As I was writing out my response to her email, I realized 1.) I practically wrote her a novel and 2.) I thought her question might make an interesting blog post topic, especially if YOU guys share a little bit about some of the not-so-typical kitchen tools you use on an almost-daily basis as well.
Many of my most-used products are, quite honestly, products of laziness that cut down time on mundane tasks (like chopping veggies or doing dishes) but since I clearly like to cut corners and save time in the kitchen whenever I can, I suppose this makes sense. I’d love to hear about any products or interesting finds you guys were surprised to fall in love with that you use regularly in your kitchen as well. As you’ll see below, nothing too small is off limits (I mean I’m giving a shout out to a soap dispensing dish brush) so please share your favorite finds with me!
10 Most Used Kitchen Items
I’ve talked about this salad chopper on the blog a time or two but this bad boy gets SO much use in our house so it had to make this list. Chopped salads are the best salads – so much flavor in every bite – and this chopper and bowl combination makes it incredibly easy to chop a bunch of ingredients up at once. The double pizza cutter-like blade is very sharp and powerful and easily slices through everything from cabbage and peppers to chicken! The bowl is also very large, making it easy to make a giant chopped salad to serve multiple people.
This was a recent Things I’m Loving Friday feature for good reason. I frequently make my own salad dressings at home and love the way it has a handful of go-to dressing recipes on the side of the container. I’ve made all of them and think they’re fantastic! (I actually also have this salad dressing bottle which is a cheaper $7 option!)
I’m not drinking much coffee right now (I’m avoiding most caffeine at the moment) but tea is my current BFF and so I’ve been using our electric kettle multiple times a day. Call me super lazy, but I rarely used our tea pot because it would take the water too long to heat up and ended up microwaving water for tea before we got this electric kettle. It heats water in a hot second and can make multiple cups of hot water at a time which I love since Ryan is a tea-drinker, too, and it makes preparing tea for a groups breeze.
These measuring spoons were a gift from my mother-in-law and they could not be more handy! I love using them when I’m preparing various recipes because they cut down on the number of dishes I have to do since I can usually just wipe dry spices out before measuring the next spices for the recipe and only wash them once when I’m completely done. The adjustable sliders create a seal for wet and dry ingredients so you can use them for everything from spices and solid foods to oils and liquids.
This soap dispensing dish brush is used multiple times every day in our house. The brush releases a bit of dish soap with the press of a button so you don’t have to load up the bristles with soap yourself (oh my gosh, how lazy am I!?) and it’s easy to refill over and over again. I also like the way the hard tip of the brush can be used to help me chip away at hard-to-remove bits of food.
I’ve had my glass storage containers for years and truly believe not a day goes by when I don’t use at least one of them! While I love them for the obvious storage reasons (they’re great for meal prep!), I REALLY love them for reheating leftovers for myself for lunch since I often don’t have to transfer the leftovers from a plastic container to a new bowl to safely reheat my meals.
If you make a lot of dishes that involve placing a skillet or cast-iron pan in the oven, I cannot recommend this silicone handle enough! My mom gave me one when I first began making frittatas and offhandedly told her I burned myself almost every time I would make one because I’d absentmindedly grasp the pan handle to hold the frittata steady as I cut it after I pulled it out of the oven. Now I simply slip this handle cover on the pan the minute it comes out of the oven and haven’t burnt my hand since. Safety for the win!
This handy-dandy scraper tool first popped up on PBF Ii n 2016 and my love for its powerful scraping abilities rings true to this day. My mom read about this tool in Real Simple magazine and it’s magical. It does the BEST job at removing food that is completely stuck to pots and pans. It’s great for cleaning casserole dishes, muffin tins… the works! You can also use it to remove dried food from on top of the stove or countertops, stickers from picture frames and more. It’s inexpensive and it works like a charm. Love this thing!
I waffled back and forth on whether or not investing in a kitchen helper cooking stand for Chase would be a good decision but the minute it arrived, any reservations I had went right out the window! He took to the stand immediately and we use it every single day. Chase LOVES being involved in the kitchen and the cooking stand comes in handy when he wants to “help” me cook or bake, do crafts at the kitchen counter, wash his hands or dishes, etc.
Soooo basic, I know. But I really do use these glass jars for everything! From storing various dried foods I purchase from bulk bins (nuts, beans, granola) to refrigerating a homemade sauce or even making mason jar salads or overnight oats, I do not think one day goes by where I’m not using a mason jar for one reason or another.
Question of the Day
What are some of the most used kitchen items you find yourself reaching for again and again outside of the usual big-ticket items like pots and pans?
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What kinds of teas have you been enjoying while pregnant? Always on the lookout for low and no caffeine tea ideas!
