These 5 kitchen gadgets are ones that I CANNOT live without! They are versatile, time-saving and are the best of the best!
We. Are. A. Foodie. World! WOO HOO! I seriously am so beyond thrilled by this! We’ve gone past the thought of “I only eat to survive” to having food being an experience. We attribute so many feelings with food other than simple taste. Oh don’t get me wrong as there are some of you out there that, while you read my blog because we’ve been friends for a million years, you still only think food is just for sustenance and strength. Mr. Fantabulous was of that same mentality when we first got together now the man is a bigger food critic than I! I get giddy when I’m at a restaurant and see folks whip out their phones to take a shot of their dish. In some of my favorite restaurants they now know to seat me at the ‘good lighting’ table as they know I’ll be taking shots of my meal and posting it all over social media.
And many of us, when we get home, now want to recreate those restaurant dishes at home. Sure we all want a chef’s kitchen – HELLO Food Network $250,000 kitchen contest! But let’s be real, we all won’t win and we all won’t have that kitchen BUT that doesn’t mean we can’t use some of same tools (or similar!). Today I’m sharing with you my top 5 must-have kitchen gadgets. What I’m going to tell you about kitchen gadgets is pretty simple and straightforward…
INVEST IN QUALITY!
One thing my parents always taught me was to save up my money and invest in quality products. Albeit a new mattress, set of pots and pans or hand mixer. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive (seriously don’t fall for that) but it should be of the best quality. Quality means longevity which means you won’t be replacing it every year like you would have for the $1 frying pan. Now again, you live within your means. Trust me as I know what that is like. We don’t have Oprah bank (jealous!) but if at all possible save up until you can buy that one great piece.
So let’s talk about these items. A pressure cooker, a hand mixer, an immersion blender, a stand mixer and a blender/food processor. Each of these have a purpose and these are the ones that I personally love (and use!). I’ve tested out numerous brands throughout the years and these are the ones that I would endorse say in a tv ad or what not. They truly are that amazing.
Pressure Cooker
I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this Instant Pot DUO80 8 Qt 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer!
So pressure cooking has been around forever but hasn’t really become a ‘thing’ until the past 2 years or so. I’ve been preaching about it for the past 5 and seriously would be lost without mine! I’ve have 3 different models/brands and out of the electric ones, by far this is my all time favorite! I love that it’s 8 quart as 6 quarts is just not enough – even just for the 2 of us. From making rice in minutes to the best roast beef dinner you’ll ever have in under 90 minutes you seriously can’t go wrong with this! Every new bride, new mother, college grad, college kid – literally everyone should have one of these!
Hand Mixer
I’ve gone through many hand mixers and the KitchenAid KHM926CU 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer with Turbo Beater II Accessories and Pro Whisk is by far THE BEST!
So why a hand mixer? Why not use a stand mixer? Well, there are some items that a stand mixer either is not powerful enough for OR you don’t have enough in the bowl to warrant using a stand mixer. Like mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes just turn off ‘odd’ when made in a stand mixer. It has to be mashed by hand, a ricer or a whipped via hand mixer.
Immersion Blender
The All-Clad KZ750D Stainless Steel Immersion Blender with Detachable Shaft and Variable Speed Control Dial, 600-Watts, Silver is seriously is THE BEST out there!
So this is my 5th immersion blender I’ve had in my life and most certainly my last! This is just as good as the professional chef one I have but weighs a fraction of the weight! It has an adjustable speed which is perfect when you don’t want hot soups to splash up in your face. The stick is longer than most which means when you can into your deep pots to blend up your ingredients easier plus clean up is a breeze! The motor on this is by far the best I’ve ever used. This is perfect when you want to make smooth sauces, break up soups, chop up veggies and so forth. I would say the BEST benefit of an immersion blender is that you don’t have to transfer items from one pot to say a blender just to puree or process. You literally put the ‘stick blender’ in the pot and turn it on.
Stand Mixer
Simply put, when it comes to stand mixers, Kitchen Aid has the market on them! This KitchenAid KP26M1XNP 6 Qt. Professional 600 Series Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer is incredible!
For the longest time stand mixers were synonymous for making cakes or dough and while that mostly holds true I’ve shown how you can use it for so much more! Egg whites whip up to the fluffiest of meringues! And HELLO… shredded chicken/pork/beef! OMG seriously I will never use the 2-fork method again! Simply put the cooked meat in the bowl, add the paddle attachment and turn on low! The meat practically shreds itself!
Lastly I’m all about multi-purpose tools. We all do not have counters and cabinets that go on for days. That’s why I love this next gadget!
Food Processor/Blender
The Ninja Mega Kitchen System (Blender, Processor, Nutri Ninja Cups) allows you to make smoothies, peanut butter, soups but also you can pulse and process foods!
Now full disclosure I have a KILLER food processor that I LOVE LOVE LOVE but it’s no longer made as it was a limited edition. HOWEVER I got one of the Nutri systems a while back and seriously, I rarely use my food processor as my Ninja does it for me! Plus it makes soups, smoothies, “nice” cream, peanut butter and so much more! And it’s super easy to use and stores away nice and neat (I’m not a fan of stuff on the counter!)
Leave a Reply