kitchen items you didn't know you needed
Quarantine has brought out the chef in me…
It’s been some time since I discovered that I enjoy cooking. I find it exciting to try new recipes and enhance my cooking skills. I’m very much an amateur chef but I’m great at following directions so I do well for myself. After trying a recipe enough times, I can attempt to freestyle and create a dish all on my own. Being stuck at home has had me in the kitchen much more than usual. Restaurants have been open for take-out but I’ve preferred getting in the kitchen and whipping up something myself (my bank account is loving it by the way). Cooking at home more often has brought to my attention that I need certain tools to be efficient. Check out my list below for items I never realized I needed…
Mini Cutting Board
A cutting board is a cutting board so if you have one it’ll get the job done. However, having a smaller one on hand just makes it easier for me to chop things up rather quickly. Sometimes I want to throw some mushrooms in my eggs in the morning so I pull out my little cutting board and boom, it’s done. For some reason it feels quicker to me. I’ve been using my larger cutting boards for meats and it just works.
Garlic Press
I’ve seen some negative reviews about the use of a garlic press, and I get it. It’s not some fool proof gadget BUT I do find it very useful. It does provide a short cut to mincing garlic 1) if you don’t have super sharp knives and/or 2) if you’re new to mincing garlic and not the best at getting your pieces small. The “downside” to using a garlic press is that you will have some garlic left that didn’t make it through the tiny holes; it essentially is just smashed garlic. What I do is remove it and give it a quick chop and boom, you wouldn’t even know it never made it through the press in the first place.
Prep Bowls
What I’ve found to be most efficient is to prepare all of your ingredients before actually following the steps of the recipe. You’re less likely to mess up and it keeps you organized. Prep bowls are the perfect little items to hold those ingredients. I loved the set I bought so much that I purchased another one.
Mixing Bowls
I really like having a separate set of bowls strictly for food preparation. I was using my good ol’ tupperware bowls but I found that using them for food prep would sometimes get in the way of when I needed to actually store my leftovers. And as a Type A individual, the idea of having the mixing bowls and tupperware serve their own purpose just feels right within my soul.
Non Warp Baking Sheets
I am a big fan of roasting my vegetables in the oven. It’s less of a hassle for me since the oven does all of the work. I find myself roasting fresh veggies every few days and once I’d put the pan in the oven, after a few minutes I’d hear a noise. Lo and behold it was the baking sheet being warped by the heat and that can cause uneven cooking. So I did some research and found a brand that actually stands by its word. I’ve been roasting my veggies with no problem ever since.
Food Gloves
I don’t have an issue touching meat but I do hate when things get caught up under my nails. And then that feels unsanitary to me, even though I thoroughly washed my hands before cooking. So I’ve been using disposable food gloves to prevent that from happening. It keeps my hand clean and it helps to prolong my manicure and that, to me, is a form of self care. It also prevents your hands from absorbing lingering odors from food such as onions and garlic.
Cast Iron Skillet
You’d be surprised at the amount of recipes that want you to start cooking on the stove top and then finish in the oven. I’ve also found that most of those recipes want your oven at a temperate higher than 350, which my set of pots couldn’t handle. So I invested in a trusty cast iron skillet and it’s bomb! It can take super high heat and you can use it for practically anything: frying chicken or even making cornbread. I recommend the 12” because it gives you a lot of room to cook and ends up being more versatile for different kinds of dishes. It does take a little bit of maintenance but once you get the hang of it, you’re good to go and it’ll last you a very long time. Since the entire pan gets hot, it’s a good idea to get the silicon pot holder so you don’t burn yourself. And you might need a lid which is sold separately.
I’ve already starting dreaming of the other tools and gadgets I want to add to my arsenal. And let’s not forget the platters for hosting! Once I get a large enough space, and we’re allowed to see people again (because, corona), it’s gonna be on and poppin’!
