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My favourite kitchen tools

Everyone who cooks has an arsenal of favourite kitchen tools.
These are among my most indispensable ones.


This is one of the most used tools in my kitchen.
It's a form of whisk of which I have several in different sizes.
I use them for :
- beating an egg or two,
- stirring gravy and sauces.
(It whips lumps smooth and keeps
sauces from sticking to the bottom of the pot)
- frothing an egg white
- stirring mayonnaise and sour cream into dips and dressings
making them lump free.


Here are 2 similar tools with different uses.
The one in the back is a pastry blender
the one in front is a potato masher
They are sturdy, with tines that don't bend and handles that are easy to grip.


Two more tools I use a lot.
The one above is a bench scraper. It has many uses:
-to scrape up the bits of pastry, or bun dough or glued on food bits that dry on the counter.
-to scoop up chopped vegetables or nuts
-to slice squares and cakes (it does a lovely job of this)
to lift and serve a slice of chilled dessert

The tool at the bottom is a microplane or zester
Again, I have several.
- this one which finely grates lemon zest or parmesan cheese
- one that has a coarser cut for chocolate and hard cheeses
- and one that cuts longer ribbons


I could not work in a kitchen without several of these close by.
They are spatulas.
I love these silicone ones, because they can be safely used in cooking and don't stain.
I must have 8 or 9, in different widths and sizes.
They are in constant use:
- scraping every last yummy bit of goodness out of a bowl or bottle,
- stirring a sauce as it cooks
- turning potatoes and onions as they sizzle in a pan
- scraping the edges of the bowl as I mix up batters and doughs.
- folding whipped cream or beaten egg whites into cake batter and desserts


This last tool I'll feature today is a form of mandoline or slicer.
This one slices only one thickness but makes perfect, very thin slices.
I use it for slicing cabbage, onions and potatoes.
It would be great for thinly sliced apples or pears, carrots or cucumbers.
It has a plastic guard with points that hold the vegetable
so that you don't end up adding a sliced finger tip to the mix.

These are just a few of the kitchen tools I use almost every day.
What are the things you can't cook without?

29 comments:

  1. ...oh das sind gute Utensilien...spart eine Menge Arbeit und eleichtert das Leben...Schöne Woche wünsche ich dir.Bussi.Lu.

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    1. Do I understand this well? friends to share the cooking fun - an excellent kitchen tool. :)

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  2. My flat bottomed stainless steel mixing bowl. Twenty two years ago it was the best bridal shower gift I received.

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  3. The design of handles/grips has become much more important to me as my arthritis has increased, and often it's my oldest kitchen tools that stand the test - my old potato-masher, favorite old wood-handled knife, etc. One fairly new favorite is a wood-handled dough-blender I got online from a family-owned pizza supply place! The blender is a twist of heavy-duty wire. I use it for all sorts of dough, even really stiff cookie doughs, and it works beautifully. Haven't made pizza dough yet, though!

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  4. Hi Bev. Interesting post, as this year we have lived with bare minimum. I was telling someone last night that two things I really miss are my pastry blender and citrus reamer. I brought my zester with me and my favorite garlic press. We have no electric mixer at all. I really miss my Kitchen aid. I would like to say my arms are getting more toned, but I usually call my husband down to finish beating the cream or egg whites! I loved your leek and squash casserole, by the way!

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    1. I have a little mini cutting board from Pampered Chef that I absolutely love. Also, my food processor, especially for slaws or scalopped potatoes!

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  5. I have most of these too! I am a kitchen gadget lover, in fact when I shopping with my 2 girls, they groan when I stop at any kitchen store. I have to promise them "only 5 minutes" It's like a candy store!

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  6. Where can I find a nice wooden-handled bench scraper like that? I could really use one. At the moment I sneak our putty knife out of the tool box to scrape my counters and high chair!

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    1. I had trouble finding ones with a wooden handle for my girls. I did finally buy them, I think in a kitchen kiosk in a market. They are not as flexible as mine is though.

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    2. I use a windshield scraper with a broken handle. Serendipity - the handle broke at just the right place to make a comfortable grip for scraping the bench top. Mine doesn't have a metal tip -just an old plastic one. works well. I make bread every week, so it's seen a lot of use.

