Today, I am sharing my kitchen essentials list as of late. Ummm…..What? Yes, I know I normally post on fashion and beauty here at Dressed In Faith. Don’t worry because that will still be my main focus! But, I thought I would try something a little unprecedented. Afterall, we are living in unprecedented times here. I know most of us are staying home and focusing more on things such as cleaning, organizing, and cooking.
Plus, I did have a reader recently request that I share some lifestyle posts. While most lifestyle posts I have planned so far still relate to fashion and beauty, I thought I would start with something a little bit different to see how it goes. So, please let me know if you like seeing these types of posts now!
I don’t know about you, but I have done more cooking in the last few weeks than I have done in years. Lol While I don’t love doing it, it’s certainly become necessary! Whether you are a novice or a cooking pro, I thought it might be helpful to share some tools for cooking at home.
Let’s start with cookbooks. Since this whole quarantine started, I have been craving more comfort foods right now. One of my family’s favorites has come from the Magnolia Table Cookbook. We love the Dedication Casserole recipe. Of course, it has so many other great recipes to add to your menus. Plus, Joanna has another follow up cookbook due out soon!
While I haven’t tried Trisha Yearwood’s cookbook yet, I do love watching her cooking show. Also if you are looking for strictly healthy recipes, I’ve gotten some great ones from the Skinnytaste website.
Now, here are some cooking gadgets I get lots of use out of these days.
OXO Good Grips Measuring Cups – I use these all the time. I love that you can see the exact measurement on the inside of the cups as you pour and don’t have to eyeball the sides. Here is the link to the mini measuring cup.
OXO Good Grips Smooth Edge Can Opener – We are certainly eating more canned goods that last longer on the pantry shelves now. I really like this handheld opener. It produces a smooth edge when opening a can. Plus, I can put it away in a drawer when not in use.
OXO Good Grips Avocado Slicer – This is a must have tool for any avocado lover like myself.
Herb Stripper – I still try to buy fresh foods when making grocery trips. We just eat those first. This whole thing has really helped me to pay attention to how much food I’ve sometimes wasted in the past! Plus if you’ve never cooked with fresh herbs before, I encourage you to try it sometimes! I think they taste so much better than dried. This little herb stripper makes it super quick and easy to pull leaves off the stems.
Another kitchen tool I’m loving is this handheld KitchenAid blender. I make smoothies sometimes and have traditionally used this Ninja blender. While my Ninja blender is so powerful and wonderful for certain things, the cleanup is a little more involved.
A handheld blender is perfect when just making one or two smoothies though. This one is also very powerful for blending. Plus, cleanup is a snap – just detach the blade handle and rinse under the sink. You can also use this blender for so much more like pureeing soups and mixing salad dressings. Best of all, it doesn’t scratch your pots and pans. It comes with it’s own measuring and mixing cup, and the blade has not made one scratch on the cup – such a great product!
Speaking of cleanup, I don’t want to leave out this little dish brush. What a great idea adding the little sink rest to it. Why can’t I come up with ideas like that!
A few other things I also use regularly in my kitchen that I have to give a shout out to are these bowls, these sheet pans, my stovetop cookware, and a similar meat chopper.
What about you? Do you have any beloved cooking essentials you would like to share?