A few kitchen necessities to make life easier, and why you’ll love them as much as I do.
Good food comes from well-equipped kitchen. That doesn’t mean having all of the fanciest gadgets, nor does it involve breaking the bank. In this post I will highlight some of my must-have kitchen items that I can’t do without in any given week, from a practical perspective. As in, for real human food that I cook regularly, and am not only displaying as a rare novelty in a super fancy recipe book.
Oh, and I figured I’d share some gorgeous kitchen photos that aren’t my own but are totally dreamy…
It ain’t no party like a Tupperware party
Meal prepping happens in my home on a weekly basis. We batch-cook meals, snacks and smoothies, and as a result we need a decent amount of containers to store it all and keep the food fresh. This ranges from Mason jars, glass containers, metal containers and plastic containers. I prefer to store things like sauces, pastes and soups in my Mason jars because they hold really well in the freezer. We only use BPA-free plastic containers on cold items, such as salads or cut fruit. The only problem is that containers are like socks with laundry machines- lids randomly go missing and it’s an inexplicable phenomena… But here is what I can say with certainty: storing foods in containers keeps them fresher for longer, and makes for a cleaner and better organized fridge. That’s my hoity-toity announcement for the day.
P.S. I don’t host Tupperware parties, but I do love potlucks. 🙂
Now featuring: wax wraps
There’s a new kid on the block : beeswax wraps. They are are essentially meant to replace plastic wrap and ziplock bags, because beeswax wraps are reusable and biodegradable. They do a good job of holding in place when you fit them around something like a plate of leftover food, or a cut vegetable, for example. They also have anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties, stemming naturally from the beeswax. Plus, they came in super colourful patterns, and different shapes and sizes. My only criticism is that these wraps are currently treated as novelty items because they are relatively new on the market and very trendy, so they are pricey. My favourites are the Goldilocks wraps from British-Columbia. They hold really well and last a long time.
The knives have spoken
Do not underestimate the power of good kitchen knife. Knives that are not totally straight or sharp have potential to harm your lovely little hands and make a mess of the food. This might seem trivial, but it really makes all the difference to me when I use a well-sharpened knife that is an appropriate size for what I need it for. For example, there is a huge difference between using a paring knife and a bone cutting knife or a meat cleaver. They are not interchangeable no matter how certain you feel in your ability to keep your fingers! My current two favourite knives that I use on a daily basis are from Victorinox and Le Creuset, and both were previous birthday gifts from my Mum.
Get whisked away by blenders and mixers
I have a large blender with fantastic horsepower by Ninja, but I’ll be frank with you; I hardly use it. Large blenders are a pain in my derrière. I prefer to make use of my hand blender if I am making soup purées. I use a small mixer for, well, smaller stuff, like small-batch pestos or dips. And a large mixer for things like (you guessed it) large-batch sauces and dips, or homemade nut butters.
The blender that I use the most frequently is my Blendjet for when I make lattes or single serving smoothies. I love this little guy. It has a USB charger that recharges quickly, and the battery lasts for over a dozen uses. It’s easy to clean, and it liquifies everything within seconds. Plus, I can bring it anywhere with me easily. In retrospect, if I had known how much easier it would be to use a mixer, handheld blender, I wouldn’t have purchased a much larger blender. I don’t like having too many appliances in my kitchen. And maybe a mylk frother, if I didn’t have the Blendjet already, because it’s so small and simple.
P.S. Whatever kind of blend you decide to use, make sure the plastic is BPA-free. And avoid pouring hot food or liquids into plastic containers, as they will crack over time and leach chemicals from the plastic into your delicious meal.
The search for immortality is in your cookware
This is a soft spot for me. I love French ovens like the Le Creuset – anyone who knows me knows that I love this brand, and similar brands. They last forever, are indestructible, and cook food to perfection. There are two caveats, however. They are heavy and sometimes impractical to clean (due to their size and weight).
The second reason is their price tag. Admittedly, I’ve never bought one at full price. My first French oven was passed down from my grandmother, and the second I purchased on a massive sale day at The Hudson Bay. I also recently discovered the brand The Rock (no affiliations to that hubba hubba actor) and I’ve been really impressed by how easy they are to use and clean; they’re non-stick and have more even surface temperature.
The antithesis to immortality, in my humble opinion, is cast iron. I loathe cast iron, and I realize this may be an unpopular opinion; one that seems contrary to my immortality headline. But this is why I dislike using cast iron cookware: my boyfriend. It’s his fault. I cannot explain to him enough that there are very particular ways to wash it, and for the love of all that is good in this world, don’t leave water sitting in the pan… or in the case of camping, out in the rain! Sadly, my cast irons were destroyed beyond repair and now here I am, defeated.
All that is silicone
I think this is pretty straightforward, but I would like to highlight the ease with which silicone cookware can be used and cleaned. My favourite one is a silicone muffin tray (or silicone muffin cups to fit in a regular muffin tray), because the muffins are so easy to pop out without needing to waste wax papered muffin cups, or waste time scraping and damaging your metal muffin tray. For the same reason, I like to place a silicone mat onto my baking tray so that it’s much easier to clean. It’s the little things that might seem insignificant, but which save me time and energy in the long run, and my cookware lasts longer.
Other items that don’t require a header but are still useful
Mandolins: I do not like to use these because they are complicated to use and clean, and I cut my fingers all too often. That is exactly why this product includes a safety glove and other safeguards… smart thinking. It’s a very practical tool if you make a lot of, say, vegan lasagnas, zucchini noodles, yam toast, fries, grated ingredients, and so forth. Still, I’ve opted instead for a very good knife and cutting board, and a cheese grater to get everything done.
Cutting boards: I prefer plastic over wood when it comes to cutting boards, but the most important thing that I would stress about any cutting board is this: clean thoroughly! Cutting boards are prone to harbouring bacteria and other pathogens, including mold. It’s important to disinfect them after using them, especially if they have come into contact with raw meat or fish. Last note, I recommend getting a board made of either sustainable wood materials such as bamboo, or recycled wood materials (as opposed to new) and careful with the varnish or treatment used on these new boards.
Cloth and mesh bags: This is coming partly from a sustainability mindset, and partly from my mission to keep everything fresh for longer. Let’s be clear: I do not like plastic. I’m not perfect, but as much as possible I try to use reusable cloth or mesh bags – and not just the ones for getting groceries. I mean to store food, such as nuts, fresh herbs, certain fruit or veggies that wilt easily, and other things that basically need wrapping. When I’m done with them, I just throw them in with my laundry. Plus, it keeps the fridge cleaner for longer; it’s all just a win-win-win.
Spice rack: This might seem odd, or maybe it’s a no-brainer to you, but in order to enjoy cooking I absolutely need something that will organize my many herbs and spices (forget about the teas- they take up an entire cupboard for themselves). I have some strange arrangements for my herbs and spices, including a wooden shelf on my counter and a few lidless containers (the lids inexplicably disappeared) in my cupboard. I also sometimes stick them in Mason jars, if they came loose in bulk, or the packaging is too flimsy and prone to spillage. Thank goodness for Mason jars. So, whether you have spice rack or not, it helps tremendously to have these ingredients organized.
Well, there you have it! A few of my favourite kitchen must-haves to make your day to day cooking and meal-prepping more enjoyable. My kitchen is nowhere near as photogenic as the nice photos that I placed in this post, but I hope that my suggestions can inspire you to organize your space in such a way that makes it more feasible and practical to use every day.
Do you want to get smart about grocery shopping? Check out my blog post called All About Grocery Shopping.
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