The other day, I was informed by my four-year-old that I am “so old” now. Granted, she gives this label to anyone over the age of 12, but it made me think about how things have changed since I “got old.” I realized that I’ve simplified so much of my life over the last decade. I use the same ingredients like bentonite clay for washing my hair, detoxing my armpits and making tooth powder.
I use coconut oil for practically everything. I’ve also simplified my wardrobe and my kitchen tools lately (now to just simplify the shoes…)
When I first got married, I practically collected kitchen gadgets and dishes because I was just learning to cook and I loved experimenting. Now, I have worked to simplify and reduce the number of tools and gadgets in my kitchen and I’m left with wonderfully half-empty drawers and cabinets that only contain the tools I really use.
These are 14 of the kitchen gadgets and tools that made the cut and that I use daily, take on vacation and couldn’t cook without… In fact, I could probably cook practically anything with just these items:
Stainless Steel Table Pans
When we had our third child, regular baking sheets started becoming too small. I found these stainless steel table pans that are used for catering and in restaurants.
They are perfect for everything from roasting a turkey to preparing pounds of roasted vegetables to making a 12-pound meatloaf to serve 30+ people (did that last night).
I can prepare an entire meal with two of these by making meat in one dish and roasted vegetables in another and they are ready at the same time. I typically also use these to make double of a meal so we have another meal of leftovers.
These are steel, not aluminum like most baking pans, and have a much deeper lip so spilling isn’t an issue. I’ve donated all of my other baking pans and ONLY use these now. Even better, they stack and store very minimally.
I even bring them when we go on vacation. Best $20 I’ve ever spent.
Kitchen Shears
Kitchen scissors are much more useful than they get credit for. Besides opening packages and cutting up a chicken, they make preparing food for small children so much faster. I use them at every meal to cut up meat and vegetables for my babies and toddlers.
Tongs
Kitchen tongs are another multi-use kitchen gadget. They can be used for stirring, tossing, salad serving, grilling, sautéing and so much more.
Immersion Blender
A good immersion blender replaces a blender, whisk and various other kitchen tools. It can be used to make butter coffee in the morning, whisk foods or blend sauces, or even make homemade whipped cream. It also stores easily in a small drawer (unlike a blender). We still have a Blendtec and love it, but I use the immersion blender more often.
Oven Gloves
These oven gloves replace hot pads and kitchen mits and store very minimally. They also work for grilling and are perfect for wearing while cooking with a cast iron pan.
A Great Knife
A friend introduced me to Wusthof knives. They are pricy, but these three knives have replaced my entire knife block and they also store minimally in a single drawer. Another great option are these knives that offer a lifetime warranty.
Mason Jars
As drinking glasses, food storage, vases, candle holders, for canning, salad in a jar, and so much more… mason jars can replace so many other kitchen containers.
Cuppow Lids
Cuppow lids turn mason jars into an easy no-spill drinking cup.
Cast Iron Skillet
It would be possible to cook almost every meal with just a cast iron skillet if needed. It can be used stove top, in the oven or even on a campfire. Once you season it correctly, a cast iron skillet is relatively non-stick and lasts forever.
Huck Towels
These huck towels have replaced all of my kitchen towels and napkins. They are much more absorbent than regular kitchen towels, easy to wash and work as cloth napkins as well. They even use these in hospitals to clean up blood because they work so well.
Steel Bowls
A set of stainless steel bowls replaced all of my glass, plastic and silicon bowls that I used to use. They stack and store together and since they have a lid, they work for food storage as well.
Stainless Steel Dishes
With kids, glass dishes never work well. We’d broken about half of our glass wedding dishes when we finally switched to stainless steel dishes for the kids. Now, we have a stash of steel plates, bowls and cups that we use daily. They are dishwasher and oven safe and don’t break!
Bamboo Utensils
Our simple set of bamboo utensils replaced all of the plastic utensils we used to have and they work so much better.
Crinkle Cutter
An unusual kitchen tool and one of my favorites. A crinkle cutter is safe for the kids to use to help me chop vegetables for meals, which helps keep them involved and makes them more likely to want to eat what we’ve made.
I’d love to know- what kitchen tools can you not live without?
I am trying to find a healthy electric griddle to cook pancakes, eggs, etc for my family. I need to cook for alot of people so doing it a couple at a time on the stove isn’t working. Any suggestions? Please help?
With children, glass dishes never function admirably. We’d broken about portion of our glass wedding dishes when we at long last changed to tempered steel dishes for the children. Presently, we have a reserve of steel plates, bowls and mugs that we utilize day by day. They are dishwasher and stove safe and don’t break!
You might want to check the reviews on Amazon for that particular stick blender–it looks like the quality took a dive recently. But you’re right about how handy they are. I use mine pretty often.
Thank you so much for the list here. All are helpful and must have. Thanks for sharing such a nice post with us. I really like your blog. I am also sharing my mostly usual kitchen gadgets with you.
1.Hand blender
2.Stainless steel lemon squeezer
3.Stainless steel dishes
4.Electric Cattle
5.Crinkle cutter
Can you write an article what are the steps to be taken for new kitchen gadgets before using it?
