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How many kitchen gadgets do you have that you never knew you needed until you had it? Well, I have many of them! Below are just a few of the many I have that are my favorites. I always say, I can’t justify having another kitchen appliance, I have everything I need!
These also make wonderful gifts for anyone who spends time in the kitchen. Does anyone really NEED them, well no, but they are great gifts! I have to say, a lot of what I’m listing below have been gifts to me at one point or another!
Well about two years ago, I had my kitchen/living room area gutted and renovated! I’ve lived in my place for years now and I’ve always said I wanted to update it and I kept putting it off. So when it was finally time, I went for it all!!! And let me tell you, I am so very happy I did! I knocked down a wall that closed off my kitchen so I could have more counter space and added in a ton of cabinetry along the back wall. And now that I have all of this cabinet space, I still find myself feeling like I could use more!
So here is a list of things I never knew I needed:
This food chopper was bought because I’m chopping so many vegetables on a weekly basis. I wasn’t sure how much use I would get out of it, but I’ve used it for many more things then I every thought I would! I like having what I like to call my “Pub Night” at home. And of course, I love French fries! Once I got this chopper and realized how easy it was to cut potatoes for French fries, it was great! I make wings and fries and it’s a perfect combination with it feeling like it’s a healthy meal since nothing is fried!
This is one that I never though I needed for sure. I mean, I’m a single women who is cooking for one!!! Well, that’s JUST the reason why I need one of these!!! For one, you can buy your meat in bulk much cheaper if you can freeze it. And two, who likes going to the grocery store all of the time just to pick up a few things. I like to limit my grocery store trips because I always end up buying things I don’t seem to “need”!
I just got this one for my birthday and it so cool! How many of you have snacks that end up going stale? Or if you buy some frozen chicken fingers or wings and you only have a few at a time? Those resalable bags NEVER close and to be honest after a while, the food just ends up tasting nasty after a while. Well the cool thing about this, is you can get reusable ziplock bags and reseal these after every time you make a few!!! This is amazing!!!
This is the thing that I was holding out on purchasing. I just couldn’t justify buying yet ANOTHER kitchen gadget when I have everything I could ever need already here!
Last year for Christmas I was given this as a gift. Once I got home, I couldn’t wait to get it out and start to figure out how to use it. I started reading on how to use it and joined all of these great facebook groups and learned so much just by reading what others had to say about it! One of the most surprising things that I do in this is dehydrate fruit! I’ve made a few different types over the past few months, but I will tell you, dried pineapple is my absolute favorite! I actually have some dehydrating as I type this! I add the dried fruit to a cashew and almond mix and it makes a great trail mix! I actually use canned pineapple and it’s super cheap and so easy.
This past St. Patrick’s Day, I actually made the entire Corned Beef and Cabbage meal in this and it turned out so perfect and the beef was so perfectly tender! And in only 90 minutes!!! If you don’t have one, you really should look into getting this! This is actually one of the better kitchen appliances if you have a very small kitchen or apartment and you are trying to save space and only want to use one thing!
Seriously guys, if you don’t have any tongs, you really should buy a few! I had a single tong for years, once I realized how much it could be used for, I quickly invested in a few more. These are different sizes. And with the rubber ends, you can use it on any type of kitchen appliance without ruining the bottom of your pot or pan.
Let me count the ways I love thy! Here are just a few. I will tell you, it took some getting used to and figuring out how to use the correct heat. Especially using them on an electric stove! It also took a while for me to get all of them seasoned to perfection! I remember the first few times I’ve used mine and I tried to cook something simple. Eggs…..I make eggs all of the time! I got this. Well, I didn’t have it!! They stuck to the skillet and I had a heck of a time trying to get them off. But once I used it a few times for other things, I now cook my eggs in the skillet whenever I cook them at home and they are perfect every time!
Another one of my favorite one pot (almost) meals are stir fry’s. You just cook your meat and then dump in your veggies. Depending on what I have, I will either use fresh or frozen. But careful when you add frozen veggies, since the skillet is so hot, there will be lots of steam when you add them in. Sometimes, I will add about a half of a cup of broth before adding in the vegetables. Plus, adding in the broth will help get all of those flavorful pieces unstuck to the bottom of the skillet.
If you’ve read my blog before, you have already seen my chorizo breakfast hash recipe. Check that one out here!
Chicken Fajitas! Who doesn’t love a good homemade chicken fajita? Again, another one pot meal! Just chop and drop everything! And if you want to get fancy with your Taco Tuesday nights, I have made some of the best nachos in my skillet! I’ve shared these with my neighbors and it was a hit! Of course, I used chorizo on my nachos. It gave it that spicy flavor that you just wanted to keep going back for more!
Pies! I haven’t tried making any just yet, but my mother does often and let me tell you, they come out so perfectly cooked. I have plans on having mom teach me her ways, so once I have figured it out, I will share the goods with you all! When my nieces and nephews were here last summer, they called her “The Best Baker EVER!” And you know when you get their approval, then you have a good thing!
When I got this Cast Iron Grill, I was looking for a way to make some great burgers. Since I live in a condo, I don’t have an outdoor grill, so this is perfect for cooking all of those grilling meats on! I love making a good homemade burger on this skillet.
I also make chicken tenders on it almost weekly for my salads! Of course it doesn’t have that outdoor grilling flavor, but it does have those great grill marks, you will just need to be sure you have your flavoring just right. If you want a good flavoring, this is my favorite from Major Flavor! (Side note: what I love about most of Major Flavor’s seasonings is most of them do not have sugar in them! It’s so difficult to find a good flavoring seasoning that does not have added sugar in it. My favorite is the Sonoma Valley BBQ Seasoning.)
I have two of these amazing things! One of the first things I made in my dutch oven was a whole chicken! As intimidating as it sounds, it was super easy! I added some seasonings to the chicken, stuck a lemon cut in half in the chicken and put it in the oven. Then when it was time to pull it out of the oven, it was so amazing! It was juicy and tender, I was able to use it for many meals that week!
Another one of my recipes that I love to make is my chili! Check out the recipe and how easy it is to make here.
I have a few soups that I make in here as well. One is a Chicken Pot Pie Soup that I use mashed potatoes to thicken it up. It’s a dairy free soup for those who are looking for dairy free options.
And again, here is something else that you can make dessert in and it be amazing! If you check out my post from when I went to Moab with some friends, my friend Lindsey, made the most amazing Peach Cake ever! Check out this post for the recipe, it’s simple and two ingredients.
If you don’t have a good can opener, you really should just order one right now! I’ve had mine for years. This is the easiest too close and get a grip on the can. It’s easy and smooth turn all the way around.
This was one of the first, if not the very first, kitchen appliance I got! If you don’t have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, you really should think about getting one, especially if you do any kind of baking! Not only baking, but you can make your own sausage as well. It’s nice to know exactly what is going in your meat. Also, you can control the spices to make them just how you like them! And now that I have this cool FoodSaver, I’m going to be playing around with making my own sausages much more! If you want to learn how to make your own pasta, this is perfect for that as well! You can really impress your family!
Ninja Coffee Pot with Coffee Bean Grinder
So I’ve come to really like many ninja products! So when I was looking for a new coffee pot, I figured I’d try this one out! It’s nothing too fancy, but I have been LOVING it! It’s so easy to set up for brewing in the morning and even easier to clean! I also got a coffee bean grinder, again, I never realized how much I needed this! It makes such a huge difference in how fresh the coffee is! And while I’m filling up the water reservoir, I can grind the beans at the same time, so it takes up no extra time at all!
So there you have it! My list of Top Ten Kitchen appliances and gadgets!
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