I’m ashamed to say that my kitchen has been sorely neglected until yesterday. I spent the better part the afternoon cleaning and froofing, but have not been on my A game with cooking lately. And by that I mean we’ve had frozen pizza twice this week. What are we, newlyweds? I even went to the store one night to buy “dinner” and came back with a box of cocoa puffs and some bagel bites. A 44 year old woman cannot eat like that in good conscience. Consider this my confession and my promise to make real food in the near future. And Stevie? Well, bless his heart. He takes it like a trooper. He made spaghetti nachos one night in desperation and they were FANTASTIC. He makes 15 year old boy food like a champ.
But, let’s pretend none of that ever happened and that I always manage to cook from my meal plans, promise to never speak of it again, and move on with the 10 things I use everyday in my kitchen that I wouldn’t want to live without. Sadly, bowls did not even make the list.
1. Tea towels—I have both the large square size, commercial grade, and the traditional tea towel size on hand. The ones with the blue stripe remind me of a Grannie kitchen and can double as napkins. These are very thin towels and I prefer them EVERY time to thick kitchen towels. They are so easy to use, don’t leave lint on anything and I can easily wrap the large ones around a dutch oven and tie it at the top to take soups/stews to people without spilling. They are by far my favorite little kitchen work horse. I recently bought this adorable tea towel from Sasha. Her shop is fully of goodies!
2. Cutting boards—I have a plethora of cutting boards, but the pig is my personal favorite. The rooster is in my amazon waiting cart. But I love all shapes and sizes, especially this paddle board.
3. A good knife—for years, I’ve used the chef’s knives from Sam’s club, b/c they’re so cheap and work great for a few months, until they need sharpened. (I’ve never learned to do that.) This Christmas, with the combination of an amazing deal and a gift card, I got this crown jewel. OH SWEET MERCY. You need a hunting license to use it, it’s so sharp. But, I love it and can’t believe I waited this long to get a great knife.
4. A cute apron—DO NOT underestimate the power of an apron. It will instantly transform you into Betty Crocker. It lends street cred to the home cook and protects your cute blouses from oil and water and in my case, chocolate.
5. Something that makes you smile. OR laugh. For me, that’s my People who love food are always the best people print, my David bust with his straw cowboy hat, plants, flowers, etc.
6. Thieves Cleaner. Y’all, this is not a word of a lie. Since I switched to Young Living’s household cleaner, I have been able to toss nearly everything else out. It’s plant based, with no hormone disrupting toxins like so many cleaners have. It’s basically a unicorn and it works SO WELL!!!! There are a million reasons why I want you on my YL team TODAY, but this is a big one! Get more info here!!
(Side note number 1—there’s a chandelier cleaner that you just spray on and let it drip dry. Can we make one of those for the whole kitchen?)
(Side note number 2— I may be getting my countertops honed, but until then, enjoy my post on whether or not you should have marble countertops based on personality type.)
(Side note number 3: Large dough bowl comes in at a close 11. I bought mine in Birmingham and love it!)
7. Iron Skillet—Every home cook needs cast iron. We use ours so much that I rarely put it away.
8. Dutch Oven—I have Le Creuset and it was the 3rd thing I bought after our house fire—right after a computer and cowboy boots, if that tells you how it ranks in my economy. I can tell you that it’s THE most used thing in my kitchen and I LOVE it so much. It’s perfect for cooking nearly everything I cook. I never even put it away, because it’s a rare day that I don’t cook in it. I actually have several because sometimes I luck up and find them really cheap at TJ Maxx. It’s an investment, but you’ll have it for a lifetime and then your kids will fight over it!
9. Kitchen Aid mixer—I don’t know who works harder, her or the dutch oven. I use them both almost everyday.
10. Large glass jars for baking supplies—I use these, that can be purchased from Walmart, Target, or here on Amazon. Having your baking supplies out and ready makes it SO much easier to bake. I print the labels myself using the font Champignon at a 200 font size and then tape them on with clear packing tape.
Now, it’s your turn. Tell me your favorite kitchen implement/tool/workhorse.
It’s a tie between the coffee maker and the electric kettle. Both providers of caffeinated goodness and the electric kettle means the kids can make themselves a cup of hot tea in the morning or when they get home from school without assistance or paranoia from me at them turning on the stove!
