We are all cooks, whether we like it or not. I don't consider myself to be a gourmet chef, or even a weekend warrior chef, I am the utility player - I make meals during the week to keep everyone on schedule. There are certain things that I use every single day that I could not live without. Here is my list:
1. Long-handled spoons, assorted mixing bowls, pots and pans--. These are essential and basic. I have lumped them all together for this first item because they are all basic and necessary. Now for some more fancy gizmos.
2. Cherry Stoner/Olive Pitter. It's a really fun gadget that I use all the time. Good-quality olives almost never come pitted, and I frequently use them in cooking. For instance, I use a ton of olives in my puttanesca pasta sauce and in vegetarian niçoise salad. Before I got the pitter, it took forever to hand-pit enough for either recipe. It also doubles as a great thing for the summer cherry season. The kids love to pit the cherries for me in the sink.
3. My apron - It may sound old fashioned but nothing gets me focused on my job of cooking like putting on my cute apron (was a gift from a good friend). I need to be able to focus on what I'm doing, and I can't lean against the counter if I'm worried about my clothes. In a pinch, I also use it as a pot holder or a hand towel. I always buy aprons with pockets so I can carry a pen (for adding to a shopping list as I use up an ingredient or for making notes on a recipe).
4. Electric Knife Sharpener - You just turn it on, swipe the blade through and you've got a sharp knife. There's no worrying about the right angle for the blade; it has magnets that hold it in place. For a tiny bit of time, --you get weeks of value. Sharp knives make such a difference. Dull knives are dangerous too: They're more likely to slide off the food and cut your fingers. If you have a good knife, I highly recommend a sharpener to keep it good for years.
5. Immersion Blender - It's just so handy. For example, when you're puréeing soup, you don't have to transfer food from a pot to a blender and then back again. You can just stick the immersion blender directly into a pot and whir. And you don't have a whole blender to clean after you use it, just the blade. It saves time, saves steps. I use it to make sauces, dressings, smoothies and puréed vegetables as well as soups. And it doesn't hog counter space.
For more great kitchen tools, check out the Cuisinart Griddler Review or the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Cooker Review
