My Top 10 Tools for Getting Around the Kitchen

I love creating delicious foods in the kitchen. It’s like my own chemistry lab. I alter and create new recipes from old all the time.

What I don’t like are tasks that take too long such as cleaning up or chopping vegetables. I have my own set of tools that help me enjoy my time in the kitchen.

Glean from my list.

Silicone Dough Scraper: I don’t know how I got along before I found out about these. I used to see the metal dough scrapers all the time but then I spotted a Silicone dough scraper and I quickly bought it. I mean how many times do you get dough stuck on the counter or even in the bowl you were working in? You don’t want to damage your countertop or dishes. Voila! Silicone dough scraper to the rescue.

Kitchen Timer: Used for much more than mere cooking I use my kitchen timer to clean house, work in the office, time how long something takes and more.  It’s just the most indispensable tool.  You would be surprised at what you can get done in 15 minutes.

Wisk: You need a wisk period. Not only for whipping cream mix up soups, juices, dry ingredients, even my sourdough starter. You need at least one.

Wooden Spoon: Use wood when you don’t want to scratch. Or if you just have an inkling you might be passing on a metal taste to your dishes. I use wood in pans, to mix doughs. I bought my teeny daughter her own mini wood spoon. My mother bought me a left handed one. Such a fabulous gift. Watch the famous chefs. They are all using wood.

Apple Cutter: Yes I admit that for 3/4ths of my life I cut apples with a knife. Then one day my husband brought home an apple cutter. We eat several apples daily in my home. This helps considerably.

Large Sharp Knife: For our wedding gift over 10 years ago we received two chef quality kitchen knives from a gourmet cook friend. Still going strong. When people come and hang out in our kitchen they always want to know what kind they are and where they can get some.

Equal Measure Cheat Sheet: How often have your read a recipe that uses a measurement you don’t have a cup for? Or have you used all the 2/3 cups in your home and you want to know how many tablespoons that is equal too ? Too often to count. Post a equal measures magnet on your fridge and use what you have.

Spatula: A metal one this time. For pancakes, scraping pans while cooking and what ever else you may spatch (new word). But as time goes one I’m thinking of a big flat wooden one for the oven for pizzas, breads etc.

Good Set of Pots, Stainless Steel: I won’t go into the sordid details but my mother and I have discovered through much pain that aluminum cookware does not agree with our bodies. Anyway stainless steel with copper bottoms (heat conduction) is what we use and you cannot beat a good set of cooking pots. Also in the mix is a cast iron skillet but that should really get it’s own number.
Apron!!!: Oh how could I forget? I own 3 and one is specifically for cleaning. I have my eye on a few others. Indispensable especially after you first destroy that outfit with spaghetti sauce. An apron may seem old fashioned but it’s a no brainer. Even men wear them. My husband has his own in our house and he doesn’t think twice about donning it to prepare a meal.
What’s your top 10 list?