Five Kitchen Tools

There are certain tools in a kitchen, any kitchen, that everyone has. A knife, a wooden spoon, a spatula, a mixing bowl, a cookie sheet, a skillet. If you don’t have these in your kitchen, then you probably don’t cook in your kitchen. You just walk through it, looking at those big square objects, thinking to yourself, “What does one do with that, I wonder? I’m hungry, let’s call takeout.”

The tools I’m going to show you today will make you more perfect than your neighbor. You will be a better cook than an Iron Chef. Some can even do more than one thing. You will be that person everyone else wants to be. You will become more than you’ve ever thought possible. You will be a gourmet chef capable of using ambidextrous tools.

Let us begin . . .

Salad Spinner   

This is one tool that does exactly what it was designed to do and does it well. Fill the basket with freshly washed lettuce leaves, insert into bowl, replace the lid, and spin away. Lettuce comes out ready for a salad. Only you, being the perfect person you have become, know of something else this little baby can do. It’s a washing machine for delicates. I knooow. Who’d have thought? Place the basket in the bowl, fill half way with water, add a small amount of gentle laundry soap, replace lid, and give a quick spin to mix. Then, add delicate bras or panties, and spin away. Pour out soapy water, add fresh, re-spin. Repeat several times to remove any soap. Aren’t you the clever one!

Old Wine & Liquor Bottles   

I have an old wine bottle in the shape of a fish. It once held white wine. Later, it held salt. Now, it sits by the stove holding my EVOO. So chic. From this pic which is how it actually is by my stove, you can see I like cute bottles for those things I use often. Salt is in that cognac bottle, and Balsamic vinegar and soy sauce are in two smaller bottles to the right. Well, you can’t exactly see the soy sauce bottle, but it’s cute, too. They came from Hobby Lobby. Great store for crafty things, wrapping paper supplies, and reasonably priced home decor items.

Food Saver  

The Food Saver Vacuum Sealer. This is my go-to for longer-term food storage. They come in all price ranges. My first was ancient and called a Seal-A-Meal. It didn’t suck out the air. Getting the air out of the container is what helps food last longer.

They have all sorts and sizes of containers you can also buy. I bought three plastic food containers.

They were expensive. About $15 each.

They worked well. Great!

They lasted a year before cracking. Not so great.

The roll of bags fits inside. Pull out a strip and slide that little thumb-tab you see on the right across to the left and your bag is cut. Seal one end. Put your food inside. And seal open end. This time all the air will be sucked out.

Food lasts much longer and stays much fresher. We’ve saved dry foods–coffee, pasta, rice, etc.–in these for emergency use. Meats, bought on sale, were vacuum sealed in individual portions and frozen.

Even though their containers didn’t perform well, I would not want to be without my vacuum sealer.

Silicone Ice Cube Trays   

Yes, these make nice ice cubes, but they also are great for freezing left over gravy, sauces, or stocks. One or two make a single serving. But, you knew that already, because we did it here.

A Microplaner   

This doesn’t actually qualify as a multi-tasker as it is doing the same thing to everything. But, that is it’s beauty. It does a good job grating or zesting everything. Citrus, cheese, carrots, onions, nutmeg, ginger. Knuckles. Be careful.

And now, we are done. While you may continue in your perfect life, I must go put a band-aide on my knuckle.

Until next time. Be sweet.