Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

Recipe Search

In Julie's Kitchen - A Few of My Favourite Things

Everyone has 'favourite'  things in their kitchen that make some aspect of their cooking time 
easier or more convenient.   
Here are  a few of my favourite things . 

My favourite luxury appliance .
That would be my wonder mill  so I can grind my own flour.


 My favourite handy kitchen tool
  is my icing sugar sifter that I bought many years ago and love every time I use it.  I keep it full of icing sugar and when I want to dust something it is handy ready ...  no mess ! 



 My favourite new kitchen utensil 
 was a gift ---  a silicone spatula -- it withstands high temps , you can use it in your frying pan,  its unbreakable,  and it does its job so well!   

My favourite 'kind' utensil 
is this peeler.   
I have RA and my right wrist is the worst affected.  
This peeler allows me to peel vegetables avoiding any twisting or side to side wrist movement that is painful.   


 My favourite 'life-saver'  kitchen tool.  
When I first was experiencing what RA  robs your body off, opening bottles/cans was impossible. I remember trying to figure out how to open a can/jar when I was home alone and trying to make dinner and feeling the utter helplessness of holding a jar and not being able to open it.  It dissolved me into tears. 
Then my husband one day came home with this gadget.   It has saved me from many a tear !!  smile. 



Then I have a favourite embarrassing kitchen utensil.   
My husband used to bug me about it saying .. "Throw it away! Get a new one! "   but I let him know in no uncertain terms that this egg turner can  not be replaced.  In fact I have two new ones but which one do I look for ?  This embarrassing old one with the broken/missing handle.   Especially when I make German Pancakes (crepes)  it just skirts around the edge of my cast iron frying pan, slips in underneath the pancake and flips it with a graceful turn.   
My other egg turners just feel awkward in my hand. 

 Do you have an embarrassing kitchen tool that you can't bear to part with ?

36 comments:

  1. Love my silicone spatula too, and we all have embarrassing kitchen tools, mine is also and old spatula (in my case with a plastic head) that I also seem to reach for again and again, edges of it are melted but for flipping burgers in my grill pans, it just seems to do the job the best!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a long metal spatula that I use for scraping flour off the counter. Many years ago I was going out with a girlfriend, and I needed to apply my lipstick, so I pulled my metal spatula out of the drawer and used it as a mirror. I had done that many times without thinking. She laughed at me.:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aw yes - the embarrasing kitchen tools! My worst one is an old pot that I just use for popping pop corn!! It looks just awful, all brown and crusted (seasoned) looking on the outside, but is the best pot ever for this purpose alone. If your spatula helps you make those German pancakes - you must keep it!!! I have the exact same peeler and love mine too. Have a wonderful weekend Julie!

    ReplyDelete
  4. My very embarrassing kitchen tool rarely sees other people but has made an appearance at several dinner parties. It's my very old meat thermometer. The plastic cover long broken off exposing the little red arrow, the metal shaft is almost at a 45 degree angle .... no one will claim responsibility for bending it but it still works like a charm. I have received several digital ones for gifts but still prefer the oldie?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I enjoyed reading about the utensils, but can I say, I'm amazed that one of the fabulous Mennonite Girls (Who) Can Cook has RA and still manages to do so much wonderful work in the kitchen! I have PA (psoriatic arthrits) and cooking is so trying for me sometimes, only able to stand and chop and such for limited periods of time before my back gets so stiff or sore, or my hips hurt so much. Kudos to you for doing so much wonderful work with the 'girls' with such a difficult disease!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Things are made better now, but years ago we used the rubber spatulas, wooden handle, rubber end. For my mom and me, the rubber would eventually disintegrate and become gummy. Being a ways away from a store and budget savvy, mom would give the rubber spatula a "hair cut" - she would trim 1/2 inch of the gummy part away and repeat that until the spatula was beyond saving. Eventually she broke down and replaced it. Eventually. ;). Now the silicone spatulas are a big improvement and have eliminated embarrassing trimmed spatulas from my drawer!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great post Julie! Those silicone spatulas definitely qualify as one of my favourite tools! I must have 10 of them in varying shapes and sizes and they are the first thing I reach for when I'm cooking or baking.
    Embarrassing kitchen tool? My Tupperware one cup measure has a hole in the bottom and I'm really not sure why it's still in my kitchen! Most of the other embarrassing tools were ruthlessly disposed of when I restocked my new kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Real Tupperware is difficult to throw away as the initial cost was so high and they are so posed to be lifetime guaranteed. Perhaps you need to find a Tupperware dealer and have it replaced instead of thrown out.

      Delete
  8. Most ALL of my kitchen tools are embarrassing, especially after nearly 52 years of use. But, I do have an affinity to kitchen tools and new ideas. So, I am not all that backwards. I am always on the hunt for something new and it is one of my favorite areas when out shopping. The only time I dispose of an oldy is (usually)if it breaks. NOW, I am on the hunt for one of those "icing sugar sifters" just like yours.

