What's In Your Kitchen?

I have a tiny kitchen.  Seriously, it's a one person at a time deal.  Perhaps two people but then the second person just gets in my way.  So really, it's my domain and mine only.  With that being said, you can imagine that there's not a lot of cabinet space.  Yeah- there really isn't.  Upon moving into our home, I had to improvise and buy large cabinets just to store my food around the corner in the living room.  So you best believe that the kitchen items and tools that are currently in my kitchen are there for a reason.  I am very selective in what I buy because clearly storage space is an issue.

Below are my top 10 must have kitchen tools.  I use these either every day or weekly.  If you're cooking from scratch like I do- I'm pretty sure you'll find that these items come in super handy.



1.  Sharp knife.  Ok- seriously, you just can't beat a good quality knife.  Find one that fits your hand just right and that has a wide enough blade to cut through a variety of things.  I hate doing extra dishes so I tend to use the same knife for everything.  And no- I do not have a knife block that takes up precious counter top room.  Just put your knives in a drawer with your silverware.

My favorite style of kitchen knife!

2.  Super large cutting board.  I like room to move and trying to dice carrots and celery on a tiny little cutting board just doesn't work.  Do yourself a favor and buy the flexible kind too, like these here.  Lots of room to cut and then simply pour it into your bowl or pan.  Love that!

3.  Mini food processor.  Years ago I had a really fancy (insert expensive!) huge food processor that a family friend gave to me.  It had all these cool attachments and could pretty much do anything.  But you know what- I never used it!  It weighed a ton and took up way too much space and was just a pain in the butt to clean.  I scaled down and now I use this smaller version just about every week.  Bonus- it's dishwasher safe!

4.  Kitchen Aid mixer.  This is the most expensive must have on the list but if you are a baker- you really need one of these.  It sees more use in the winter time when I'm making savory breads, muffins and cakes but I still use it frequently to mix up a batch of pizza dough or lemon meringue filling.  And yes- the bowl is dishwasher safe too.  Sweet!

Buy it for under $200 during the Christmas season!

5.  Spatulas.  Not all spatulas are created equal.  I love these Rubbermaid heat proof ones and buy them at Costco for super cheap.  Make sure you get a few different sizes too.  I have 2 larger ones and then one smaller one.  The smaller one comes in handy for scraping the sides of things- trust me on this one.  Oh- and stay away from the hard plastic spatulas.  These will melt when put to the heat and then you'll have hard plastic flakes in your food.  Gross!

6.  Blender.  The first appliance that I ever bought was the blender that I still have to this day.  A cheap (under $20) Oster that has seen over 15 years of abuse.  So clearly I don't think you need to go out and drop a fortune on a blender.  And yes- this gets used several times per week in our house.  Whip up a batch of smoothies, make some margaritas, grind cashews for soup- love my blender!

7.  8 cup glass measuring bowl.  How in the world did I ever live without this?!?  I was lucky to find mine at a home discount store (Ross) on sale for just $4.99 but even at full retail price, these things are well worth it!  Mix up a batch of pancakes or waffles, which I do at least once per week, and then simply pour it into the pan or waffle maker.  No need to make extra mess and then it goes right in the dishwasher for easy clean up.  Yeah- you need one of these.

This one comes with a lid!

8.  Crockpot.  The second appliance I ever bought was a crockpot.  Sadly, the original one took a crapper last year so the husband bought me this fancy new one last Christmas.  Get a big one and plan on making at least one meal per week in it.  By the way, it's not just for roasts!  You can make berry cobbler, bread, soups etc and of course it comes in super handy to keep drinks warm.  Think hot apple cider for a Fall party- yum!

9.  Immersion blender.  A few years ago I discovered the awesomeness that is the immersion blender.  To be honest, I always thought it was a silly waste of money.  If I wanted to blend things- I could just use my blender, right?  Boy was I wrong!  I use this mainly for soup but because we eat a LOT of soup, it's been the best $20 I ever spent.  No need to transfer hot soup to your blender then pour it back into the pot all while trying not to scald yourself.  Works great for marinara sauce too!

10.  Waffle maker.  Alright, I confess- this is a relatively new addition to my must have list.  However I have used it just about every single week since getting it for Christmas.  I no longer drop a fortune on organic frozen waffles and let's face it- nothing tastes better then a fresh, homemade waffle.  I always make a double batch and freeze what we don't eat.  Oh- and make sure you get one that flips, like this one here.  If you can, try and wait until Christmas time to buy one of these bad boys.  I've seen them as low as $5!!!  Sweet!

Honorable mention goes to these awesome silicone popsicle molds!  They do get used year round but more often in the summer time, because- well....yeah.  I mix up a batch of smoothies and pour the extra into these molds.  Then simply pop in the freezer for a homemade and healthy popsicle for the kids.  Now that's awesome!