File these five favorite kitchen tools under the ‘you don’t actually need them but once you have them you will wonder what you did without them’ list. I would bet you have other things in your kitchen that will ‘work’ to accomplish the tasks of these 5 gadgets but I think these are really worth the drawer space.
As I have been cooking more than normal this summer (see: ‘unprecedented times’), I find myself grabbing these gadgets over and over and over. Perfect for a wedding registry, a Christmas stocking, a surcee (I have many ideas but I’m trying to keep this post short-ish, so perhaps I’ll expand on this later), or just to stock the kitchen.
- Strawberry Huller: Yes, I know you can use a knife, I also know that I can easily hull a handful of strawberries for a snack for the tiny people or to toss in a smoothie without getting out a cutting board. Grab your huller and whip up mini strawberries shortcakes.
- Can Colander: Clearly most every kitchen has a normal sized colander but I can’t tell you how many times I grab this little guy when I need to rinse/drain beans for a dump-and-go soup (this is a house favorite) or a summer dip (this one is a crowd pleaser).
- Garlic Roller: The convenience of diced garlic in the jar is great but it can’t hold a candle to using fresh when the recipe (this one is on repeat at the moment) calls for garlic. This magical silicon roller was a wedding present and I have used it hundreds of time over the last 8 years. Toss a clove of garlic inside, press and roll on the counter a few times and out pops a naked garlic glove ready for your…
- Garlic Press: Committing to using fresh garlic is one thing, having my hands smell like garlic is another. Insert the garlic press. I’m not a professional chef so I don’t diced my garlic. But press some garlic and make my favorite fresh tomato pasta and send me an email thank you.
- Citrus Squeezer: For some weird reason lemons = summer to me, so I regularly find myself googling “lemon + protein + random ingredients” to find recipes to use up whatever I have in the fridge or pantry. This is a ‘hefty’ little juicer and seems to do an a+ job. No juice waste. Just make sure you put the fruit in the correct way (ahem). As for lemon recipes, this soup, this baked chicken and my made-up recipe of lemon bowtie pasta (pasta, ricotta, a protein (chicken or salmon) and some fresh lemon juice with salt & pepper to taste) show up regularly on the weekly summer menu.
Please note that this list of kitchen gadgets isn’t exhaustive. I have more favorites and one of these days I’ll get around to a fun wedding registry post, because I have thoughts. But for now, I’m dying to know if you have any ‘totally unnecessary but I love <this>’ kitchen tools in your drawers or cabinets. Share below 😉
xo,
KNW
I whole-heartedly second the citrus juicer as must have what did I ever do without it gadget. I love mine so much I have 2 because 1 seems to always be in the dishwasher. I didn’t realize how much I used it until I packed all my stuff into storage for almost 3 months late last year during a move and reached for it almost daily!
A ground meat chopper is my go to kitchen gadget of this variety. I make a lot of ground meat into tacos, homemade sausage for pizza, for spaghetti sauce, etc. This tool gets used every time because it is so good at getting really tiny crumbles.
https://www.target.com/p/oxo-ground-meat-chopper/-/A-50104543
I have and love the strawberry huller and the garlic press. My other go-to is my grape slicer! I bought it for those dreamy, seemingly other-era days of in-person preschool, where you took turns bringing a snack for the whole class. Grapes had to be quartered (choking hazard, otherwise)! Who has time for that?! 🙂
OXO Good Grips Grape Cutter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JVSVJKC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8pzpFb2X4V0KX
Three cheers for the can colander! X
A garlic press and strawberry huller are two of my most used kitchen gadgets too! I’m looking into getting a mandoline next.
UMMMM The made up lemon bowtie pasta rounds DELIGHTFUL! How much ricotta was used? Because I’d totally make that at home
Maria! I’d say I use about 1/3 of a cup. My best guess is to try two or three spoonfuls and stir it around to coat the noodles. You can always add more. I do love ricotta so I might be a bit heavy handed 😉
Have you tried the Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker? Because it blows the press out of the water! absolutely game changer for me https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-20037-Crusher-Dishwasher-Stainless/dp/B01ATV4O2O/ref=asc_df_B01ATV4O2O/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167134584690&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5711101967811327790&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007244&hvtargid=pla-294694103894&psc=1
Love this roundup!
I’m obsessed with this juicer that juices right into a mason jar: https://www.amazon.com/Jarware-82617-Juicer-Mouth-Yellow/dp/B01410LHK6/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=mason+jar+juicer&qid=1598881744&s=home-garden&sr=1-3
Even though it takes up some space, this is a game changer for chopped salads: https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Salad-Chopper/dp/B001AEH634/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=oxo+salad+chopper&qid=1598881814&s=home-garden&sr=1-1