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  7. I have almost all of these tools in my kitchen too...The potato masher is the only one I don't use very often. Those little whisks are so handy, and the silicone spatulas are wonderful. The one thing that you don't show that I love, is a pair of bamboo tongs that I use to pull toast out of the toaster. I would never have bought it, but won it at a Pampered Chef party, and I use it EVERY DAY! :)

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  8. I have a thing for kitchen gadgets but honestly don't bother to use many of them.
    The best thing I have ever added to my gadget collection is what you shared first. The little funny whip. I use it all the time. And yes, it gets the lumps out!! LOL. I never have lumpy gravy. I gave one to my daughter and she feels the same way.
    I use to be big on using my mandoline, but use my food processor more these days.
    I have never seen a pastry blender like yours. It looks like it would be so much easier than the basic old fashioned one. Years ago, I said that I would never use my food processor to make pie dough like Martha Stewart suggest, but I gave in and now I can't go back!

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  9. I LOVE kitchen gadgets, too. I worked in a kitchen gadget store for a few years, and it was so much fun!! I love my silicone scrapers, my pampered chef stone which I use almost everyday, my Kitchenaid mixer for cookie dough(so much easier/quicker). I'll have to try that swirly whisk, I have several whisks, but flat and round. I do not want to forget the major piece that I use constantly, and it's my Henckel 4" paring knife, it is rarely put away!

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  10. Angled wooden spatula. I have an old one, but then recently got a handmade wooden one with a contoured handle at a craft fair.

    I finally got kitchen shears, too. Oh, dear--why didn't I do that sooner? They're awesome.

    And I still swear by my vintage Pyrex mixing bowls--just the right size and super easy to clean since nothing sticks to glass.

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    1. @Little Black Car: Kitchen Shears are my "go-To" item, indespensible! Mine have red handles and have had this Pr for a number of years. I like the old Pyrex mixing bowls too, and use a big stainless steel bowl for a lot of my mixing.

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  11. I think I have to say a really sharp chef's knife. I got a really good one (2 man Henkle) from my son who is a chef. Then I have all of the above too as I am a kitchen gadget junkie. Or so my husband says. LOL I like a tool for everything.

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  12. I have a deep affection for good kitchen tools too. I have become more wise as the years have gone on, and now I only buy my kitchen tools at the restaurant supply store. Anyone off the street can shop there at my local store. Their tools last much, much longer because they are industrial strength/quality. I was interested in your comment that you lift and serve a chilled dessert with your bench scraper. I have a perfect individual sized server that I use for that purpose. Where does that nice mandolin come from? Looks perfect for many jobs!

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    1. It's a Kuhn Rikon which I found at Winners.

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  13. I too am a kitchen gadget junkie! Just the other day I was cleaning out a drawer that is overflowing and keeps getting stuck - so I decided to take a picture of some of those gadgets that I can't do without...many are the same as yours. I can't do without my "Pioneer Corn" paring knife, my stainless steel bowls, my metal collander, or my "Bullet" blender (to mention a few!). BTW I couldn't get myself to discard anything in that drawer - just in case! :).

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  14. What a fun post to read. So often I forget to post about such fun topics. I love that whisk and especially the small slicer. Thank you for posting!!

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  15. Thanks for the insightful post. We sometimes forget about the things that we use the most and cannot live without.

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  16. Does anyone know where I can find that style of pastry blender? Great gadgets!

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    1. I found mine at Superstore - a grocery store here in our area.

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  17. The most important utensils in a kitchen - very valuable, like gold!

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  18. Where do you buy the whisk please??? I've been looking everywhere for one and to no avail !

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    1. Hi FaithHope, you can buy those whisks at Ikea.

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  19. I've had them for a long time and really can't tell you where I bought them. I'd check kitchen stores, hardware stores, maybe check out Pampered Chef products?

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  20. that looks divine.I love mousse and mostly have to make chocolate mousse as fresh stone fruits ar not at their best here. would love to relish on this Finla.checkout blender reviews

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  21. What is your favorite or most indispensable tool for the kitchen and why? http://kitchentoolexpert.com/

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