My favorite thing is probably my large iron skillet. I too use it all of the time! In fact I made sure “Santa” brought each of our grown children a large iron skillet for Christmas!
Another favorite of mine are my pepper mills. I kind of have a thing for beautiful pepper mills!
Have a great day!
I second the electric kettle because it is used so much in our house. I also love my slow cooker year round as I can prep everything in the morning (my high energy time) and have everything ready in the afternoon when I have next to no energy and want to spend time with the kids anyway.
We brew hot tea every day in a Mr Coffee machine (dedicated solely to tea so it doesn’t taste like stale coffee!). I also may have an obsession/problem with tea towels 🙂 I buy cute ones but also buy the plain white flour sack towels at Walmart, 5 for about $5. I use them to cut back on paper towel usage. Also Seventh Generation Clementine dishwashing liquid transferred into a cuter container. Love your list! Feel free to share some sort of list for every room in your house, I love lists 🙂 and your house 🙂
amen to the lemon verbena countertop spray! makes my kitchen smell so good! when we got married, we got a ton of stoneware… I use it all of the time!
this can opener is the bom-diggity…
http://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Safety-Master-Opener/dp/B000B6NXL6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393249438&sr=8-2&keywords=kuhn+can+opener
leaves no sharp edges on cans and you don’t even have to touch the lid to throw it away…love it! (as much as one can love a can opener that is 🙂 )
I agree with the lemon verbena countertop spray. Use it everyday !!! In my top 10…..for sure my coffee maker. Not fancy but has to have a timer so I can smell it walking down the hallway at 5:00 am, ready to be poured.
LOVE your kitchen SO much !!!!!!!!
I love your list. My cast iron skillet and two le crueset pots along with my cutting board and Henkel knives are my workhorses! All worthwhile investments. So-on the topic of cast iron…any chance you would consider a post about the maintenance and care of cast iron? I have two cast iron skillets, one belonged to my great grandmother and the other to an elderly neighbor. After about a billion attempts at “seasoning” the larger, I am finally to a point where foods don’t stick, but occasionally I still spot some rust. The other was in awful shape and after researching, I left it in a garbage bag with oven cleaner and totally stripped it down with the intention of re-seasoning…now I am afraid the chemicals from the oven cleaner have seeped into the cast iron and perhaps it’s not safe to season and use? Wow this is a run on…all to say-you seem to be the kitchen goddess and I figure if anyone can help me with this, it’s you! Thanks!!
Jenn, Yvonne over at Stone Gable did a wonderful post on how to cure and preserve cast iron. I believe you can find it on her sidebar or you can search for it on her blog. Hope this helps…nothing like a good black cast iron skillet!
Edie:
Oh boy! I get to make a comment.
Try going to the j.K. Adams webside. They have the most fab cutting boards. I have several. I have the rooster and he is adorable. I also have an apple and a turtle. I have two paddle cutting boards and they are just the bomb!!! In there sale section, there is a two pc serving tray that fits and stores together……..it is FAB! Great for glasses, cheese, crackers, olives, fresh fruit….whatever. Check out their website and if you get stuck……..ask for Terri. She is a dream gal!!!!
I have no affiliation, but their company is awesome and stands behind their products. On a 1-10………they are a 24. Oh yeh, be sure to get some of their oil, for keeping your boards like new.
Love your blog and family! So awesome.
Coffee maker. My heart doesn’t get into rhythm of the morning until my second cup. It is closely followed by iron skillets, dutch oven, Kitchen Aide stand mixer, and well you get the point.
I also lovely hot water pot for all the above reasons. I only use Pampered Chef stoneware to bake but I’m lusting after a Le Cruset for a couple years. I’ll have to check TJMaxx. I also use my silicone rubber scrapers daily & my garlic press.
Two in one day? Holey Moley.
Edie, do you have a Grandmothers Paring Knife yet? I have 4! I keep them in use, constantly. I never step into the kitchen that i don’t pick this cheap tool up.
Love this post. I’m fairly minimalist (quality over quantity) but I could easily allow myself to fall off the wagon and hoard kitchen supplies and textiles/bedding. Meyer’s Basil or maybe Honeysuckle on the shopping list as spring is in the air in Houston. When the kitchen smells clean, it just feels cleaner! Intrigued by your knife suggestion. Cutco’s chef knife has been my standard for years and I’d say it’s very good but I’m looking for excellent. Have a large, shallow white pasta bowl from Williams Sonoma that was a wedding gift 18 years ago. It’s a workhorse…great for pastas, salads, drop in a smaller white center bowl and it becomes a fruit/vegetable/chips and dips/pita hummus…endless uses. I love a good mulit-tasker who works hard and looks good. Earns it cabinet space.
