In light of Marie Kondo's recent popularity, I've taken the time to evaluate my kitchenwares over the past few weeks.
As you can probably imagine, I've got more kitchen tools and gadgets than your everyday home cook. It sometimes feels like I have enough gear to stock a professional kitchen!! At least that's what my boyfriend would say...
If you know me at all, you'd know I am a borderline hoarder. I just can't get rid of something I spent good money on if there is even the smallest chance I might need it sometime in the next, say, 5 to 10 years. So my version of Marie Kondo-ing my kitchen is really just sorting through things and figuring out what tools I can't live without - and then sharing that insight with all of you!
So here is my list of the top 4 kitchen tools I just can't live without:
1. My KitchenAid Pro 600 Stand Mixer
There are just some things in this life that I'm not willing to hand mix. Royal Icing. Meringue. Stiff Cookie Dough.
This machine not only does the hard work for you, but it lets you multi-task. So while your meringue is whipping, you can be mixing your ganache. Or leveling your cakes. Or literally anything else.
There are attachments you can buy - meat grinder, pasta extruder, juicer, the list goes on - that can save you even more time or enhance your at-home cooking abilities. To be frank, there's almost nothing a KitchenAid can't do!
Now, you don't need to drop $500 on a Pro Series, there are much more affordable options out there. However, I will say that my very detail-oriented ex-brother-in-law did a lot of research on KitchenAid mixers in the past and there is evidence that due to the timing and rotation of the mixing head, a KitchenAid is more efficient at mixing and whipping than other brands. Because of this, I've always invested in having a KitchenAid in my kitchen. That being said, even KitchenAid offers a wide range of mixers at varying price points. So I'm sure you could find an option that fits your budget.
2. My Benriner Mandoline.
I spent YEARS looking for the perfect mandoline slicer. I bought countless mandolines, only to be frustrated and disappointed by the dull blades, the lack of various thickness settings, the poor performance.
Finally one day I was eating at a restaurant that had a raw bar. I saw the cook behind the counter using this green colored mandoline and he made it look so easy! Then the dishes came out with PAPER THIN slices of veggies! I went home - and being the good researcher that I am - searched for that green mandoline online. At last I found it. The Benriner mandoline. Available on Amazon for a cool $30, I thought "that's a lot to spend on yet another mandoline that might not work". But I ponied up, and was rewarded for my investment.
This thing is AMAZING - SUPER sharp blades, INFINITELY adjustable thickness. Three different slicing attachments that make anything from french fries to the finest carrot threads you've ever seen. All I can say is, this is what the pros use. There's a reason.
They've recently redesigned the Benriner, so the old green-colored one is no longer sold (unless someone is selling theirs) but I would assume the new design is as functional as the old one. Buy it. You won't regret it.
3. Silicone Spatulas.
When it comes to spatulas, my motto is 'You can never have too many!' But THESE spatulas are the Rolls Royce of spatulas. One piece silicone spatulas. They're flexible, but not overly so. They're easy to clean. And they're cheap as hell! You can get a bundle of these bad boys at a kitchen store for like $5!
I love the smaller ones because they're the perfect size for just about everything. Flipping fried eggs, scrambling eggs, mixing dips, spreading spreads, scraping mixing bowls, etc. Plus they last forever! I still have the very first ones I ever bought and you can't even tell the difference between those and the new ones I added to my collection!
If I had to have only one spatula for the rest of my life, this would be it. Go get you some.
4. Lastly, small plastic cutting boards.
I have a wide range of cutting boards in my kitchen. Large plastic cutting boards (half sheet size), small bamboo cutting boards, large wooden cutting boards, etc., but for some reason I always find myself reaching for these. I've got maybe 3 of them in my stash, and there's usually only 1 clean one ready for use. The rest are generally in the dishwasher having been used already.
They're dishwasher safe, they don't warp, they're small so they easily fit almost anywhere. I feel comfortable using them for meat (or veg, or bread, or seafood, or....you get the idea). And you can use both sides. So if I just minced a heap of garlic for a recipe, I can flip it over and prep something else without it smelling of garlic.
I often find that wooden cutting boards are a bit of a hassle because they are hand-wash only. They also hold onto smells so that I can't use the same board for cutting fruit as I do for cutting veg (i.e. onions and garlic). Bigger cutting boards can also be tricky because even if they're dishwasher safe, they often don't fit in the dishwasher in order to be sanitized effectively. Thus, I opt for these small, plastic ones - they're the workhorse of my kitchen.
Again, if I had to choose one cutting board to use for the rest of my life, this would be it.
That's my roundup of essential kitchen tools and gadgets! I'm sure there are many other things that I use often in the kitchen that didn't make this list, but these are just a few that I wouldn't be able to live without.