    Enjoy the day with Peace & Blessings to all,
    Barb

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have an icing sugar sifter just like yours - and a second one for sifting flour when I roll out cookies or pie dough. They may be my favorite tools. The only change I've made is to write SUGAR in big black letters on the side of the one to make sure I don't grab the wrong one...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Where would you find that jar opener, I use the flat rubber circles but this looks great for the smaller things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I asked my husband where he bought it and he doesn't remember ! I'm sorry.
      It is great for any size.. from the smallest bottle to the biggest jar and so easy to adjust. I hope you find one !

      Delete
    2. Try Amazon. They have all kinds of jar openers.

      Delete
    3. Julie, what does it say on the rubber part? perhaps that can lead to the correct one. Thanks, :)

      Delete
    4. Years ago I started to use a oil filter remover which is readily available in any hardware store! It works really great and is pretty inexpensive.

      Delete
    5. Thanks, Laurie ! I looked at my jar opener and if the light hits it just right there is lettering stamped into the handle part and its says ... Baby Boa Constrictor Master Craft.

      Delete
    6. If you are in Canada it is sold at Canadian Tire for 8.50.. you can google the name if you are in the US and find where it is sold near you!

      Delete
    7. RE:'life-saver' kitchen tool
      I used to use one of those until I found this amazing appliance (small than some toasters). It can open jars without you even touching the jar. I know it sounds hard to believe, but it is true. I recommend this appliance to anyone with RA. Look it up on Amazon to get the info and then check to see if there is one sitting on the shelf at MCC. (I've seen them at MCC for about $9.00). http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-JW200-Opener-White/dp/B00008GS9U) This will save your hands!
      Betty L

      Delete
  11. A jar opener that Judy once described as looking like a torture device is my favorite kitchen device.

    ReplyDelete
  12. LOVE this post! Where can I find the RA "life saving" gadget? My hands aren't doing the job as well as they used to!
    Jan

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Julie! I liked hearing about your favourite kitchen gadgets! I laughed when I read about your embarrassing one - looked quite familiar to me only mine still has a handle that is melted in a few places but I won't part with mine either! One of my favourites are my three nesting measuring cups from pampered chef that have the levels marked in the inside. Love them!
    -cb

    ReplyDelete
  14. Frying eggs in a holiday home I reached for the utensil rack and turned the eggs with what I thought was the correct tool, but all my kids yelled at me: 'Mum that's the fly-swatter!' eek.

    ReplyDelete
  15. It's embarrassingly old, but I'm not the least embarrassed to keep using it. My little grapefruit knife has a wooden handle had become split and cracked, but I secured it with a phalanx of thin rubber bands which also gives a good grip. IThe knife has a serrated edge that's been shaper in its day but it still does its job. She's (men do that with their tools why can't I?) about 4 inches long, and 46 yrs old. The only other use I have for her is for paring the last bit of cheese off a rind, probably, Edam or Parmesan.

    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mine is much the same as yours, an old plastic spatula. Mine still has the handle but does have some melted edges. I've tried to replace it but nothing flips an egg like this one does!

    ReplyDelete
  17. :) love the post and all of the comments, especially the fly-swatter spatula!
    Cheers from The Love of Food!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I really enjoyed this post and yes, I DO have an OLD utensil that I refuse to give up; it is an old military metal spatula (very thin and long) and the back of the handle says US NAVY 1942 !!! I found it at a garage sale about 25 years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  19. My ham-handed man somehow broke the handle off my indestructible silicone spatula. It's not useful for stirring any longer, but it's still the best bowl scraper ever. Plus, it cost ten bucks, so there's no way I'm throwing it out just yet. My Grandmas would be so proud. I'm still using a lot of their hand-me-downs; and I'm 57!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you, everyone, for sharing your comments. I enjoyed reading them and catching a glimpse into YOUR kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I have lots of new kitchen gadgets including soup ladles, but my favorite is a 40 year old one from a set (it's the only thing left), with a fancy coloured handle. It has the best shape for scooping stuff and I guard it like a dog.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have an old wooden handle pancake turner and it has duck tape on it. But I love it.
    Connie Pruitt

    ReplyDelete
  23. LOVE this post. It's fun to see the cool tools available that everyone loves and can't live without.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Rosemary B here:
    my egg slicer. I only use the top metal part and just hold the egg in my hand when I push it through. Why use the plastic bottom?

    I love the sugar shaker. I want one now

    ReplyDelete
  25. I have psoriatic arthritis and face the same challenges as RA. Could you tell me the name of the "life-saver" tool and where you purchased it. I've never seen anything like it and would LOVE to get one. Thanks for the tip!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Judy.. I'm sorry you are suffering with psoriatic arthritis! I answered the 'life-saver' tool question above, but here is the answer again... It is called Baby Boa Constrictor by Mastercraft and is sold in Canada by Canadian Tire. If you are in the USA you could google the name to see where it is sold near you. I hope you find it!

      Delete
  26. i too have an old spatula that we can't live without. i got my husband to make me a new handle out of a piece of maple branch and it is still going strong and the handle is holding in place just wonderfully.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I also Have a Spatula, (small) that I cannot Live Without Nor Can I replace it. Non to be found yet. My Mom also Has One that is Small & She calls this her Egg Spatula. Sure Wish they would Go back in time to Making the things we Loved. Not the Big Bulky handles that we have No Place to Put in our Drawers. They just do not fit.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.