Question on the dutch oven…also a daily user of Le Crueset..same problem with the first two, the bottom gets hairline cracks and then the finish starts to flake up (each has lasted about 4 years). Love the way they cook (and look!) but I’d think they should last longer. Your experience, oh wise Edie?! Thanks!
I’ve got to admit, I do not know how I survived before I had a good pair of kitchen scissors! Who knew? Indispensible. P.S. Your kitchen is one of my absolute favorites and are you serious about the chandelier spray? Where have I been?
Your list is perfect…..the only other thing that I require is my stereo playing some worship music in the morning while I cook breakfast and Frank Sinatra while I cook dinner.
in addition to the things on your list, I also use the food processor and coffee pot a lot! and I made the mistake of buying a glass top stove which recommends not using enamelware or cast iron (oops) so I have a stainless steel skillet and dutch oven that I use
My Kitchen Aid mixer and my bamboo spoons from The Pampered Chef are overused and abused on a daily basis. Until recently, the bamboo spoons will be retired…..learning to cook gluten free means only plastic utensils and metal bowls. Good thing the Kitchen Aid mixer has a metal bowl!!!!
What is the true color name of green color on your china hutch? Perhaps you’ve named it before, I do not recall.
It’s my microplane zester/grater. I have two and both are in the dishwasher by night’s end. Runners up include: lemons and olive oil – okay, they are ingredients, but I swear I could cook anything tasty with those two ingredients. Also, a good paring knife will take you far. Love this post – thanks Edie!
Silicone spatulas (big and small), good knives, Bodum, electric kettle, cookie sheets, cutting boards, a “chicken fryer” frying pan that we use for everything from soups to curry and stir fry, numerous homemade knitted washcloths courtesy of my mom…hmmm those things are the most dirtied things in our kitchen.
ALSO, I know you love your Kitchen Aid (and I’ve had one, so I feel I can comment on this) but Bosch makes the best mixer. Hands down. It’s like comparing the motors of a Ford Focus (not a bad car) to a Porsche 911. I can’t live without it and my machine (it’s the Universal one) is also my blender and food processor. I haven’t gotten all the various attachments because I can do most of what I need to do with the whisks, dough hook and cookie paddles (and the blender and food processor), but you could go bananas with that stuff, if you wanted.
Girl!!!! You made my whole day not only with your cute kitchen inspiration but also for sharing my shop with your readers! Thank you!!! And I am totally drooling over your light fixtures. They are fantastic. You are the sweetest….thank you again.
Hands down my favorite is my Kitchen Aid mixer. I have had it probably 25 years and from when white was the only color to choose from. I would love a red one but I don’t see mine giving up anytime soon!
I don’t know how I lived without my NESPRESSO for so long.. its a dream !
I also use my slow cooker about once a week. For some reason I never thought to use my large Le Creuset for making soup and I got it as a wedding gift in1989!!! .. I will do that today for sure ..
Yep! That Kitchen Aid mixer is my everyday workhorse! I finally got the larger motor style after 20 years with a tilt top. I am searching for better cutting boards. Will check out your links! Great post!!!
I love my paring knife and my French press.
I just ordered some flour sack towels like my grandma always had. She loved to bake!
Wow – this could be my list! Bad ass knife (cooked so much this holiday season, I got cooking wrist), dish towels, cast iron, dutch ovens, cutting boards. Kosher salt, pepper grinder, scads of garlic. I wish I had your stove though. 🙂 I love that my kids love to eat, but seriously….does dinner have to come every night???
Edie, I love, love, love your kitchen. It’s functional, bright & airy, but yet cozy all at the same time. Maybe someday I will have a kitchen similar to yours. It would be a mighty large blessing for me. Back to the point, I love my food processor.Use it all the time for chopping, dicing, mixing, pureeing, everything.
A LARGE cutting board, I mean big (like the one leaned behind your stove top), I like to be able to cut up all of my fixings and pile them along the back not having to dirty bowls to hold the various things I will add to my dish. On that cutting board I use my awesome Henckels – I knew nothing about what to look for in knives, but reached out to an old friend who is a chef and he said to get that brand, the only brand in his mind, and get the ones with the rivets right through the handles, apparently far more durable.
