Whiskers on kittens and warm woolen mittens may not be among my favorite things, but tools that make time spent in the kitchen easier are!
I don’t know if lids are sealed more tightly these days or my hands are getting weaker, but a jar opener is a definite must.
How I wish someone had told me years ago that a zester would not only save my knuckles but be much more efficient!
I’ve burned the edges of many a pie. No more as this shield perfectly fits a pie plate and is much easier to pop on than aluminum foil.
A favorite new tool is an immersion blender. Not a day goes by that it isn’t used for everything from breakfast smoothies to pureeing soups and sauces to mashing veggies. Along with attachments for whisking and processing, it has all but replaced both the mixer and the blender.
A warming drawer has so many uses. I like to have food ready before guests arrive so I can enjoy their company, and it stays perfectly in the warming drawer until serving time. It’s also useful for heating dishes before plating and to warm bread at the last minute.
A cutting board doesn’t sound too exciting, but I’m crazy about mine which has three little bowls set in the board. When I am chopping multiple things, it’s very handy to have a place to put each one as it is done.
I’m crazy about this juicer, maybe because it’s so cute. There are new versions of the model available, but this one came from a west Texas antique store and is right from the 50’s.
These days there are a variety of single cup coffee makers from which to choose, but this one from Nespresso can’t be beat. What I love is the frother attached right to the machine, and there’s no easier way to make cappuccino, my favorite way to have coffee. I also like the convenience of ordering the coffee pods online and having them appear at the door the next day.
No kitchen is complete without a good set of knives, but who says they can’t be cute as well as functional? I found these at an outdoor market in France, and they were a must have that haven’t disappointed.
Well, there you have it, some of my favorite kitchen things. I’d sure like to know yours in case there’s something I need!
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Lulu's Musings 
Great tips, thanks for sharing!
Like you my zester would be on the list of favourite kitchen things too! My mum bought it for me….eons ago so it’s even more precious!
I love all of your favorite things….I have that immersion blender and it is wonderful … I use it lots for salad dressings and one serving smoothies…use my Vitamix for the multiple smoothie servings…and I have to get that pie crust shield!!!!…always seem to “burn” them…and I love those knives…I missed those in France!
I am drooling with envy over your special gadgets Linda, I just love love love your cutting board, and oh to have a warming drawer would be heaven! The juicer reminds me of one my mom had when I was little…
Jenna
That cutting board is great with those little containers. I love my microplane and Immersion Blender, too.
Those are great things to have in the kitchen. The cutting board is great! Thanks for visiting my blog.
We’ll my Culinary Goddess, you have captured the essence of the magical tools. I just love your retro juicer,,,,,,how cute! We have completed our cross country tour of Canada and got to meet a fellow blogger…..Virginia of http://belocchio.wordpress.com/about/ what a magical time!
Isn’t it fun to meet a person you’ve gotten to know through your blog? I’ve been fortunate to experience that several times and love meeting a “friend” face to face.
You’ve listed a lot of my favorite things too. I need to buy a lid opener. I swear if I lived alone I would have to take jars back to the supermarket and ask them to open them for me. Even milk in plastic bottles are hard to open lately.
Sam
Wish I had the warming drawer!
We have some version of each of these plus the scissors that Julie suggested above. I would add a cutting board is a must.
How could I have left out the cutting board, and I even took a picture of it and forgo to use it. Mine has 3 little stainless bowls set in the board so that when I’m chopping multiple things, I can scrape them right into a bowl. I love it!
Sarah, I was so bummed about leaving my cutting board out that I edited the post and inserted it. It is just too good to omit, and I owe it to you!!!
A great list of Must-haves for the kitchen but I would also add a scissors —— I reach for one several times a day !!!!!! JPC.
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How right you are. I, too, use scissors every day!
Your first two are my top 2 and I have the hand blender as well! I’m eyeing those knives.
I love your kitchen favorite things…. I could certainly echo one/two I have totally enjoyed.. like that blender stick.. love the funky juicer.. and I could do with a warming drawer .. I warm plates in winter in my micro (don’t really use it for much else).I liked this insight into your kitchen.. thanks for posting x j
You failed to mention your most valuable tool; it’s the chef in the mirror! You are hands down, the best cook I know, tools or no tools.