As we work through the stages of Kitchen Stewardship together, there may be a few items that will be helpful to have around. You can check the list here as you make your birthday and Christmas wishlists for family members!
NOTE: This page is in dire need of updating, which should happen soon. You can view some of what will end up here at this wish list post.
- Foaming Soap dispenser to refill (with non-antibacterial soap)You can buy these in designer styles or just re-use a store brand bottle.
- Blender
- Food Processor
- for bread crumbs
- for almond power bars and walnut-oat pie crust
- Misto olive oil sprayer
- for croutons, french fries
- Food Chopper
- for chopping vegetables, nuts (especially onions)
This one is from Pampered Chef; you can also find them at Bed, Bath and Beyond and the like.
- Ice cube trays
- Not everyone owns these, but they’re imperative for easy freezing of certain items, especially chicken stock. I also use for kale cubes and refried beans.
- Stainless Steel Water Bottle
- Keep what you drink safe from leaching plastic. Find links and places to purchase here.
- Keep what you drink safe from leaching plastic. Find links and places to purchase here.
- Gargantuan stock pot
- If you want to make a huge batch of chicken stock, this is a fun item to have on hand! Also good for corn on the cob…
- Glass measuring cup…I especially love my 4-cup size.
- You can use the big one with a handle for scooping and measuring chicken stock, among other things.
- Picnic cooler
- My favorite method for incubating homemade yogurt.
- Spoonula
- The ultimate tool for scrambling eggs in the pan, plus my fav for browning ground meat. Made of silicone with a wooden handle, so you can leave it in the pan without worrying about melting anything.
It’s hard to tell in this picture, but it’s a spatula that’s extra thick, like a spoon.
- Steamer Basket
- The easiest way to steam veggies without using a microwave.
- The easiest way to steam veggies without using a microwave.
- Toaster Oven
- Another near-imperative if you’re trying to avoid microwave use. I love my toaster oven! It can bake a whole pie or roast a whole chicken, toast 6 slices of bread at a time, and does a great job on our leftovers. I like to be able to bake a dozen cookies with frozen homemade cookie dough and not heat up the whole house, or bake a quick graham cracker pie crust.
- Here’s a photo (it’s a Cuisinart, selling for about $60-80 nowadays):
You can move the rack around, which is a nice feature. It's pretty basic, but does everything we need.
- Vegetable Scrub Brush
- This may seem like a silly item to have on a wishlist, but I think it’s important to really get in the grooves of things like carrots, potatoes, celery, and peppers (see the Dirty Dozen post). I know some people don’t have one…
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This is more or less the one I use right now, found at Target.
- Glass storage containers
See this post for what you can do with them! - Garlic Press: so you don’t end up like me. There are lots of different version of a garlic press; one pictured below (Marc Pinter). Some of them even let you keep the skins on, which is a lot less work and smell.
- Stick or Immersion Blender: good for blending soups (like garlic soup) or making guacamole or Caesar dressing.
- Silicone Baking Mat: makes cleanup of cookie sheets easy without using aluminum foil, and if your cookie sheets are aluminum and/or all scratched up, you can avoid having your food touch them, too.
- Cookware and Bakeware to avoid aluminum and keep safe materials:My favorite: the Pampered Chef Rectangular Stone
View post on avoiding aluminum cookware/bakeware. - Shaklee H2 for camping and cleaning.
- Inexpensive (but not cheap) spray bottles from a dollar store or big box grocery store for your natural kitchen cleaners.
- Salad Spinner
A must if you want to buy whole heads of lettuce (Farmer’s Market, anyone?) You’ll have to go to the post to see it; I can’t get the picture link to work here! - Lettuce Knife: Read about the reasons behind this little wonder at this post. It’s one of my can’t-do-without gadgets!
Yes, these are mostly affiliate links. Amazon will share a bit with us bloggers if we send people their way. But feel free to shop at a store with a coupon, instead! It’s just nice to see a picture of what someone is talking about.
My favorite kitchen gadget is the “Flexicado”. We got it as a gift (ironically enough from Katie!) and use it all the time! For you guacamole lovers, it’s perfect for coring out an avacado…but we’ve also found other uses too! Its great to scoop the insides out of a baked potato or mango!
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Where did you get your huge stock pot? I am in the market for a huge one but am having problems finding one that’s not aluminum. Thanks!
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Katie Reply:
October 16th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Mine was a gift, but I know it’s from Meijer. It was billed as something for cooking lobsters, corn, gumbo, etc. But – I’m not positive it’s not aluminum and that kills me! I rec’d it before I knew to check the packaging for such things. It’s coated with something (enamel??), but it’s just starting to have issues inside with rust showing through when it air dries, so it’s time to be concerned. Wish I could help more! Maybe I need to look for a new one too!
Good luck with your search,
Katie
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Jeannie Reply:
October 19th, 2009 at 10:31 am
well rust isn’t an “aluminum thing” so I have a feeling you are safe. We use our stock pots for tomato based cooking (salsa & tomoato sauce every summer) so non-aluminum is a must!
Thanks for the response though!
Jeannie
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I have almost everything on your wish-list. No veg brush, but I use those plastic mesh dish scrubbies for potatoes and carrots. Also, did you know that you can buy those foaming soap things on sale (dial w/coupon) and refill with non-creamy soap when empty? Soap+water, ratio is like 1 part soap to 9 parts water, don’t overfill, shake gently. I’ve been refilling all mine.
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ANNE FORWARDED YOGURT RECIPE. I’m proud of you.
WHERE DID YOU FIND MISTO? WMS.S. DISCONTINUED IT YEARS AGO AS IT DID NOT PERFORM EFFECTIVELY.
DISAPPOINTED YOU DID NOT GIVE WILLIAMS-SONOMA CREDIT FOR THE SPOONULA SPATULA. OTHERWISE, GREAT!~ GREAT JOB.
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I’m with you on all the gadgets! My kitchen is identical
I’d add two: a. Juicer (I have an Omega, love the raw, nutritional, fresh benefits of juice, can also make frozen banana ice cream and other yummy treats!) and b. ice cream maker: can make family friendly treats according to your nutritional preferences! Nut or raw milks, reduced sugar, fruit, sorbet, etc.
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great blog! i beg to differ on the Misto though — i had one and it kept on clogging, finally got rid of it.
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I’m so glad you like it! After you scoop out the baked potato, then you can make potato crispies with the skins and harness the iron within.
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