Dutch oven(s), I have one but am waiting on a sale to get a second. Constant heat, easy to use, easy to clean – LOVE these over all my other pots!
Kitchen Aid stand mixer… especially ever since you shared your pizza crust recipe!!!
Salt pig and Peugeot pepper mill, stationed right beside my stove. Easy to add to dishes as I go.
A breakfast bar – so my family or friends can visit while I prepare food for them.
My most used items would be my cast iron skillets, that usually stay on the stove and my countertop icemaker that we got from Lowes about 5 years ago, my absolutely favorite thing in the kitchen. Everybody that visits loves the ice that it makes.. its real similar to this one here : http://www.walmart.com/ip/Avanti-Portable-Countertop-Ice-Maker/21024196
and all my rooster items that i’ve started collecting.
Ooh, love your list, that not all of them are must-haves for me. I DO love my cast iron skillet and Dutch oven, though I’ve been pining for Le Creuset (I can’t justify the expense!). We also use our griddle a lot. Let’s see… Kitchenaid mixer, teapot in the cold months, food processor, whisk and spatula, salad spinner in the warm months (we have a garden and I use it all the time when growing lettuce), knife and cutting board (no particular favorite), kitchen shears, a good all-purpose bowl… wow, it’s amazing how many things we use!
I use my vita mix and cast iron skillets daily. Daily and multiple times. Love them.
I also love your shades over the kitchen sink. Please share where you got them! Or the material source…thanks!
Great list!! I would have to say a coffee maker!! Mine tore up recently so being without was a reminder of how important (to me 😉 ) it was!! 🙂 I would also add a good pairing knife. I use mine all the time! 🙂
Oh thank God you are so normal!! I meal plan, grocery shop and then the whole “I ran out of time and energy to cook” thing happens. Glad to see that it happens to the best of us. And spaghetti nachos? Interesting 😉 Love your blog! And that kitchen of your is dreamy!
Gosh I have so many! I have a Jura Capresso coffee and espresso maker that is my life saver, a Kitchen Aid mixer that is my workhorse along with a pizza stone that I use for all my bread. I’m in the baby bottle stage now, so the Boon grass has become essential for containing all things baby.
My Williams Sonoma spoonula. I own three and use them at least twice a day. The best part is they come in fun colors. Second runner-up are my kitchen shears. Thanks for a fun list, Edie!
I’ve been in a cooking funk lately also. I do use my kitchen shears all the time. They make quick work of slicing frozen pizza, snipping green onions, cutting up chicken, etc. Now, what about the drip-dry chandelier cleaner? Where do you get that?
my grandmothers wooden spoons and a very cool chopping board… have had them forever and can’t imagine being in the kitchen
without either of them…
Such a great post!
I would go with my black walnut butcher block counter top. A regular bestie, always ready to take a blade for me. 😉
And my Kitchenaid mixer. What a gem.
Did you say chandelier spray?! Oh my, I need details. Revere ware is a fav here, the keurig, my grannies cast iron (skillet and corn bread muffin pan), crock pot that I put pinto beans and ham hock in every Sunday night for meatless Monday, scotch brite sponges that are so expensive I use a new one every week, a candle either lilac or honey suckle scent, my under cabinet cd player/radio that we all dance and sing to while cooking and eating, that’s all I can think of off the top of my head, I’m sure there are many more though.
Your kitchen is so beautiful!! My favorite kitchen buddy is my Vitamix blender. It is versatile and has monster amounts of power.
My Digital Pressure Cooker is a horse in our home!! I’ve had it over 10 years now, purchased from QVC. I use it all the time. It is on the counter, no need to put this friend away. You can have great, healthy, home cooked food FAST. I have beans in it right now. Everybody knows soup beans are better the 2nd day. The pressure cooker makes them taste like this in less than an hour. Home goodness!! I have 4 boys and my best friend (pressure cooker) has made tons of meals for all. I always pass on the benefits of this great kitchen item to all who will listen. You will not be disappointed.
1. Good knives. I got a set as a wedding present 45 years ago and they are just as sharp now as they were then. Can’t live without them!
2. thick, yet pliable pot holders
3. Revere Ware….again 45 years old
4. Cascade platinum dishwasher pods….LOVE these! Keep my Revere Ware’s copper bottoms looking great and the inside of my dishwasher looks new.
