Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Top Ten Favorite Kitchen Items


In case you were curious, here is a peek into my kitchen and the items I grab day in and day out for my cooking. There is nothing extravagant, like the Swiss made Pacojet ice cream maker (please Santa!) or futuristic like this toaster, but these items are all as dear to me as a close friend and make daily cooking a pleasure!

Unfortunately, I haven't been cooking anything as of late... a vicious post-operative infection has put me on strict bed rest and pumped full of antibiotics. I miss my sunny kitchen. I miss the smell of baking filling the house. I miss picking over fruit at the market and imagining what I will create with it. I miss every item on this top ten list.

At least I am home with my boys!
A massive heartfelt thanks to all the friends and neighbors who have brought over such delicious meals as lasagna, eggplant Parmesan, lemon chicken, noodles, and chicken pot pie, to name a few. Good, home cooked food certainly helps the body heal.

No cooking means no blogging, but thankfully, I have a few post such as this one in the vault, and so I share with you...

My Top Ten Favorite Kitchen Items:


  1. Mac Japanese series 6 1/2 inch vegetable knife.
  2. Finally, a knife that is light enough, I can use it for hours and not get a sore wrist. Not entirely just for vegetables, it slices some pretty sexy sashimi, too.


  3. Roscan Melamine mixing bowls.
  4. Durable, lightweight and heat resistant. I love color and these bowls are a fun and cheery way to mix up anything!



  5. Large wooden cutting board.
  6. Essential for any kitchen, one can never have one too big. Mine has a hundred different uses from basic vegetable prep to cheese board at a party.


  7. All-Clad 10 inch and 8 inch sauté pans.
  8. If the house was on fire, I would probably grab these pans from the kitchen before leaving. Heavy enough to sear a steak or dissolve sugar, these versatile stove top to oven sauté pans just might actually make my food taste better.


  9. Red Le Creuset 7 ¼ quart Round French Oven.
  10. Pasta sauces, curries, stews, you name it, this pot is never empty in my kitchen and never wears out.


  11. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.
  12. A cherished wedding present, this beauty is my third arm. From the softest pizza dough to the fluffiest butter cream, with countless batches of cookies in between- this mixer does it all.


  13. Braun Aromatic Coffee Grinder.
  14. A worthwhile investment, this little coffee grinder works perfectly for grinding my spices and hasn't been used for coffee in some time. Without it, making those batches of homemade garam masala would be a lot more work. Switching from a curry to cinnamon? Simply pulse some coarse salt through it to remove odors and wipe clean with a dry cloth.


  15. Fine Mesh Sieves.
  16. Irreplaceable in a gourmet’s kitchen and perfect for straining sauces, sifting flours, passing delicate purees, these durable sieves are always with in reach.


  17. Silicone heat resistant spatulas.
  18. The perfect balance between firm and flexible, these spatulas were probably invented by someone who often absentmindedly sets the spatula down on the hot stove next to the pot. Guilty!


  19. Braun Multiquick Handblender.
  20. Where would I be without this immersion blender to puree soups, whip up batches of aioli, foam a sauce, throw together smoothies and do a dozen other tasks for me during the day? Best feature: the removable head allows for a quick clean-up.



Do you have a kitchen item you can’t do with out? Please share!

29 comments:

Culinary Cowgirl said...

Man, my hand blender died the other day...I must go buy a new one.

I have a few items I can't live without...my 6" chef's knife, 12" cast iron skillet, and my all-stainless wok. I think I'd cry and be miserable without them :)

Sandy said...

Oh, I love lists like these Aimee! Thank you for posting this, and with such awesome photos!
I have been trying not to buy anymore kitchen tools, but I think I NEED that immersion blender. :)

Hope you're feeling better.

Hit Pay Dirt said...

Aimee, take care of yourself and get better soon. I miss your posts but you need to spend all the energy you have on yourself and your boys right now!

RecipeGirl said...

I love to see what other people treasure! Now I'm thinking I need a couple of things on your list!!

Feel better soon :)

LyB said...

I love my Kitchenaid and my Braun Multiquick as much as you do! I'm incredibly jealous of your MAC knife though! :) I couldn't live without my Microplane Grater, it's great for citrus zest, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, etc. Hope you get back to your kitchen soon!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

My Cuisinart immersion/stick blender; my strawberry/tomato huller; my microplane and my apple slicer/corer:D

Deborah said...

This is so ironic, because I have been working on a similar post!! I also want to list the top 10 ingredients that are always in my kitchen.

I hope you are doing better soon!

Lynda said...

wow we have similar set ups in our kitchens - even down to the red kitchenaid. I have lost all desire to cook since being in Cairo - perhaps it will come back if I finally finish the unpacking.

Terry at Blue Kitchen said...

