Running a food blog and living in a two-room apartment with a small kitchen are ideas that are seriously at odds. On one hand I’d love to have all the latest and greatest kitchen gadgets, and on the other I have no place to put them. I already keep my marble cutting board and food photography props under my bed…I really have no extra space to spare for extra stuff.
These eight kitchen resources are ones that I’ve bought that are tried and true tools that prove they’re worthy of taking up valuable counter and shelf space.
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1. Heat Resistant Silicone Oven Mitts with Soft Quilted Liner
– these are a life saver. I’ve never once felt a bit of heat through them and they’re incredibly easy to wipe clean. Plus they came with a basting brush! I’ve struggled with raggedy cloth mitts before and they just about caused more stress than they were worth. Full disclosure: we have the stars and stripes set, but they have different colors and patterns!
2. Ninja Master Prep Blender & Food Processor
– Have you ever had the (dis)pleasure of using a blender that couldn’t handle ice cubes or other frozen fruits, and left an awkward clump of ingredients on the bottom of the container? I have, and I don’t like it. Thankfully that’s never been an issue with this efficient and ultra-affordable Ninja set. This dynamic duo of a blender and a food processor come with multi-tiered blades to ensure your smoothies, homemade nut butters, and more are smooth to your liking. And did I mention it’s affordable? Saawwwwweeeeeeett.
3. Norpro 18 by 24-Inch Microfiber Dish Drying Mat
– Soooo the volume of dirty dishes I can produce in a few short hours of cooking is impressive. In a bad way. Whyyy so many dishes?! I picked this dish drying mat up on a whim and love how thick and absorbent is is. Before when I used a standard dish towel, inevitably a puddle of water would form underneath and my counter would be wet. This mat put an end to those problems, pronto.
4. Norpro 2-Cup Measuring Funnel Pitcher
– This is kind of a weird one. A funnel measuring cup. But if you’re without a funnel, do you know how often a funnel is appreciated? A whole lot it turns out. This one features measurement markers from 1/4 cup (2 oz.) to 2 cups (16 oz.) of liquid ingredients on one side, and 100 to 500 mL on the other. It has a long funnel spout that makes filling smaller spaces or returning liquid ingredients back into their containers a cinch.
5. Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Square Grill Pan, 10.5-inch
– As I currently live in an apartment that bans grills (sad face), this grill pan is a heavily used item in my kitchen! Your food looks legit as you get grill marks and it produces a delicious exterior to hot dogs, chicken, burgers, and more.
6. Good Cook 1.5-Cup Manual Citrus Juicer
– This was another impulse buy after one too many times of dropping citrus fruit seeds into a recipe because I was trying to make do with squeezing fruit over a teeny tiny strainer. Why did I not have a juicer before hand? This one has a “catcher” that prevents seeds, fruit, and pulp from pouring into the recipe along with the juice. It’s life little luxuries, you know? 🙂
7. Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker
– There’s no denying it – I love ice cream. Homemade ice cream is easier to make than you think with the help of an ice cream maker, and often times cheaper in the long run! Here on the blog I’ve made a double chocolate mint chip ice cream (and a dairy-free version, too!) and a pumpkin spice gelato that knocked my socks off.
8. KitchenAid 5-Qt. Artisan Series with Pouring Shield
– Okay, this is the pinnacle piece of my kitchen. It’s reliable, sturdy, and roomy enough for nearly all of my recipes. It’s also some SERIOUS eye candy. 😍
Do you have any favorite kitchen tools of your own? Feel free to reach out to me on my contact page and let me know! I’d love to learn about your go-to gadgets you trust to get the job done in your kitchen.