Ten Most Used Kitchen Tools
We are two weeks away from Thanksgiving! So in honor of the day that is all about cooking and eating, I’m sharing my ten most used kitchen tools. I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but in the last few years, I’ve pushed myself to prepare 80% of our meals at home. Not only to save money, but more importantly, to eat a clean, unprocessed, healthy diet. When you spend as much time in your kitchen prepping meals as I do, you want tools that will make the job easier. These are the tools I reach for daily, not just because they get the job done, but also because they make cooking and prepping food more efficient (and if you know me, you know being efficient is my jam!) and enjoyable.
#1: SANTOKU KNIFE
I’ve had this knife for around ten years now. It’s the perfect size for a woman’s hand. The balance of the sword is excellent, and the blade is the ideal length. It’s the knife I reach for regardless of what I need to cut, slice, or dice. I sharpen it every couple of uses and hand wash it instead of putting in in the dishwasher.
#2: GARLIC PRESS
This garlic press is fantastic! I use it on the daily. Yes, my home smells of garlic when you walk in the door. Thank goodness for Bath and Body three-wick candles, am I right? If you are cooking a lot of clean meals, garlic will be in at least half of your recipes. If you want a fast way to mince garlic, this bad boy does the trick.
#3: SILICONE SPATULAS
I use silicone spatulas for everything, mixing a bowl of seasoned veggies with oil, tossing a salad, stirring soups & stews, browning ground meat, scrambling eggs, scraping the sides of the food processor or Dutch oven,etc.. These utensils are so versatile. And the best part is they don’t distribute heat or melt so I can leave them hanging off a hot pan and not worry about burning my hand the next time I pick it up. And they are relatively inexpensive. I have five of these fantastic utensils and will most likely buy more the next time Target has some new cute designs or colors. I like my spatulas functional and pretty!
#4: BENCH SCRAPER
It feels like I chop vegetables every day for one recipe or another and this amazing gadget helps move heaps of onions, peppers, carrots, zucchini from my cutting board into my cooking pans. I believe Rachel Ray used to rave about these food movers on her talk show back in the day. Now I know why. It’s an efficient little tool that makes cooking a little faster and less messy.
#5: SILICONE POT HOLDERS
These silicone pot holders are a lifesaver. My large stock posts have metal handles that get VERY hot when you’re cooking. Draining pasta or potatoes used to be a painful and uncoordinated experience before I got these little gems as a bridal shower gift last year. No more grabbing for dish towels or pot holders that make getting a good grip impossible. These silicone mitts cover just the tips of your fingers and allow for enough grip on the handles to pour boiling water into a strainer like a pro. They are also great for removing lids from hot pans.
#6: CITRUS SQUEEZER
I love cooking Mexican food so having a citrus squeezer is a must! I use mine to add lime juice to recipes, guacamole, margaritas, etc. It is a time saver and less messy than hand squeezing. This particular citrus squeezer is for lemons but also works great for limes.
#7: ONION HOLDER
This tool is technically an onion holder, but I’ve never actually used it to hold onions. I use this tool to hold chicken breast in place to thinly slice it for salads. It would also work for hard-boiled eggs.
#8: JOKARI PLASTIC BAG HOLDERS
Baggie holders were another fantastic gift I received at my bridal shower. They are perfect for keeping Ziploc bags upright so you can fill them up with soups or stews or marinades. Before these came into my life, I either asked my husband for assistance or made a huge mess trying to do it on my own. They are adjustable for the size of your baggies, have a silicone base to keep them in place and fold down for flat storage. While I don’t use them very often, they have made freezer meal cooking day so much easier.
#9: INSTANT POT
I could not have a list of my favorite kitchen items without mentioning my Instant Pot. This very loved small appliance is part of my meal prepping, dinner making at least twice a week. It’s AMAZING! It cooks frozen chicken breasts in 30 minutes and hard-boiled eggs in 7 minutes.
But it’s not just great for frozen chicken and eggs. Soups, Stews, Meatloaf with carrots and potatoes, shredded chicken for salads or quesadillas, so many things.
#10: NINJA BLENDER
And the last item on my favorites list is my Ninja Blender. I rarely leave myself time to eat breakfast in the morning, so before I head out for the day, I blend up a protein fruit smoothie in my Ninja. It makes quick work of chopping the frozen fruit and blending everything. We love our Ninja so much we even take it on our beach vacations. It’s perfect for blending margaritas, frozen daiquiris, and Pina Coladas. It’s also dishwasher safe. Does it get any better?!
So what do you think? Any of my faves on your list too? Comment below with your most used kitchen tools. I would love to add more gadgets to my list!