Congratulations on the wonderful new addition to your family! He's a handsome little guy. And get better quick so you can return to your kitchen.

Marie Rayner said...

Love your ten things. Many of them are the same as mine! Great cooks must think alike! Hope you are feeling better and up and about soon! XXOO

Aimée said...

Hi Cowgirl- Ah, a wok. Good one. And cast iron is a must-have.

Hi Sandy- GET the blender. They are not expensive and will change your cooking life! Thanks for the kudos.

Hi Pay dirt- Thanks! I am on the mend!

Hi recipegirl- Time to get shopping! :)

Hi lyb- I've been drooling over a microplane for a while now...they are great.

Hi Val- Living in the Okanagan, you certainly need those items on your list!

Hi Deb- Can't wait for that post! I love seeing what other people have in their kitchens!

Hy Lynda- Hope you get out of your cooking funk soon...that kitchen aid deserves to be used!

Hi Terry- Thanks for the congrats. Much appreciated.

Hi Marie- Thanks for the well wishes.

kickpleat said...

wow, that blender head is removable? eek, i had no idea and i have the same one!!

Shari said...

I love getting a peek into people's kitchens and finding out their favorite things. I love my KitchenAid too, and I'd love to have some All Clad pans. Hope you feel better soon!

Helene said...

Hope you are back to normal soon. Enjoy the boys!
You would not have any separation anxiety in my kitchen, we share the same items (except my Le Creuset is blue and heart shaped!)

Anonymous said...

I can't live without my moka pot!
http://happygrub.wordpress.com/2008/03/23/step-by-step-latte-with-a-stovetop-espresso-pot/

I love the kitchen aid, mine is white.

Brilynn said...

My kitchen needs some of these! Particularly the Le Creuset, and I may just have to splurge...

Rachel@fairycakeheaven said...

My Kenwood chef, I wanted a Kitchen Aid but in Ireland the Kenwoods have a much more powderful motor so that decided it for me, that and my Wusthof knife!!!

Anonymous said...

Your list is great! In addition to those things I couldn't live without, my 12" Lodge cast iron skillet( it doubles as an anti-theft device), Messermeister 7" santoku , bakers scale, my 3L Chaudier saucepan, 12" tongs, and a digital probe thermometer.

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

Hello lovely! Hope you are feeling better. Good neighbours are great though we haven't seen wonderful home cooked food like that. We have a similar list, though my kitchen aid and le creuset are blue. I'd add microplane and wok.... and.. and.. the list could go on, Take good and extra special care, even when you're feeling better give yourself a bit more time. It's important for those two precious boys. A x

Cookie baker Lynn said...

I hope you're feeling better soon!

I love your list and it's given me a few additions for my wish list.

winedeb said...

My Salad Spinner!!!!!
Great post Aimee!!! Look at those photos! How did you have time - nap time? Hope all is well with your crew!

David Hall said...

Nice collection there Aimée! A couple of them are my personal faves too - my Le Creuset and my hand blender. Had them for years, like trusty friends.

Hope life is good with the wee one.

Cheers
David

Emily said...

Hope you feel better soon.

I want that knife!

Shayne said...

I am so sorry to hear about the infection. I hope your healthy soon

Lorence said...

Congrats onyou new son and I hope you're feeling better soon.

That's a lovely list, Aimée. I've been restricted from adding anything new to the kitchen until the remodel is complete, which may be a couple of years. It was supposed to be just a cosmetic fix up, but we found out we have to redo the entire electric in the house first. Bummer. So for now, no Kitchen Aide, no hand blender, no new pans. Ah, but someday...
I do have the same grinder, though and am learning to use it for spice blending.

Have you ever let on as to how you make such beautiful photo collages? I'd love to know.

Aimée said...

Hi Deb- Thanks! I am glad you liked the photos. They were all shot a while ago, long before baby Mateo arrived...I have some posts on file, as I am sure most people do, just waiting for that day when one has 'bloggers block'!

Hi Lorence- Thanks for dropping by!I use a handy photo editing program called Picasa2 for the collages.Very useful!

Thank you everyone for your kind words and get well wishes. I am almost at 100%, thank you, and looking forward to heating up the kitchen again very soon!
Love,
Aimee

Anonymous said...

I love my kitchenaid and all it's attachments! So far we have the ice cream maker but the meat grinder attachment is on it's way and we are registered for a couple more. It's proven an invaluable tool in our attempt to make more of our own food and forego the prepackaged meals.

N.

http://badhuman.wordpress.com

CabinetGiant said...

Fabulous View and Great Article has much information.This will be possible only when we have a good cabinetgiant quality cabinets in the Kitchen.Thank you.

NorproWebStore said...

Some of these tools are truly inevitable for every Mom's Kitchen Aimee !

Thanks for sharing !!!

(P.S. I personally love using almost all these cool products )

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