime or Lemon Squeezer - More Juice for the Squeeze.
There are a ton of options for handheld squeezers - here’s why this one is the best. See that little white gear on the edge, that’s giving you more leverage and get a better squeeze with less effort. So you can save your energy for important things. You only need one of these. It works on most small citrus but probably not what you want to use for oranges although they do make an orange one.
Kuhn Rikon Multi-purpose Shears -Cut the crap...out of anything.
Seriously. I have been using these shears religiously for YEARS. Some people like to have multiples and stash them around the house but I get by with one set. I use them in the kitchen for everything from spatchcocking a chicken to cutting the stems off fresh flowers.
Outside the kitchen, I use them to remove wrap from wood bundles for firewood, chopping into clamshell packaging and so much more. I’ve had the same pair for years and they’ve stayed sharp and have not rusted. I do not put them in the dishwasher but they do claim that they are dishwasher safe. I love the spring-loaded handle that opens the safety with one-hand because it makes it faster to use them. AND they’re LEFTY friendly. They’re relatively heavy duty but if you’re looking to trim thick stems of flowers or something woody, actual gardening shears are a better bet. I did a little digging and I think best bet right now is to purchase these direct from Kuhn Rikon for the best quality. I’ll update the post if I find a better deal.
Life Lesson Roundup
Say yes to quality and simplicity
There’s no glory in unnecessary suffering
Try to make daily tasks a little more zen
Save your energy for important things
Cut the crap
Have you tried any of the products that I’ve mentioned? What do you think about my picks? I’d love to know. Drop me a comment or shoot me an email.
