hi friends! i have strong opinions on what i let into my kitchen and love appliance and tools that make cooking and baking tasty food a treat. i want you to enjoy spending time in your kitchen too, not fighting with an old can opener that doesn’t open cans or a blender that doesn’t blend (true stories; thankfully both have been replaced).
whether you’re looking to stock a brand new kitchen, find a gift idea for a foodie friend, or replace that mixer you’ve never liked, i hope the information below is useful.
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Basic kitchen tools
digital scale
i have a whole post dedicated to why i love baking/cooking with a scale but to summarize: it’s more precise, it’s easier, clean up is faster, and it makes scaling recipes up/down so much easier.
thermometer
say goodbye to overcooked, dry chicken and undercooked, squidgy-inside homemade bread. i stick this probe thermometer in the chicken breast before it goes in the oven, set the temperature alarm, and get perfectly cooked chicken every time.
can opener
comfortable, easy to use, and has a locking mechanism so you don’t have to squeeze the handles while you turn the crank.
coarse grater
works well on soft and hard cheeses, vegetables, and frozen butter (for biscuits)…basically anything you need to grate! i’ve had mine for years and it’s still super sharp.
fine grater/zester
i use this to grate hard cheeses over pasta, to zest lemons, and to grate frozen ginger (the ultimate test!). i’ve had mine for years and it’s still super sharp.
magnetic measuring spoons
not only are they magnetic so they nest together neatly in the drawer and you can always find the one you need, but also they come apart easily, so you only dirty the one(s) you need. AND the narrow end of the spoons actually fits in a narrow spice jar!
lemon squeezer
easy to squeeze lemons or limes (load them in cut side down – it’s counterintuitive at first but that’s the way to do it) and easy to clean.
vegetable peeler
i know the Y-shaped peelers are popular but this is what i grew up with and what i use to peel carrots, potatoes, mangoes (i know that’s “wrong” but that’s because most people don’t have a peeler sharp enough to do it this way), butternut squash, ginger… all the things!
bread knife
in addition to being super sharp so that i don’t mangle even the thickest crusty breads, this knife’s blade is also longer than some other knives, so that i can cut through larger breads in one pass. and it’s cheap!
pizza wheel
i’ve had this pizza wheel for years and he does a great job cleanly cutting pizzas, scone/biscuit dough (before baking), and brownies (after baking). a surprising multi-tasker.
salad spinner
i knew i used this guy a lot but it wasn’t until he broke (after many years of vigorous spinning) that i realized how useful he is. towel dried greens are NOT the same.
cast iron
admittedly, i am still learning to use this pan without burning food, but i’m definitely becoming a convert, in no small part thanks to this skillet pizza. it’s also nice to know that the pan’s non-stick surface will get better over time, rather than scratch off and possibly make you sick.
enameled braiser
this is basically the love child of a dutch oven and cast iron skillet. it’s wide, shallow, has a lid, and can go in the oven. and since it’s enameled on the inside, it plays nice with acidic foods.
ice cream scoop
there’s magical liquid in this ice cream scoop that transfers heat from your hand to the scooper so that the ice cream is easier to scoop. it’s also super durable (the one my parents have has lasted since the beginning of time), which is nice when you’re using a thing to dig frozen stuff out of its container.
glass food storage containers
i love leftovers and i love heating them up in not plastic. i brought soups to work for years and never had a spill, thanks to the tight fitting lids.
nonstick pots and pans
i have had these pots and pans for about 10 years and they are still going strong. the handles stay cool on the stove and the whole thing can go in the oven (up to 450° F). they’re non-stick but not teflon, which makes me feel better.
silicone basting brush
i use this to spread oil, melted butter, egg wash, etc. over food. i like that this easily gets thoroughly cleaned in the dishwasher.
glass baking dish with lid
in my house, we refer to this as the “pumpkin chocolate chip cake pan”, but a glass baking dish with a tight fitting lid is useful for more than just that.
kitchen cart on wheels
this cart on (locking) wheels is handy for providing a bit of extra storage/counter space in small and large kitchens alike. and yes, my favorite toaster oven (listed here) fits on the lower shelf.
my favorite machines
toaster oven
so, besides the fact that this guy reliably produces toast exactly the way you like it (a feat i’ve never seen another toaster reproduce), he also cooks frozen pizza (for my husband!) or a small batch of cookies and reheats leftover pizza like a dream. i use him at least once a day, sometimes he’s running 4 times between the 2 of us.
vitamix blender
i finally broke down and bought one of these (refurbished). aaaand it’s amazing! my morning green smoothie is now *actually* smooth, blended soups are like silk, and making nut butters/sauces is super easy.
cuisinart food processor
from mixing biscuit/scone dough to making nut butters to – my favorite – shredding raw brussels sprouts for salad, i’ve yet to give this guy a task at which he didn’t excel.
immersion blender
as much as i love my vitamix, i don’t love pouring a huge soup pot full of hot soup into a blender. so for soups that get cooked on the stove then blended, i turn to this stick blender to minimize disasters.
panini press/waffle maker
this panini press/waffle maker consistently turns out great pressed sandwiches and (fast!) grilled chicken. you can also get the waffle plates and make delicious waffles without spending 45 minutes with a toothpick trying to clean a waffle iron.
waffle maker plates
waffle plates that you can take out and actually clean. genius. (they go with the panini press/waffle maker also listed here.)
great for baking enthusiasts
mixer beater blade
i love this beater blade for my kitchenaid because it scrapes the bowl as it mixes (no more stopping to scrape with a spatula!). i use this 99% of the time i use my mixer.
splash guard
this little guy saves me a lot of time scrubbing batter off the walls and cabinets when i use my mixer and keeps flying flour to a minimum.
bundt pan
cardamom cake. need i say more? (ok, fine: this pan releases cakes neatly and the handles make it easy to wrangle.)
On my bookshelf
this book has quickly become one of my favorite cooking-related books to reference when i’m thinking about new recipes and flavor combinations. it’s not a cookbook with recipes, rather it lists ingredients and then other flavors/ingredients that pair well with them. this book has really helped me stretch my creative muscles, without having to eat too many failed recipes.
this cookbook is my go-to reference for how to cook or bake just about anything. i’ll often start here to get a strong foundation recipe, then turn to the vegetarian flavor bible to tweak the flavor of the recipe to get exactly what i want.
this cookbook contains the original recipe for one of my favorite pizzas, the butternut squash, sage, and goat cheese pizza as well as one of my favorite risottos, easier mushroom risotto. all of the recipes that i’ve tried from this book have been solid.
i’ve made a bunch of the pastas in this book and enjoyed all of them. the pasta with sweet potatoes, spinach, feta, and olives that i shared is based on a recipe from this cookbook.
flour bakery in boston is delicious, so clearly any baking book by founder joanne chang is also going to be delicious. that she’s doing it with less sugar is even better. we have this book to thank for pear cardamom scones.
part memoir, part cookbook, this books follows ruth reichl through the year after gourmet magazine (which she had run for 10 years) closed abruptly. the book follows the seasons, in terms of weather, ingredients and recipes, and, finally, reichl finding her new normal. i enjoyed reading the book as a novel and making recipes from it such as orange french toast.
i am totally in love with all things scandinavian and picked up this charming little book from my local library. i ended up flagging at least 1 recipe per page and have so far loved the cardamom cake. i look forward to trying more of the recipes in this book.
reichl is such a great storyteller and the descriptions of food were as vivid and alive as the characters in this charming novel.
specialty ingredients
dairy free shortening
useful for dairy free baking, as in these blueberry crumb bars, and for modifying the texture of cookies, pie crusts, etc.