If you dont mind, may I know how do you clean/prep your mason jar before using it for the first time?
Thank you
I would have to say my immersion blender tops my list of must have kitchen gadgets as well!! I use it nearly every day!! My other must have item that I use all the time is a 1 cup plunger measuring cup or I’ve seen them called adjust-a-cup – LOVE mine so much!! Thanks for this great post Katie, lots of fun new things to know about!!
My Forschner chefs knife is used all day every day… goes camping with us as well. A metal spatula is not only a great egg getter but also great as a scraper for faster dish clean up or food stuck on my beloved cast iron fry pan or griddle … oh the griddle stays on the cooktop at the ready. A dear friend gave me a Rada vegie peeler that is great she bought them at all places Merle Norman… haha but I see Rada advertise as being a fundraiser item. Love my glass water kettle … it is so efficient at boiling water super fast without heating up the kitchen … important in those hot temps. Love my kitchen shears!!!
I love my Le Crueset pots and pans. Good cooks evenly and easy to clean. I have them in several sizes. I also love my glass nesting bowls. I use them all the time.
Thank you again Katie for all of the info you provide! I go through oven mitts like crazy. They never seemed to last and usually I’d end up getting burned. After your posting, I purchased the cool gloves and so far love them! Had you not shared this list, I probably wouldn’t have known about them. Thanks again!
I love gadgets! The one that stays on the counter all the time is my herb scissors, with the 5 blades. I buy them for all my friends, and use mine at every meal, mostly for parsley, chives, cilantro, basil, etc…
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=herb%20scissors%20with%205%20blades%20and%20cover&linkCode=ur2&sprefix=herb%20scissors%2Cgarden%2C251&tag=wellnessmama-20&url=search-alias%3Dgarden&linkId=5ZO7FP5RQCZ6NXTM
One gadget that I use often is the Pampered Chef julienne peeler. It looks like a typical vegetable peeler, but it makes julienne strips. I use it nearly every time I make salad and want to add carrots. I feel that the smaller pieces are easier to digest. I also use it to make raw “pasta” dishes with zucchini.
#1 – My Cutco knife set
#2 -Juicer because I buy Organic lemons, limes & grapefruit in Bulk – then freeze in ice cube trays before moving to Food Saver bag & freezing.
#3 – or may #2 – Food Saver (I don’t use the bags for steaming or micro (no heat on any plastics). Plus I have the Zipper Food Saver that sits in a charger that I use for refrig foods – Works great.
#4 – Emeril’s Hard Anodized 8″ & 10″ skillets
#5 – should be higher – Mason Jars – all sizes. Why put things like chia gel in a bowl, or lemon juice for my lemon water or left overs, etc. Different Sizes work so much better & take up much less room in the refrig.
Great list and especially love how you include the best places to buy the items! I would include my Pampered Chef garlic press which presses the garlic without having to peel the skin and my Pampered Chef silicone spatulas which come in 4 different sizes. I use all of them.
Is the cuppow safe with essential oils?
I truly love my mandolin for slicing all of those things that leave smells on my hands (think Onions), also, I have 40 year old Cast Iron Cookware (Fry pans, Dutch Oven, Loaf Pans, Griddles) and stainless steel cookware that DOES NOT have non-stick (an oxymoron if there ever was one) surfaces. I use these daily and when we downsize these are the only ones that will go with me. I have a few Pyrex pieces and a Cordon Bleu Casserole I bought 40 years ago that I use on a regular basis. At 60+ years old, I have learned that quality is sooooo much better than quantity.
Hi Katie, I can’t seem to find (or tell by looking on Amazon) what size those table pans are? I LOVE big pans when cooking for a crowd, too. 🙂
Thanks!
Kelly
I’ve had a vitamix for 30 years, my favorite appliance. I also bought a set of very expensive Henkels knives, started with one when I was 20, then added until I got the whole set. My husband and I got married 10 years ago and he dominated the kitchen with toxic cookware, nonstick. I finally overhauled my kitchen and splurged on 19th century copper cookware. It is like bling for the kitchen, love it. I am in my 50’s, my kids are grown so I said go for it.
Love this post! I immediately looked for the stainless steel pans and huck towels on Amazon.ca … insanely different prices! The towels are $93! And the pan is $80 something …
I’d like to add my microplane rasp, I use that every day in the kitchen.
Hi Katie – great list!
I need to pare down as well.
One question – do you use that brand of the towels? Some of the reviews are not so great.
I use my high speed blender all the time. And knives and we have some stainless pots we got at TJ Maxx. I love the crinkle cutter tip – just found mine while moving :).
Hi Adrienne, yes, I use them daily! They’re not pretty looking, but they work amazingly.
I’d give up cooking if I didn’t have my 14-cup Cuisinart food processor. I use it to make salmon mousse, cole slaw, an avocado-based chocolate pudding, coconut butter, and to puree liver (for inclusion in meatloaf), to name just a few uses.
YES. I don’t know what I did before I got my Cuisinart food processor!!! It saves so much prep time… I have an 11-cup. I love it. 🙂