5. Kitchen aide dishwasher…had my first one for 30 years the second is going on 8
6. Kitchen aide garbage disposal…again the first one lasted almost 35 years
7. Seventh Generation lemon grass citrus all purpose cleaner
8. I love nice tea towels too….always have a pile and use several a day
9. I would say cast iron skillet, but I have a new glass top stove and can’t use it, really wish I had a gas range because cast iron is great.
10. Pyrex measuring cup, I have 3 sizes and use them everyday. My super big one is what I use to brew my tea in the microwave.
Love seeing all the ideas!!
Edie, I love your brass pendant lights. Do you remember where you found them?
I love my Saladmaster cookware – I will never use anything else again. it’s the best kitchen product I’ve ever invested in (expensive but worth every penny) and I will save up to make sure each of my children get a set when they set up their own homes. Honestly, the best, ever. I haven’t even used the le creuset since I bought SM. http://www.saladmaster.com/index/Products/CompleteCookingSystem/ChefSet.nws
I also love my vitamix blender and chef’s knife…and my collection of cookbooks. Your list is perfect otherwise 🙂 Love your posts and meal plans. We diverged this weekend too. Back on track…tomorrow 🙂
1. I am in complete agreement about really good knives. It will change your life.
I purchased that same knife at Costco and I love it. It actually came in a set with 8 others and a knife block, but that’s the one I use the most.
2. A really good pair of kitchen scissors. I use them for EVERYTHING.
3. My garlic press. I could probably use another because mine is always in the dishwasher.
4. Epicurean cutting boards in various sizes & colors, I love that they’re dishwasher safe.
5. All-Clad cookware and more importantly Bar Keeper’s Friend to keep it all super clean and shiny. That stuff is really amazing!
6. My Le Creuset dutch oven that has enabled me to challenge myself with several new recipes (my favorite so far is making Ina Garten’s Beef Bourguignon in it). And it’s also a purchase that I am especially proud of as I found it on clearance for only $100 because of a broken knob on the lid. I was able to purchase a replacement (oven safe) knob at the nearby Le Creuset outlet for $11.
Ok y’all, my favorite item in my kitchen has got to be my All Clad Stainless Steel Cookware. It cooks so evenly, washes up like a charm and is worth every penny spent on the set. I am a fan of Crate and Barrell tea towels, Pampered Chef garlic press, baking stones, spatulas & cheese zester. I am in agreement that the Henckles Santoku & Kitchen Aid mixer are a girls best friend. I too use the heck out of my assortment of cutting boards (Bamboo is the big daddy one) as well as stainless steel salad and mixing bowls. (I adore pretty salad tongs.) Lastly, my sweet hubby bought me a Breville Toaster Oven for Christmas, because our new home does not have double ovens. It is becoming a family favorite. Fits a 9×12 pan. On my wish list are the Le Creuset Dutch Oven (for sure now) and the William Sonoma Goldtouch Bakeware (I’ve been eyeing these for a while).
If you’re afraid of butter, use cream. -Julia Child
Bon Appetit!
My Bunn commercial coffee maker, a massive cutting board from Ikea that I have had forever, vintage corning ware and pyrex bowls that I collect and make me happy to get look at.
I totally agree with your list! I just wish someone would have given me a cast iron skillet when I got married and shown me how to use it! Now I’m 43 and couldn’t make a pan of biscuits without it. THE.BEST.BISCUITS.EVER. And I actually won my first Le Creuset from Pioneer Woman about a year ago and have been hooked ever since. I won the 3 1/2 qt braiser from PW, and have since acquired an 8 qt Dutch Oven and then just a couple of days ago I found a 4-qt. LC Dutch Oven on clearance for $99! That was a great find! I have the same chef’s knife that you do and love it, although I do sharpen it from time to time. I just sold my KitchenAid on Craigslist because I’m getting ready to move and needed an excuse to get a new color in my new home. 😉
Edie, your kitchen is beautiful and your list is pretty complete! I, too, love a good cotton tea towel. I have basket full of them by my sink. And I would add my pizza stone. And I have an old Club aluminum Dutch oven that belonged to my great aunt I use for soups. Someday maybe I can step up to a LC Dutch oven! And, I can’t leave out my RevereWare 2 qt. saucepan for boiling potatoes for mashing (for the two of us). Enjoy your blog!