Hi Lisa! Here area few of my current favs: Peppermint, Egyptian licorice mint, red roobios, Earth Mama organic morning wellness tea, Traditional Medicinals pregnancy tea, chamomile
I’m not really sure what the hazard is, but I know my Yogi brand Egyptian Licorice tea says not to drink while pregnant or breastfeeding…I’m assuming they’re more talking about multiple cups a day, but may want to check whatever brand you’re using! It’s one of my favorites too 🙂
My doctor told me to avoid tea with licorice when I was pregnant. He told me why but that’s been over 2 years ago now and I can’t remember!
I used to have a salad chopper until I realized kitchen scissors work better and have multiple uses! Now I have two pair in the kitchen as I use them all day to cut my toddler’s sandwich, chop my salad and prep herbs or meat for dinner!
Love posts like this!
Love this post! I hadn’t heard of so many of these. I have two MEGA cookie sheets that I love using for roasting potatoes and vegetables.
I love my set of Pampered Chef liquid measuring cups with the markings on the inside so you can place the cup on the counter to read it and not hold it at eye level or squat to read it from the counter level. I also love the cylinder type measuring cup for ingredients such as peanut butter or honey. It’s easy to evacuate all of the product without much scraping or product getting stuck in corners (another Pampered Chef item but there are knock-offs).
those adjustable measuring spoons are genius!!
I nice wood cutting board is on my list of essentials. Ours sits on the kitchen counter at all times, and we use it multiple times a day.
Agreed! We have a GIANT wood cutting board we got as a wedding present and I absolutely LOVE it. Definitely an essential in our house, too!
This thing has been a game changer for me! I never have to worry about over or under cooking meat. You set it to the temp you need (ex 165 for chicken) and it beeps when it gets to that temp. It can go on the stove or inside the oven and is magnetic so you can stick it to the stove/oven/microwave.
https://www.thermoworks.com/DOT?gclid=Cj0KCQiAh_DTBRCTARIsABlT9MazDwz_OHDkxTN30aGi5aONNgiuvCObk2b8MaH34wLOLxMUyoEInLMaAgtREALw_wcB
I love my garlic press. A lot of kitchen blogs discourage buying one because it’s not multipurpose, but I use mine alllll the time. I hate chopping garlic and this takes a fraction of the time. I use mine multiple times a week.
I also have magnetic measuring spoons. I absolutely hate the ones that come on a ring because it’s annoying to use so I take them off. And then I lose them 🙂 So I got magnetic, double sided ones that solve the problem lol. (And the double sided is awesome because they will fit into most containers!!)
Love this post, Julie! I got married two summers ago so registering is still somewhat fresh in my mind! My absolute favorite kitchen-related wedding gifts are my knife block set, Crate & Barrel caesna mirror flatware, and KitchenAid pour-over coffee maker. I use all of these items every. single day.
I could go on and on but I’d also highly recommend a really nice, solid chopping block, blender, garlic press (so convenient!), and lots of glass storage containers with lids, especially if you like to meal prep. I know people are really divided about KitchenAid stand mixers but I’m so glad I got mine and really love whipping it out to bake – I think of my wedding every time!
I was on the fence about putting this on our registry since we have a cheap one and don’t bake much… but this is a lovely reason to register for it! ♥
Yes!! Brings back so many memories if you bake at all 🙂
One kitchen tool that I find incredibly handy is a tomato knife. I know it might sound nuts to have a knife just for tomatoes, but it’s crazy how easy it gets the job done. I reach for it every time I need to slice or dice a tomato! It also works great for slicing boiled eggs and things like that. I have the one from Rada Cutlery, but there are lots out there to choose from.
Nespresso machine – We LOVE making lattes at home. They are pricey, but they are essentially a K-cup for espresso. We use it everyday. And with a newborn, MORE than once a day.
Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet – My most prized kitchen position, other than the dishwasher ha! Anyways, I love this skillet and use it several times a week. My husband is obsessed with steak and this skillet will take you to the promise land when it comes to the most delicious home cooked steak you can imagine.
Also, a high quality set of knives.
How do you feel about the open sides on the toddler kitchen helper stand? I keep debating which stand I should get for my son (he is 19 months right now) and the open sides seem convenient for him to climb in so I wouldn’t have to lift him, but I fear him falling out somehow – it could be an irrational fear because I haven’t seen one in person!
As far as kitchen tools go, I love my avocado slicer – it is the BEST:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088LR5EW/ref=twister_B074VLX5WQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I am all about that electric kettle life! My old roommate had one and when she moved and took it with her, I went out literally the next day and bought one. I use my apple core slicer thing (I don’t know what it’s actually called, but it chops my apples for me!) almost daily. I also love my new Ninja Coffee Bar. A little bit of a splurge, but I’ve had it for a week and a half, and being able to make a cup of coffee, a full carafe, or anything in between has been huge. Bonus that I can froth milk and make specialty drinks with it!
