Take me to a kitchen store and I’m like a kid in a candy store.  I love all the gadgets and tools.  Over the years I have added to my collection.  I will share items that I could not live without.  This page will be continually be added to.

The Tools of My Trade

BIG TOOLS:

Standing mixer
This is my favorite machine in the kitchen.  My Kitchen Aid Mixer was a wedding present from my Mom-Mom.  Yes, you spend more for a Kitchen Aid but you get what you paid for many times over.  You need a heavy duty mixer with a stainless steel bowl and adjustable attachments (such as a whisk, paddle, and dough hook). The trick of a standing mixer is its powerful motor is ideal for making bread or cookie dough. A great benefit is of a standing mixer, you can add ingredients while the motor is running.

Handheld mixer
The handheld mixer ( also Kitchen Aid) has a smaller motor and is better for lighter tasks, such as whipping cream.  This is for the small jobs.  And yes, you need both.

Food Processor
My second favorite piece of machinery.  You need one with many attachments (such as a metal blade, a plastic dough blade, shredding disks, slicing disks, and grating disks).  My food processor (Cuisinart)  is invaluable for chopping ingredients, pureeing mixtures, and making dough. My favorite disk is the grating disk to grate vegetables or large amounts of cheese quickly. A big block of cheese has nothing over the grating disk.

Vitamix
Yes, you can make a milk shake or a smoothie, but this piece of machinery can do so much more.  It can chop, blend, and puree foods.  Make your baby food or even soup.

Instant Pot

Instant Pot is a smart multi-use electric pressure cooker.  It speeds up cooking by 2-6 times while preserving nutrients.

Smaller Tools:

Great Knives
A chef is only as good as their knives!  You must invest in knives that are can work under pressure.  You will waste a lot of time with bad knives.  I have Wusthof knives.  My most used knives are my Santoku, Cook’s, Paring, and Tomato.  Keep your knives sharpened to make sure you are using them at full capacity.

Egg Separator
Separate egg whites from yolks while keeping your hands free. A notch on the handle lets you hang this clever tool right on the bowl to eliminate messes.  I picked up this handy tool from Pampered Chef.

Immersion Blender
An Immersion Blender is a tall and narrow handheld blender with a blade at one end—can be used to puree soups and sauces directly in their pots. Many immersion blenders come with whisk attachments for whipping cream and egg whites.

Kitchen Scissors
Seriously, a great pair of kitchen scissors is a must.  I have a pair of Wusthof’s that I love. Kitchen scissors are just used in the kitchen and must be washed after every use.