Slow cooker, electric kettle and tea towels from Australia (have the best designs on them, and remind me of home everyday).
Edie – could you please do a post on how to use your cast iron skillet – how to cook in it (what to cook and what not to cook in it) and how to take care of it. We just purchased our first and my husband is already frustrated 😉 But we really want to learn (to love it).
Thanks
(your kitchen is beautiful – I am striving to love my kitchen more this year and cook more delicious meals – so thank you for the regular meal planners – they are fantastic life-savers!)
It is clear we share more than a couple of fav items in the kitchen but I’ll add a couple of mine.
Thirty years ago I received what at the time I thought was a really useless gift….a rice cooker. I mean I liked rice, but did I REALLY need this special machine to make rice and take up valuable space in my 10ft kitchen. YES, it is a magic machine. It ALWAYS makes perfect rice even when I try to trick it. It also makes risotto, steams veggies and will make soup. Little did I know three decades later that little white pot of amazing would still be one of my go to appliances in my kitchen. It is a small sanyo, but she is a work horse that has never failed to feed my family of 8.
Next on my list:
Wustof Knives – yes, I am a knife snob and have been since I was in college. Once you have a good knife nothing else compares. And one you make the investment, you never need to do it again….that is until your college age children steal them.
Feistaware because all kitchens need bright dishes that make you smile and DO NOT CHIP.
Le Cruset – because it really is worth the price. Bought my first set when I graduated from college and 25 years later those pots are still going strong. I have them in three colors and my children have already placed dibs on who get what. I got um all and I love them all like children, the big ones, the little ones and the pans.
Melamine oversized White Serving ware – because it always looks good on a table and is very lightweight even when filled to the brim.
My diehard coffeepot – cause it is my best friend in the morning.
and last by definitely not my least is my, crockpot.
Yep, I think if I could only take a couple things on a desert island for a kitchen that would be my list…..
I love our All-Clad cookware….a gift from my parents when we moved into our new home 10 years ago…and the pans still look great!
Love the food chopper from Pampered Chef, along with their spatulas, and yes, pizza stone.
Drying dishes and countertops w/ thin flour sack dishtowels are perfect…but, I do love the colored ones w/ pretty patterns 🙂
Our Keurig…just became a coffee drinker this fall…love that lil’ machine.
Norwex dishcloths…any of their styles….they clean great and aren’t smelly!
Love your part about eating pizza twice in a week…..that has sooooo been our family lately!
I love your list, and that of everyone else, and I use many of the same things and love having them in my kitchen. But I haven’t seen anyone mention a salad spinner! I use mine every.single.day and it makes drying lettuce so easy. I bought mine from Tupperware 14 years ago and it’s still going strong!
I just received 2 of my mom’s old cast iron skillets and am learning how to use them best, but I love them! I would add too that I absolutely cannot live without my coffee maker! But as for what I really LOVE, my most used, best loved piece would be my Le Cruset dutch oven… so versatile!
My favorite kitchen implement/tool/workhorse = my cooking confidence honed over the years and creative thinking / problem solving. And parchment paper (thank you Costco for the super sized roll). And a super quiet dishwasher that’s energy efficient enough to run daily without feeling guilty and quite enough to run during the day when the house is awake / active and the dishwasher doesn’t disturb.
Great list! And your lovely photos are inspiring me to clean my kitchen :).
Is the counter top spray safe for marble? I am looking forward to your post on honing counter tops. I have marble and they are beautiful but the etch marks bother me.
Your sink area looks so happy and full of spring with the pops of sunshine yellow. I think I’m in love!
The only thing that I use a ton that’s not on your list is an immersion blender. I use that thing all. the. time. It’s such a hassle to move soup from the pot to the regular blender and back again. Then you have to wash the blender. The immersion blender just goes right into the soup pot does its job and you can give it a quick scrub and put it away. The best!
gorgeous kitchen! i can’t live without coffee so in turn i can’t live without my coffee maker (that would be my husband)
just a tip, i have honed granite counter tops and i would not recommend it. they are impossible to keep clean. give me a shiny polished finish any day!
