My Top 6 Favorites in Detail…
My children make fun of me…about lots of things, but today it is my love of certain kitchen gadgets. They joke that if the house was on fire, I would grab my Nespresso machine first and run! Of course, I correct them and remind them that they would be first (as I reiterate the ever important “Stop! Drop! Roll!” instructions from our local firefighters), then pets, then the Nespresso machine – in all its adorable, red glory! I emailed a friend of mine this Christmas, to tell her how happy certain kitchen gadgets made me during the holiday season – I might sound shallow – holiday season is about more than just things, but these things truly make me happy – so, does that make me a terrible person? Let’s hit pause on that for another day…
Back to the fun gadgets that I love:
The red Nespresso Machine – I have owned the Pixie and the Aeroccino frother and I LOVE them both. I never had one single problem with either of these magical machines. I am a little crazy about choosing and stocking my coffee pods – so many great choices – but that is half of the fun. The machine is simple to use and the machines come in lots of fun colors and sizes. I recently laid eyes on the KitchenAid Nespresso machine in red and I was instantly in love again. I gave my pixie to my daughter – she was thrilled. The new machine is also awesome (and looks so cute on my countertop) but I find that the pods get stuck sometimes and I have to dislodge them – not a big deal but the other machine never had that problem. So if you are not struck by the cuteness of the KitchenAid version the Pixie is an amazing machine and has exactly the same features (for less money).
Next up on the list of favorites, and they are a very close second, Joyce Chen scissors. I was introduced to these scissors by a great friend who also happens to be a chef. She has about 10 pairs floating around her kitchen in various colors. I loved them so much when I was at her house for a visit, she sent me a pair as a gift, and now I love them even more. They will cut into anything!! They are small, light and easy to handle. According to Mary, they will bone a chicken ( I do not bone my own chick – not being a chef) as easily as cutting herbs. I now have a red pair for only food related cutting and a blue pair that I use to cut anything and everything – they never seem to dull. Love these scissors – they are worth every penny!
Number three on my list is my Shun Premier 6″ utility knife. This knife is sharp! It is sharp for slicing and sharp looking. Beautiful wood handles and hand hammered blade make this fun to look at but it is a true workhorse. It slices tomatoes, cheese, small cuts of meat with ease and because of the serrated edge it cuts bread well too.
My Simplex Quick Boil Tea Kettle is probably the most durable and long loved item in my kitchen. My parents gave it to me 23 years ago for my birthday. At the time, I did not fully appreciate the amazing gift they had given me. It is a copper kettle with chrome finish and lined with solid tin. It has a beech wood handle and whistles when ready. The version that I have is made specifically for a gas stove top but they have a version for induction or electric stove tops. I know that these are available through Amazon and other big online retailers but I have heard they are often knock-offs. I recommend going straight to the source – not an inexpensive tea kettle but as I can attest, you will have i for many years to come. If you would like a much less pricey option, I also recommend the BonJour tea kettle – although it is not a good fit for an induction stove top – it is great for gas or electric coil.
Last on the top 6 list is a marble pastry board. I have found this to be so useful and it is so pretty I don’t mind having it sit on my countertop most of the time and I can move it to the kitchen table if I need a bigger workspace. It is also a great backdrop for food photography for the blog – added bonus.
The above items are my top six kitchen favorites. There are a few more items that I LOVE but might not be able to carry out in a fire – Wow I need to stop talking about my house catching fire – bad Karma!! I have listed them below.
So here are the other 9 items that round out my kitchen favorites:
Flour sacking dish towels – awsome, absorbent and so useful for everything!
Salt pig – I love this because it makes me feel very chefy!
Staub Perfect Pan – Great name and very true! I did not think I needed this pan until someone gave it to me as a Christmas gift and now I use it every day.
Peugeot pepper mill – I am a big fan of freshly ground pepper – enough said!
Ninja Ultra IQ – I make a smoothie almost every day and this makes it super easy. Also great for whipping up a little bit of soup.
Adorable mugs from Anthropologie – I like the wide mouth mugs for my coffee and they are so cute – I never get tired of them.
Occitane liquid hand soap – I wash my hands a million times a day and this soap does not dry my hands out. Pricey – which sort of annoys me but really good.
White mixing bowls from West Elm – These are so fresh looking and very practical.
White mortar and pestle from Anthropologie – looks so pretty on my counter and great for mashing herbs and garlic and such.
I have put links on all of the items that I have in my kitchen, in case you would like to have them in your kitchen. Some of them offer me a commission if you buy them, so thanks in advance. I have made sure to only include things that I actually own and really really love. Let me know what you love in your kitchen and if you try any of my kitchen favorites, I would love to hear that too!
Happy cooking!
Mary says
I have Ninja envy!
Pip says
That is nothing compared to my Joyce Chen envy!