My NorWex cloths…. all of them! 🙂
I too am guilty of using the Soap Dispensing Dish Brush. It’s wonderful! Over Christmas I spent almost a month at my parents who don’t have a dishwasher. All I had to use was a dishcloth and I almost lost my mind! Was so happy when I returned home to my beloved dish brush. Simple things in life.
I’m right there with you on the glass containers. I bought some on Amazon not too long ago and they’ve been great for leftovers. I use them all the time.
I LOVE our electric kettle! I don’t brew my tea as recommended (#sorrynotsorry) because I want it to be immediately drinkable, so I love that I can set the temperature and know exactly when it’s ready. I also use it when I need to boil something on the stove because it boils the water faster than heating up a whole pot!
Ever since we started doing home delivery meals, we get a lot of mileage out of a little set of blue bowls that we use to hold recipe portions of chives, garlic, peppers, etc. after we’ve prepped them but before they go in the pan. I’m a clean-as-you-go kind of cook so I love these because they let me clean and wash my prep dishes while cooking so I don’t have a pile of dirty dishes covered in prepped ingredients surrounding me.
this might be a silly question… what lids do you use for the mason jars? The ones I have are two parts and can be rather annoying
I have some plastic ones that are nice (also dishwasher safe).
https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Regular-Mouth-Storage-Caps/dp/B0000BYC4B
I love love love kitchen stuff and would be happy to own every single gadget that made prep quicker (love cooking, don’t love all the prep).
Our favorites that are always in use are: OXO avocado slicer, pineapple de-corer (impulse, but we use it to quickly make pineapple rings), egg slicer (for cobb salad), garlic rocker (easier to clean than a press), and hand held cheese slicer (i swear ours is nearly an antique, but it helps us grab tiny bites of cheese when we’re feeling snack-y)
My sister bought me an electric kettle a few years ago and I grumbled about it a little bit because I just didn’t want another thing on my counter, but truth be told – I love it! The thing that I use every single day though is my coffee grinder, coffee maker and blender.
I love my salad spinner, rice cooker, and chopper! I can’t stand salads where lettuce is still wet (and seem soggy) so a salad spinner is a must. We eat a lot of brown rice and I can’t cook rice on the stove to save my life so we get a lot of use out of ours. I also love our chopper (no idea if that’s the technical name) but I use it for veggies (especially onions!) and even shredding meat. It cleans super easily (I just rinse it) and save a ton of time.
This olive oil dispenser came up randomly as an amazon suggestion for me one day, so I bought it on a whim, and I LOVE it! You just press the button to fill to whatever line you need without having to mess with a measuring spoon. It lives next to my stove now since I use it when I’m cooking pretty much daily.
https://www.amazon.com/Oil-Vinegar-Dispenser-Drip-Free-Spouts/dp/B01EG5YU0U/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1518116545&sr=8-7&keywords=oil+olive+dispenser&dpID=41B14ks0qoL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Oh I just love everything in this post!! I’ve never seen that toddler helper cooking stand; I am totally getting that when I have a toddler running around one day! I also need to get that salad chopper and bowl With all of the salads I eat, how in the world do I not own this already?! 😉 Thanks for this! You always have the best recommendations! Xoxo
I love my lil chizler and mason jars! Those salad dressing containers look like something I need to make, right now I use my shaker cups!
I love my garlic press from Pampered Chef! Also my avocado holder, its for after you slice it and keeps it from browning! I totally bought as a silly gift for my sister but its really handy!!
This is a great list! I would have to add an apple corer and avocado slicer…and I also love our olive oil dispenser!
I use my microplane a ton for grating cheese, ginger, citrus zest, etc!
Our Cuisinart Griddler is the thing we use everyday. Brussel sprouts, turnips, sweet potato fries, asparagus…. It makes it incredibly easy to cook vegetables. Everything tastes better from the grill and no need to flip them.
I have to have a good kitchen scissors. I use it all the time, for all kinds of things. Opening packages, trimming and cutting meats, etc. Also love my garlic press.
A waffle maker that flips. I don’t use this daily, but I did register for it for my wedding and I use it way more than I thought I would and I know when we have kids and sleepovers I’ll be busting it out then too!
my single cup coffee maker from anthropologie we use every.single.day! and my vitamix is a given for
smoothies. yum!
Hi! I am currently putting together my new kitchen, and need to organize my fridge better. I was thinking of getting a ton of the plastic containers that I can stack, but after reading about the glass, I am now torn. Can you stack the glass like you can the plastic that are meant to be layered?