I need more decorations in my kitchen! I always think that after visiting here. I never put away my cast iron skillets. I have three sizes that nestle together on the stove. I use them every single day. My KitchenAid mixer and a good scale for measuring baking ingredients come in next. My cakes are so much better when I measure the dry ingredients. I never knew how much more flour I was using in recipes. Now I need a good knife. (I bought my Le Creuset butter dish from TJMaxx. I have my radar out for a good dutch oven now.)
Hey All, Here’s my top 10 list~
1. Cutting board, its always out
2. My favorite knife
3. Faberware Coffee Pot
4. My countertop spray concoction, Water and tea tree oil ( a few drops go a long way , smells good, antimicrobial, natural , great on hardwood floors too. ( deadly to cats tho)
5.” Mopinas” ( italian for kitchen towel)
6. My small all clad sauce pan ( always on stove top)
8. Kitchen Radio ( we always have dance parties in my kitchen!)
9. My wine glass full of sea shells and sea glass
10. My turquoise colander ( always filled with fresh fruit!)
1. Cast iron skillet, for sure.
2. Kitchen Aid Mixer
3. Farmhouse single bowl sink
4. Two dishwashers
5. Coffee maker
6. Vitamix
7. Full size refrigerator and separate full size freezer
8. Good Henckles knife set
Loved reading your list, Edie! It is a very simple thing but I find my kitchen scissors indispensable. Also am a huge fan of my red LeCreuset dutch oven..it lives on my stove and makes me happy to see it sitting there waiting for my next cooking adventure. My most highly recommended recent addition is the Bonavita electric kettle. I had no idea how much we’d use it! It’s perfect for boiling water for tea or any other time we quickly need boiled water. Best fifty bucks I’ve spent lately 🙂
I use my paring knives every day! I also love pretty tea towels. My stoneware baking sheet is probably the next up for items I use the most, followed by my Cuisinart bread machine.
Am loving your new and improved LARGE photographs!!
Your kitchen is amazing! And I love your blog. I think we should be friends:) Not because of your kitchen or your blog…but because I like your passion for Christ and your family! I love the lists! One thing no one mentioned….Penzey’s spices??? Have you all not heard of? I know it’s an ingredient…but still. Don’t cook without them!
I would have to say my Keurig coffee maker and my rice maker. Both modern conveniences, but both so, so, so nice to have.
I would have to say that there are three products that get used and abused in my kitchen: my Pampered Chef 12″ skillet (you can feed an army with it, y’all!), smooth-edge can opener (no sharp edges!), and my Cutco Chef’s knife.
My rice maker because it is perfect every time and I have discovered Jasmine rice – the very best variety! My coffee pot (essential) as is my whistling tea kettle. We buy really nice knives at estate sales and antique malls–have picked up a couple of nice knife blocks too! Next on my list is a magnetic strip to hold some of them on the wall. I’m with you on the thin, cotton tea towels – they are the most absorbent and best! We use a wood cutting board for meats, but a green plastic one dedicated ONLY to veggies to prevent contamination. I also use a mini grater – a LOT – especially to mince garlic – works so much better than those presses! I buy better, all metal utensils instead of flimsy plastic or thin metal ones because they are worth it! Currently I am trying to decide the best tool to use to make veggie “noodles” as I am trying to go low carb–any ideas out there? It can’t be flimsy- doesn’t have to be fancy, and can’t take up too much room like those spiralizers which are just too complicated for me. I just love your kitchen, Edie!
I finally invested in a better spiralizer than my old hand power one from Sam’s-the price has come way down so for less than $30 you can get a paderno folding (yay!)three blade one which is fabulous! I only use the metal blade and do lots of zucchini, summer squash, English cucumbers. Good luck!
I love this list!!! I read and looked up many of the products suggested in the comments 🙂 A good spatula is essential in our house! This fall my husband brought home a knock-off Dutch Oven from Sam’s Club for me because he knew how often I have pined for a “real” one. . .I’m using it constantly, trying to “prove” to him that I need the one that will last forever — ha! Thank you for all the knife suggestions. . .we really want to invest in something that will LAST. No one mentioned Calphalon cookware — I have one Allclad saucepot and the Calphalon I have pieced together over the years — I do expect it to last forever.
What is the name of the chandelier cleaner?
Goodness. . . my list nearly matches yours right down to the same color and brand of stockpot. I might add Wusthof knives (my parents would give us a new one each Christmas), white ironstone platters (collected over the years), and half gallon Ball jars for pasta, rice and dried bean storage (I buy the jars by the case from a local Mennonite store), and, finally, my Penzey Spice Company salt and pepper set. A good pepper grinder by the stove makes me almost as happy as family gathered around the table. !!
