Anyone who does any cooking or baking has their favorite kitchen gadgets. I was thinking the other day about how I reach for the same items over the over as I make dinner or make a sweet treat.
Everyone needs the basics, good knives, cutting boards, pots, pans, skillets, measuring cups… you get the idea. It is also nice to have some kitchen gadgets that make everyday cooking tasks easier.
Silicone Muffin Cups
I am muffins at least once a week. Hubby likes them for snacks or a quick after-dinner dessert. We bought colorful little muffin cups on a whim a few years ago, and I love them. I like the idea of a reusable cup instead of paper cups. Muffins are their only purpose at our house, but I have seen people on social media use them for meal prep.
Citrus Squeezer
This bright yellow citrus squeezer is used daily for my lemon water in the morning. I have had it for at least 10 years and even bought a second one in case my original broke. My original is still going strong and looks like the day I bought it.
Zester/Microplane
Lemon, lime, and orange zest add bright, fresh citrus flavor to recipes. I like the larger, wider zester for citrus zest.
I use a microplane to finely shred my fresh parmesan cheese and grate ginger and garlic.
Garlic Crusher
My old garlic press was cheap, and frankly, didn’t work well. I bought this crusher/rocker a few months ago and it works great. To use it, you peel the garlic clove and place it under the center of the crusher. Then push down and rock until the garlic is pressed through the holes.
We ended up with two when we ordered it and considered giving away the spare. But we use garlic so much! Since there is nearly always one in the dishwasher, having a spare makes sense. Now I often have two in the dishwasher. 🙂
Toaster Oven
Okay, a toaster oven is more of an appliance than a gadget. But as I look around my kitchen for what I use daily, the toaster oven is high on the list.
Our current variety has an air fry option which makes delicious oven fries. It is large enough for main entrées like this quiche and we use it constantly for roasted veggies.
Coffeemaker
My day doesn’t start without two cups of coffee, but I am the only coffee drinker in the house. I have had 12-cup coffee makers for years, despite rarely making more than a few cups for myself every morning. I have had this 5-cup coffeemaker for about a year and I love it. It looks great on my counter, works well, and makes delicious coffee.
Nothing better than that first cup of coffee in the morning. 😉