Hi –
My favorites are my Le Creuset and my Vitamix! Also, fyi, I have honed marble countertops and they are already a mess 3 months from installation. I am embracing the “it’s a living stone” mantra. Anyhow, our installer, who only sells and installs marble said not to use any spray cleaner with any kind of acidic fruit in it, ie. most of the Meyers brands. I have found a Bon Ami liquid that has no harmful ingredients and seems to be working well. Hope that helps.
A “how to” on taking care of iron skillets…to use soap, not to use soap, when to wash, etc. would be great! I have my grandma’s iron skillet that she started housekeeping with in 1926. It’s still my fav iron skillet!!!
Well since I hate to cook…( I can hear the crickets chirping now) 😉 my favourite items are dishes for setting a pretty table. I have umm…a few…several…ok MANY sets of dishes and I love pretty stemware too. But could someone come and cook for me? I promise to set a pretty table. 🙂
Tervis Tumblers!! They are great with marble……no rings left behind. I always wanted marble and you know the nay sayers which is how I discovered you. What a beautiful post on marble countertops. After reading your take on marble, I went with what I always wanted..Carrera and we honed it. I think I must lay my body across my island everyday and sing the line from John Legend’s song, All of Me ………”I love your curves and all your edges and your perfect imperfections.” I’m thinking he must have had marble in mind when writing that song..LOL!
I couldn’t do without my electric kettle, the 4qt. crock pot(used at least 3 times a week), my Le Creuset rectangle roaster, and Le Creuset large frying pan, and our Keurig coffee maker. Le Creuset is an investment, but it is so worth it. My roaster pan is almost 30 years old and is used at least once a week, sometimes more. I also am enjoying my new Cuisinart ceramic pots and pans. I am an admitted kitchen gadget/tool junkie!
ive been looking for pretty cake stands. where do you find those? especially an aqua one.
Cast iron skillet, for sure. I use it almost every day.
On the 2nd to last picture (of your baking center) there is a white vent near the floor – is that simply an a/c & heat vent, or do you have a vacuuming system? If the latter, will you do a post on that, please!?
We brew hot tea every day in a Mr Coffee device (committed exclusively to tea so it does not taste like stale coffee!). I likewise could have an obsession/problem with tea towels:-RRB- I buy charming ones however likewise buy the plain white flour sack towels at Walmart, 5 for about $5. Feel totally free to share some sort of list for every space in your residence, I enjoy lists:-RRB- and your residence:-RRB-.
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Automatic Coffee maker, kitchen scissors, hand squeezable lemon juicer (not sure the name of it, but put your halved fruit in and squeeze!), tongs to sauté or flip with, non stick liner in my lined baking pan ( no scrubbing EVER) or parchment paper pre non stick lined pan, vita mixer, good knife, cutting board, non stick large/ deepish skillet ( cast iron skillet is up there but soooo darn heavy), wine!
WHAAAAAATTTTTT!!!!!! A drip dry chandy cleaner! Why don’t i know about this? Seriously, you were kinda my favorite before this amazing revelation, but NOW you are my favorite fav!! xoxo
Kitchen shears ( for herbs, salads, chicken, everything ), red (not white!)silicone spatula with wood handle, Corning Ware bowls the size of a large one person chef salad-we use these every day for popcorn/salads, stews and other foods served over rice or pasta… So great because they are microwave, knife and scissors proof! we have both a small hand power lemon juicer and a larger electric juicer-love lemon juice for salad dressings, marinades etc-so you can imagine the condition of my Calacutta gold marble!
And just to clarify – I have no actual colored stains on my marble-only many many places where something such as tomato juice or lemon juice or vinegar has touched, so it etches-not too rough, but just enough to take off the polished finish. You can’t really see it from above but if you’re at a Eye-level, there are spots and specks and bottle outlines (hate those the most- etc , in the areas I use most. So it’s definitely a love-hate relationship! I do love love the way it looks-but my husband would never allow us to install it again! And he rarely has a strong opinion about anything in my category of home decor or kitchen and items.
Edie, loving your morning chats and always encouraging information.could read it all day long!
Is the Le Creuset you get at TJ Maxx the authentic “Made in France” dutch ovens or is it the “Made in China” ones?